Manna Gallery presents “Play of the Hand” from Aug. 4 – Sept. 16, featuring paintings by local artist Valerie Corvin in her first solo show. The name describes the artist’s abstract expressionist style of striking color, bold marks, and organic shapes. Each work showcases the hand of the artist at work with multiple layers of paint, unique forms, and varied marks. An artist reception will take place on Saturday, Sept. 2 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the gallery, 473 25th Street Oakland.
Corvin is an American contemporary abstract painter working in the San Francisco Bay Area and a founder of the Piedmont Center for the Arts. She managed its visual arts program for eight years and is the founder and administrator of a juried art competition exhibition now in its eighth year. In addition, Corvin recently concluded a 9-year term as a Trustee of the Board of Directors at the Oakland Museum of California.
She holds a Master of Arts in Museum Administration and worked for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as a museum educator. She began painting twenty years ago, studying at the California College of the Arts and with numerous painting instructors from around the country. Corvin was drawn to fine arts from her family background — her father a jewelry designer, and her mother a painter and sculptor.
“Valerie Corvin’s abstractions speak to the colors and structures of the natural world. There is a quiet ease in her brushed atmospheric pieces complemented by a lively pattern language… She is an artist who continues to explore new pathways while confidently adding depth to core ideas,” said Sara Post an American abstract painter and
Instructor.
Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. and First Fridays: Aug. 4 and Sept. 1, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.