Tonight is the FUR, FEATHERS & FINS exhibition, juried by DeWitt Cheng, Curator of Stanford Art Spaces, at the Pacific Art League from 5:30 − 8:00 pm. I have three of my Birds & Teacup paintings in this show where a percentage of proceeds from sales will go to support the local Humane Society. I can’t wait to see this Pink Rhino #1 by Jihoon Choi!
Anemone Tea I – oil on board – 12″x12″
Petunia Tea I – oil on board – 12″x12″
Magnolia Tea II – oil on board – 12″x12″
Figures & Faces opened last night at Pacific Art League and we were very lucky to have juror, Ric Ambrose, Executive Director of the Richmond Arts Center join us. He was impressed with the quality and content of the submissions for this show, making this the best Figures & Faces exhibition at PAL to date! In this post I’ve linked the artist’s websites to their names where available. The exhibition runs until August 27, 2015.
Here’s a screen shot from PAL’s Facebook page (reception reminder)….
…and PAL always puts on a lovely reception.
I was very proud to have three oils selected, Blue Corset, Dahlia Days and Forte Pink, all pieces from my people at work series.
I was delighted when Ric Ambrose told me he saw these pieces as a triptych!
Lizzie Brooks was awarded first place for her HD video and photos Spirit and Self, seen here in a still.
Rick Ambrose recommended a quiet viewing of the video before the end of the exhibition to take in it’s full depth and texture.
Ric Ambrose with award wining artists, Diane Abt and Lin Fischer.
Lin Fischer received second place for her acrylic Sideways Glance.
Diane Abt was awarded third place for solvent transfer, encaustic, sumo ink, and thread sen to Japanese paper work, Malala : One Girl Among Many.
Ned Axthelm was given an honorable mention for his oil, Friday Night Jacket.
Lino Azevedo won an honorable mention for his mixed media, Untitled.
Tom Montan took an honorable mention for his oil, Danny.
Rachel Dwan‘s oil Florian.
Empty Nester.
Love how this wall works!
Claudia Lee Browne and her oil, Two Sisters.
Svetlana Neal‘s oil, Melody.
Laurie Barna‘s torn paper collage, Face of Liberty.
Leaving I realized that I missed something…
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Tina Maier also won an honorable mention for her mixed media sculpture but as a board meeting was in progress, an outdoor snap was going to have to suffice.
I was mesmerized when the television transmission I had been watching broke up into colorful pixelations of abstract patterns before my eyes. Not only was it more beautiful and engaging than the program I had been watching but I was also fascinated by how the human mind likes imagine recognizable forms in the chaos. I quickly took a number of photographs, appreciating the transcendence of this moment of technological breakdown.
Shimmering Water – Interference photography on metal 2014
Blue Pool – Interference photography on metal 2014
Lavender Lake – Interference photography on metal 2014
This was all such a departure from my typical work (painting as well as photography) that I really considered these snaps just a beautiful curiosity, but when the Pacific Art League put out a call for their exhibition, Science, Technology and the Future of Art, I began to consider these images more seriously. I entered three of them and juror Gail Wight (Associate Professor of Art at Stanford University) selected them all!
It goes to show what can happen when you keep an open mind and are brave enough to step out of your comfort zone from time to time. Will this change the course of my work? I doubt it, the work I do is built on a lifetime of channeled obsessions and honed techniques, but opening up to new ways of working can only help to enrich the expressive capacity of art making – more tools in that toolbox!
I finally got a chance to visit the Spring Awakening show at the Pacific Art League that was juried by Los Gatos artists Maralyn Miller and Ed Lucey and I was delighted to see that I had been awarded 3rd place for one of my two entries!
Here’s the run down of awards, (click on the artist’s name for more information):
1st place went to Fred Holle from San Carlos for his acrylic, When Winter Comes Can Spring be Far Behind?
2nd place was awarded to Lyn Twitchell of Gardnerville, Nevada for her oil, Jessica 1. So lush!
3rd place was given to my oil, Lily of the Valley With Cows.
Honorable Mention went to Mark Garner of Palo Alto for his watercolor, Peaceful Reflections.
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden #1, a photograph by Robin Apple of Palo Alto also received an Honorable Mention.
Second Day in Yellow, an oil by Sagi Erez of Sunnyvale was awarded an Honorable Mention too.
I really enjoyed the exuberance of Cupertino’s Jennifer Blalack’s acrylic, Spring Reflected. I love how the blossoms seem to bloom out of a chaos of golden mud!
I was happy to see two fellow Los Gatos Museums Gallery artists in the show, Julia Watson of San Jose with her acrylic, Spring of ’13 and Deborah Gabris of Los Gatos with her acrylic, Spring in Pacific Grove, Carpet Ice Plants.
