CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Alana Clearlake is an artistic pearl living under the pines in Lake County.

Her newest painting, “Hard Rain,” is a labor of deep concern, the love of her family and the planet, and a work of masterful artistry.

Currently part of the Nature exhibit at Middletown Art Center, Clearlake worked on the piece daily between November 2018 and June 2019.

This Friday, July 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., you can hear Clearlake talk about the making of “Hard Rain” and her other works in felt on view at MAC.

“Hard Rain” is a 13-panel progression of climate conditions and intensity. It spans just over 16 feet. The rendering of light and transparency in the opaque medium of felt is striking. Clearlake’s execution of rain, storm, and sea are brilliant and dramatic.

“I worry for my children and grandchildren, and regret that my generation did not act quickly enough to make change,” explained Clearlake.

In addition to “Hard Rain,” eight of her Memories of Sea Ranch sculptures hang in the Nature exhibit.

For several years, Clearlake has been exploring hand made felt, creating a body of work which includes felt paintings and sculptural “vessels.” The colors she mixes are unusually vivid, and the shapes, textures and organic materials used are a unique synthesis of her consciousness, artistry and temperament.

She is a prolific painter, sculptor, jeweler, enamel worker and felt maker. Her work has been published in Craft Magazine, and exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and internationally.

In 2006, Clearlake and her husband Jim relocated from the Bay Area to a spacious old fixer upper in the Pine Grove area on Cobb Mountain. She is one of a growing number of accomplished contemporary Lake County artists whom the MAC is proud to feature.

Catch the “Hard Rain” art talk with Alana Clearlake this Friday evening. Admission is free. Wine and iced herbal tea will be available for purchase to sip as you listen and wonder. There will be time for discussion, some demonstration, and questions and answers. Clearlake is a truly innovative and remarkable local artist.

Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in the heart of Middletown.

Stay up to date on all classes, exhibits and events, and consider a membership to support this valuable Lake County arts and culture resource at www.middletownartcenter.org.