Anna Vaughan has been a fixture at the Abrams Claghorn Gallery since our grand opening on April 11th, 2015. At our first show, featured selected works that exemplified 2015’s upcoming artists. Anna had several ceramic sculptures, and functional ceramic wares on display. Little did we know what a huge impact she would have on the gallery at large through the whole of this  last year.

Abrams Claghorn has continued to display Anna’s functional wares, paintings and sculptures in our museum-style shop ever since. In September, Vaughan took another step in active work in the showroom, as she took on the role of curator for assembling the purely titled, “September Show” – a multidisciplinary approach to themes of storytelling through paintings, sculpture and installations. The three pieces she included were represented archetypes utilized in fairy tales while highlighting female perspectives of beauty, aging and life-stages.

              

Abrams Claghorn’s mission is to give back to the community that supports it. Through knowing Anna’s abilities as an artist, organizer, and crafts person, Vaughn  emerged as the best-qualified person for an ambitious and very public project. Starting that summer, Anna Vaughan painted the mural that now lives on the east side of the gallery building, facing the Bart tracks.

Anna created both a lively and abstract embodiment of what this space gives to us on a daily basis.

Her work tends to balance on the spectrum between whimsical and mythical. Vaughn took inspiration from those same BART tracks, sunset hues, flora, fauna, and thoughts of humble, domestic enjoyments.  

The final product shows a floating railway, proliferating bees, dripping pastels, and a few hospitable raccoons; all which seem to touch upon what makes Solano Avenue feel special. Vaughan’s cute and clever addition of the  raccoon tea party (painted at an appropriate height for our next-door, preschool kid group!) shows her careful attention to creating the mural with the community in mind.

Vaughan’s use of plants, shadows, winged creatures- and whatever else springs from the nearby Ohlone Parkway- are all reflected back to the viewer. We hope that the mural continues to provide enjoyment to our neighbors and passerby.