- John F. Kennedy, October 26, 1963
As we walk a thin line on the cutting edge, trying not to slip over the edge on either side, we seem to balance in the tween of all that is happening around us. We keep the balance through laughter, through activities, through caring and loving ourselves and those around us...in other words we "go with the flow," continuing our lives in a normalcy fashion trying not to slip.
SoBoBo brings to you just that. Artists - Matt Rowe, Allan Dudek, Jan McLean, Frieda Howling, Rona Harris, new young artists and many more. Their depictions of the happenings surrounding and engulfing our lives, resonate within. The truth can be a free spirit feeling but only after it scares us, retreating behind blinders - what we don't acknowledge will not hurt us. We live in a world of conformity created through fear.
You will realize the value of what we have and what we have taken for granted for such a long time. It's amazing how we survive and rise above the chaos, good and bad. The good "chaos" weddings, births, and graduations softens the 'cutting edge' or bite of the bad chaos.
As you view each art piece, look to see what stirs you, what makes you see something that others cannot.Each art piece will come alive, touching your soul. There are those that may touch your heart or may stir a little bit of anger - a part of you that you hadn't realized was within you. Some will make you laugh out loud, hitting that satirical funny bone or just make you chuckle and giggle as you pass.
"Untitled" by Frieda Howling, has so many different meanings. One can be how we are controlled, like a puppet to conform. Lori Mack's "Chi" shows the balance and control from within. Frie
da Howling's "Spring" shows life, rebirth and sustenance. Jon Westberg's metal sculptures "Flowers Series" - brings you growth, beauty, and blossoming of fruits and vegetables and then leads you to "Farm Fresh" by Marcia Wiltsie. Doll Barne's "Tractor Bird" plants and harvests, reaping the rewards of the plantings, bringing it to market for us to purchase at the "Market Place" a linoleum cut print by Rona Harris. We mustn't forget to stop a moment in our stressful lives and smell the flowers as you stop to look at "Iris" a stained glass by Jane Hoover. Lydia Becker's terra-cotta reliefs gives life to the fruits and vegetables, making you want to touch them. William Brill's hand carved sculptures, show how the animals help with the plantings. "Sqweekers" plants the acorns, walnuts, etc. as the "Snakes" work their wonders in destroying pests. To see his "Striped Bass" hand carved looking at you as if it was freshly caught, ready to be prepared, to eat.
da Howling's "Spring" shows life, rebirth and sustenance. Jon Westberg's metal sculptures "Flowers Series" - brings you growth, beauty, and blossoming of fruits and vegetables and then leads you to "Farm Fresh" by Marcia Wiltsie. Doll Barne's "Tractor Bird" plants and harvests, reaping the rewards of the plantings, bringing it to market for us to purchase at the "Market Place" a linoleum cut print by Rona Harris. We mustn't forget to stop a moment in our stressful lives and smell the flowers as you stop to look at "Iris" a stained glass by Jane Hoover. Lydia Becker's terra-cotta reliefs gives life to the fruits and vegetables, making you want to touch them. William Brill's hand carved sculptures, show how the animals help with the plantings. "Sqweekers" plants the acorns, walnuts, etc. as the "Snakes" work their wonders in destroying pests. To see his "Striped Bass" hand carved looking at you as if it was freshly caught, ready to be prepared, to eat.Suzanne Urban's wonderful wit and candor makes you chuckle and laugh as you agree with "How true it is" as you read her quips on each painting. "The Date" and "Pigs Can Indeed Fly" certainly ad flavor!
We have everything, including art to display in our homes - "Sean," and "Mara" life size sculptures by Julia Ambrose, also represent our family. Her terra-cotta reliefs, no matter how surreal, touch you making you see our basic animal instincts.
"Passing of the Matriarch"
Terra-cotta Relief
Julia Ambrose
Jan McLean's collages show us the way we left home to 'find ourselves' in "Gone Before" and we then return "Home" only to experience how opportunities can come knocking on the door twice - "When one door closes....(another door opens.)" The "American Dream - Working Late" collage by Allan Dudek makes you realize how our society created workaholics and that yet we can still have it all.
Frieda Howlings "Life's Cycle I, II, III" show the hope, happiness, and harmony that we seek in our life. Looking for that someone special, raising a family to the fall years of our life when we seek to look back on our life reminiscing with memories of years gone by, trying to hold onto materialistic things, such as a variety of "Seed Bead" necklaces hand strung by Lara Sendich, "Ring of Fire" made with red glass beads, garnets and sterling silver by Kira Nelson. Even "Stormy" made of baubles and trinkets of times gone by - circa 1850 and forward by Teru Rexroad makes you realize how we immortalize ourselves in pieces of jewelry to pass on from generation to generation. Shelly Saber's pieces remind us of the "flower power" of the 1960's; DiDi Watters shows us how to fashion ourselves with royal designs; Sam Rawls keeps us grounded as Ruth Starcher adds brilliance to her work. Jan McLean's collages "Sunny Side of the Street #1" and "Dancing in the Street #1" show how wealthy we are with love, family, serenity and materialistic values. We mustn't forget our pets, "The Girls" by Marcia Wiltsie, shows two beautiful dogs waiting patiently to be let into the house. Allan Dudek's "Precious" and "Mr. Curious" reveals the spoiled side of our pets.
