Check this out...

A couple of weeks ago, I purchased this book, Disrupted Realism, Paintings for a Distracted World, by John Seed. I couldn’t put it down and have recommended it to three friends. And what grabbed me was this one paragraph in the foreward by Katherine Stanek.

“Handheld devices alter our attention span and redefine our visual experience. There is so much pictorial competition, we believe we must scroll through multiple images incessantly just to sustain what we perceive is required to remain connected to our world. The eye doesn’t have time to settle and the brain doesn’t have time to process what the eye has just seen before we are on to the next image.”

I think this book is particularly profound as we’re all on some social media platform and for the past two years, most of us have stayed close to home and perused art digitally.

I love how this book is organized by common themes and the images are beautiful. The interview questions are the same for each artist and provides a good insight into the artist and art. It can be purchased on Amazon.

Right now, I’m prepping for a group show at my friend’s renovated barn. It’s looking nice and I hope you can join us for the reception. As it starts to take shape, here is a sneak peak of the “barn”. One of the fun features is his barn is located across the street from Clos Solène which produces yummy wines. Do I hear a wine tasting after perusing some art?

• Reception dates: Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 from 1-4pm. I’ll be there around 2pm

• Exhibition dates: March 5-19, 2022 by appointment only if you’re unable to attend the reception

• Location: 2021 Niderer Rd., Paso Robles, CA

• Contact info: 626-393-1750 (Larry’s mobile)

Musings of an artist and mark your calendar...

This blog post is loaded with noteworthy artist info. Enjoy.

First, My Shameless Plug

• I have a work of art, Untitled #2 (blue), in the upcoming group exhibition at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA). The reception is Friday, February 4, 2022 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and I will be at the reception around 6:00pm so I hope to see you. The museum is located at 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo and the exhibit is up until March 27, 2022. My painting was created in 2019 from a lovely, peaceful summer evening in my own backyard.

• I have five paintings, all 16” x 16”, in an upcoming group exhibition with five other artists. Fun fact: Like so many people during 2020 with the pandemic in full swing, the host of this exhibit and participating artist, Larry Stone, renovated his garage/barn into a beautiful gallery to showcase other like-minded artists. The receptions for this exhibition, Acts of Worship, are Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6, 2022 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and I will most likely be attending both days around 2:00 pm. If you are unable to attend and would like to see the exhibition, please contact Larry at actsofworshipart@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. The gallery is located at 2021 Niderer Road, Paso Robles.

• I have a few art workshops scheduled at Art Center Morro Bay over the next few months. Please note, a minimum of eight participants is required with a maximum of 15 participants. Sadly, we had to cancel two of the workshops previously scheduled due to the Omicron variant. Damn pesky pandemic.

Plugs for Other Artists

• Run, don’t walk. And if you’re speeding in a car, don’t blame me if you get a ticket. There’s an exquisite, breathtaking exhibit of Hilary Brace’s charcoal drawings at Craig Krull Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. This exhibit is up until February 19, 2022. Initially, I thought I was looking at black and white photos and then I saw these magical, imaginative cloud formations. I almost cried at the beauty and with charcoal!

• Tic, tic, tic. If you’re lucky to be in NYC, then check out the haunting, realistic paintings of Hannah Lee at Entrance, located at 48 Ludlow St., Manhattan through January 30. I was an armchair visitor by reading the article in Hyperallergic.

• If you are uncomfortable with receptions, travel and yet need an art-fix, then enjoy this virtual tour of the Los Angeles Art Show that happened on January 19-23, 2022 at the Convention Center.

Studio Visits

I think one of the biggest joys is visiting an artist’s studio and a few days ago, I visited Eric Dubnicka’s studio. His work is raw, personal, authentic, tactile, expressive and more. He is actually working in one studio while renovating a run-down horse stable into another studio. The horse stable is amazing, complete with an old drawing of a horse by the previous owner pinned to the barn door. Eric has a super vision of keeping the integrity of the space. It’s also fun to see new art supplies laying around. I might have to try this Gaffrey texture material.