Life at Francisco Studios

Art Project Request

2012-01-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

DAGGETT PARK PUBLIC ART PROJECT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, February 3, 2012 (11:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time)

Applications are available through SlideRoom (sfgov.slideroom.com), an on-line application system for calls for entry. There is no charge to artists for using SlideRoom. If you are a first time user of SlideRoom, please allow adequate time to learn the use of this system. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists residing in the Western Regions of the United States. These states include, and are limited to: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming. Entries not meeting eligibility guidelines shall be withdrawn from consideration. Artists residing outside these 13 states should NOT apply for this project.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Part of the 2009 Showplace Square Open Space Plan implemented by the San Francisco Planning Department, Daggett Park is a planned open space located in a triangular parcel bounded by 7th Street, 16th Street, and Hubbell Street in the Showplace Square neighborhood. The park will be adjacent to privately owned parcels to be developed with retail and residential uses and will include a children’s playground, a large open lawn and a plaza and seating area.

More info here.

Open Call for Artists

2012-01-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Open Call for Artists

Back to the Picture/SoMa Custom Framing & Gallery is currently accepting submissions from local San Francisco and Bay Area artists.

We are currently looking to feature works of different media, for sale in our new SoMa location. We are looking for artists to both sell their art in the gallery on a regular basis, as well as participate in future shows. Works for general sale needs to be pre-matted to standard sizes or be a standard frame size, for framing (photographs, water colors, digital art, limited edition prints, etc.).

All artists are encouraged to submit their work for consideration.

For more information, please contact Doug at doug@backtothepicture.com, or call 415.558.9901.

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Chinese year 4710 begins on Jan. 23, 2012.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Dragonfruit

June Schwarcz - enamel artist

2012-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

A wonderful Spark piece about local artist, June Schwarcz. First of all, i didn't know how enamel was formed and was enlightened and second of all, she is a senior citizen (age 89 years old at the time of the filming) still working, handling super hot material (I get nervous around the super hot temperatures needed to melt glass) and is inspirational on so many levels. The work is beautiful, with some pieces reminding me of raku pottery. I get the sense she loved experimentation. I love that we get to see her working in her studio, a little bit of insight into her process.

And, what happened to KQED's Spark? I haven't seen a new episode in a long time. I loved that this local show highlighted the local art scene. It seems no new episodes were made in 2011, or at least they weren't archived.

Conservation Successes - Call for Entries

2012-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Call for Entries

Interested in taking part in an Environmental Celebration?

For 2D and 3D artists portraying the successes of conservation illustrating species of animals, birds, and plants now at safe population levels due to conservation.

Where: The Nature Center in Tilden Park, Berkeley, California
When: May 1st through August 31st, 2012

We will hold registration open until:

1) all species are represented;
2) all the wall space is filled.

How to Enter and Submit Your Piece:

You may enter the show by contacting rbrandwynn@aol.com to register.
You will be informed if the species you choose is already fully represented by three images of any media
Your piece needs to be ready by April 2nd and come with hardware for mounting

Image Sizes: 2 D images: Easel size (Larger pieces will be considered by the Advisory Committee); 3D images: 12″ x 12″ (only 12 spaces).

Registration Fee: a sliding scale donation will be requested ($15 – $30) to cover publicity costs.

Sales: for those interested in sales, we will be able to list sales information.

For a list of species and more info, click here.

Henry Ossawa Tanner at the Cincinnati Art Museum

2012-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

"The Annunciation" by Henry Ossawa Tanner

I just learned that there will a retrospective of the work of Henry Ossawa Tanner at the Cincinnati Art Museum from May 26th to Sept 9, 2012. I am excited because there is a 2 day overlap from when the Rembrandt in America show ends at the Cleveland Art Musuem (Feb 19 - May 28, 2012) and when the Tanner show begins. There are about 250 miles between the two cities with Columbus on the way.
About the Tanner Retrospective:

Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit

May 26, 2012 - September 09, 2012

Organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts,this exhibition is the second stop on a three city tour.More than one hundred pieces, from paintings to sculptures are included in this exhibition of the career and life of the artist Henry O. Tanner (1859-1937)-including Tanner’s upbringing in Philadelphia in the years after the Civil War, the artist’s success as an American expatriate artist at the highest levels of the International art world at the turn of the 20th century; Tanner’s role as a leader of an artist’s colony in the rural France and his unique contributions in aid of American servicemen to the Red Cross efforts in WWI France and his modernist invigoration of religious painting deeply rooted in his own faith. This nationally touring exhibition will include a major catalog.

Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit was organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA

I remember discussing this painting in Western Art History. I was moved by the gestures, the paint strokes, and the lighting.
"The Thankful Poor"

T-Shirts

2012-01-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

As part of the new year organizing mania, we raided our closet to cull the never worn, the ugly, the misshapen to give away to the local charity. My husband, an avid runner, gave me t-shirts to be used as rags in the studio and i couldn't help but photograph them before adding them to my rag bin.

I was inspired by Lisa Congdon's "Collection a Day" where she embarked on a year long project of photographing her collections of things. These 12 t-shirts represent only a fraction of the t-shirts the husband has accumulated. And, there will be more.....

2011 in Review

2012-01-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Year End Summary
The end of the year is a good time to reflect what happened in 2011. Ahhh, 2011, my annus horribilis or in other words, my horrible year. This was the year that a profound betrayal occurred that i am sure was responsible for health problems. It was a year that I had to deal with some ugly personal stuff including having to retain an attorney for protection. It was one of the worst years of my life. My work suffered in that I couldn't focus on painting on a regular basis. I went through the motions of going to the studio and painting but the sadness overwhelmed me. I could not be as productive as i have been. I didn't apply to many shows, registries, publications but here are the ones i did apply to and the outcomes.

Bay Van (Bay Area Visual Arts Network) - my work was accepted and was on their website for 2011. I did not renew my membership because i couldn't see any major benefit from it.

SFMOMA Artists Gallery - rejected yet again. Was this the 3rd or 4th time applying? I reapplied at the end of the year as well. Thankfully, CaFE is handling the submission process - their rejection letter is so much nicer.

StudioVisit Magazine - knowing full well that this was a longshot but it was free to submit. Rejected. I have resubmitted different work for their review.

A Sense of Place sponsored by the Northern California Women's Caucus for Art - work accepted.

SF Travel - my work was accepted previously and i decided to submit my color fields. Rejected.

New American Painting - hope springs eternal yet, rejected again (3rd time?)

Falkirk Cultural Center Annual Juried Show - i thought it would be nice to get my work in the North Bay.
Alas, it was not to be - rejected.

Momentum sponsored by the Women's Caucus for Art - Rejected but my work didn't really make sense for this show.

ProArts Annual Juried Show - either i heard about the outcome and it didn't register or the outcome hasn't been announced.

Oetwin Boochever Portrait Competition - jury round one in progress

The year ended well with my health back to normal and with two new eyes from the cataract surgery. I started getting back into the groove of painting after Open Studios and I am looking forward to continuing with my portrait project. SFSpots did a wonderful video about me and my process. And, thanks to my husband, family and friends, i am coping with my unfortunate situation - it was because of their continued support and love, I was able to emerge to the other side. Onward to 2012!

Cataract surgery - right eye

2011-12-29T07:28:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report my second cataract surgery went way better than expected. I warned the anesthesiologist that i was sensitive to the fentanyl and he changed a few things and i felt fine afterwards. I was feeling well enough to go get a cinnamon twist from the Noe Valley Bakery on the way home and have a cup of coffee. The vision is clearing up as i type, the recovery happening faster than with my left eye. My left eye is doing really well, my vision is remarkable and the light doesn't bother me anymore. My color perception hasn't changed, which was my main concern, and while i will need reading glasses, i can still see pretty well to do most tasks such as cooking.

Helen Frankenthaler RIP

2011-12-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Helen Frankenthaler dies at age 83
I've enjoyed her work for years. I remember the time i went to the Phoenix Art Museum to see the Cezanne show and coming across her 1975 painting titled "Last Spring" which i can link to but haven't been able to find the image to post here. It was a moment when as i walked into the gallery where it hung, i gasped and it literally took my breath away.

But there are many i can post here to honor her memory as a great painter.

I think the orange and gray combination is brilliant.

The "scar" through the painting is very interesting, the thin lines intriguing.

Purple, blues and red go so well together. The white helps relieve the pressure from those strong colors. The lone circle and lines give stability.

I see an abstracted flower - there is much joy in these colors. That hint of gray along the two edges are a inspired touch.

The same flower on a stormy day or evening? Or is it an animal sleeping?

This is more of a Rothko like color field - and just as sublime.

This seems almost Miro like - fun, whmisical.

Seeing her work makes me want to get to the studio to paint.

2011-12-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas dear Readers!

Pantone Color of 2012

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Pantone announces 2012's color of the year

Each year for over a decade, Pantone, the authority on color, selects one hue that they feel best represents the year and will be the leading color throughout fashion, cosmetics, interior design, and more. They meticulously search the world over and analyze anything that has an impact on color trends from what’s hot in the entertainment industry to socio-economic conditions. 2011's color was honeysuckle.

Tangerine Tango is 2012’s Color of the Year. Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, described it as, “Sophisticated, but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it.” Fashionable for both men’s and women’s apparel, it was a leading color in the spring runway shows and will continue into fall with equal strength.

Look for Tangerine Tango outside of apparel as well. It is popular for cosmetics (lip, cheeks, nails and even eye shadow) and interior design.

Now, should i create a Tangerine Tango painting? Lots of oranges and reds would be used for sure.

2011-12-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Mission Cultural Center’s Open Call to Artists

“You Are Beautiful” is a simple, powerful statement aspiring to create moments of positive self-realization. The intention behind the message is to be received as a simple act of kindness, an innovative approach to a fundamental concept. This is an open call to make your own “You Are Beautiful” piece. Any size & media. Prior artist experience is helpful, but not required.

