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"The Power of Three" - TAL's First Fall Exhibit

Opening Reception Saturday, Sept 20

 

Our first art exhibit for the new 2025-26 season features three Terravita artists in three mediums. Come meet these interesting artists at the opening reception on the 20th and enjoy their compelling work:

• Margit Kagerer, art quilter - whose intricate quilting patterns beg close examination
• Erv Parthe, photographer - recreating what the eye sees, not what the camera sees
• Mary LaRue Wells, mixed-media painter - entertaining and provoking thought through the unexpected

The exhibit is on at the Desert Pavilion from Sept. 14 - Nov. 15.

Be sure to see these artists' fascinating work and how creativity can be expressed in very different mediums. As always, TAL's exhibits are there for the entire Terravita community and visitors to enjoy.

Here's a preview:

 

ART QUILTS
Margit Kagerer

A native of Germany, fiber artist Margit Kagerer was introduced to the world of quilting and fiber art when she and her husband relocated to the United States. As a retired math teacher, her interest in geometry led her to admire the patterns found in traditional quilts. Right from the beginning she created her own contemporary designs with geometric patterns.

When the couple moved to Arizona, Margit was attracted by the beauty of the desert. Her work demonstrates how she "paints" the dramatic Arizona scenery and other landscape subjects with fabric.

Her most recent work, "Seasons to Remember," represents the four seasons as she remembers them in Germany, more than 30 years ago. "A Fanciful Buffet" was made last year for an exhibition of the Arizona Quilters Guild. She describes it as "a whimsical quilt with Arizona critters".

Inspiration can come from many sources. Working with different fabrics gives her creative freedom and enables her to transfer what she sees into a picture or an abstract design. Look closely to examine her intricate details.

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PHOTOGRAPHY
Erv Parthe

"The camera and my eye don't see the world the same way," Erv says. "The camera captures only what it sees without context or emotion. It is in the editing that I have full control to shape the final image to look the way I remember the scene.

"When I see something I want to photograph, I focus on a certain aspect of the subject and I want the viewer to focus on it too, to be pulled into the image. I use editing to emphasize this focus. Emphasizing the focus might mean cropping, increasing contrast or dropping back the background, enhancing color or eliminating distracting elements.

"In the 1950s when I first got interested in photography, I built my own darkroom and shot a lot in black and white, controlling the process from beginning to end. I still keep that level of control, from image capture through editing, printing and framing.

"I enjoy photography because I can freeze a moment in time," Erv says.

When you look at Erv's photos, notice what you focus on and where your eye is led around the image.

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MIXED-MEDIA PAINTING
Mary LaRue Wells

Mary's work strikes an intriguing chord somewhere between whimsical ("too light," she says) and surreal ("too heavy"). She loves to bring smiles to viewers.

Mary says she has long been drawn to offbeat themes such as her most recent Bananas series on display now. Her preceding series featured playing cards integrated with cats, birds or other animals (think Javelinas and squirrels), and even the Mona Lisa.

"I enjoy looking for something offbeat and strange," she says, "I like those things. It's more fun to do something ridiculous than straightforward. Those bananas get into a lot of trouble!"

Mary's medium is acrylic (plus the occasional found object). Her Bananas series numbers close to 64 works, with two unfinished. One she hopes to finish is "Tesla In Space" with a banana in the driver's seat.

She has exhibited in galleries from Washington, D.C. and New York to Washington state, where she taught art at the college level. You might be amazed to know that she is legally blind from macular degeneration.

There is always something to discover in Mary's work. Look closely, and you are likely to find the unexpected!