Join us for Face Forward: A Gallery, a dynamic community art exhibition showcasing original works of portraiture by local artists. From traditional realism to bold abstraction. This collection explores the depth and diversity of the human face and figure. Through a variety of mediums and styles—representational, surreal, and experimental—each piece offers a unique lens on identity, presence, and emotional expression. Whether capturing others or reflecting on oneself, these portraits invite viewers to consider what it truly means to face forward.

Old City Hall is located at 1313 Market Street in Redding, CA. This gallery is open to all ages and free to visit. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:00-4:00 and Saturday from 10:00-3:00.

Meet the artists.

Artist biography coming soon.
Jerry Cousins is a local woodworker who specializes in custom, one-off pieces of furniture. He focuses on marquetry to create wooden images and furniture accents. Marquetry uses diverse species of wood veneers and pieces them together to form patterns, details, and images. Woods are chosen for their color, grain pattern, and hues. All pieces use the natural color of the wood and capitalizes on the existing grain structure of each piece. Once the wood design or “picture” is completed it is typically integrated into a piece of furniture to highlight or accentuate the piece - but for the last few years, in addition to furniture pieces, he has created interesting 2-dimensional wall hangings. All of the wood veneers are cut in the shop and using the double-bevel cutting method, pieces are cut into the background to create the design or picture.
My work explores the human experience through expressive pastel portraits. I am drawn to the immediacy and softness of pastel, which allows me to capture subtle shifts in mood, light and expression. I’m inspired by the everyday faces around me and aim to portray not just what we look like but how we feel.
I typically like to include references to topics or emotions that are on my mind when I make self portraits. Often they commemorate big life events. I turned 60 this past year and retired from teaching art for nearly 35 years. With this portrait I examine my identity at this point in my life, all that I am, bewildering wrinkles and all. I also examine who I am, focusing on important aspects of my identity, without worrying about all that I am not.
Jamie Solorio is a surrealist photographer based in Redding, California. Her portraits explore ecological consciousness, transformation, and the imperfection of being human. She works with torch-based light painting, long exposures, and a mix of ambient and off-camera lighting. Flora, upcycled materials, and elements from her permaculture garden are integrated into a low-footprint process. In post-production, she typically applies color enhancements and occasionally incorporates digital solarization techniques as part of her evolving visual language. She draws inspiration from historical artists such as Arcimboldo and contemporary voices like Elizaveta Porodina, particularly those whose works merge symbolism, portraiture, and spiritual inquiry. The subjects in her portraits act as sentinels, confronting, witnessing, and quietly guiding. Her work reflects a personal effort to reduce consumption and wrestles with the dualism between what the Absolute calls us to and what we have been conditioned to chase.
Collage can be a process filled with serendipity. Random pieces fitting together and creating a whole. Was every piece intentional or were there accidents along the way? Much like human relationships in a sense. What jigsaw journeys did this couple follow to complete their portrait?
Our faces and bodies interact with the space, time, culture, and geography in which we live. Our race, gender, age, and ability can open some doors and can also mean we must be vigilante. Whether we choose to or not, we navigate norms and assumptions, shaping them and being shaped in return. For me, poetry is an invitation to understand that shaping and to align with intentional actions that can help create more ways of being whole in the presence of plurality