This exhibition is inspired by a 2005 Los Angeles exhibition that resulted in over

100 works from 50+ artists from around the world.

This is an open call to make your own 'You Are Beautiful' piece. Any size, any media,
anyone can be involved. The only limitation is that the piece incorporates the phrase
'You Are Beautiful'
Work may be juried for the show itself, all works will be documented and displayed on
the website, or in future publications.
All work is due (Postmarked) by Friday, January 6th, 2012 in San Francisco.
Please include an Artwork Form with your work.
Mission Cultural Center

Open Call for Asian Heritage Poster Contest

2011-12-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

Open Call for Asian Heritage Street Celebration Poster

Deadline for submissions is Friday, January 6, 2012 at midnight.

The Asian Heritage Street Celebration (AHSC) today announced its annual poster contest in partnership with the Asian American Women Artists Association, Asian Art Museum, Center for Asian American Media, and Kearny Street Workshop. Graphic artists are sought to create an exciting image to become part of the personality for the 8th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration to be held on Saturday, May 19, 2012 in front of the Asian Art Museum, leading up to the Little Saigon District.

The winning artwork will be featured in a wide-scale multi-media marketing campaign in both the mainstream and Asian Pacific markets in a combination of posters, postcards, Muni bus ads, BART banners, bus shelters, newspaper ads and in a TV commercial. The winner will also earn a $500 grand prize. All entries will be posted atwww.asianfairsf.com.

entry form

rules

Fraud Alert - Artists Beware!

2011-12-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

FRAUD ALERT from Re-title.com

First Name: Konde
Last Name: Babi-Lala
Email: k_bbilla @safe-mail.net

Message:
Compliment of the day to you, I saw your profile in this site and I am glad to drop this mail so that we can get to know each other. I have a proposal that I will like to discuss with you. Please get back to me at (k_bbilla@safe-mail.net) for more details.Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thankfully, the people from Re-title keep me posted on specific frauds which i then share with you. I haven't seen any frauds lately though. For a while, there seemed to be several in quick succession. Re-title recommends that you do not respond to the email. It already sounds suspicious with the opening sentence "compliment of the day to you". The emails are usually overly polite and awkwardly written. Please check here for more info and other frauds.

Cataract surgery - left eye

2011-12-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Fort Funston at very low tide

My first cataract surgery on my left eye
was done this morning. And while i heard the stories that there was nothing to it, i definitely felt uncomfortable during the procedure. It was, however, very quick - maybe 15 mintues although who can tell under the influence of the IV drip. The worst part was my reaction to the anesthetic fentanyl, I threw up everything i had post surgery ( water, juice) and felt unwell. They gave me two types of anti nausea medication but it took me quite a while to feel good enough to sit up. I might have been the youngest one there at the Eye Surgery Center but i was definitely the sickest! There were patients who had their surgery way after mine and left way before me.
My surgeon implanted a toric lens while fixing my cataract and my vision is already noticeably improved. It initially had the "Instagram" (see above image with fuzzy edges and off colors) look to everything with muted colors and fuzzy vision but while watching television, i noticed that my vision was better in my surgery eye than my untouched eye with correction. I still see fuzzy edges but my distance vision is much improved. I hope this will be a contining trend.

First of a series of portraits - Cynthia

2011-12-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

"Cynthia" 7 in X 5 in, oil on canvas board 2011

I started a series of women who will be depicted as women from ancient times, namely Bibilical. The reasons will be revealed at a later date. This is a portrait of a Cynthia and it is officially done. I took many photographs of her in my studio with the beautiful side natural light. I have lined up several more women who have agreed to model for me.

I adore doing portraits - they take an enormous amount of time and the process is very different from my color fields. Both have their frustrating moments as well as glorious ones.

Instagram

2011-12-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

View from Kite Hill = using Instagram

How fun it is to use Instagram on my IPhone4. Just wanted to share some soothing images for your gazing enjoyment.

Another view from Kite Hill - using Instagram

Daisy at Fort Funston - Instagram

Cataract Surgery in December

2011-12-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

I am scheduled to have cataract surgery in December and yes, i am too young to be having this, thanks for asking. But my mother and brother both had the surgery so i guess it must be a genetic condition. It is worrying to think about the risks involved such as decreased color perception, cloudy vision, but it is difficult for me to be in the sun and particularly difficult if it is sunny and there are white buildings that are reflecting the light. Sunglasses help but i can't wear them and drive at night when the headlights of cars blind me. My studio has become difficult to work in when the sun is shining. I have to move my canvas away from the windows. My cataract surgeon says he almost never recommends this to his patients but he recommended i correct my severe astigmatism. So, my vision will improve enough where i won't have to wear distance glasses but will need reading glasses. Of course, i am concerned if my color perception will change but it will be interesting if it changes to be more accurate. Although, recent work strongly suggest that our perception of color is controlled much more by our brains than by our eyes.

Jan Tiura at Dickerman Prints Gallery

2011-11-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

These images caught my eye - i thought these were abstract paintings with a little bit of realism added to allow the viewer to more easily access the painting. After reading the article in the SF Chronicle about the work of Jan Tiura and discovering that these are photographs of sides of tugboats, i was intrigued. Jan Tiura, the first female tugboat captain in San Francisco has photographed hulls of boats which look like abstract paintings. I am always interested in photographs that look like paintings. In most cases, the reproduction is shallow and the colors disappointing. But recently, photographs have greatly improved in their colors such as that seen in Adam Fuss' photographs for example and i would like to see Tiura'a photos in person. It probably has more to do with how expensive the printer is than anything else.

The one thing that bothers me is her use of Photoshop which leads me to question the authenticity of the colors. Are the colors really that saturated and if the colors were manipulated to become something they are not, why was that choice made? If Tiura used Photoshop to color correct the colors to make them more accurate, that's different. But one wonders if tugboat hulls are really that exciting if Photoshop is involved.

Her work is on display at Dickerman Prints Gallery, 3180 17th St., S.F. (415) 252-1300.

Through Dec 11, 2011, M-F, 10 am - 6pm.

Portraits of Protest

2011-11-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

The photographer Robert Schultze captured images of the Occupy demonstrators which caught my eye since i am interested in portraiture. Schultze has been to the San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Rosa, and San Jose Occupy sites. He sets up a mini photo sudio with a simple backdrop and the finished piece is in black and white. They are part of his "Occupy California: Portraits of the 99%" and this vimeo shows the people of the movement.

Occupy San Francisco - Protestor Portrait Project from Robert Schultze on Vimeo.

It seems that there are several artists joining in the Occupy portrait bandwagon most notably Marielle Solan for the NY Observer , Martin Schoeller for the New Yorker and on the creative culture blog Yello!

KSW One Size Fits All 2011

2011-11-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

I am participating in an online art market benefiting Kearney Street Workshop, the nation's oldest Asian American multidisciplinary arts organization . Titled "One Size Fits All 2011", all works are less than 8 inches X 11 inches. The piece i donated is from my "trees posing" series and was inspired by a soccer player (Zidane for France) headbutting his Italian opponent in the World Cup final. All the pieces are priced from $50 - $100.
Sale through November 28, 2011.

Artist Bloc Day - Occupy SF

2011-11-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

Artist Bloc Day at Occupy San Francisco
Sunday, November 20, 2011
noon to 5 pm
Join us for the Artists Bloc day at Occupy San Francisco for hands-on workshops, participatory projects, discussions and the distribution of our zine. The day will include screen-printing and banner-making workshops, a speaker's booth and conversations facilitated by local artists about arts funding, education and the systems of oppression that affect artists economic sustainability and more.

See above link for full schedule

My Madonna

2011-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

I asked a friend to pose for me so i could get back to doing portraits. I wanted to do a Biblically themed group of paintings, not because i am religious (i am not) but i wanted to romanticize the days when painters were considered to be important contributors to society. They were commissioned handsomely to do Biblical scenes and while i have read that some were devoted spiritually to the cause, others did it because it was a great paying gig. When i look at icons, i believe that those painters had faith and love for their subject. In my case, i have faith and love for my subjects as the real people. They are complex, beautiful, and are a part of my life. I am not sure if the portrait is finished - it needs an incubation process of a few days before i can declare done. Although a few more layers of color wouldn't hurt, one must be careful not to overwork the piece.

Pantone Color Report

2011-11-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

colors for women

I love when Pantone announces the "it" fashion colors for Spring 2012. The colors are cheerful and I wonder how they are chosen. And who comes up with the color names like "tangerine tango", "cabaret" and "cockatoo"? I imagine they have to choose colors that would complement every skin color. For me, i like "cockatoo", sodalite blue" and "driftwood".

colors for men
I also love both "dazzling blue" and "hawaiian ocean" in the men's palette.

Reversing the Gaze - Man as Object at SOMarts

2011-11-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Reversing the Gaze
I missed the deadline for this show due to distractions but it sounds like it might be fun. I am hoping it will also include not just the exact reversal of the gaze but other interpretations.
Nov 4 - Nov 30, 2011
Performance Art
Nov 4 and Nov 13, 2011
Peepshow Drawing CircleNov 13, 2011
Closing Reception
Nov 30, 2011

Rembrandt at NCMA

2011-11-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

Rembrandt paintings at the North Carolina Museum of Art!
Forty-six paintings will be on display in “Rembrandt in America” now through Jan. 22, 2012, before the exhibit travels to Cleveland and then Minnesota.
Rembrandt in America is the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings ever presented in an American exhibition and the first major exhibition to explore in depth the collecting history of Rembrandt paintings in America. The NCMA is the only East Coast venue for this exceptional show that features works of art from across the United States, including some of the finest paintings residing in American collections. NCMA Curator of Northern European Art Dennis P. Weller serves as a co-curator of this must-see exhibition, which has been more than five years in the making. Why oh why don't we have shows like this in San Francisco?

This might be a show I make a special trip to see. I can't imagine another opportunity like this to see so many Rembrandt paintings.
An article about this show in the Daily Reflector can be found here.

