Triton’s Midsummer Art Celebration

June 23, 2013

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!

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

June 23, 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.

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!

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.

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.

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!!

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

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.

Spring Reception

April 7, 2013

We had our Los Gatos Art Association’s Spring Members Juried Show this afternoon at the Rose Shenson Gallery at the Triton Museum and I brought my signature Trader Joe’s meringues which looked like sea foam on my seascape skirt and matched my paintings, Cypress Crescent and Davenport Blue. These little things make me happy, and just as well as I’m the only one who notices! Great to see the great group of artists in our association. Here are a few photos from the event.

Meringues Cresting on the waves of my skirt.

My paintings Davenport Blue and Cypress Crescent were juried into the show.

LGAA Spring Show 2013, Rose Shenson Gallery

LGAA Spring Show 2013 at the Triton Museum of Art’s Rose Shenson Gallery.

LGAA President, Bonnie Rokas awarding Ed Lucey first place for his painting, Hear the Meadow Lark?

Hear the Meadowlark? oil painting by Ed Lucey LGAA Spring Show 2013. Click on image for his website.

Mei-Ying and Ron Dell'Aquila and her painting Self Portrait (Hoommage to Chuck Close) LGAA Spring Show 2013

This couple looks familiar! Mei-Ying and Ron Dell’Aquila and her painting Self Portrait (Homage to Chuck Close). Click on image for her website.

Ron Dell'Aquila and his photographs at the LGAA Spring Show

Love Ron’s black and white photos from Alum Rock they look surreal! Click on image for his website.

Artist Andy Ballantyne and others at the LGAA Spring Show

Artist Andy Ballantyne adn others at the LGAA Spring Show.

San Jaun Batista oil painting by Andy Ballantyne - LGAA Sping Show 2013

I was really taken with Andy Ballantyne’s painting San Juan Bautista which placed second, I believe. Click on image for his website.

Western Addition oil painting by Carole Rafferty LGAA Spring Show

Of course, I love anything Carole Rafferty paints! Her gorgeous Western Addition took third for oils. Click on image for her website.

Reception Today!

April 7, 2013

See you at the Artist’s Reception for the Los Gatos Art Association’s Spring Members Juried Show 12-3 this afternoon at the Rose Shenson Gallery at the Triton Museum of Art where I’m showing Cypress Crescent and Davenport Blue! — at Triton Museum of Art.

Triton’s Sculpture Garden, the Rose Shenson Gallery is behind the camellias.

Show Time!

March 30, 2013

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!

Marie Cameron dropping off Cherry Blossom Spray at PAL 2013

Pausing wistfully at the Pacific Art League’s period building which is undergoing renovations.

Marie Cameron dropping Cherry Blossom Spray at PAL 2013

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!

Marie Cameron holding ribbon for Pond Lily Path at PAL 2013

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.

Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, California

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.

Marie Cameron dropping paintings at the Rose Shenson Gallery 2013

Dropping off Cypress Blue and Cypress Crescent at the Rose Shenson Gallery.

Cuong Nguyen’s Aspects

October 2, 2012

I find Cuong Nguyen’s portraits simply awe inspiring so it must be obvious what a delight it was for me to meet him in person at his opening reception for his show Aspects at the Triton Museum of Art! This artist is so genuinely warm and friendly it was easy to see how he must put his subjects immediately at ease and be granted access to peer into their souls!

His muses milled about the guests and it was fun to spotting these models walking around the show: a distinctive pair of glasses, a pair of gorgeous eyes, a striking profile, these intimate details seemed familiar in real life after admiring them on the monumental scale that Cuong paints.

Preston Metcalf, the Triton’s chief curator related to me a bit of the artist’s roots in Viet Nam where he began to paint as a boy of 10 and was tutored in the techniques of Russian Realism. He began his formal training at the Academy of Art in Saigon and continued at San Jose State studying Graphic Design and Illustration. Cuong Nguyen has recently swept up all kinds of accolades including Best in Show at the International Association of Pastel Societies’ 15th Juried Exhibition, Grand Prize of the Pastel Journal Magazine Competition 2010 and winning First Place at the Triton’s 2011 Statewide Painting Competition and Exhibition. Needless to say, Cuong has his hands full with commissions!

Aspects: Multiple Face, Multiple Views will be on exhibit at the Triton Museum of Art located on 1501 Warburton Avenue in San Jose, California until November 11, 2012.

For more information check out www.tritonmuseum.org and the artist’s website www.icuong.com.

Marie Cameron meets Cuong Nguyen at the Triton

It was a real pleasure meeting artist Cuong Nguyen at his reception for Aspects at the Triton! We’re standing in front of Him oil on canvas 48″ x 60″ (my favorite piece).

Cuong Nguyen's Portraits of Hope Triptych

Cuong Nguyen Portraits of Hope Triptych oil on canvas in Aspects.

Cuong Nguyen with Resolve oil on canvas 40″ x 40″ and his muse.

Cuong Nguyen and his many muses (including the amazing artist Jaya King).

Cuong Nguyen's Portraits of Blue and Green

Cuong Nguyen Portrait of Blue and Portrait of Green triptychs oil on canvas.

Cuong Nguyen's Up from Portraits of Green

Cuong Nguyen Up (Portraits of Green) oil on canvas 40″ x 40″.
I love this piece and understand that it was sold before the exhibition was fully installed. I adore tattoos in paintings and have one in the works myself (a painting with a tattoo, that is, not a real one).

This photograph of a girl viewing Cuong Nguyen’s Her oil on canvas 48″ x 60″ shows what it’s like to be face to face with one of these stunning paintings.