Mark Your Calendars

October begins later this week and the activities start – from open studio art tours, art openings, art classes and even wine harvest weekends. Let the festivities begin so mark your calendars.

Open Studios Art Tour (studio #3): Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17 from 10am to 5pm

• Visit my studio. I will be participating only on the second weekend. Swing by to say hello, see new work in person and purchase something special made with my own two hands and eyes. Whether you are in Los Angeles county or San Luis Obispo county, make the Central Coast your destination as you can always throw a visit to a winery in between studio visits.

Introduction to Encaustics: Saturday, October 23, 1-4 pm

• This mini encaustic workshop provides a hands-on introduction to the basic techniques of the encaustic process – beeswax, resin and pigment. You will be introduced to transfers, mark making, embedding elements, incorporating mixed media, papers and other secrets to achieve a smooth surface. Cost is $75, includes materials. The location of this workshop is at my friend’s barn.

A few exhibitions in Los Angeles that I don’t want to miss and perhaps you don’t want to miss either:

• Kellyann Burns at Louis Stern Fine Arts

• Mark Grotjahn at Blum and Poe

Fat City

My work, “130 Leaves”, is in the group online show at Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825. This online exhibition, called Fat City, is an opportunity for artists to illuminate and challenge our shared understandings of what landscape means. I started working on this piece when it was HOT and smoky in 2020. Initially, I thought I was going to “excavate” dead bones and yet I kept seeing crispy, fragile leaves tucked away in crevasses. I found a beautiful dried leaf on one of my walks and it is still an inspiration to this piece. Fat City will run online April 24 - May 14, 2021. Click here to view the show.

More… after the past 365+ days, we could all use a splash of color in our lives and a gathering with fellow art aficionados, right? Now that I’m vaccinated, I’m hosting two workshops at my friend’s barn.

• Sketchbook Freedom! Saturday, May 15, 1pm to 4pm

There’s magic in a sketchbook and a sketchbook could be for your eyes only. This workshop is designed for artists looking to jump-start the daily practice of sketching, or for novices looking to explore sketch booking for the first time. Tips will be provided for starting — and sticking with it as a daily practice. You’ll have a treasure chest of ideas, observations, emotions and more. Cost is $50, includes sketchbook plus materials.

• New Media Discovery Saturday, June 26, 1pm to 4pm

Have you ever wanted to play with new media but didn’t want to make an investment in all of the materials? In this workshop, we will have various stations set up for new materials – encaustics, water color tools, collage transfers, jelly print transfers and more. You get to play and see if a new media is something you want to consider further in your work. Cost is $50.

Let me know if these workshops hold interest for you and I will reserve a space for you. Explore the delight of art making with me, and even some of my recent discoveries of materials.

Update on A Bit of Process

The other day a few friends and I had a discussion about full self-expression. The net takeaway is I have an “edit” button.

Specifically, this “edit” button pertains to the work called “Passageways” in the group show, Remodeling in Progress at Gallery 825. This work will be renamed to “Air Passages” as it’s an output of sketches and drawings where I was working out my emotions on the tragic death of George Floyd.

The blue palette is symbolic of the policeman’s uniform. The white dots are representative of the respiratory droplets escaping from his lungs. The red is the oozing of his blood.

It’s not like me to paint a social painting; it’s not a “pretty” painting. And neither is the heartbreaking deaths of many black lives.

A Bit on Process & Good News

Let’s start with the good news. I have a piece in a group show called Remodeling in Progress, an all-media response to the promise and challenges of 2021. To see my work in person as well as others, it’s “by appointment only” Tuesday through Saturday at Gallery 825 as well as online. There is nothing better than viewing art up close. This exhibition is on view from January 23 – February 19, 2021. Gallery 825 is located at 825 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, phone 310-652-8272. The new year is starting off on the right foot.

This work is a bit different as nature is not quite visible. Here are a few words on my process for this piece.

In Summer 2020, I was playing around with a different color mix as well as application of paint. I liked what I saw in a few small drawings on Arches paper.