2011-11-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

One of my art sales from this last Open Studios on the wall of a bedroom.
From my "Trees Posing" series that i did as an experiment - this one is painted on wood veneer. I was inspired by Japanese screens and the frequent theme of the natural world. I wanted to do my own piece with my imaginary trees posing. The piece is somewhat fragile as there is no strong backing, only thick acid free paper. An art conservator stopped by my open studios gasped as she noted its thinness. She suggested gluing foam core to the back but i like knowing that it is delicate by nature and therefore, some attention needs to be taken. Although, i might try gluing it to some support but somehow, foam core seems cheap and nasty. I may look into a plastic back from TAP Plastics.

Another art patron hung his tree portrait above his bed as well. Something to do with bringing peace and tranquility to his bedroom.

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

2011-11-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

The National Portrait Gallery invites artists all over America to investigate the contemporary art of the portrait for the third Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, to be held in 2013. The competition and resulting exhibition will celebrate excellence and innovation, with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today. The National Portrait Gallery welcomes single figures, groups, or self-portraits, created in any visual arts medium. The competition is named for Virginia Outwin Boochever (1920–2005), a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose generous gift has endowed this program.

The competition is open to all professional artists age 18 and over who are living and working in the United States or its territories. Both emerging and midcareer artists are invited to participate. Each artist may enter one work depicting anyone—a friend, a stranger, a relative, a self-portrait, or a group—but each portrait must be the result of the artist's direct encounter with that person or persons. While the human form must be the focus of the work, artists are invited to figure out and interpret the concept of portraiture broadly; for example, an entry might not include a face. The work must have been completed after January 1, 2010.

The deadline has been extended to Nov 30, 2011.

2011-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Cazadero R & R

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days of rest and relaxation this past week in Cazadero.

Cazadero isn't far from the ocean so we went there daily to collect rocks, walk, and play with the dogs. We rented a cottage that is run by the people of Raymond's Bakery who delivered baked goods to our cottage daily. A wonderful little creek flowed in front and we were surrounded by redwoods.

I picked up these lacy leaves during my walk along the creek.

ProArts Juried Annual 2012

2011-10-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

There is still one day left to apply for the Proarts Annual juried show.

"About a Scarf"

20 in X 60 in

"Flying"

30 in X 24 in

Selections by Hamza Walker

Director of Education and Associate Curator, Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago

Exhibition Dates: November 22, 2011 - January 13, 2012

Entry Deadline: Friday, October 21, 2011

I joined ProArts and will be submitting these 3 pieces.

"Breathing Under Water"

30 in X 24in

Surface Design Online Class

2011-10-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in two previous posts about my surface design class which i dropped after two days because i couldn't tolerate the instructor's style of teaching. Since then, i have tried dying fabric and cotton t-shirts to see how difficult the process was. It feels like i am floundering with this messy business although i am consulting books and the web. Then, I came across this online class "The Art and Business of Surface Design" featuring Rachel Taylor. The class is split into 3 modules as it guides you step-by-step from sketch to pattern to customer, sharing technical how-to-guides and industry secrets along the way.
Module 1: DESIGNING YOUR WAY (4 weeks, beginning Monday 14 November 2011)
Module 2: CREATING YOUR PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY (4 weeks, beginning Monday 16 January 2012)
Module 3: MONETISING YOUR DESIGNS (4 weeks, beginning Monday 20 February 2012)
I was surprised to find that the price for the class is in pounds but i assume she will take US dollars.
Price: £129 per module (save £19 if you sign up for two modules, or save £38 if you sign up for all three)
I think there is a lot of interest in surface design because i have received an amazing number of hits for those two posts.

Open Studios Visits

2011-10-17T10:54:00.001-07:00

When October comes rolling around, my life seems to go into high gear with all the open studios, dance performances, and parties (best time to have parties in SF when we have about one month of great weather). I try to fit in what I can on Friday nights when many of the larger art complexes host a reception. It is also a great time to go just because the artists are still fresh and in a good mood as it is the beginning of their long weekend. First stop was to see the work of Leigh Wells at Ampersand International. I've never been to Ampersand so i wanted to check both out. (note: everytime i tried to go to the Ampersand website, Avast blocks it as a harmful site)
The show titled "Deception" immediately caught my interest. It seemed very personal and emotional, charged, angry, and beautiful. Her collages mix hard and soft shapes creating tension. The gallery space is beautiful with good light, perfect for showing my paintings (hello Ampersand?).

Next stop was to visit Arc Studios, a relatively new space that once was New Langton Arts. Soad Kader had a wonderful, private space off of the main gallery. Her work was inspired by the salt ponds of the SF Bay - they were bright, cheerful, like the very essence of Soad. In fact, Soad was instrumental in selling my piece at the ArtSpan event by using her charms and influence to make the sale.

The main gallery was filled with artists who were renting space. Upstairs were more studios and i must say, i was very impressed with the quality of the work there. I have been in art complexes where most of the work looked amateurish or like young art student work (not mentioning any names here) but at Arc, there was a level of professionalism that i appreciate. Another good place to go to see good work is 1890 Bryant which i briefly visited a couple of weekends ago. More about that later.

I absolutely fell in love with Saundra McPherson's work

It is the kind of painting i could look at for years - very calming and the colors are tremendous.

Edge 33

And then i found myself in a photography studio which at first i must admit, i wasn't too captivated by the images. That is until the photographer Jack Androvich introduced himself and explained his process. He explained that he doesn't use Photoshop but photographs reflections on windows with whatever object is in the window, juxtaposing interesting and funny images together. I became very interested in the work after that.
I love that it is a very funny image and i love that he explained his work to me. That made me realize how important it is for the artist to connect to the viewers.

And if you haven't done so, all the artists mentioned still have their work up for public viewing (and buying) at SOMarts until October 29th. All the work is under 20 in X 20 in, perfect for the SF Bay Area home.
934 Brannan Street, San Francisco.
- Tuesday-Friday, 12:00-7:00pm
- Saturday, 11:00am-5:00pm
- Sunday, 11:00am-3:00pm

I have been getting reports from fellow ArtSpan artists who have had disappointing sales during their Open Studios. One artist relies on the sales from this one weekend to cover all her costs for the year (rent, utilities, supplies, advertisement, membership to ArtSpan, food for Open Studios). I've never experienced that amount of sales but i must say, i feel quite fortunate to have sold 5 paintings considering i only had 75 visitors for the whole weekend.

Yay for Slime Molds

2011-10-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Wonderful images of slime molds from a NY Times article. I am reminded of my days as a microbiologist and being captivated by these amoebic creatures. They are really interesting because they live their life as single celled creatures but by signaling, come together to make these remarkable structures.

Doesn't this look like something Andrew Goldsworthy would make?

Nude Chicken

2011-10-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

This photo made me smile. It reminded me of the poses from my figure drawing classes. The NYTimes article was about eating chicken skin (oh yum!).

Photo by Tony Cenicola

History's Shadows

2011-10-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was mesmerized by these images by photographer David Maisel (NY Times, October 1, 2011).

In his words: "During a residency at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles several years ago, I began to think about images that were created in the course of art preservation, where the realms of visual art and scientific research overlap. While taking photographs at the conservation department of the J. Paul Getty Museum, I became captivated by X-rays of art objects from the museum’s permanent collections. These ghostly images seemed to surpass the potency of the original objects of art. They were like transmissions from the distant past, conveying messages across time, and connecting the contemporary viewer to the art impulse at the core of these ancient works."

The title of his project "History's Shadows"shows art objects from the Getty Musuem and the Asian Art Musuem in San Francisco.

" Each was laid on a light box in a darkened room; the emanations of light were transmitted by long exposures onto color film, which was subsequently scanned to digital files that I work on using software to adjust the tonal range and to make certain that as much detail as possible is legible. I then adjust the scans to bring out colors latent in the original film and scans. Those colors intentionally reference cyanotypes,

albumen prints and other 19th-century

processes."

The images are hauntingly beautiful and has a "sketched" feel to it. It reminds me of when one does figure drawing, how the warm up 60 second poses are the free-est, more vibrant of the poses and these remind me of that.

They also remind me of what happened to me last Tuesday while sewing...the sewing machine needle went all the way through my left index finger, breaking off, leaving me with a broken needle. I tried to remove it myself but couldn't get a good grip of the little bit of needle sticking out.

The ER physician struggled to get the needle out but in the end, everything returned to normal and 2 hours later, i went back to my sewing machine. Very little blood and the pain i experienced (and still experiencing) came from the tetanus shot in my upper arm.

Open Studios - Over for the Year

2011-10-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

It seemed to go by so fast but my Open Studios is now over for the year. This past weekend, I opened my studio to anyone interested in seeing my art, me, and the studio. There was very little foot traffic as expected as we are located in the nether regions of San Francisco. I like to think of it as a secluded refuge from the hurley burly of city life although we are only 15 minutes from downtown SF via BART. There was a steady stream of people evenly spaced out allowing me to spend time talking to them. I have been in a show that had 50,000 people attending and only sold one small painting. This weekend, with numbers probably under 75, i sold 5 paintings, mostly to people who either collect my work or came across my work at the ArtSpan exhibition at SOMarts. Evidently, numbers of visitors doesn't necessarily mean greater sales. I was ready to process credit card sales but people either paid by check or cash.

The most interesting feedback i got was the attention one particular painting got during the show, although it didn't sell. People seemed to be entranced by the color. It is one of my favorite paintings, but don't tell that to the other paintings.
We were honored by a visit by the ArtSpan Executive Director, Heather Holt Villyard and John Melvin, Chairman of the Board. They wanted to visit studios "not on the radar" and spoke about some of the ideas that might help artists that are located away from the mainstream art locations. Nice to get a little attention!

