Body, Quilt, Animal – Pat Guthrie, Jill McLennan, Sara Lisch

This group exhibition in The Backroom at Mercury 20 Gallery brings together a human figure, an abstract quilt, and a series of animal forms. The figure is constructed from layered hand-cut paper, the quilt from fabric and dye, and the animals through collage, drawing, and painting. Each piece is arranged through an intuitive search for balance and rhythm, allowing form and pattern to emerge through the process of making rather than through planning or narrative. Across the works as a whole, pattern, repetition, and process play a central role, shaping how the images are built and experienced. Collage, mixed media, and fabric function as constructive tools, with materials layered, pieced, and assembled over time. Rather than describing specific scenes or narratives, the works emphasize accumulation, surface, and structure as the means through which the images take form. Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (and by appointment) Artists’ Reception: Saturday, February 21, 3 – 5 pm Oakland Art Murmur / First Friday: Friday, March 6, 5 – 9 pm Images: Left to right, clockwise: Sara Lisch, “Oceanic,” 2026, Layered Paper, 36 x 48 inches; Pat Guthrie,”Rolling Virus,”2026, Textile, 78 x 77 inches; Jill McLennan,”Natures Critters,” 2025, coyote, ink, watercolor, collage on wood panel, 8 x 8 inches, photos courtesy of the artists