Nandina Organics hosted an opening reception at Take 3 Contemporary Art Gallery on Saturday, February 14. Both the gallery and Nandina Organics are located in the SHOPS at 1345 in Palm Springs. Headquartered in Palm Springs for the past seven years, Nandina has been an innovator in the world of organic textiles, developing and offering a unique selection of luxury organic towels and spa products to retailers, hotels, and design clients throughout the United States and Canada. Nandina Organics owners Laurel and Mathew Thomas also operate the Take 3 Contemporary Art Gallery that focuses on fine quality work from local artists.
The opening reception at Take 3 Contemporary Gallery featured new work from painter, printmaker, and educator, Dennis Johnson. Since moving to the desert, Dennis has been teaching printmaking and graphic design to Coachella Valley college students at the College of the Desert and the California State University San Bernardino at the Palm Desert campus. Dennis’ work is an extension of the roads he has traveled while exploring landscapes both rural and urban. While living in various areas of the country from the San Francisco Bay area to Florida and the Midwest, and now the Coachella Valley, he has found that each unique community provides opportunities to explore and grow as an artist.
The series of paintings now on view at Take 3 Contemporary, reflects recent photographic excursions on Route 66, through Wonder Valley and neighboring desert areas. The paintings include the iconic "Roy’s Motel and Café" in Amboy, CA and the Jackrabbit Homesteads, which highlights the history of the area, the vast openness of the land, and the isolation of humans in these places. Johnson hopes to communicate the expansive feeling of the desert and to reflect on the past and present relationships to this land. These landmarks forged the way west, a crucible through which travelers ventured and established their lives.
Also showing is contemporary sculptor, Rik Phillips, who is debuting his first collection of handmade furniture. A student of Alexander Calder, Phillips finds joy in taking seemingly simple forms and elevating them to a higher work of art. He has been crafting steel, copper, and bronze into award winning sculptures for the past 30 years before taking the plunge into furniture design. He brings that same attention to form and function to his furniture designs, which range from the delightfully whimsical to sophisticated pieces that can be custom finished for designers or collectors.
The show will be on view through March 12 and the gallery is open 7 days a week during Modernism Week, but closes on Tuesdays during the regular season.
Nandina Organics and Take 3 Contemporary Art Gallery
The SHOPS at 1345
1345 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Ca 92262
760-328-9333
Photography by Gregg Felsen
