“Paper Trail,” an exhibition by artist Daniella Woolf, opened on March 15 at the GCC art gallery inside the main entrance to the library. A crowd gathered to admire the artwork while helping themselves to cookies, drinks, and other refreshments provided by the art department.
Woolf herself was at the grand opening and spoke with different groups of people about her work. There were 27 works displayed in the exhibit, which focused on family, identity and memories.
In her catalog, she described her works in detail: the styles, materials, story and the meaning behind them. The works are an amalgamation of the memories of her youth, growing up in a prophouse with parents who traveled to the world. For instance, “Family Portrait,” which consists of a collection of family letters harboring drama displayed in black and red colors signify fiery emotions.
“I think ‘Family Portrait’ stands out the most, because it is the largest work, yet delicate,” said Woolf. “It is constructed from shredded family letters, so it has a lot of energy within the paper itself.”
As if the title doesn’t give it away, Woolf claimed that “OCD but not Perfect” was the most challenging to produce. It took time just to complete each strand of paper, of which there are more than 700 pieces cut in .25 inch squares.
“Let’s just say I love doing repetition and pattern,” said Woolf. “It is very time consuming, but portable. I traveled to South East Asia for the month of January and worked on the piece while traveling.”
Gallery Director Caryl St. Ama had nothing but praise for the artist.
“I think it’s very exciting in terms of use of paper,” said St. Ama. “She’s very inventive in recycling paper from journals and her mother’s letters carry a lot of power that make the artwork very stimulating.”
Since artistic taste is subjective, people seemed attracted to certain pieces over others.
The gallery holds four exhibitions a year. Three professional and one student, each with different styles contribute their work. This year there’s been a figurative painting show, a drawing show and currently an installation show.
“We want to bring a diverse program to the gallery, so students can see a lot of different kinds of work like [in the] Los Angeles galleries,” St. Ama said.
Woolf’s friendship with the gallery director blossomed after being invited to teach in Glendale.
“I have to say that in my experience with Caryl, her colleagues, staff and students have been fantastic to work with and fun from the get go,” Woolf said.
“Paper Trail” will be displayed through April 11 in the GCC Art Gallery. Gallery hours are Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday from 12 to 6 p.m., Thursday from 12 to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