ArtLaunch 2011

2011-09-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

There have been some positive changes at ArtSpan most recently mentioned was the Open Studios Guide book. In addition, last night I went to ArtLaunch, an exhibition of current ArtSpan members' works less than 20 " X 20", a festive party with food, open bar and a DJ spinning tunes. In the past, it was a more exclusive and expensive evening which i worked as a volunteer doing sales. Last night's event was affordable, only $35 if you are an ArtSpan member, $25 if you are an ArtSpan artist. And the mood was really upbeat with many women looking quite natty in their chic sheaths, sexy stockings, and facinators. I went around once to see all the work, made mental notes about which one I wanted to buy, and then looked at the works in detail. The work has to look intruguing up close and from far away and that narrowed the list to two. The one painting i would've loved to have purchased was by Suzy Barnard but it was way out of my price range. In the end, i bought a photograph by Pep Ventosa.

He saw me purchase his work and introduced himself. He explained his process of photographing the image, in this case a tree in New York, in a circle, that is, taking an image and moving in a circle around the tree and taking another image creating multiple images of the tree. He photoshops the images and creates this magical final image. I am always interested in photographs that look like paintings and this is an example of that. Digital images have really come a long way - the colors look saturated and there is much depth. Little stick drawings appear in the photograph. His work reminded me of the photographer Adam Fuss's image of a vase, which has a painterly quality.

Soon after I bought Pep's photograph, someone purchase my painting. All around good evening!

Adam Fuss

OS Guides are here!

2011-09-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

I was excited to open my ArtSpan Open Studios Guide. It's heft promised that it would be full of images and content and I wasn't disappointed. I think it is the best OS Guide since I've been participating in Open Studios. There are great ads, photos of people behind the scenes of ArtSpan and special events, interviews, some really interesting and helpful articles about art collecting for example and of course, the indispensible map and all the art of participating artists. I was wondering how my image would turn out since it is dark and has subtlety that would be lost in a photo. It didn't turn out half bad, I am relieved to say. Will it be enough for someone to think, "oh, i must see that painting in person?"... only if they are into color field, non representational art. That is why I am showing a rather loud painting at the SOMarts show opening this Thursday. Instead of showing "Camellia" as mentioned in a previous post, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to show this one instead for the simple reason that people have expressed interest in seeing "Camellia" at my open studios. Did I mention that this series of paintings work really well in a dark room?

You can pick up your own guide at one of these locations or pick one up at my studio this weekend. Sometime this week, I will once again, sit in my comfy chair with a cup of tea and cookie, look for my favorite artists and discover new ones. I must say, when i dropped off my painting, i had a quick look at the work already up and I found a few that need a second look! Better bring my checkbook to ArtLaunch this Thursday.

Wangari Maathai dies at age 71

2011-09-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

I was saddened to hear that Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient died from cancer at the age of 71. The New York Times obituary can be found here. She believed that environmental degradation and unbridled development were among the roots of poverty.
"You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them," Professor Maathai said on the website of the movement she founded, The Green Belt Movement. She started the group in 1977, encouraging poor women to collect native tree seeds in the wild, cultivate them and set up tree nurseries for a livelihood, paying them a small sum for any trees they planted. One aim was to ensure poor families had access to sustainable firewood for cooking and water for drinking.

I was moved by her efforts and as a student at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2004, I wanted to create art that would honor her and that would speak to deforestation. A created a shrine with hand printed postcards of her image and drawings of trees on discarded pieces of wood for a 2 week intensive class with Brett Cook-Dizney. After graduating in 2005, i continued thinking about how i would create my deforestation awareness paintings. I spent 2005-2007 working on this problem that culminated in the "trees posing" series where trees were painted as if posing for a family photography or in familiar poses.
Unfortunately,because my computer crashing earlier this year, I lost all my high quality images. I only have thumbnails shown here. I have slides of many and all the images are on my website.

I occasionally create a new painting for the series because i enjoy making them. This body of work helped me to develop my cold wax medium that i use for my color field paintings.

ArtLaunch

2011-09-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

I missed blogging all last week due to general busy-ness from Open Studios preparation and school work. This week will be pretty much the same but i will be taking some time off to attend ArtLaunch at SOMarts this Thursday.
Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Get a private preview of over 400 artists at ArtLaunch
Celebrating 36 years of SF Open Studios
2011 SF Open Studios Artists: $25
ArtSpan Members: $35 in advance / $40 at the door
Non-members: $50 in advance / $60 at the door

I will deliver "Camellia" for the ArtLaunch party.

More LIght

2011-09-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last week my studio was "enlightened" when the neighbors cleared out the vegetation covering my windows. What a difference that made to the light in my studio.

My Time with ARTnews

2011-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

When i finally get around to opening my ARTnews, i make sure i have my cup of tea, a snack and a comfy chair all ready for uninterrupted reading. The September issue has advertisements of artists i don't know anything about but whose work i find captivating. Take the work of Eric Aho showing at DC Moore Gallery in New York. I looked up his work and found that his new work from his "Covert" series to be much more engaging for me because of its abstraction. His previous work shows recognizable objects which are beautifully painted but i prefer to get lost in the painting, make my own narrative or just go completely mentally blank, soaking in the colors, shapes, depth.

Bill Scott now showing at Hollis Taggart Galleries in New York City paints what i think are cheerful paintings. I do not think that "cheerful" is a dirty word and i hope he is not horrified by that description. I also find them to have a rhythm, almost a sound to them. I have always been drawn to the simplicity of shapes and lines although there is nothing simple about these paintings.

Eventhough striped paintings have been around for a while, I don't seem to get tired of looking at them. Although i did get tired trying to locate an image of Cornelia Thomsen's striped painting. It didn't appear immediately from a Google search but in any event, i love the colors she used: purples, periwinkles, grays, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, prussian blue, gray green. Showing now at Erik Thomsen Fine Art in NYC.

I love the Cleve Gray image in the magazine although i couldn't find it on the website. I picked 3 but there were many more that were stunning. Showing now at Morrison Gallery.

While the Internet is a wonderful tool, it cannot (yet) really capture the essence of a painting. The colors in real life will be different, the light in which the painting sits will affect it, and one isn't able to stand up close to appreciate brush work, paint, color interactions.
That was my first pass at looking at the magazine. Now i will find time to read the articles with my cup of tea and snack, in my comfy chair.

2011-09-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

Heartwarming video - "My mom is home from Afghanistan" - you need the sound on to hear the dog's cries. In memory of the men and women serving abroad and hope they will be similarly welcomed home soon.

2011-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Kearney Street Workshop is again having their online art sale "ONE SIZE FITS ALL"fund raiser. Last holiday season, the sale was a big hit, thanks to over 40 artists who created unique artworks, raising $2700 for our cause. I delivered one of my "tree posing" paintings.
There is still time to get involved.. September 16 is the deadline to submit works for the online auction. The works will be available for purchase at kearnystreet.org this Oct/Nov. Pricing will be $50 or $100 at KSW's discretion.

If your work is not purchased, it will return it to you in early December or you may donate it to KSW for future use. At your request, they will provide you with a donation confirmation letter for your tax purposes.

2011-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

This may seem like an" unrelated to art" post but i thought it is important to get the word out. Besides, i don't know how many times i've been interrupted during painting by annoying phone calls about loans, help with money problems, and aluminum siding.
Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month. REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.
To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

postcards for Open Studios 2011

2011-09-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am happy with my PS Prints postcards and especially with how fast they were. Now, time to get my address labels made to send these out.

Ready for Your Credit Card purchases!

2011-09-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Less than a week later, my Square gadget has arrived, ready for me to process sales via your MC, Visa, Amex, Discover card and my Iphone. I've ordered my postcards for Open Studios - i need to get them out early since my weekend is the first weekend of October. I've ordered new business cards and now, i need to think about what i will be showing. I haven't made many paintings this year due to personal issues but, i am back on track and have begun working on portraiture. I made a few paintings for my "Edges" series and a couple for the "Take Your Time" series.

Squareup.com

2011-08-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

The annual ArtSpan Open Studios is coming up October. Every weekend during that month, several areas of San Francisco will be featured with artists opening up their homes, studios, garages, or public space to show their work. October is a great month in San Francisco when the weather is at its best and there is so much art, dance, music going on.

SAVE the DATE!

Weekend 1: October 1 & 2, 11am to 6pm
Mission, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Castro, Excelsior (my weekend!!!)

Weekend 2: October 8 & 9, 11am to 6pm
Ocean Beach, Sunset, Richmond, Duboce, Eureka Valley, Hayes Valley, Haight, Upper Market, Diamond Heights,
Buena Vista, Mount Davidson, Twin Peaks, West Portal, Glen Park

Weekend 3: October 15 & 16, 11am to 6pm
SOMA, Tenderloin, Potrero Hill, Bayview

Weekend 4: October 22 & 23, 11am to 6pm
Fort Mason, Marina, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, North Beach, Financial District

Weekend 5: October 29 & 30, 11am to 6pm
Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios

For the first time, i will be offering credit card sales through squareup.com, which allows one to use a smartphone to handle the transactions. You download their app for free, they send you a special free card reader for your mobile device. When you swipe cards with Square, the charge is 2.75%. If you enter credit card numbers manually, Square costs 3.5% + 15¢ per transaction.

ColorFair

2011-08-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

ColorFair at the Exploratorium
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Noon — 4:00 p.m.

ColorFair is a free, open-air market featuring a mix of science and art demonstrations and colorful wares made by local artisans. Meet with other color connoisseurs to explore practical and beautiful applications of the visual spectrum. We'll celebrate color with adults and families and explore a rainbow of color phenomena through a host of hands-on science activities and exhibits. All part of ColorFest, a month long celebration of the science and art of color.

When: Sunday, August 28, 2011, noon – 4:00 p.m.

Where: On the grounds of the Palace of Fine Arts, just across from the Rotunda

Who: The audience will include adults, families, tourists, and local residents. We anticipate approximately 1,500 museum visitors that day.

