‘Imaginary Women’ celebrates curiosity, creativity, and clay at Salmon Bend Art Studios
‘Imaginary Women’ by LK James, an exhibition blending drawing and ceramics, opened Oct. 9 at Salmon Bend Art Studios. Featuring over 100 pieces depicting imagined women, the show runs Oct. 18–19 from noon to 4 p.m.
COLUSA, Calif. —For artist LK James, drawing has always been a daily ritual that now finds new life in clay.
Her latest exhibition, “Imaginary Women”, opened Oct. 9 at Salmon Bend Art Studios and will welcome visitors again Oct. 18–19 from noon to 4 p.m. The show is part of the gallery’s annual Harvest Show, held each fall at the artist-run space, 3606 Brown Road in Colusa.
The collection blends drawing and ceramics, featuring more than 100 jugs, tiles, and sculptural pieces created over three months. Every piece depicts an imagined woman, figures James first met through her sketchbook.
“When I don’t know what to draw, I start sketching women,” James said. “It’s comforting, and I like imagining who they are and what their stories might be. For this show, that practice just moved into clay.”
James returned to Northern California in 2021 and joined a ceramics club to find a local creative community. What began as a casual exploration grew into a full studio practice after she received a secondhand kiln earlier this year.
“That kiln changed everything,” she said. “I could fire my own work and experiment quickly. It made me curious about what happens when drawing and clay talk to each other.”
Her curiosity led to discovery, not just of a new medium but of the freedom that comes from working without expectations.
“I decided to focus on women as the subject so I could really pay attention to the material and process,” she said. “I learned a lot about patience and imperfection, and about how drawing is still my way of prayer.”
In “Imaginary Women”, James transforms her familiar line work into textured surfaces, exploring what she calls the conversation between image and object. Each piece, she said, carries something of her experience as an artist and as a woman.
“This work is a constellation of imaginary women,” she said. “It’s also a reflection of my own journey as a friend, daughter, and creator. I hope people experience it with joy and think about the real women in their own lives.”
Salmon Bend Art Studios, operated by artists Gabe Babcock, Robert Monte James, and LK James, occupies a converted prune barn that once processed fruit from the Sacramento Valley. The steel tracks that once moved pallets of prunes now run through the adjoining sculpture and woodshop, a link between the region’s agricultural past and its creative present.
The Harvest Show opens to the public for only a few weekends each year, drawing visitors from across the valley to see new works by local artists. This year’s exhibition marks the first time the fall show has featured a solo body of work.
Visitors can view “Imaginary Women” Oct. 18–19 from noon to 4 p.m. at Salmon Bend Art Studios, 3606 Brown Road in Colusa. Visit salmonbendartstudios.com for more information.