It was nice to see one of my photographs hanging in an exhibit for a change! Here I am with Dancing on Yellow.
My favorite in the exhibit was still Skye Becker-Yamakawa‘s Hesperia which was featured on the postcard for the show. Heavenly! How fun it would be to decorate a room around this painting!
Isn’t she lovely? This is the Pacific Art League‘s card for this month’s exhibit, Spring Awakening featuring Hesperia by Skye Becker-Yamakawa The show was juried by two great local artists Maralyn Miller and Ed Lucey and I’m delighted to have two pieces in the show!
The first is Lily of the Valley with Cows, an oil painting which certainly feels like spring to me.
The second is Dancing on Yellow – A digital photograph that I took this year – springy in more ways than one!
The show runs from April 4-24, with a reception this Friday, April 4 from 5:30 – 8:00pm.
She’s the one who matches her chair!
See you at the Woman’s Club of Palo Alto at 475 Homer Avenue tonight from 5-7!
I’ve been wearing my lucky feathered themed jewelry, willing that my painting End of Spring would be selected for the Pacific Art League of Palo Alto’s regionally juried exhibition “Fur, Feathers and Fins” and happily, I found out the other day that it was!
And while it may sound silly or superstitious to be relying on charms when it comes to such matters, there’s nothing frivolous about positive thinking! These shows with a specific theme are an excellent opportunity to go out on a limb and create something specifically for that prospectus, a piece that may not have been in your direct path, perhaps something feels like a little reach for you. The only way to enter into these new arenas is with a positive can do attitude that’s open to experimentation and flexibility even failure. Knowing that missing your mark will not devastate you and being willing to accept that possibility of failure and not being paralyzed by it is a key component of self-belief.
A talisman of some kind can be a lovely reminder that you have it in you to grow and surprise yourself – and of course I just love jewelry!
I’m off to breathe in spring with George Rivera over wine, hors d’oeuvres and live music at the Pacific Art League of Palo Alto tonight! Sounds good? Come with! 6-8 pm.
My painting Cherry Blossom Spray is in this exhibition!
Some days it happens that you need to be in a lot of places at once. Today I was dropping off work that was accepted in two juried shows. I brought Cherry Blossom Spray, which was juried into the Pacific Art Leagues’s Breath of Spring by George Rivera into Palo Alto. I paused here at the original building which is currently closed for renovations before moving on to their new temporary digs next door at 227 Forrest. So now you know where to come for the reception this Friday, April 5 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm!
Pausing wistfully at the Pacific Art League’s period building which is undergoing renovations.
Dropping off Cherry Blossom Spray to THe Art League’s temporary location next door.
While there, I picked up Pond Lily Path from last month’s Member’s Exhibit and discovered a pretty green honorable mention ribbon attached. Serves me right for missing a reception!
Discovering the honorable mention ribbon for Pond Lily Path.
Next , I dropped off both Davenport Blue and Cypress Crescent which were juried into the Los Gatos Art Association’s Spring Show by Mike Bailey at the Rose Shenson Gallery at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. The opening reception for that show is Sunday, April 7th from 1 to 4 pm and the the work will be on view Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through April 3013.
The Triton Museum of Art at 1505 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, California
The Triton has a lovely sculpture garden out back.
You can see the Rose Shenson Gallery through the sculpture garden.
Dropping off Cypress Blue and Cypress Crescent at the Rose Shenson Gallery.
I love these receptions at the Pacific Art League! I always run into old friends, meet new ones and fall in love with lots of paintings! Scapes was a big success, 35 paintings were selected from the 190 entries as far away as Connecticut. In addition to the first, second and third place awards juror Jim Caldwell generously awarded 5 honorable mentions, and I was delighted that my painting, Christy Ann’s Lace, was among them.
My fabulous friend Ann Dubois and I hanging out at the Scapes Reception with my oil painting, the honorably mentioned, Christy Ann’s Lace.
Director and ceramic artist, Jo Killen giving the welcoming address and announcing awards at Scapes.
Taking in the opening address at the Scapes reception at the Pacific Art League.
Judy Kramer with her first place photograph, A Profusion of Poppies.
Bill Moy with his photograph, Guard Tower, which received honorable mention.
I’m with Patricia Oji and her acrylic painting, Two Spirits Soaring.
Peter Schachter’s iPad painting, New York Late Summer Afternoon, was awarded third place.
Terry Eden’s acrylic painting, Bay Lands Sunset was awarded honorable mention.
Betsy Kendall’s oil painting, Low Tide Meeker Slough, was a personal favorite. I love her loose, gestural style and subtle palette.