Separated at Birth

2011-08-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite design blogs, sfgirlbybay occasionally does posts called "separated at birth" whereby blogger Victoria Smith matches up distinct interiors with iconic celebrities. She has a keen eye for visually stunning images and her blog has inspired me to be more observant. So, when i saw this image of Naoto Hirooka's fashion in the Sunday SF Chronicle on J-Pop Summit, i immediately thought of one of my paintings...hence, my own version of "separated at birth".

"Cool Fog" 24" by 30" oil and beeswax on canvas, 2009

National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala portraits

2011-08-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

I was struck by the beauty of these portraits done on a vintage box camera by Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd. The article published in today's SF Chronicle and can be seen on SFGate.com, depicted these wonderful images of woman vying for the title National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala, who is honored for helping keep alive the country's rich Mayan history. I tried to limit the images to 5 of my favorites but i wasn't able to. Each woman possesses something special, sometimes it was the attitude, the pose, what she was wearing, or a particularly striking facial feature.

Rosa Lidia Aguare Castro, 23 years old, Mayan Queen winner

The winner of this year's contest, 23-year-old Rosa Lidia Aguare Castro, is from Santa Lucia La Reforma, about four hours' drive from the capital of Guatemala City.

She said she and everyone else there speak the language of K'iche' and make it a point to learn their community's centuries-old dances.

During the contest, Aguare Castro wore a striped wool fabric folded over her hair. Like the others, she danced and explained in both her native language and Spanish how she lived as a 21st-century Mayan.

For a country where about 40 percent of people identify themselves as indigenous, the title of National Indigenous Queen is a major honor, equal to or more prestigious than winning the annual Miss Guatemala crown.

I keep returning to the idea of doing portraits - I need to turn that idea into something more.

Colors of Ancient Egypt

2011-08-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

An interesting article about the colors of Egypt presented by Alistair Boddy Evans for About.com.

It was fascinating to read that mixing colors was a lot about alchemy. For example, today when we mix colors using the very consistent tube paints, we can generally know which direction the color will become. Back in ancient Egypt, when lead white was mixed with their yellow pigment (orpiment), black was the result. Interestingly, black symbolized fertility, new life, and resurrection as seen through the yearly agricultural cycle. It was the color of Osiris ('the black one'), the resurrected god of the dead, and was considered the color of the underworld where the sun was said to regenerate every night.
The article continues with more fascinating tidbits along with the Egyptian words for each of the colors mentioned. And if you are interested in recreating those colors, he suggests modern day equivalents.
Chalk White – Titanium White
Lead White – Flake White, but you can tint some Titanium White slightly with yellow.
Egyptian Blue light tone – Cobalt Turquoise
Egyptian Blue dark – Ultramarine
Azurite – Ultramarine
Lapis Lazuli – Ultramarine
Malachite – Permanent Green or Phthalo Green
Verdigris – Emerald Green
Chrysocolla – Light Cobalt Green
Orpiment – Cadmium Yellow
Lead Antimonite – Naples Yellow
Realgar – Bright-Red or Orange-Red
Gold – use a metallic gold paint, preferably with a reddish hue (or underpaint with red)
Red Lead – Vermilion Hue
Madder Lake – Alizarin Crimson
Kermes Lake – Permanent Crimson

colors which need no replacements:
Ivory and Lamp Black
Indigo
Red and Yellow Ochres
Turquoise

Dutch and Flemish Masters at the Legion

2011-08-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

Prepared to be dazzled by the exhibit at the Legion of Honor showing Dutch and Flemish masterworks from the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection, now through October 2, 2011.

I liked the way the paintings were organized with explanations of what was going on at the time. Over 70 portraits, still lifes, landscapes, history paintings, maritime scenes, city profiles and genre scenes—depict life in the 1600s as the Dutch Republic increased in maritime strength and came to dominate international trade - the Netherlands was the happening place in the 1600s. What would be the equivalent today? Perhaps Silicon Valley in terms of new wealth, or New York City for being a financial center?
Seeing these paintings makes me wonder what would today's still life paintings depict? What are our symbols and what would be the message? A Birkin bag, an IPhone, and IPad, a plate of sushi, keys to a luxury car, and then one would need a moralistic object...something that says even though you have all this "stuff", you are not fulfilled or your wealth is precarious. The stock market chart (it's been crazy recently) or maybe something to do with infertility.

Hours 9:30 to 5:15 Tuesdays through Sundays
Closed Mondays
This is what i did...i got there around 10 am and had a cup of coffee in their light filled cafe. Properly fueled, I went to the exhibit and it was possible to look at each painting up close without having to maneuver around crowds. Inspired by the work, I took notes. It was then time for lunch and so I went back to the cafe to order from their specially designed menu reflecting the current exhibit. In fact, each dish was in Dutch with an English explanation. And it was delicious.

Vacay in Boonville

2011-08-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sheepdung Estates

We spent a blissful 4 days and 3 nights at Sheepdung estates in Boonville, California where we shared a house with 2 others and 3 dogs. The views were calming and the breezes were soothing. The dogs were in their element and i spent the days reading, cooking, drinking, and walking on the trails. What, no painting you ask? I brought my acrylics but I didn't feel like painting. Perhaps if i stayed longer, i would've felt a need, but i wanted to read my trashy thriller (The Informationist by Taylor Stevens) and hang out with family and Daisy, who couldn't help but chase animals and unfortunately, killed this jack rabbit. I hope it was a senior citizen jack rabbit who has already lived a good long life.

Kurt Schwitters at BAM

2011-08-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Kurt Schwitters at the Berkeley Art Museum

through Nov 27, 2011

During my art history class at City College of San Francisco, i learned about Kurt Schwitters and his process and I've been fascinated with his work ever since. He would walk and collect bits of garbage and use these pieces for his collages. His work is inspiring and lovely. From the BAM website:

Schwitters integrated forgotten pieces of urban waste—train tickets, scraps of fabric, candy wrappers, old wire, and fragments of newsprint. In a wet paste of flour and water spread over his paper ground, the artist would move and shuffle scraps of paper, integrating all the parts into a single fluid action. He added color, manipulating tones and harmonies. Exhibition curator Isabel Schulz argues that Schwitters thought of collage as an extension of painting, focusing on the overall structure of the composition and the relational values of the color harmonies.

BAM Gallery Entrances

2626 Bancroft Way and 2621 Durant Ave

Between College and Telegraph

Portraits of the Mind

2011-08-02T18:01:00.001-07:00

Title: Portraits of the Mind: Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century

Author: Carl Schoonover

I heard about this book while listening to Market Place and it sounded so interesting i had to check out the website. Carl Schoonover is a PhD candidate in neurobiology and behavior at Columbia University. From the description, it sounded like the images looked like abstract paintings, so it piqued my curiosity. They definitely have an abstracted landscape quality.

Stoking the Creative Fires

2011-07-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading "Stoking the Creative Fires: 9 Ways to Rekindle Passion and Imagination" by Phil Cousineau. I liked the way the book was organized with clear chapters like "Celebrating Reverie" and "Creative Space" and a helpful reading list at the end. In addition, the book had exercises and helpful anecdotes and it felt more like you were having an intimate conversation with your mentor. I read the book in between adding layers of paint so it was a lovely respite. Who amongst us artists hasn't doubted one's own work, felt discouraged, or lost one's way? This book might be of some help and while i wasn't feeling any of those emotions at least recently, i felt encouraged and more centered after reading the book. There are some great quotes in the book and here are some of my favorites....
When in doubt, slow down. -Thoreau
Procrastination is the thief of time.
When you try to do everything, you do nothing very well.
Memory is a merciful editor - Irish saying.
Learn from a lived life.
Remember to remember.
Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm. -RW Emerson
Follow your fascination. - Joseph Campbell
Failure is not falling down..it is staying down. - Mary Pickford
Within every dying fire is a spark ready to become a brilliant blaze. -Phil Cousineau
Listen or your words will make you deaf. -American Indian saying

MOYA

2011-07-26T05:14:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else get this invitation to join Moyaworld?
MOYA (Museum of Young Art in Vienna, Austria, www.moya-vienna.at) has recently established a reality social network for contemporary art (great, another social network)and I was invited to participate in their project for free. They claim they are a worldwide platform for artists, art historians, writers, curators, galleries, institutions and all art lovers combining the website network with real exhibitions in their museum. As a Full Member, I will have my own website-presence (picture-, text-, video-, music- uploads) and my own website-address (URL). There is access to notice boards and couch-surfing possibilities (i am not clear about "couch-surfing" and the advantages thereof). There is a chat and a friends system in order to provide a possibility to find and deepen international contacts and to participate in exhibition projects.
I've joined others and have found no benefit to my art exposure but that doesn't mean it isn't working or helpful to others. My best experiences have been through making face-to-face contacts. The Internet is a wonderful tool but it is not so great at showing paintings as so much is missed on a screen. One of the downsides of joining this kind of website is that you become fodder for scam artists. If you are interested in the details please read my personal scam experience here.

Lucien Freud 2005

2011-07-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Photograph of Lucien Freud, 2005, by his assistant, David Dawson.

This photograph which was published last Saturday in the New York Times Arts section took my breath away. This is one of those rare examples where a photograph looks like a painting. It could have been done by Diego Velasquez (Adoration of the Magi) or by Caravaggio as in the Supper at Emmaus...
The photograph has so much life and detail. I could easily envision each highlight as a brushstroke. It is what one may call a "painterly" photo.

Cy Twombly and Lucien Freud

2011-07-22T09:29:00.001-07:00

It's been a rough month for art - losing two wonderful painters, Cy Twombly and Lucien Freud. I saw Cy Twombly's work when the Art Institute of Chicago first opened it's modern wing and it was a fantastic show. Looking at paintings in person is fundamental to completely enjoying the work. One loses so much information from looking at an image on the computer which is the way most competitions decide on work. I stood in front of his paintings and marveled at the calligraphic nature and the layers of paint. I am not a fan of drips because they seem contrived but his did not seem so.

