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9/13: Opening Reception for Milking Light by Robert Watson (petaluma)
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The opening reception will take place on Saturday, September 13th from 5 to 8 PM. As always, Usher Gallery will provide live music (by The Hot Clams!) and complimentary refreshments throughout the evening.
“This opening reflects my current beliefs and artistic focus—shaped by today’s social and political climate and by two decades of living and working in Petaluma. Through my deep exploration of Petaluma and wider Sonoma County, I’ve witnessed and documented a wealth of natural, cultural, and human beauty. What I’ve found here—the kindness, the stillness, the sense of belonging—stands out even against the backdrop of my global travels.
There is a particular quality to the light in this region: soft, quiet, almost sacred. It’s fleeting and elusive, yet the more you seek it out, the more you begin to feel it before it even arrives—you can sense it in the air, see it on the horizon, almost taste it. That same light seems to dwell in many of the people who call this place home. They carry a kind of reverence for where they live, and they radiate that awareness in how they treat one another. It’s a kindness rooted in a deep appreciation of time and place—and in the understanding that this beauty is both rare and fragile.
I call this phenomenon Milking Light. It’s a soft sheen that coats life here—an atmosphere rich with quiet joy and nourishment. At times, it seems to soak through the skin, feeding the spirit with a calm satisfaction that fosters peace, harmony, and creative energy.
In a world growing harder at the edges—polarized by political and social discord— this softness matters. Milking Light is not only something to notice and celebrate; it is something to protect and defend.” (Robert Watson, Artist Statement & Event Focus)