Silicon Valley Small Art 2015

Tonight there was a reception at the Vargas Gallery for Silicon Valley Small Art 2015 which includes the work of artists Carmen Almlie-Martinez, Lynette Cook, Goran Konjevod, Dee Hooker, Diane Kreiter, Terry Kreiter, Won Ly, Adele Seltzer,  Beth Shields, Peter Taber, Corinne Whitaker, Sheila Winner, and Tom Yacoe.

I knew my friend Tom Yacoe was in the show and I was eager to see his beautiful work. His acrylic paintings, Sierra Runoff, Russian River 3, and Seaside Looking South are on exhibit.

Tom Yacoe – Seaside Looking South – Acrylic on Canvas

I was happy to see Lynette Cook exhibiting as well, showing her oil paintings, I Can See Forever, City Geometry, It’s Always Time For Peace. The detail!

Lynette Cook – City Geometry – Oil on MDF

I asked Lynette Cook to show me the catalogue from her joint exhibit with her mother -“Mother & Daughter” – paintings and textiles on exhibit in Baltimore and coming to Stanford Spaces in May.

D. Hooker‘s mixed media pieces with Curator, Lynne Todaro.

D. Hooker’s mixed media on cigar boxes – so playful!

Goran Konjavad – folded paper.

A peek only of the very interesting 3D printed sculpture Jive by Corinne Whitaker.

Silicon Valley Small Art 2015  at the Vargas Gallery in the Gillmor Center at Mission College will run until December 19.

Marin MOCA Reception with George Rivera

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Marie Cameron

 

I’m so glad I hauled myself up to Novato for the opening reception of the 2103 Summer National Juried Exhibition at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art where my painting Blue Corset is on exhibit for the next 6 weeks! The drive itself was much better than I’d expected –  I loved crossing the Richmond – San Rafael Bridge which lies low and intimate over the broad expanse of the sparkling San Francisco Bay and shoots you out into Marin’s rolling farmland of the Lucas Valley.  Not far off the highway is Hamilton Field, formerly known as the “Hollywood of Air Force Bases”. It now houses the museum in the Novato Arts Center in a 1932 Spanish Colonial stunner surrounded by magestic palms, tended gardens and other period buildings, one used as a bistro, another as a theater.

Marin MOCA SE 2013

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Portico view            Marin MOCA SNE 2013 door view            Marin MOCA Portico

I love the Spanish Colonial Porticos that flank the main entrance with all the lovely period details!

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Opening Reception

 

This is the gorgeous foyer of what used to be the headquarters for the Hamilton Air Force Base. I wish I got a better shot of the painting of an arial view of the base that you can just about make out above the door. I must have been distracted by the strawberries and brownies! OK, here’s a photo I cleaned up a bit, still blurry but charming none the less.

Hamilton Field Painting

 

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Entrance to Gallery              Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Gallery             Marin MOCA SNE 2013 gallery view

This show was juried by George Rivera, a pillar in the arts community in the Bay Area. He just recently announced that he’ll be stepping down from his position as Executive Director and Senior Curator of the Triton Museum of Art where he’s been working for the last 28 years and focus on his own painting and plans to continue to teach. He’s taught and mentored so many artists in our community!

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Juror George Rivera


Juror George Rivera

I had resigned myself to the fact that juror’s don’t show up to these receptions of exhibitions they judge, after all, it is an immense amount of work to go through all the submissions and carefully judge each piece on its own merits. I’d probably be good and tired of looking at anything by the end of the process. Imagine how delighted I was when I discovered that George Rivera had come to deliver an inspiring address about his experience of jurying in general and of this show in particular!  He spoke how each piece is assigned a number, (5s 4s and 3s) based on proficiency, aspects like technique, composition, freshness, consistency. The 5s had all of this in addition to something more that moved him,  a point of view, much like great literature, a voice in which everything seamlessly supports what the artist was trying to convey. He said that having a lot of time to jury the work enabled him to enter each piece individually and learn its foreign language, like an opera in which he didn’t need to know each word to be moved to tears. How beautiful is that?! He said juried shows typically have a combination of 5s and 4s selected but in this national show there was so much quality work that they were all 5s and that all the artists had solo show experience and multiple awards or would in their future. He also encouraged artists whose work was not selected to email him for a personal critique -always the generous mentor!

