On Friday, May 3, welcome the beautiful month of May with a stroll around the Fairfield square—and beyond—for new gallery shows and live music, 6:30-9:30 p.m.. Cafe Paradiso welcomes back its First Friday (ir)regulars, Apocalypso Tantric Noise Choir, a.k.a. James Moore and David and Eric Hurlin on bass, drums, and keys. The concert is by donation, so stop in for a quick refunkment or soak in it for the long one.
Big Blue Gallery, at 410 W. Lowe, is pleased to open an exhibition of artworks by well-known Fairfield talents Jenny Sammons and John Schirmer. Jenny Sammons is a visual artist and musician. In 2013, Sammons left her clerical job at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., to study art at Maharishi International University, using her time there as an opportunity to heal from personal and generational trauma—and to dive deeply into her spirituality and creativity. Sammons uses her art to decompress and practice self care, and has experienced profound joy and fulfillment through her therapeutic creative practice. Her affinity for pattern, color, and maximalism have migrated from a 15-year jewelry design business to drawings and paintings. Over the past decade, Sammons has taught art, exhibited her work in galleries, and developed a product line of home goods and accessories incorporating her work. Sammons has her own gallery space in Fairfield where visitors are welcomed by appointment.
John Schirmer has been a printmaker for more than 40 years, specializing in woodblock prints. Each work is carved in wood, printed, and hand colored—then signed and numbered in a limited edition. If you live in Fairfield, you are familiar with his celebrated works. John has won awards in shows all over the country. He is currently focusing on oil painting.
The Fairfield Art Association Gallery, located in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, presents “Recent Watercolor and Oil Paintings” by Iowa artist Michael Broshar, from 6–8 p.m. Visitors can also enjoy Fairfield artist Elaine Duncan’s recent collages in the Hallway Gallery.
Broshar is an award-winning artist, capturing signature status in the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and the Iowa Watercolor Society. His works were selected for an international exhibition of the National Watercolor Society, with his painting San Diego Harbor receiving an award.
Broshar says, “My architectural background leads me towards painting architectural subjects, but I also find rural landscapes and the industrial areas of the rivers to be compelling.”