Separate from that, I volunteered myself to work on a collaborative video with another artist, composer and vocalist. As soon as I raised my hand, the task seemed daunting. Anyone who knows me well is familiar with my sign of stress, which is a rash in my eyebrow. Otherwise lovingly called my “third eye.”

The composer prepared a draft of music for me. There were a lot of high notes so I wanted to achieve delicate drops of paint. It was a start and the due date for visuals was pressing. There was still the final soundtrack, vocals and editing to be done. Between the other artist and myself, we felt we had enough assets to keep the project moving forward. Here is the final video.

After the video was complete, I went back to work on this piece and yet, it sat on my easel untouched for about six+ weeks. I kept asking myself, “what do I see and where should it go next for it to be finished?” Fortunately, I have a friend who is candid with me. His comment was exactly the same spot that I was struggling to resolve.

I was about to paint over this piece and yet, I kept playing with it. There were certain sections I liked and I thought communicated, such as lungs, x-rays, under sea caves and more.

For me, there are a few considerations to determine the completion of a work and they are:

• Focal point

• Surprise; unexpected

• Value; contrast

• Restful areas

• First impression; pierce beyond like or dislike

• Underlying premise of the work

As a fellow artist or patron of the arts, I hope these points are useful.

Virtual Studio Visit

Heat waves. California wildfires. Elections. The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and so much more. It’s been a full past two months since the last blog post. And my way of handling all of the events is to stay inside and work. Work on nonsense, work on tidying the house and work on the business of art. It’s almost as though I will use any form of work (or busyness) to distract myself from the noise.

Art exhibits remain to be online. Gallery 825 / Los Angeles Art Association is continuing to support artists during the pandemic. Their current exhibit is called Make Plain and trust me, none of the work is plain jane here. The exhibit runs through October 16. Check out my piece “Untitled #1 blue” at https://www.laaa.org/make-plain

Typically, in the month of October, there are a number of studio visit tours and of course, they are cancelled this year. Some studio visits are now virtual. It seemed like a good opportunity to develop a quick video for my home page and now YouTube page. Check out my virtual studio visit on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDfWhM5T8oA&t=3s and be sure to click like. The “comments” section should be enabled even though it's a private account. Also, you should be able to leave comments on this blog post. Let me know if it’s not working. Thank you.

As we head into Fall, enjoy the cooler weather and changing colors of the leaves. This is one of my favorite seasons and I wish you a happy and healthy season.

It’s Ground Hog’s Day

Not exactly and yet I confess. Some of the mornings feel like it’s the same day with the same routine and I don’t think I’m alone.

Rather than go down that rabbit hole, a lot is happening and what I see across the board is flexibility, resilience, initiative, capacity to adapt and strength. Restaurants moved their tables to the sidewalks. Art supplies purchased at the curb. Haircuts provided in the parking lot. And galleries moved to online exhibitions. Of course, I miss seeing the intricacies of a particular work up close and personal. And it’s a new day.

That said, I’m happy to report I have work in a few online shows. At Gallery 825, I have a piece in “Field of Vision” which comes down on July 24, 2020. The good news is I have another piece in “Habitual” at Gallery 825 that is running from July 25 through August 10, 2020. The link for that exhibit will be live on July 25 https://laaa.org/habitual Also, I have six pieces in “Art Is Life” at Brittany Davis Gallery that is running from July 13 through July 31, 2020.

With social distancing and face masks, I conducted two workshops – Introducing Encaustics and Abstract Explored.

So Covid-19 may have pushed the pause button in my life. And yet as I reflect at the past five months, I see big pleasures – riding a motorized bicycle in a vineyard with the wind catching my hair, talking and sharing about art with inquisitive participants at the workshops, working in my studio, making new meals thanks to Blue Apron, safely walking my dog with my neighbor and so much more. Perhaps I’m treasuring the simple things and not letting a lot of other stuff distract me.

The Value of Diversifying Our Connection of Artists

Juneteenth is a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The annual holiday is particularly poignant this year, as protests take place in the United States and the world, calling for freedom from systemic racism and oppression.

