Showing in the Main Gallery is Alan Osborne, a master sculptor, printmaker, and painter whose 13-year-old Art Foundry and Gallery in Sacramento has hosted such well-known artists as Nathan Oliveira, Peter Voulkos, John Toki, Jerry Ross Barrish, and Gregory Kondos. Osborne became fascinated in his youth with the alchemy of the ancient art of bronze making and has been working in the medium for over 40 years now. He studied at Seattle University on a full scholarship, and learned bronze casting from Tom Jay, founder of Riverdog Foundry. Later he learned printmaking from his friend Peter Voulkos, the renowned Bay Area ceramist and sculptor. Osborne's work has been shown in scores of prestigious venues, and he has received numerous commissions, including corporate installations in Japan and throughout the United States. His bronzes grace institutions such as St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, the Oakland Museum of Art, the City of San Jose, and the government building complex of the government of Samoa.

Osborne is perhaps best known for his large outdoor bronze sculptures, such as an abstract palm tree and fence for the Watt Avenue Beautification Project in Sacramento; the bronze archway for the city's Regional Transit Sunrise Station; and Ascending, a 21-foot bronze sculpture for the office complex at 1201 K Street in downtown Sacramento. He also creates smaller bronzes that curve in light-catching strips of metal. The shapes thus outlined describe a gravity enlivened by warmth and humor, and indeed the sculptor likes to contrast the very thin and light with the heavy and dense in a single piece. Osborne works directly in wax rather than making a clay sculpture as a first step. He then casts the wax pieces directly into bronze, so that the metal surfaces retain all the details of their creation, including fingerprints and smudges, and convey his creative intention in a very personal and direct way.

Osborne's most recent works—colorful glass enamel on copper and bronze—are perhaps an outgrowth of his fascination and expertise with creating patinas on bronze. These 3D wall pieces bring forward Osborne's more painterly side, with bold, saturated colors and strong designs that integrate basic abstract shapes—circles, curves, and squares—and a primal gestural consciousness. The results are fresh and visually rewarding, abstract and expressionistic, and simply delightful. Opus XI exemplifies the vibrant designs and colors of these new works.

Osborne will talk about his work on the exhibit's closing day, February 14, at 4 p.m., and will teach a two-day adult workshop, Vitreous Enamel on Copper, at Sanchez Art Center, March 13–14. To see more of Alan Osborne's work and read about the Art Foundry and Gallery, visit www.artfoundrygallery.com.