Lolita HarperA homespun art gallery unveiled itself...

Lolita Harper

A homespun art gallery unveiled itself in Costa Mesa on Thursday, as

local artists celebrated their opening night with a grand reception

for the new local artistic outlet.

Five regional artists -- Carrie Strom, Michele Yu, Matt Berg,

Kerry Brannan and Alex Crane -- hosted an ongoing art gallery at The

Camp on Bristol Street in which local artists have a venue to display

their work.

The gallery was well-attended, with curious aficionados who wanted

to see the talent of their hometown artists. Berg, one of the up and

coming artists who showcased their work at the gallery, employs a

variety of media in his paintings but has an affinity for watercolors

and oils.

“There’s a freedom in working with an element,” Berg said. “Water

can soothe or kill. Being a child of contradiction, I have grown fond

of using two dramatically opposed mediums.”

The gallery was created to provide an outlet for the numerous

Costa Mesa artists searching for a place to display their

accomplishments. Strom, a Costa Mesa resident, gathered painters,

sculptors, photographers and sculptors, as well as musicians and

dee-jays to perform at night receptions at a 2,200-square-foot space

at the Camp, across Bristol from the Lab Anti-Mall.

Strom said she encountered many creative and innovative fellow

artists in her hometown but felt they did not have ample opportunity

to get their work out there. The blooming artist said she wanted to

give herself, and her colleagues, an opportunity to expose their

community to its own art.

Various pieces were imaginatively presented, allowing the audience

to enjoy every aspect of the work. Bright colors, elegant angles and

effortful masterpieces caught the eyes of all who wondered through

the rough showcase space. A variety of dimensions were represented

and guests of the show stared intently at their favorite work,

obviously struck by the work of art before them.

Strom said she got the idea for a gallery when she heard the

Trilogy Playhouse had mysteriously disappeared in December. She

contacted the management at the Lab and asked if she could use the

theater space for her display. The old Trilogy space was not

available, but the Anti-Mall officials, who have a history of

supporting local art, offered the space at the Camp.

Shaheen Sadeghi, owner of the Lab Anti-Mall, said his company

takes pride in using its available space as a venue for local

artists. His company promotes a campaign called Made in Costa Mesa to

encourage city artists to present their products.

Strom is an abstract artist who usually works with oil paints and

sticks. Her latest project is a series of red paintings designed to

create an atmosphere using the color. She mixes shades of red with

splashes of oranges and yellows to ad some texture and depth to her

pieces. Strom likened her conceptual art to scribbling and then

coloring over it.