Then as we go on with our lives, the unimaginable happened, "September 11th, 2001" by Matt Roe depicts that horrid day, "a day of infamy." "Lack of Oxygen I and II" by C. TurnerWoods, shows how the flames and smoke sucked the very air we breathed out of us. "Tree Trunk" and "Looking Down" show how fractured we were after that day. "Eye Know" by Nancy Helphant represents the 'eyes of the world' as they softly gazed upon us with love, empathy, sympathy, and shared our sadness. In "September 11th, 2001" you can see the world crying.
Allan Dudek's "5 Star Flag" represents the freedoms and rights we have as citizens that became rigid as we sought for some sort of order. With that, "Eyes Series" by Nancy Helphant, show a sinister, unknowing lurker watching every move we made as citizens as we gave in or conformed to the new laws that were rushed into place.
"5 Star Flag "
Collage/Sculpture
Allan Dudek
We then sent our boys off to war. "Waves of Green" by Matt Roe show the 'site' of peace just beyond their reach, and yet not getting any closer to it, their vulnerability shown in tears. Michael Assad's "George Bush" signifies the disappointment in our president as he finished his term.
"Sailor" by Allan Dudek - shows how willing our men and boys are to go off to war. "Liberation" by Rona Harris shows the placement of where we are in the Mid-East as one young man takes "A Moment of Peace" to pray (also by Rona Harris). Even though they were completed during the Liberation of Israel in the 1960's, they are very representative of what is taking place today, over 40 years later.
Allan Dudek's "Figurines - Circa 1950's" hails Japan as an ally in the happenings 
that take place against us. They warned us of 9/11 before it took place as they are now warning us of North Korea's actions. And yet they still have the basic need for solace and guidance as it is represented in "Bonsai" by Matt Roe. "Wave Our Flag" shows China and North Korea's divisiveness.
that take place against us. They warned us of 9/11 before it took place as they are now warning us of North Korea's actions. And yet they still have the basic need for solace and guidance as it is represented in "Bonsai" by Matt Roe. "Wave Our Flag" shows China and North Korea's divisiveness."Figurines - Circa 1950's"
Allan Dudek
As we try to stay afloat with the economy, "Greenspan" by Daniel Mahroos shows the feelings of many who have lost so much and Jan McLean's collages of "Street Talk" and "Dancing in the Street #2" can depict the fall of the housing industry. How some of us are wavering on the brink of foreclosure. We become lost, can't find solace, "Beach Priest" by Allan Dudek shows how our own religious leaders are beginning to question. His "Soviet Sunset" represents religious oppression - but it suggests our own oppression we are in now. Frieda Howling's "Celestial Bodies" shows movement, as if our souls are being bounced and thrown about, getting battered and bruised. Yet we still travel down that path that is becoming so thin as everything comes falling in on us, shutting out that light at the end of the tunnel as can be felt in "Newberry Street #I by Laura Hoffman.
We continue to
seek answers, guidance as we are "At the Western Wall" stone cut print by Rona Harris and being taught again our "Spirtual Teachings" water color print 
by Rona Harris (left). The spiritual teachings and guidance start to break down those heavy burdens that light starts to shine brighter at the end of the tunnel as seen in "Newberry Street #II by Laura Hoffman (arcrylic - right).Larysa Sendich's mono print "Untitled #17 & #18" represents the order and structure that we seek, part of which is global warming. The fight 
against it is going to give us that spark to want to survive and thrive with new jobs, new businesses and money will begin to flow, the economy will begin to improve and we will live longer because we have now found a purpose to live. Matt Roe's "Go Green" the center of global warming shows the earth suspended in space as "Fire" representing global warming and "Ice" representing the polar ice caps, paper sculptures by Doll Barnes, dance a ballet, tip-toeing about as if on egg shells.
against it is going to give us that spark to want to survive and thrive with new jobs, new businesses and money will begin to flow, the economy will begin to improve and we will live longer because we have now found a purpose to live. Matt Roe's "Go Green" the center of global warming shows the earth suspended in space as "Fire" representing global warming and "Ice" representing the polar ice caps, paper sculptures by Doll Barnes, dance a ballet, tip-toeing about as if on egg shells.And finally we have found a new 'god', a 'savior' - "Corn-O-Graphic" sculpture/collage by Allan Dudek showing the exploitation of corn has tickled that satirical funny bone we so often forget we have or is it because we live in a world of satire, almost surreal at times. We have found the new "crude oil," "Texas Tea" is what it was called but now we have ethanol, "Mid-West Wine" that is going to save us, and give us our wealth back as we save our earth! And the other ways that corn is being used, again as sustenance which takes us back to the farms and now the gardens that each of us are planting in our yards, some say a take off of the "Victory Garden" of the 1940's.
Fascinating -- History repeating itself and History in the making at the same time. All propaganda? or truth? Visit SoBoBo and you decide. What is your perception? After all, Edgar Degas stated it best about artists and their work - "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
