July Featured Artist: Betsy Roberts

Featured this month at Arcata Artisans, Betsy Roberts has created a series of “Peace Lanterns” reminiscent of lanterns floated at Hiroshima every August 6 to commemorate the atom bomb deaths there and at Nagasaki.

Using a variety of materials, such as glass, mica, and siliconized fabric, these portable lamps are elegant, some even dressed up with pearls or garnets. 

Joy Dellas, also featured in July at Arcata Artisans has collaborated with Betsy to create a lamp they call “Three Dog Light.

Joy Dellas, a featured artist for July

My latest work is based on alchemical drawings, which depict early stages of chemistry. I am curious about this work because there is so much I don't understand about it. I am finding that, as David Hockney has said in reference to art, "it attracts meaning". The drawings bring to mind stills, for making beer, wine, and liquor. My son thought I was making pictures of bongs. They have reminded me of what's going on with the oil leak. To me, they are above all, vessels. And isn't that what we humans are - containers for the life process? There is much written about alchemistry and the process of psychological transformation. I have been interested in this for many years. Doing these drawings has caused me to look into the subject once again. http://joydellas.blogspot.com/