December 6, 2007

Terra Polaris Original Arts celebrates grand opening

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

Aficionados of art as well as the artists themselves attended the grand opening of Terra Polaris Original Arts on Nov. 19. The event was a dream come true for artist and owner Pirjo Polari-Khan.

A dream comes true for artist Pirjo Polari-Khan with the grand opening of her Terra Polaris Creative Arts gallery in downtown Campbell. Photo by Jeanne C. Carbone

“This is a big moment for me,” said Polari-Khan. “This is a dream come true but dreams don’t come true without special people. My husband and my best friend Mahmood has worked so hard and I’m happy he still wants to be married to me.

“All the downtown Campbell artists are like one family and are amazing. I am thankful that I could be part of this group,” she added.

Polari-Khan’s journey from artist to gallery owner started in her native Finland with her parents who were both accomplished writers. Her uncle and cousin were painters and artistic expression flourished within the family. She attended Wolver Hampton Polytechnic in Great Britain and received her degree in ceramics. There she met her future husband and the couple moved to Almaden in 1985 where they raised two children, Sabira, 22, and Karim, 19. Both were at the grand opening helping wherever needed.

Terra Polaris [“northern earth” and also a play on the Polari-Khan’s maiden name] Original Arts joins one of 10 galleries in downtown Campbell. Polari-Khan showcases her whimsical thought-provoking ceramic and bronze sculptures that ponder male/female relationships. Her arts are also displayed in jewelry, home furnishings, paintings and sophisticated millinery.

Polari-Khan’s philosophy is that art makes one a better person. She also embraces the idea that instead of buying objects that end up in a garage sale, parents start an art collection for their children at a young age. She supports the other artists that display in her new gallery. She met many of them through the 25 years she has explored her artistic visions in this country.

“I met Pirjo 14 years ago when we were both creating chubby little ladies,” said Belmont sculpture Rob Browne, one of 12 artists displaying work at the new shop. “She never thinks in a straight line. I always liked her work.”

The chubby little ladies Browne refers to are Polari-Khan’s Genesis series, inspired from Finnish mythology of the epic story of how the world started by a woman with an egg at her knee. Her ceramics are bulbous and feminine, a modern day artifact in toasty brown clay reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf from 15,000 to 10,000 B.C. Her artistic evolution has spiraled into exploration with figures and vegetation and the heart and mind connection between the sexes.

Browne was one of many of Bay Area artists who celebrated the opening of Terra Polaris Creative Arts. Many of the artists at the gallery create ceramics like Barbara Brown, Babak Daleki, Bill Geisinger, Diane Levinson, Lee Middleman and Cheryl Wolfe, some of whom Polari-Khan met through her association with the Palo Alto Clay and Glass. But the gallery also displays glass by Rich Small, mixed-media sculpture by Pola Harrel and Kirsten Stein and paintings by Frank Sustarich and Li Zeitler.

Besides the artists in attendance of the grand opening of Terra Polaris Creative Arts, aficionados crammed the downtown gallery in historic Campbell. Mayor Dan Furtado and Chamber of Commerce President Carl San Miguel and executive assistant Helen Sheridan attended to support the new gallery with the traditional ribbon cutting.

“We’re delighted to have you here in the city,” said Furtado. “You join a group of growing artists in downtown Campbell that we are very proud of. The arts are so important to our community. We wish you many, many years of success here. Terra Polaris is a great addition.”

Terra Polaris Creative Arts is located at 395 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell. (408) 364-1000 or visit www.terra-polaris.com.