Viz City interviewed painter Demetra Kalams on Sun. Sept. 1, 2019 for a broadcast date of Wed. Sept. 4, 2019.
Welcome to Viz City, KLCC’s arts review program. There’s a new venue for art shows and classes — called simply The Gallery — at 294 Smith St. in downtown Harrisburg that’s been open for over a year now and today’s guest, Demetra Kalams is a resident artist there. As a watercolorist, I asked her who has inspired her the most?
"I met Nelson Sandgren on the coast during his coast trips. One of the things that I remember that he said that was so important to me is to do art every day, even if it’s fifteen minutes of sitting down and drawing, to do it every day, and that was so inspirational for me."
And how did you get involved with The Gallery in Harrisburg, which I understand is owned by Shelley Roenspie?
"I got involved with the Harrisburg Art Gallery through the owner. She and I did an art show at a winery a few years ago, and I really liked her art and we talked a lot, and she invited me to show at her new place.
Can you describe The Gallery? Does it show your paintings to advantage?
"Oh definitely. She has a real good eye for placing them on the walls and dispersing them throughout the gallery. It’s a huge gallery--high ceilings, lots of wall space."
Demetra, you are a resident artist, so visitors will always see your paintings up, with new ones being rotated in. But who else might they expect to see?
"She has guest artists like Robert Canaga, Susan Detroy, Paula Goodbar."
Your watercolors are full of filtered light and gentle color--often a woman who seems to be in a garden or at a corner cafe, or perhaps a still life of three pears. What is it you are reaching inside to express to the world?
"Ah, the human heart...I love doing figure work more than anything, and so it’s reaching the human thoughts, the human dreams, the human being in the moment, what they’re thinking…."
You can see Demetra Kalam’s watercolors at The Gallery in Harrisburg, as well as at the Viz City blog.
Viz City is co-produced by Terry Way and Sandy Brown Jensen.