Cy Twombly in 2005

"Untitled" 2007

I love the way Lucien Freud portrayed his subjects. There was a rawness that was beautiful and disturbing at the same time. I often look at this work when i am working on portraiture.
Lucien Freud in 2010 - i must say he looked pretty damn good for being in his 80s.

And who could not resist commenting on this portrait of the Queen of England? Everyone had an opinion, most of it negative.

Pop Up Museums

2011-07-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Pop up restaurants have been all the rage in San Francisco but did you know about pop up museums? I've heard of pop up art exhibits but the Museum of Craft and Design have two pop up museums in SF.
"Transference" is located at 18th St and Castro
Open daily
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
499 Castro Street (at 18th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Experience our first pop-up museum – exhibition, programs, and store – in the heart of the Castro. Glass artist Andy Paiko and sound artist Ethan Rose have collaborated to create a kinetic-sound installation that reinterprets the armonica – a musical instrument made of glass.

"Place Making" is at Hayes and
Octavia Streets.
July 17, 2011 – October 15, 2011
Open Monday – Saturday
11 AM – 6 PM
Sunday 11 AM – 5 PM
Witness the transformation from space to place as three interactive installations are built at the next MCD pop-up at proxy, in the heart of Hayes Valley. Join the artists and participate in the creative process at our make events.

Free for members of MCD
$3 for the general public
Free for children under 12

Place Making event, Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Hayes Street, at Octavia Street. Free for members of MCD and children under 12; $3 suggested donation for the general public.

SketchbookProject 2012

2011-07-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Sketchbook Project World Tour 2012
The Sketchbook Project is a traveling exhibition of sketchbooks created by artists like you.
Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can be a part of the Project.
Each participant receives a blank sketchbook that will be exhibited on the 2012 tour and cataloged permanently in the Brooklyn Art Library.
Your completed sketchbook will be professionally scanned and uploaded to the official Sketchbook Project virtual archive. Visitors from anywhere around the world will be able to explore your work online.
$25 to participate

I signed up last year and received my sketchbook, made plans and then, was distracted by personal events. I will sign up again. I love projects like this that get me thinking about art making in a different way.

The Science of Art

2011-07-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Science of Art
Channel 4 - unfortunately for me, that station is in the United Kingdom.
Science of Art – Matthew Cain (culture editor, Channel 4 News) examines whether neuroscience can be used to explain – and create – great art through a series of experiments in different disciplines such as art, storytelling and music. A brand new work of art will be created in each episode in order to examine the principle of science- led art.

That sounds like something i would love - it is reality TV at its best that is assuming that there won't be any drama during the making of art. I hope the series will come out on DVD or will be available for streaming via Netflix.

Jesse Thomas at Eleanor Harwood Gallery

2011-07-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

I went to the opening at the Eleanor Harwood Gallery to see the work of Jesse Thomas, an artist based in St. Louis, MO.
I heard about him from a friend and looked up his work because if i am going to a gallery on a Saturday night, it better be something i am interested in seeing. His work reminded me of a favorite artist from the 50's, Richard Hamilton because of the collage like feel and the nod to a certain decade, in Jesse's case, it looked very '70s.

Jesse Thomas "Williamsburg, the General Presents his Design" 2009, 40 X 30in

Richard Hamilton "Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?" 1956, collage

He uses the color cerulean blue as a common thread in his series called "The Cerulean Brigade". I enjoyed his use of patterns and references to mostly identifiable characters. However, i liked the idea that i couldn't quite identify some of the faces but that they looked very familiar. The work looked great in this relatively new gallery, at least, it was new to me. The space is well lit and located in the Mission District at 1293 Alabama Street, on the corner of Alabama and 25th Street. I love small galleries like this where the owner seems wholeheartedly invested in promoting artists. Although i didn't meet Ms Harwood, i assumed she was the one in the awesome, fierce blue heels, flitting about the gallery.

Jesse Thomas
The Cerulean Brigade
July 9th - July 30th, 2011
gallery hours 11-6 Wednesday - Saturday
1293 Alabama St
San Francisco, CA. 94110

SF Renegade Craft Fair

2011-07-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair this weekend at Fort Mason
On July 9 + 10, 2011, from 11am – 7pm, The Renegade Craft Fair will return to Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion for our 4th Annual San Francisco Fair! The best makers of handmade goods from the Bay and beyond will assemble for our free-to-attend marketplace celebration of indie-craft culture!

kimonos and storage

2011-07-06T21:30:00.001-07:00

I inherited my mom's and grandmother's kimonos recently and have been airing them out before storing them in an archival sort of way. Folding kimonos isn't instinctive but i found a vimeo that was very helpful.

How to Fold a Kimono from tokyodusk on Vimeo.

I have a kiri tansu or cabinet made specifically for storing kimonos. I was using it to store towels and office supplies but now, it is being used as intended. It belonged to my grandmother on my father's side. She passed away when he was 2 years old but somehow, he was able to bring this to the US. I ordered non buffered acid free tissue paper for wrapping the kimonos in and have clean fabric to further cover the kimono.

The kiri tansu looks very much like the one pictured here.

New American Paintings Deadline extended

2011-07-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Entry Deadline Extended: July 10, 2011

CALL FOR ARTISTS : Pacific Coast Region

Artists residing in: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington!

Juror: Anne Ellegood
Senior Curator, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California

Online Submission Extended Deadline: July 10, 2011(Midnight EST)

To apply online you will need to prepare four jpegs of your work (no larger than 1200 pixels at their greatest dimension) and a credit card for the late entry fee of $55. All styles and media are welcome, as long as the work is singular and two-dimensional.

Color test

2011-06-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

Women are apparently superior in how they see color. According to X-Rite (the people who supply Munsell color products), 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of color vision deficiency.

Take the online color challenge, based on the official FM100 Hue Test by X-Rite. My score was 21. Zero is a perfect score.

New American Paintings submission

2011-06-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

One more day to apply to the New American Paintings Pacific States competition. (June 30th deadline)
I submitted these paintings but after tweaking the colors on Photoshop, i saw that the submitted image looked quite different from my tweaked image. Oh well, i can't predict how computers will read my image. Slides were the more accurate method although cumbersome and time consuming.

Camellia 2

2011-06-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Another in a series of "Camellia" paintings. The edges really do look out of focus, even in person.

Recology aka The Dump AIR

2011-06-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Artist in Residence Program SF Bay Area
The goal of the Artist-in-Residence Program of Recology San Francisco is to use art to inspire people to recycle more and conserve our natural resources.
The residency provides local artists with the opportunity to create art using materials they gather from San Francisco's refuse. This includes 24-hour access to a well-equipped 2,000-sq. ft. art studio, a monthly stipend, and an exhibit at the end of each residency.
Prior to applying, artists must take a tour of the recycling facilities, art studio, and sculpture garden by joining one of our monthly tours for the general public. The tours are held on the third Saturday of each month at 10am. To reserve a spot and get important information, please call Micah Gibson.

Deadline: Friday, September 2, 2011
Note: Only local professional artists who reside in the Bay Area (within one hour's drive of San Francisco) may apply.

The Latest Paintings

2011-06-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Since i dropped my Surface Design class, i have been able to finish up a small painting. This one is 20 in X 20 in and i am calling it" Camellia".

My cheerful painting that was done during a very uncheerful time. I am calling it" Wabi Sabi" and it is 30 in X 40 in. I was going to submit it to the Wabi Sabi show in Marin but then i read that you had to deliver the paintings in person and then pick it up if it it is not selected. I couldn't be bothered.

2 Artists

2011-06-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Two art stories caught my eye this week. The first (NY Times June 11, 2011)was about the youngest professional painter in the world named Aelita Andre and the other article (NY Times June 14, 2011)was about Ben Wilson, a London based artist who paints chewing gum left on the pavement. Each story seems diametrically opposite of each other. On the one hand, there is this child "genius" who paints abstractly and whose paintings have gone for $24,000. She is currently showing at the Agora Gallery in New York, a notorious vanity gallery that charges $3,000 up front to show the work. I am saddened to hear that there are people willing to spend that much money on hype (what else could it be?). And then there is Ben Wilson, an outsider artist, who paints tiny pictures on flattened blobs of discarded chewing gum on the sidewalks of London.

Mr. Wilson is not compensated for his work. However, he practices his art, creates interesting images, brings joy to people and turns garbage into miniature paintings. What's not to like about Mr. Wilson's work? One gets a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Andre's parents have a heavy hand in her art making and certainly in her promotion. I think that is art at it's worst...when promotion and hype are the major emphases. Mr. Wilson's work represents some of the best things in art...he works and thinks deeply about the subject, in his case about waste as an integral part of urban society, and he is not motivated by money.

I couldn't find Ms Andre's images that could be posted on this blog. If you want to see her work, go to her website.

Day two and last day of Surface Design

2011-06-14T21:20:00.001-07:00

Day Two of Surface Design and my last day

My frustration continued and after i considered the amount of time i would be missing from working in the studio versus what i would gain from the class, i decided to drop the class. However,I learned a few important things like where to get supplies (Dharma Trading Company) and that rayon is a cellulosic based fiber and is therefore dye-able. I love the look and feel of rayon and thought it was some sort of synthetic substance. We played with two types of immersion dying with Procion dyes today and the information was presented in a scattered way, and i always feel anxious when that happens.

One of the goals of the class was to create my own fabric to make clothing and to look into textile design as a possible way to make money. I think i will do my own research and try to make original fabric. The trick is to make it so it doesn't look crafty or homemade.

Surface Design

2011-06-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I broke down and bought Adobe Photoshop CS5 from Amazon.com. I lost my program during my recent computer crash (it was CS2, pretty old!) and thought it was time to upgrade. I will need it to enhance the images i take for submitting to shows. Deadlines loom....

