Pink Door Gallery to host artists’ reception

Esther Rogoway

The Pink Door Gallery and Studio will be having a reception for George C. Penaloza, a wonderful ceramicist, and Beth Ray, a well-known plein air artist on January 10 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at 201 N. Court Avenue in Tucson.

George C. Penaloza is a wonderful ceramicist with the most unusual work. Through the three dimensional world of ceramic sculpture he has found a way to give voice to his deeper creativity and to bring forth everything within himself. His inspirations for moving to the more free-form and intricate art form of sculpture include fantasy movies and special effect design. Ceramic sculpture gives him an opportunity to give life to what exists within his heart and imagination.

Beth Ray, an award winning artist from Arizona, has a B.A. in Fine Art and Art Education from Augustana College and the University of Mexico D.F. Following a career in retail management for large department stores she retired to become a professional painter and painting instructor. Ray has taught oil painting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Pima Community College and regional art organizations.

She has a preference for plein air and is often found around Tucson and the West painting the glorious desert landscape in the early morning. Plein air is spontaneously capturing the moment in natural light by training the eye to accurately see the nuances of the subject in values and color temperature. These small studies are then sold in galleries and often used for larger studio paintings. She has taken top awards in plein air from two New Mexico events including Best of Show this fall in the Black Range Artists event.

In addition to landscape, Ray paints very vibrant still life, figures and animals in the landscape and gardens. She loves to paint flowers against the softer colors of the Arizona Desert and usually paints even still life outdoors. Her palette is a warm and cool of the three primary colors plus white and two additional colors for speed and efficiency when outdoors.

Some of her favorite teachers are Ann Templeton, Ray Roberts, Bill Cramer, Matt Smith, Kevin McPhearson and Phil Starke from whom she has distilled their methods to make her own unique style and palette. You can contact her through her website, www.BethRayArt.com or through her galleries, Esther Rogoway, Old Town Artisans, Tucson and ZForrest. Tubac.

For more information phone  520-444-6481.