Fine art focusing on textiles and ceramics comes to Gallery at 48 Natoma in this second exhibit of the year. The two artists working with these very different mediums are highlighted in Things with Wings.

Linda Waddle will display a variety of unique quilts and Sandy Fong Whetstone will bring her visions to life through ceramics. The exhibit will be open April 26 to June 20. 

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Waddle is an award-winning textile artist and her work has received awards at the International Quilt Festival Houston, Schwienfurth Art Center and Visions Textile Art Museum. Waddle welcomes the challenge of transforming a piece of plain white fabric into a work of art. Within each piece she works to incorporate a myriad of fabric manipulation and transformation techniques. These include such techniques as dye painting, stenciling, screen printing, rusting and other methods that help to achieve the unique results she seeks throughout her works of art.

Fong Whetstone is a ceramic sculptor, painter, printmaker, fiber and mixed-media artist with a tagline of “Art that Makes You Smile.” Her work reflects the beauty and humor found in nature and explores humans’ oft fraught relationship with it — the struggle to impose our will on nature contrasted with our efforts to preserve it. Her work can be found locally at the Crocker Art Museum’s museum store in Sacramento, the Pence Gallery in Davis and the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art museum store. Her work has also been shown at galleries in Southern California and New Orleans.

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April 18 through June 6, in the adjacent Community Gallery at 48 Natoma, the membership of the El Dorado Hills Arts Association will display a variety of work promoting the 2024 Spring Art Studio Tour with 45 artists from 18 studios that are participating in this year’s event. This is a great way to preview all the artists in the art tour, get a free studio map and plan your route for the tour. 

The Gallery at 48 Natoma will be open for the tour weekend Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission is free and all ages are welcome. For more information about the studio tour visit eldoradohillsarts.com/2024-spring-studio-tour.html.

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An opening reception for both exhibits is planned 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 26. Entrance is free and open to the public with complimentary refreshments and live music.

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The Gallery at 48 Natoma is located at 48 Natoma St. in Folsom and open to the public 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with evening hours of 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The gallery is managed by the Folsom Parks and Recreation Department and displays art by regional and national professional artists, area museum collections and traveling exhibitions — offering high quality, original art exhibits to the community that otherwise may not be experienced in this area. More information is available at www.folsom.ca.us/galleryat48natoma or call (916) 461-6601.

Pictured is a ceramic bird piece by artist CSandy Fong Whetstone that is part of the new exhibit opening at Folsom’s Gallery 48 at Natoma this week. Photo: Gallery 48 at Natoma/City of Folsom.