(Above: George, by Mayuko Ono Gray)

By Randi Bjornstad

The latest show at the Maude Kerns Art Center, titled Fresh Form, is an unusual collection of work by three artists, Gabrielle Duggan, Mayuko Ono Gray, and Sarah Nguyen.

All three base their work on traditional art forms — fiber in the case of Duggan, calligraphy in Ono Gray’s work, and for Nguyen, cut paper.

But that’s where the tradition ends. Duggan’s art translates the concept of fiber into digital weaving, while Ono Gray turns combines calligraphy with Western-style images and materials. Nguyen turns the cut-paper technique into giant scrolls on a smooth synthetic material called Tyvek invented by the DuPont company and used originally for wrapping the walls of buildings under construction.

Hafi-Greetings (detail 2), by Sarah Nguyen

Fresh forms, indeed.

Duggan comes from Greenville, N.C., and works with what she describes as a “digital jacquard loom” that creates images that are a combination of data fed into the machine and manipulations that she does by hand. She describes her creations as the reflection of “social, political, and historical implications of power.” She has participated in group and solo shows via museum and travelling exhibits as well as in public work displays.

Ono Gray, from Houston, Texas, juxtaposes traditional Japanese calligraphy with drawings that blend realistic imagery with abstractions. Her charcoal and graphite drawings, for example, meld particular Japanese proverbs with related images  that “confirm the never-changing characteristics of human emotions and behavior, providing timeless lessons and teachings.” Her work has been shown internationally, in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Columbia, Missouri artist Nguyen’s creations are multi-media in style, combining both realism and abstraction so that her work evokes “memory, play, ritual, and the dissolving boundaries of waking life and dreams.” Her work has been displayed in solo and group shows throughout the United States.

Fresh Form at the Maude Kerns Art Center

When: Through April 29, 2022

Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 2910 E. 15th Ave. (corner of 15th and Villard streets), Eugene

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday during exhibits

Information: 541-345-1571 or mkartcenter.org

HoneyStillFloats, by Gabrielle Duggan