Triton’s Midsummer Art Celebration

It’s that time of year again when the Triton Museum of Art hosts it’s annual Midsummer Arts Celebration. The sculpture garden sprouted with tents filled with art, jewelry and other wearable crafts. There was live music all day although I heard I’d missed out on a jam session with George Rivera on drums!  I did see some juggling and enjoyed ice cream while checking out the creative output of the local artists who came out to support the Triton!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Artists Tents 2013

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Art Tents 2013

The Los Gatos Art Association and the Los Gatos Museums Gallery were well represented with lots of their member artists exhibiting (I’m a member of both of these organization – but couldn’t take on one more thing!). The following is a sampling of participating artists, I’ve provided links to their websites where applicable, so if you’re interested, just click on their name or photo.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton LGAA sign 2013

I wonder which one of our members of the Los Gatos Art Association is responsible for this fun sign – I suppose I should recognize the style, but there are over 200 of us I think! Clearly, I’m not represented as I would be a long haired calico.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Maralyn Miller 2013

LGAA member, Maralyn Milller had her gorgeous California landscape oils on exhibit!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Rebecca White 2013.jpg

Rebecca White showed her lovely plein air work. She’s an LGAA member and heads up the plein air group – one day I’ll get out there with you Rebecca and we’ll paint up a storm!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Denise Natanson-Marcus 2013

I met Denise Natanson-Marcus who is a new member of the LGAA who brought her vibrant landscapes.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Patty Montgomery 2013

I was happy to meet Patty Montgomery of the LGAA for the first time as well and really enjoyed her mixed media pieces which had bits of bags, dental floss and can pulls collaged into her textured and subtly colored (almost monochromatic) works. Loved her compositions!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Julia Watson 2013.jpg

Julia Watson member of the LGAA and LGMG  (and part-time manager of the latter) exhibited her lovely florals that she paints in oil.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Nina Bricker 2013

Nina Bricker of the LGAA showed a variety of great pieces including this striking owl print.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Michael Rogan 2013

Michael Rogan is a member of both the LGAA and the LGMG – he brought some of his beautiful watercolor landscapes.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Donna Orme 2013.jpg

Donna Orme of the LGMG was exhibiting her dynamic mixed media abstract work as well as her richly textured afghans.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Al Preciado 2013

Al Preciado, member of Kaleid Gallery was showing his exuberant mixed media paintings and sculptures and demonstrating his tin foil construction technique and offering samples to children.

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Al Preciado's dogs 2013

I thought his dogs, especially the one in the front with its hatchet blade tongue were pretty bad ass!

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Jaya King Art Demo 2013

Artists Jaya King (above) and Jeff Bramschreiber who are art educators at the Triton each had their own tents where they were demonstrating  aspects of their creative process.

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Jaya King's art 2013

I bought Jaya’s whimsical mixed media painting Lisa Tries to Help – so adorable!

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Portrait Painting & Tarot Card  Reading 2013

You could have your tarot cards read or your portrait painted by artist David Meija.

Midsummer Art Celebration Triton Mary's Chutney food truck 2013

Or you could graze through a variety of yummy ethnic food trucks. Oh I do hope to run into Mary’s Chutney truck again before the next solstice!

 

Jaya King at the Midsummer Art Celebration

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King's tent 2013

 

Midsummer Art Celebration at the Triton Museum of Art - cover art Jaya King 2013


Midsummer Art Celebration

Jaya King is the Midsummer Celebration or at least her spirit is the embodiment of it – or maybe I just really like her and her work (I’ll just say it’s her art that adorns the postcard this fundraising event for the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara)! Part of what I really enjoyed is how she owned her space, how she brought in pieces that reflected her whimsical, colorful and layered work.  Like her pale pink and white striped painting trolley,  a vintage mint green display trunk and animal themed linens and sculptures. This world of inspiration helps to give the viewer a context for her work, the only thing it was missing was a goat nibbling at her art and some birds flitting about, maybe a shaggy miniature pony eating birthday cake and some chickens and geese going after tail feathers underfoot. But it was all there – in the art.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King and turquoise fawn 2013

It wasn’t just her environment that reflected her work but the way that Jaya presented herself in her hand painted and ribboned corset, her layered and painted tutu (with train) and playful accessories that really helped to blur the line between artist and art!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King's Fawn painting and inspiration 2013

 

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King Just Us Kids 2013

 

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King's paintings 2013

 

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King flying Pig Business Card Holder 2013

It’s really appealing when business cards are presented in a unique and inviting fashion that says something about the spirit of the work! Jaya’s flying pig is a perfect solution.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King painting 2013

 

It was fascinating to watch Jaya as she demonstrated her process of layering washes of acrylic over swatches of patterned paper she had fixed to the canvas that she uses as a base for her animal paintings. The animals themselves are both from her real life and from her very active and rich imagination. Jaya even has Facebook page devoted to animals, Farms, Feathers & Four Legged Friends. Each painting has a fun story behind it which Jaya ids more than happy to share.

Midsummer Art Festival - Triton Marie Cameron & Jaya King 2013

I had met Jaya at a Silicon Valley Open Studio event in the spring of 2009 and was so impressed with her use of color and pattern and text, her often off-center, closely cropped images and her sensitive and playful portrayal of animals. I fell in love with two of her paintings of Cockatoos that day, I Spy and Napoleon – reluctantly and regrettably, I decided that I couldn’t buy other people’s art until I had my new studio built. These funny little bargains we make with ourselves. So while I missed out on those two mixed media treasures I’ve followed Jaya’s work and have been so impressed her talent and versatility!

She had an impressive solo show at Nieto Fine Art in San Fancisco where she exhibited a very different vein of her work, evocative portraits and landscapes richly textured and layered with an exquisite handling of color and materials. I loved them! I covet them!!

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King and her painting Lisa Tries To Help 2013

Here she is posing for me with Lisa Tries to Help the adorable mixed media collage painting of a goat “helping” with gift wrap.

Midsummer Art Festival Triton Jaya King Corset and Lisa the Goat 2013. jpg

I couldn’t resist one last photo of Jaya and her fabulous hand painted corset before she wrapped up that sweet painting for me to take home! Come along Lisa.