Sonoma Report
After nine years in Sebastopol, artist Maria Isabel Lopez is preparing for her first local exhibition, a collection of mosaic work opening Sept. 8 at Petaluma’s Usher Gallery.
“Illumination in Glass—The Mosaic Art of Maria Isabel Lopez” will remain on display through Oct. 18. A public reception is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, according to the North Bay Bohemian, which profiled Lopez.
The exhibition had originally been planned for July but was rescheduled after Lopez was involved in a serious car accident in the spring. She told the publication that the recovery period forced her to slow down while also giving her time to reflect and continue developing her creative work.
Lopez’s art is rooted partly in her childhood in Balic-Balic, an impoverished area of the Philippines. One early mosaic in the exhibition incorporates sand, pebbles and glass from her native country, illustrating what she describes as her development as an artist.
Although glass is a central material in the show, Lopez said the collection also includes other media. She favors glass because of the way it interacts with light, retains color and can endure over time. Her approach also incorporates raw and natural materials, including discarded and organic elements.
The exhibition’s title reflects Lopez’s broader ideas about her work. She describes reflection and refraction not only as physical effects created when light passes through glass, but also as ways of considering the surrounding environment. Through the pieces, she aims to create art that changes as viewers and light interact with it.
Lopez also maintains a career as an actress and producer in the Philippines, where the North Bay Bohemian reported she has more than 100 credits. In Sebastopol, she lives with her husband, human rights attorney John Melrod, in an 1850s farmhouse. Her activities include making art, acting, arranging flowers and cooking from the garden at their home.
Usher Gallery owner Rachel Usher said artist Virginia Travers, a longtime friend of Lopez and one of the gallery’s artists, helped make the introduction. Usher said the gallery is looking forward to presenting Lopez’s work to the local community.
The gallery is located at 1 Petaluma Blvd. N. in Petaluma.
