Bedford Gallery to Present ERIN FONG | THE SENSATION OF COLOR This Winter

Erin Fong | The Sensation of Color will be on view January 14 through April 2, 2023.

By: Dec. 09, 2022
Bedford Gallery to Present ERIN FONG | THE SENSATION OF COLOR This Winter
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Bedford Gallery will present Erin Fong |The Sensation of Color, an exhibition that explores how the world's myriad hues inform day-to-day experiences in subtle, often unconscious ways. Through dedicated experimentation, Bay Area artist and letterpress printer Erin Fong delves into how color affects emotional responses. The Sensation of Color will transform Bedford Gallery into a vibrant lab full of the artist's prints, paintings, and installations. Here, visitors will be invited to tap into their experience - both individually and collectively - as they are immersed in hues across the spectrum, considering how colors make people feel, and how they foster human connection. Erin Fong | The Sensation of Color will be on view January 14 through April 2, 2023, from 12:00pm-5:00pm, Wednesday through Sunday at Bedford Gallery inside Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek. For more information or to purchase tickets ($5, free for children under 13 and Bedford Gallery members), visit www.bedfordgallery.org. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. A member and press preview will be held from 3:00pm-4:00pm, Saturday, January 14, 2023.

This exhibition features several immersive installations including The Color Corridor, a 17-foot maze that gradually changes color, allowing viewers to gauge how their feelings and mood change as they journey through; and Color Communion, a large-scale sensory experience that incorporates light and sound components to further allow visitors to connect with themselves and the colors that surround them.


Paintings and prints from Fong's studio practice are also highlighted. Friendship Project, an ongoing series, features over 300 letterpress prints that give collected advice on friendship mounted in a 48-foot chromatic rainbow grid. Fuzzy Feelings and Chroma Clusters are two more recent projects, begun in late 2021. Both painting series use data collected from a practice in which Fong identifies her emotional state at certain points in the day. Each painting represents a single experience or moment, and the range of emotions that can be present at one time. The artist corresponds these emotions with colors to develop the palette and matches the density of the paint application to the intensity of the moment. The Fuzzy Feelings works are framed in a diffusion box that blurs the overall image, representing how emotions blend into one another, and how confusing it can be to see and feel them all at once. Chroma Clusters uses the same process, though these works are painted on layered mylar sheets.


Fong's hope for The Sensation of Color is "...to encourage people to slow down and notice the sensations and feelings that change as they experience different parts of the exhibition." She adds, "I want people to leave with a sense of curiosity and delight."


This exhibition is sponsored by Nanoleaf, Diablo Regional Arts Association, and Lesher Foundation.

About Erin Fong

Erin Fong is a letterpress printer and artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 13 years of experience, Fong began her career creating artist books and editions, working alongside letterpress printers and bookbinders. Fong co-founded Western Editions, a letterpress studio that ran for 7 years with a focus on custom design and small-batch printing. In 2019, she transitioned to developing a studio practice, prioritizing personal work that has a strong focus on the power of color, human connection, and experimentation. Fong has worked with a wide range of commercial brands and has also printed colophons and text for artist books, including Maira Kalman, Clare Rojas, Malick Sidiblé, and Wayne Thiebaud artist editions. Fong's last exhibition, The Friendship Project, was featured at San Francisco's Rare Device gallery in 2020.

About Bedford Gallery

Bedford Gallery (BG) is a contemporary art space housed in the City of Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts that exhibits the work of historic, modern, and contemporary artists. In conjunction with each exhibition, BG offers engaging workshops for the public, varying from arts and crafts with featured artists, to dance performances, gastronomical experiences, and more. BG provides visitors with opportunities to learn about the visual arts through public programs that are varied, accessible, challenging, and educational, with a mission to provide exhibitions and programs that both reflect and engage the diverse audiences of the entire Contra Costa region. In addition to organizing and presenting several exhibitions each year, BG hosts lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and other public programs.


About the Lesher Center for the Arts

Lesher Center for the Arts is the premier arts venue in Central Contra Costa County. Located in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, the center offers three separate theatres and Bedford Gallery, a fine art gallery, presenting the best of theater, ballet, comedy, and visual art.




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