2019 Artist In The Lookout At Plumas Arts Gallery
The postcard image that Gabriel Hydrick left in the log book at the Black Mountain Lookout after being selected as this year’s Artist in the Lookout.The Plumas Arts Gallery, will host a reception Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring work produced by Gabriel Hydrick, 2019’s Artist in the Lookout, and other member artists.
Each year the Plumas National Forest and Plumas Arts partner on a competition to provide an artist a several-day stay to be inspired by the world from the mountaintops at the Black Mountain Lookout, and exhibit works created in a November show at the Plumas Arts Gallery. Gabriel Hydrick, artist and Plumas County administrator, was chosen for 2019.
Hydrick was trained in art in college by landscape illustration master Mike Lin and international watercolorist Lian Quan Zhen. His style reflects his training with loose and quick conceptual sketches with an Asian influence as studies for finished works.
He is also a father who teaches art to his children. His oldest daughter Talia, an aspiring and talented artist in her own right, will have several of her drawing on display.
Hydrick brought his art background to his service as a city councilman in Lincoln where he worked to install four phases of public art in the downtown and was on the board of the Art League of Lincoln.
Hydrick’s oldest and youngest daughters joined him during his lookout stay. While there they saw a little watercolor, about postcard size, left in the logbook. Hydrick said, “We loved the idea so we took one of the historical images there and made it a ‘postcard’ and left it in there with the other one. I hope that we have contributed to a new trend!”
Hydrick reflected upon the experience in words as well as visual works. “The world is so peaceful from high above. One can observe all the natural elements, despite their differences, synchronizing in harmony together to make the world, and her celestial blanket, an immensely beautiful place for our use and pleasure.
“The cool evenings lend themselves to crystal clear sunsets, the sunsets lend themselves to opposite but complimentary colors saturating the sky, the complimentary colors animate the reflective streams and rivers at day’s end, the animated and reflective streams and rivers provide the opening act to the night’s dazzling starry show, the starry show envelops the fatigued observer as he settles in for the night, the fatigued observer recounts the memorable moments of the day shared with his precious daughters, the memorable moments provide excitement and anticipation of a new day to repeat the cycle again.”
Hydrick commented, “As an artist, one studies the subject and its compositional elements to understand its sense of meaning, purpose and place; and at the same time, the artist finds his meaning, purpose and place. Often times, these compositional elements are contradictory, but this is what makes them complimentary.“For me, this is the definition of a masterpiece, whether in art, nature or life. Nature is the perfect master of the arts and life. Anything else, like the artist’s palette and canvas, is only a humbling reminder we are masters of little and students of all.”
The featured exhibition will hang through November.
Plumas Arts Gallery is located at 525 Main St. in Quincy. Office hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment. For more information about the work of Plumas Arts visit plumasarts.org or call the gallery at 283-3402.