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Marie Cameron and Blue Corset with George Rivera

I was honored to have George Rivera speak with me personally about my painting. In fact, I was so excited, let’s see if I can even remember what he said!

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Marie Cameron and George Rivera discuss Blue Corset

 

He spoke of how sometimes the background of a portrait fails to hold up its end of the painting, maybe it’s treated in a different hand, or distracts your attention or fails to contribute to the portrait in any meaningful way. He felt that in this case there was a nice interaction with the portrait, lending layers of context without competing for attention. He talked too of the intriguing contrast of the bold tattoo and the softly demure dress and pin, this combined with her challenging gaze and strength of character made for a dramatic work.

Marin MOCA SNJE 2013 Final Room

 

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Mei-Ying Dell'Aquila Knowledge from History - Honorable Mention

 

My friend Mei-Ying Dell’Aquila was awarded an honorable mention for her oil painting Knowledge from History.  Can you pick out all the historical figures on her chessboard? Way to go Mei-Ying!

Photographer Ron Dell'Aquila with painter Mei-Ying Dell'Aquila and artist Kristin Lindseth-Rivera

 

Here she is with husband photographer Ron Dell’Aquila and artist Kristen Lindseth-Rivera.

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Lynette Cook explaining her technique in her painting, Connecting The Dots In My Life

 

Lynette Cook explaining her precise painting techniques in her work, Connecting The Dots In My Life.

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Full House

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 George Rivera - Opening Remarks              Marin MOCA SNE 2013 Viewing Cathy Lockes' Mnemosye              Marin MOCA SE 2013 Sondra Schwetman's Pain Train

Marin MOCA SNE 2013 sculpture Pain Train with 1st place Allegro Into The Light by Jeanne Lamosse and 2nd place Reconnoitering Site #1 by Tom Gehrig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this middle room you can see Sondra Schwetman’s sculpture Pain Train reigning over the floor and catch a glimpse of first place winner Glenn Carter’s Transparence on the back wall and Tom Gehrig’s Reconnoitering Site #1 to the right which was awarded second place.

Marin MOCA SNJE 2013 middle room

 

Marin MOCA SNJE 2013 Artist Kate Marsh and friends.

 

Artist Kate Marsh with her friends in front of her oil painting Berryessa, CA #1.

George Rivera talks with Kate Marsh about her oil painting Berryessa, CA #1

 

George Rivera talking with Kate Marsh about her oil painting Berryessa, CA #1.

 

I wanted to include some of the fantastic work from the exhibition that I was quite taken with, click on the image for links to the artist’s work:

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Rachel Williams Forgotten Saint (detail)


Rachel Williams
Forgotten Saint
Oil on cnavas
(detail)

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Holly Blake Generator - Honorable Mention


Holly Blake
Generator
Oil on board
Honorable Mention

Marin MOCA SE 2013The Artist Hines Every Once In A While I Dream Of You


The Artist Hines
Every Once In A While I Dream Of You
Oil on canvas

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Jizelle Albright 21st Century Image #1 Signal / Noise


Jizell Albright
21st Century Image #1 – Signal / Noise
Collage on board

Marin MOCA SNJE 2013 Angela Young - Sight


Angela Young
Sight
Lithograph on German Etch Paper

Marin MOCA SE 2013 Mei-Ying and Ron Dell'Aquila

Thanks to Mei-Ying and Ron Dell’Aquila for sharing in the transport of the works and for the great photos (and company) What would the arts be without a community?!