If I Were a Curator....

I volunteered at the ArtSpan  Exhbition at SOMArts on Wednesday and while only 15 people came by, I took this opportunity to have a leisurely look at all the work.  It's funny how some pieces grow on you and how others become less interesting.  What I thought was sweet was the art done by students who visited the space and were inspired by the work.

Kate Rosenberger

This particular piece by Kate Rosenberger inspired a few young artists...

Another artist was inspired by Linda Huang's ceramic pieces...

I played "curator" (I was there for 3 1/2 hours and had time on my hands) and decided which pieces I would hang in a client's home.  I wanted a good mix but also, it would reflect my taste, of course.  What wouldn't be part of the collection: anything with all the colors of the rainbow or colors directly from the tube, anything that looked like an advertisement, pretty much anything with words, (only Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince and a few others can get away with it), anything "psychological" or "tortured" (inner angst stuff isn't interesting to me), no giclee, I don't like anything that says "mixed media" and I usually don't find cartoon'y stuff interesting but will judge on a case by case basis,   I like night time photography (see Nocturnes), I like to see brush work,  smoothness, layers of thoughtfully placed paint, interesting colors, interesting juxtaposition of colors, surprises, I like when a photograph fools me into thinking it is a painting but usually not the other way around. I like minimalism, figurative, still life, atmospheric paintings, however, not all in the same painting.

So with that in mind, here are a few that I thought would be a great addition to a private art collection.  

Horseman by Roxanne Worthington

Young Woman Sleeping by Liz Brozell

La Grande by Leila Noorani

Inbetween by Susan Spies

And to show that I am not entirely humorless, I include the mosaic work of Michael Kruzich.

Leslie Morgan paints on prepared rusted metal - I like the images she paints although I couldn't find my favorite of the truck - but the ladder is pretty nice too.

Ladder by Leslie Morgan

I guess it is obvious that I have a love for atmospheric painting and the work of Martine Jardel is stunning.

Space 65 by Martine Jardel

And now, the mystery painting that I loved when I first saw it but didn't remember the name of the artist...his name is Jason Astorquia.

Amalgam by Jason Astorquia

This image does not do the work justice.  

I enjoyed the texture and colors of the work of Katja Leibenath.

Small Figure 47 by  Katja Leibenath

And I've admired the work of Aodrea Maynard for years....

Since I love trees, I naturally was drawn to the work of Pep Ventosa.   I own one of his tree photos.  I think it is important to have a little bit of nature in one's home.

Walnut Creek Four by Pep Ventosa

And lastly, one of my favorite SF Bay Area painters, Suzy Barnard.  I am a proud owner of one of her paintings - I was lucky enough to be the high bidder at an auction this year.

With a new crop of millionaires coming up (come on Twitter people!), I hope some will be inspired to bring art into their living or office space.  The ArtSpan Exhibition will be up through Nov 10, 2013.