On Sunday March 18th, Blue 7 Gallery holds a reception for "Ordinary into Extraordinary." The group exhibition is open to the public through April 21st at Blue 7 Gallery, 3129 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405.

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"Ordinary into Extraordinary," a group exhibition opens at Blue 7 Gallery on Sunday March 18^th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

Owned by Randy Ball, the longtime gallery has evolved into a nurturing collective, hosting shows about ten times a year. "Randy and I were just brain storming," said Lucius Peterson, gallery director. "We were intrigued by how artists are inspired by seemingly everyday items - old shoes, a box." Both Randy Ball (owner) and Lucius Peterson (director) are also artists and will be exhibiting work in the group show as well. In fact, the two collaborated in the production of the "Rose" photo. Peterson explained, "It is two photographs woven together to produce a single image. I did the photography and Randy did the weaving."

Rose, (woven photo) by Randy Ball and Lucius Peterson

Peterson went on to say both Ball and himself were fond of Lisa Wald's cow paintings that would be part of the group show. The artist will be exhibiting works that were inspired by a recent visit to animal sanctuary. "The way Lisa paints her animals provides the viewer with a connection to the subject as if you know the cow," added Peterson.

"Randy & Lucius are great people to work with," said artist Lisa Wald, who has been part of the collective since it began. "They are supportive of artists & foster a collaborative environment." Although she paints many different types of subjects, she will be exhibiting her animal inspired works for this exhibition. She continued, "Showing at Blue 7 Gallery has been a fantastic way to share my art with the public in a nurturing environment. It's also very exciting to see my pieces on a gallery wall. I'm always impressed by the other artists' work & their points of view." http://www.lisawald.net

Lisa Wald,Good Morning, 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Panel

Special guest artist Ray Ford will be included in the group exhibition as well. A talented wood sculptor, Ford takes pride in the fact that each of his works of art is completely original. He is a dedicated artist still at 90 years old. He continues to create work almost every day and exhibits in local galleries. His work has been shown at Ivan Gallery, the Santa Monica Art Studios, Fab-Gallery and more.

Like most artists, he has worked in all types of mediums. Wood carving was his first love and he has stayed true to it all these years, continuing to produce incredible one-of-a-kind artworks. He has done quite a bit of drawing and painting as well. His work is figurative in style. He explained, when modern art became all the rage, he was not a fan of abstract art. But"he added "I learned to appreciate it."

The art of Ray Ford

To find out more about Ray Ford, visit his website at http://hrayford.com/

Artist Vicki Fisher-Lerer has been part of the collective since early on. She will be exhibiting her encaustic paintings. The word encaustic originates from the Greek word enkaustikos, which means to burn in. The artist explained, "Each layer you paint needs to be fused with a heat gun or a torch. Encaustic paintings are perhaps the most durable form of painting, some surviving over 2000 years without cracking, flaking or fading. An example is the Faiyum mummy portraits in Egypt." http://vickifisher-lerer.blogspot.com/

On Sunday March 18^th, Blue 7 Gallery holds a reception for "Ordinary into Extraordinary." The group exhibition is open to the public through April 21^st at Blue 7 Gallery, 3129 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405. Call for info at (310) 449-1444 or visit the website e7gallery.com/

Authors Bio:

A freelance writer, Libby has been been writing for the past five years. She has been published on Hollywood Today, the Santa Monica Mirror and more.