I started a CCSF class called "Surface Design" offered in the Fashion department. I have been really happy with the level of instruction in this department so far but i am not so sure about this class. The class will be printing designs on fabric via painting, stamping, stencilling, silkscreening, transferring, and marblelizing. And apparently, there are jobs in this field of textile design, hence my interest. I have a certain way of learning and that is, i need to have the information presented in a logical, succinct, and fairly rapid way. The instructor got very chatty with students, almost like having a private conversation while the rest of us waited. The information wasn't being transmitted fast enough for me and i got frustrated. But, this was the first day and as such, there is always a lot of basic information that needs to be shared. I hope things get better when we start doing some hands on work, which is happening tomorrow.

Call for Artists - Pacific Coast

2011-06-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

New American Paintings

Call for Artists

2011 Pacific Coast Competition Deadline June 30, 2011

Juror: Anne Ellegood

Senior Curator, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA.

Accepting entries from AK, CA, HI, OR, WA

The competition's 40 winners will appear in the Dec/Jan 2012 edition of New Amiercan Paintings.

More info here.

I will yet again, send my submissions. Hope springs eternal....

20 in X 20 in

2011-06-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

The latest small painting - i find it to be more garish than usual. I couldn't quite fix the colors since my computer crashed and i haven't loaded Photoshop to color correct. I used Picasa which isn't as accurate.

Change in California Sales Tax

2011-06-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

I received notification from the California State Board of Equalization that the sales tax for the county of San Francisco will be decreased to 8.5% from 9.5% effective July 1, 2011 - good news for those of us selling art.

California Statewide Sales and Use Tax Rate to
Decrease by 1% on July 1, 2011
Statewide Base Tax Rate Decreases from 8.25% to 7.25%
Effective July 1, 2011, the statewide sales and use tax rate will decrease lowering the statewide base tax rate from 8.25 percent to 7.25 percent, unless the Legislature extends the tax rate increase before July 1, 2011. In areas where there are voter-approved district taxes, the total tax rate related to sales and purchases will be the statewide base tax rate of 7.25 percent plus the applicable district tax. (See page 3 or the California Sales and Use Tax Rates by County and City.) Please check our website for any updates.
current listing of the California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rate

Falkirk call for entries

2011-06-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am back after a virus problem with my computer left me tech-less for a week.

Falkirk Cultural Center
Call for Entries

Postmarked deadline - July 26, 2011
Theme: All subject matter

Juror: Carole Beadle, California College of Arts

Exhibition Dates: September 9 – October 15th, 2011

Eligibility: Open to artists residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Media: Painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, ceramic, and mixed media. Size limitation:
framed two-dimensional work must not exceed 60” in any direction, three dimensional work: 48”x48”x48”. All
works on paper must be framed.

Submissions: Limit THREE DIGITAL IMAGES (jpegs under 2mb maximum size!) per artist
To be submitted via email to: Beth.goldberg@cityofsanrafael.org

Mail entry forms with checks to: BG, Falkirk Annual, PO Box 151560, San Rafael, CA 94915-1560
Write image list on next page. Make sure emailed images include your name & image titles.
*Make sure image titles on entry form correspond to image titles emailed with jpegs

Entry Fee: $15 per image, $40 for three images
Make checks payable to Falkirk Cultural Center.

Sales: Falkirk will collect a 30% commission on all sales.

Notification: You will be notified by August 5th if work is accepted

Accepted work: Accepted work must be hand delivered (no shipped work allowed)

Questions? Beth.goldberg@cityofsanrafael.org , 415/485-3328

Root Division open calls

2011-06-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Open Calls @ Root Division

INTRODUCTIONS 2011: Deadline Monday, June 13, 2011
Root Division invites artists working in all genres to submit work for an exhibition called Introductions 2011.
Jurors for Introductions 2011:
Linda Geary: Artist; Professor of Painting & Graduate Fine Arts, CCA
Andres Guerrero; Owner, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco
René de Guzman; Senior Curator of Art at the Oakland Museum of California

submissions and guidelines

ArtSpan deadline extened to June 1 5 pm!

2011-05-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

Early-bird Premier Artist Membership deadline pushed back to 5pm on
Wednesday, June 1, $170 fee!
(You may still register as a Premier Artist until June 15; however, the fee
will increase to $185 starting June 1)

* PLEASE NOTE: ArtSpan is here to help you - email info@artspan.org for
guidance!

* Before beginning the registration process, you must have a TIFF artwork
image file that is to specifications listed below. ArtSpan can help you with
this process (see below for details).

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
If you registered for last year¹s SF Open Studios, you already have an
account on www.ArtSpan.org.
Go to http://www.artspan.org/user/password
Enter your e-mail address and click ³E-mail new password²
A one-time link will be e-mailed to this e-mail address
Click on this link to take you back to www.ArtSpan.org - you are now logged
in and will be able to change your password later.

Scroll down, click on the black SF Open Studios logo that reads ³HAVE YOU
REGISTERED?²

Scroll down; select the level of registration membership that you want.
Your e-mail address should appear at the bottom.
Click NEXT.

Fill out the registration forms.

* Upload a TIFF artwork file that is:
- 300dpi, CMYK TIFF file, 2.5 inches/750 pixels on the longest side, smaller
than 5MB.
- Please note that Photoshop is required to convert to a TIFF. If you do not
have a TIFF file or Photoshop, please e-mail a large JPEG image (2 to 5MB)
to info@artspan.org. ArtSpan will convert it and send it back to you so you
can complete your registration.

Complete payment forms.
Review the confirmation page and click CONTINUE. It may take a few minutes
for the TIFF and payment to process. Please be patient.

Once your registration is complete, click on the COMPLETE the PROCESS; FILL
OUT YOUR PROFILE button to add the following to your ONLINE Artist Profile
(this can be accessed/added to throughout the year)
- change your username / password
- artist statement
- additional JPEG images
- profile picture/head shot
- Facebook/Twitter links
- change your password

About a Scarf

2011-05-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

"About a Scarf" oil, beeswax on canvas

I finished this painting a while ago and loved it so much that i brought it home to see if i still liked it. I was concerned because it was such a dark painting and would the the subtleties elude the viewer. It held up in all different light and am very pleased with this one. The title "About a Scarf" came about after i finished painting it and found that it has the exact colors found in my favorite scarf, handmade by a friend's mother. Thank you Mrs. Kawano!
The image here doesn't show all the details so please, if you are interested in seeing it, come by the studio!

About Me

2011-05-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

The video produced by SFSpots about little old me. I think they did a wonderful job! A big, heartfelt thank you to Kurt and Alex for producing this video!

Kodama Archive Final 720-Vimeo HD from SF Spots on Vimeo.

SF Travel call for art

2011-05-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

"Pop" 20 in X 20 in

"Layered Pink Orange" 20 in X 20 in

"Layered Blue" 12 in X 12 in

"Greens" 12 in X 12 in

"Calm" 20 in X 20 in
As a member of Artspan, there are opportunities available to show my work. Currently, there is a call for art to be shown for 6 months at SF Travel downtown business office (previously the SF Convention and Visitors Bureau). I have shown my work there previously and it is a good place to hang work that isn't your latest but one wants to show work somewhere, whenever possible. These are the paintings i will be submitting - the work is small compared to my previous work (20 in X 20 in or 12 in X 12 in).
Deadline - May 28, 2011

Building a museum of museums on the web

2011-05-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Amit Sood: Building a museum of museums on the web | Video on TED.com
This does not replace the museum experience, it is in conjunction or a supplement to a visit.
Check out the Google Art Project.

SFMOMA "The Steins Collect"

2011-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
May 21–September 6, 2011

Friends, patrons, and bohemian peers of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, the Steins—writer Gertrude, her brothers Leo and Michael, and Michael's wife Sarah—helped spark an artistic revolution in early twentieth-century Paris. This landmark exhibition draws from the holdings of museums and individuals around the world to reunite the Steins' unparalleled collections of modern art, including iconic works by Matisse, Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and many more.
Member Preview Days
Fourth-floor galleries

Thursday, May 19
11 a.m.–8:45 p.m.

Friday, May 20
11 a.m.–5:45 p.m.

The exhibition is open exclusively for members on these days.

Yay for member preview days! On those days, the galleries are pretty quiet and one is able to actually see the work in a relaxed manner. It is sooo worth it to become a member!

Inclusions Gallery

2011-05-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Now showing at Inclusions Gallery, a gallery located in San Francisco's Bernal Heights.
Inclusions Gallery
627 Cortland Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110

showing now through June 19, 2011
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 2-8 PM
Saturday & Sunday 12-6 PM
yes, open Sundays!

David King was a working at the San Francisco Art Institute when i was a student there and i remember him to be a great guy, one of the few nice people i met while studying there. I went to see his work when he was the artist in residence at the SF Dump. He makes collages but at the Dump, he tried working with different material and made wonderful sculptural pieces. I love the image of his work on this card which also includes the work of Mark Faigenbaum whose work looks intriguing. I have never heard of this gallery and hope it makes it. Located in charming Bernal Heights, on the main drag, near a great market, the public library and a bar on the corner where i have spent some time drinking affordable gin martinis.

Berkeley Art Center Call for Entries

2011-05-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

CALL FOR ENTRIES - All Media
CALIFORNIA! Berkeley Art Center's 28th Annual Juried Exhibition
August 20- October 2, 2011

Entry Deadline: July 1, 2011

Esteemed Local Jurors:
Chandra Cerrito, Director, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, Oakland
Svea Lin Soll, Principal/Director, Swarm Gallery, Oakland
More info and guidelines here.

Ouch...

2011-05-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Two rejections in one week. First from StudioVisit magazine and then today from SFMOMA rental gallery. Just another day in the life of a painter.

Maximum effort, minimal result

2011-05-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Deja Vu by Francis Alys
The Story of Deception at MoMA PS1

I saw this on the front page of the Weekend Arts section of the New York Times (you may need to pay for access to content if you aren't a subscriber) and was immediately enchanted by the image. Weird, wonderful and scary at the same time, I like the use of color and how it has been scraped. When i went to the website, i was amazed at the depth and variety of his work.

