I had no idea when I signed up my son for a treehouse camp at Montalvo that he would be learning from someone with not only a background in education but a real artist! Justin Lowman created this untitled sight specific installation in Belvedere Temple back when he was doing his residency at Montalvo in 2014. While Lowman had no intention of imposing his aesthetic on the camper’s self-directed project, …
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I love plein air! It’s magical how artists go out and brave the elements and a cacophony of input and paint up a little gem in a matter of minutes – so fresh, so immediate! Los Gatos Town Plaza was filled with such gorgeous wet paintings by artists from all over the West Coast that had been juried into Los Gatos Plein Air 2015. Artists had begun painting on location last Tuesday with …
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The Annual Maker Faire in San Mateo was ages ago (May 15 -17) and I’m only posting now (Too much time sitting with the hummingbirds) but it was too good to ignore (and I only really made it to the light pavilion)! Next year I will devote more time and shell out for the VIP parking! My favorite piece was this mesmerizing installation Sessilanoid by James Peterson, it felt like …
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Last night’s reception for Gorgon Smedt‘s Can You Dig It? exhibition at JCO’s Place was a blast (and packed)! Smedt’s overscale work is playful and innocent with a haunting darkside – such an interesting contrast. The images themselves are colorful and arresting but for me the real story is how beautifully they are painted. It was fun to see some of the original items that inspired the work sprinkled about …
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To celebrate turning 50 the Triton Museum of Art organized a forward looking exhibition of emerging and mid-career artists that will play an important role in the art scene into the future. I was able to meet with a number of the artists at the opening reception last Friday and while this post is by no means comprehensive, I hope it will give readers a taste for more of the exciting work …
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I had a chance to catch a ride with a van load of artists to High Style at the Legion of Honour for a docent led tour. This exhibition is on loan from the in Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection and covers designers influencing American fashion from head to toe. I took a few snaps of pieces that caught my eye in that super low light (it was like being in …
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The Triton Museum of Art celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a Golden Gala last weekend raising money for educational programming. Apart from the great food and bubbly and wonderful company, it was particularly exciting to see the art generously donated by so many bay area artists for the silent auction! Here’s a piece that Melissa McKenzie of Santa Clara Weekly published on the event, David Stonesifer’s painting is bing bid …
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Trace was an installation of the Lego portraits of 170 political prisoners on the floor of the New Industries Building at Alcatraz. Artist Ai WeiWei designed the portraits and planned the layout using site schematics from his studio in Beijing then had the curatorial team from For-Site piece it all together in San Francisco. Lego is and interesting medium, a popular medium, all these little pieces that come together to …
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That’s the penitentiary up at the top where the cell blocks and clinic were situated. Cell Block A, where Ai WeiWei had his audio installation In Tune, looks out of this side of the building. Looking down the line at Cell Block A, where each cell has the music or poetry of imprisoned political dissidents piped in from the air vents. A stainless steel stool was placed in each cell …
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Ai Weiwei chose the clinic of Alcatraz as the setting for the site-specific installation Blossom. In this piece he filled the original porcelain fixtures, the bathtubs, sinks and toilets with masses of porcelain flowers. Looking like frothy bubbles from a distance, a closer inspection reveals this hopeful flowering. It’s a stunning, subtle work, such a contrast between the dirty and sickly connotations of the clinic’s bathrooms and the flourishing purity …
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I finally made it to the groundbreaking exhibition, @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz just before it ended! This island penitentiary (having imprisoned civil war political prisoners, conscientious objectors in WWI, and being occupied by Native American protestors) was the perfect site to work with themes of personal freedom, freedom of expression and concerns with political oppression. When San Francisco’s For-Site Executive Director, Cheryl Haines (and @Large Curator) had approached internationally acclaimed …
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I had the pleasure of dropping off two of my Cherry Blossom paintings today at Le Petit Trianon Theater in San Jose for a show juried by the Los Gatos Art Association. The Trianon is such a pretty place! Built as a church in 1923, it’s now an intimate performing arts venue with great acoustics. Recently they have been opening their doors to poetry and visual art as well. Le Petit Trianon is …
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I’ve been wanting to get to La Mirada, part of the Monterey Museum of Art, for awhile now and I just managed to squeeze it in before the obligatory (but no less fantastic) visit to the aquarium. So glad I did! It’s a quaint museum, full of all the beautiful charm of early California and it exhibits gems like this oil painting, Cypress, Monterey, by Francis McComas amidst crystal chandeliers, a …
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Postdate: Photography and Inherited History in India is on at the San Jose Museum of Art until August 2. I knew I had to see if for Pushpamala N and Clare Arni’s Yogini (see Stalking Yogini) but I was really taken with so much of the work! Here I am comparing the original gouache Yogini with Mynah (1603-4 ) with the photographic re-enactment on exhibit in the series, “Native Women …
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The SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day Exhibition showing at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore (a beautiful facility that will get a steady audience through on show nights) is the very first all women’s show I think I’ve ever participated in! The show was arranged by SVWAC, the Silicon Valley Women’s Art Caucus and juried by Linda Ryan, Manager of the Bothwell Arts Center, Curator of the Bankhead Theater Exhibition Program and …
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One of the really nice things about the Fins, Feathers and Fur Exhibit at the Pacific Art League (besides the soulful art) is that many of the exhibiting artists have chosen to donate 10% from the sale of their work to the Peninsula Humane Society / SPCA! On hand at Friday night’s opening reception were two of their friendly volunteers and Swiss, a very cute and totally adoptable puppy! Here …
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Monumental Fiber : Threads Mapping Man, Cities and the Cosmos is the brainchild of Dotti Cichon which features the work of three artists, Eszter Bornemisza (Hungary), Anitta Toivio (Finland) and Dotti Cichon herself (USA). This exhibition incorporates photography, installation, painting and mixed media fiber art to convey altered perceptions of our environments and each other. It’s running at the Vargas Gallery at Mission College from February 18 – March 28. I had the …
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I’m always impressed by the great quality and diversity of work that goes into this annual statewide competition and exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art, work that is made even stronger by the context of how it is paired with other pieces which reinforces aesthetics or meanings by drawing on similarities or emphasizing contrasts. Amazing color and movement on this wall, topped off by a mixed media piece, Having Fun, …
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More than just another show, the Triton Statewide Competition and Exhibition (aka the Salon) is an annual highlight for me. Yes, it is a chance to win a coveted solo show at the Triton Musuem of Art (this year they are offering two) but just getting juried in is an official recognition that your work is taken seriously! That’s why my heart gave a little flutter the first time I …
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A lovely evening of art, wine, hors d’oeuvres and great company at the Los Gatos Museums Gallery’s holiday reception! It’s so nice to spend the evening with all our local member artists and our fabulous art loving community! The holiday reception invitation was based on a detail from the painting, Joyeux Noël by one of new member artists, Johane Amirault’s. Her vibrant, (usually) abstract work is a welcome addition to the …
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