Left, a painting from “When Faith Moves Mountains” (2002), in which Francis Alÿs had 500 volunteers with shovels move a giant Peruvian sand dune 10 centimeters. Right, a photograph from the same task, quickly undone by nature.

I like his axiom "maximum effort, minimal result" which to me also means "strive to reach a degree of mastery where the end result looks effortless".

Online registration for SF Open Studios

2011-05-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Noc Noc Bar" by Christie LaRussell

Online registration is open for ArtSpan's SF Open Studios.
Sign up for SF Open Studios to reach thousands of art patrons, admirers, and collectors.
Early bird registration through May 31st, $170

Please note - the weekends and districts have been changed:
2011 SF Open Studios Weekend Dates:

Weekend 1: October 1 & 2, 11am to 6pm
Mission, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Castro, Excelsior

Weekend 2: October 8 & 9, 11am to 6pm
Ocean Beach, Sunset, Richmond, Duboce, Eureka Valley, Hayes Valley, Haight, Upper Market, Diamond Heights,
Buena Vista, Mount Davidson, Twin Peaks, West Portal, Glen Park

Weekend 3: October 15 & 16, 11am to 6pm
SOMA, Tenderloin, Potrero Hill, Bayview

Weekend 4: October 22 & 23, 11am to 6pm
Fort Mason, Marina, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, North Beach, Financial District

Weekend 5: October 29 & 30, 11am to 6pm
Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios

This year, my weekend will be the first weekend in October, the first time since i've been participating in Open Studios.
Artist directory here.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! My mom and me... she passed away in 2005. I've been thinking of her a lot these days during the present family turmoil.

A Sense of Place reception

2011-05-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

I take it back...my painting looked great at Arc Gallery. The original photo didn't have the gallery lights on so it looked dim. When i arrived for the reception, the lights were on and everything looked so much better. It was an amazing reception because they asked NCWCA members to bring something to share and they did with enthusiasm. There was much food and wine and over 250 people showed up. The best part was meeting other members of the NCWCA - a very friendly group.

poor little painting...

2011-05-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

I delivered my painting to Arc Gallery on Sunday for the "A Sense of Place" show organized by the NCWCA. The space was small so i was wondering how they were going to fit the pieces in - i was horrified to see how my painting was hung, it is left of the big circle, below another painting and very poorly lit. It is a crowded location and it will pain me to see it in person. I am working the night of the opening reception, this Saturday.
Granted, my paintings need great natural light to look their best. Having space around the paintings is also key to their appeal. Which, i recognize is difficult to do in a group show or in a home. Not many have a great expanse of wall to hang a 4 ft X 6 ft painting but when it is done right, it looks magnificent.

And i can't complain - the NCWCA puts much effort in organizing juried shows and this supports artists by giving them a venue to show their work. It is afterall, about getting one's work out there. On the plus side, they produced a very nice catalog of the show.

A Sense of Place next Saturday

2011-05-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

A Sense of Place
Arc Studios
1246 Folsom
Opening Reception Saturday May 7, 2011
6 - 9 pm

I have a painting in this group show organized by the Northern California Women's Caucus for Art.

The Wedding Dress

2011-04-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

A wonderfully simple, classic dress, with fitted bodice, modestly flared skirt and train, long lacy sleeves and a stunning neckline. Well done, Duchess of Cambridge!
Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

Art on Market St Call for Artists

2011-04-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

2012 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series
CALL FOR ARTISTS

Issued: April 20, 2011

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 12:00 AM (PST)

Applications are available through SlideRoom (https://sfgov.slideroom.com/), an on-line application system for calls for entry. There is no charge to artists for using SlideRoom. If you are a first time user of SlideRoom, please allow adequate time to learn the use of this system. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

ART ON MARKET STREET KIOSK POSTER SERIES OVERVIEW

The Art on Market Street Program, which has commissioned new artwork by Bay Area artists on an annual basis since 1992, includes a bus kiosk poster series and other temporary projects that take place on San Francisco’s main thoroughfare. For the kiosk poster series, the Art on Market Street Program commissions three consecutive three-month poster exhibitions annually. Each poster series consists of a set of six original and related designs that are professionally reproduced and printed as six sets of posters, 68 inches high by 47 ¼ inches wide (trim size), for installation in 36 bus kiosks on Market Street between 8th Street and the Embarcadero. All artists’ designs must be approved by the Arts Commission and are expected to be appropriate for a broad public audience.

ARTWORK BUDGET

The total budget for the design of the posters series is a not-to-exceed amount of $8,000, to include the design and all preparation work necessary to complete each poster design to the printer’s specifications. No additional funds are available.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists working primarily in any two-dimensional media and residing in the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma.

MoMA Abstract Expressionism

2011-04-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Some of my notes from the MoMA Abstract Expressionism show:
Link to watch video of curator of Abstract Expressionism show Ann Tempkin.

Robert Motherwell "Little Spanish Prison" is a painting i spent time looking at. I loved the color combination. It is only a small painting and this image does not quite get the colors right...the red is more pink.

I am not a big fan of Barnett Newman but "The Wild" was the little "zip" on it's own was intriguing. It was as if the zip escaped from another painting and took up residence on its own wall. This painting "The Voice" by Barnett Newman was beautiful - i really love the use of white.

Lee Krasner "Untitled"
Poor Lee, in a world so testosterone filled and never got much respect. Sigh, some things remain the same. The work is lovely, with the paint applied very thickly.

Jackson Pollock "One Number 31", 1950
Of course one cannot go to an Abstract Expressionism show and not mention Pollock. I know i am going to sound sacrilegious, but i am not a fan of his work. Perhaps i am fighting the hype that surrounds the man and his work or maybe it has been done so much. I credit him for being the first to do drip paintings and i recognize that he was an innovator.

There were several Mark Rothko paintings but i will show one of my Favorites
"Number 1"

OK, i couldn't resist, another very nice Rothko, No 37/ No 19, 1958, slate blue and bown on plum.

As i turned a corner and saw this painting by Sam Francis "Big Red", it was a wow moment. I was engulfed by the size and color and marveled by his use of ultramarine blue, yellow and red.

At this point in my notes it says "do a pink painting".

Robert Motherwell "Elegy to Spanish Republic" 1908
I so enjoy his paintings...

Hedda Sterne "NeyYork VIII" 1964
She recently passed away - NY Times Obituary
It was a lovely painting, like looking through a dirty window without one's glasses.

Helen Frankenthaler "Trojan Gates"
The one Helen Frankenthaler in their show.

The one Joan Mitchell in the show.

"Ladybug"

Of course, no exhibition would be complete without an Ashile Gorky painting (or several).
"Summation"

And speaking about summation...i was a little disappointed in the show. Heavy on the Pollocks and Newmans (i don't feel that way about seeing many Rothkos however)and light on the female painters. And there were some great ones but unfortunately, collectors did not deem them to be worthy enough to purchase. There were a few inspirational moments and that's what i look for when i go to a show. What is it about the show or painters or paintings that will spark something in me to try when i get back to the studio? I returned to this show the next day and I am very glad to have seen it. But, it was the other shows i went to see during my stay in NYC that really sparked an enthusiasm that cannot be predicted and is always a welcomed surprise. More about my trip when i have another block of time i can devote to a posting. It can be challenging finding the images of the art i would like to post. For example, many of the images were not available on the MoMA website.

Life at Francisco Studios

Art Project Request

Open Call for Artists

Back to the Picture/SoMa Custom Framing & Gallery is currently accepting submissions from local San Francisco and Bay Area artists.

Year of the Dragon

June Schwarcz - enamel artist

Conservation Successes - Call for Entries

Call for Entries

Henry Ossawa Tanner at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit

May 26, 2012 - September 09, 2012

T-Shirts

2011 in Review

Cataract surgery - right eye

Helen Frankenthaler RIP

Pantone Color of 2012

Mission Cultural Center’s Open Call to Artists

Open Call for Asian Heritage Poster Contest

Open Call for Asian Heritage Street Celebration Poster

Deadline for submissions is Friday, January 6, 2012 at midnight.

Fraud Alert - Artists Beware!

Cataract surgery - left eye

First of a series of portraits - Cynthia

Instagram

Cataract Surgery in December

Jan Tiura at Dickerman Prints Gallery

Portraits of Protest

KSW One Size Fits All 2011

Artist Bloc Day - Occupy SF

My Madonna

Pantone Color Report

Reversing the Gaze - Man as Object at SOMarts

Rembrandt at NCMA

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition

Cazadero R & R

ProArts Juried Annual 2012

Selections by Hamza Walker

Director of Education and Associate Curator, Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago

Exhibition Dates: November 22, 2011 - January 13, 2012

Entry Deadline: Friday, October 21, 2011

Surface Design Online Class

Open Studios Visits

Yay for Slime Molds

Nude Chicken

History's Shadows

Open Studios - Over for the Year

ArtLaunch 2011

OS Guides are here!

Wangari Maathai dies at age 71

ArtLaunch

More LIght

My Time with ARTnews

postcards for Open Studios 2011

Ready for Your Credit Card purchases!

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ColorFair

ColorFair at the Exploratorium Sunday, August 28, 2011 Noon — 4:00 p.m.

Separated at Birth

National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala portraits

Colors of Ancient Egypt

Dutch and Flemish Masters at the Legion

Vacay in Boonville

Kurt Schwitters at BAM

Portraits of the Mind

Stoking the Creative Fires

MOYA

Lucien Freud 2005

Cy Twombly and Lucien Freud

Pop Up Museums

SketchbookProject 2012

The Science of Art

Jesse Thomas at Eleanor Harwood Gallery

SF Renegade Craft Fair

kimonos and storage

New American Paintings Deadline extended

Color test

New American Paintings submission

Camellia 2

Recology aka The Dump AIR

The Latest Paintings

ColorFair at the Exploratorium
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Noon — 4:00 p.m.