On a personal note, I’ve been a puddle the past few weeks, as I have felt insignificant and incapable of making a lasting difference on this issue. My recent drawings are a reflection of this inner turmoil.

I say we, as human beings are a network of conversations. Up until recently, I also say that the “previous” conversation was bankrupt. So I’m asking myself what can be said newly for a greater and lasting permanence on this issue. This is an exploration. I don’t have the answer. Instead of looking for the next Martin Luther King Jr. or the next Desmond Tutu, perhaps we can join at the hip and collectively be MLK or Tutu. Let’s do it.

I've Got An Itch

And I can’t scratch it. I want to unfasten my seatbelt and move around the cabin freely. Gerhard Richter: Painting After All is on exhibit at the Met Museum and the museum is temporarily closed. At 88, Richter’s work deserves to be seen in person. For the time being, this will have to do.

There’s something quite provocative in his work, specifically his pieces based on photos. Images of family members are used as the source and he paints them in an out-of-focus manner. Uncle Rudi is disturbing largely because he is wearing a Nazi uniform. Betty and Brigid Polk are stunning and it could simply be the way their head is treated. His palette is predominantly grey and that resonates with me.

Then his work jumps to abstract. This is a big dramatic change and I applaud his freedom. This is when I would like to share the exhibit with a friend so we could have an engaging conversation. What do you think of his process and the use of a squeegee? The Cage series are interesting. Seascape series are stunning. I’m not particularly fond of 4,900 Colors. One thing that bugs me is the work listed in the Exhibition Objects tab is not chronologically listed, as I want to see his progress in style and subject matter of painting. Regardless, this exhibit is a “must” see and well worth the time spent on my laptop.

Pandemic Journey #4 (trust me, each post will not be called pandemic)

I paint over the piece that is bothering me. And I paint over that same piece again. And I paint over the same piece yet again. I’m exploring solutions to this piece with 12” x 12” drawings. Nothing is quite working. The days are sunny and my spirit is lifted. I’m about to give up on this piece until I tossed one of the drawings on top of it. Bingo! I realize that is exactly what is wanted and needed. Untitled #4 (black) is now complete. It captures exactly the mood of March and the explosion of spring in April and May.

Pandemic Journey #3

March starts with an encaustic demo to a group of artists. Friends are working from home. Covid-19 is getting real. I conduct a collage workshop on March 14 and I even considered cancelling it. The space is cleaned with anti-bacterial wipes and participants are seated approximately 6 feet apart. The governor of California mandates stay-at-home and it seems fairly manageable. March is grey, cold and damp. I’m distracted and everything I work on ends up in the trash bin. The pesky issues on a piece continue to haunt me.

Pandemic Journey #2

Los Angeles is clearly a global hub for art and this weekend, the art world is coming to LA. It’s exciting. And it’s happening. A few notable art fairs – Felix LA, Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Frieze LA, StartUp Los Angeles, Spring/Break Art Show, Art Palm Springs and probably more. I see LOTS of art. It’s dizzying. There are so many artists, so many galleries and it’s overwhelming. Highlights from the shows and in no particular order are: Lynne Russo, Katherine Filice, Robin Denevan, Tad Crawford, Peter Blake Gallery, Zoe Walsh and Sarah Faux both represented at M+B Gallery, and Regards, Gallery. Nobody is mentioning the pandemic. I’m back in the studio and trying to resolve the pesky issues on a specific piece.

Pandemic Journey #1

I’m driving to Los Angeles to pick up art at one gallery and drop off art for another gallery. As I head south and over a pass, I’m shrouded in fog, a deep thick fog. I’m chatting with a friend as we plan our days for the upcoming art fairs in LA. I mention that I’m actually concerned about the fog. I cautiously slow down, as there could be semi-trailer trucks on the highway. And yet while I’m concerned, the fog is amazing as it moves through the rolling hills. It’s winter so the trees are bare. I want to pull over to take pictures and that sounds like a very dumb idea. The trip in LA was a success with a visit to The Broad to see the Shirin Neshat exhibition and LACMA to see the Julie Mehretu exhibit. As I return to my studio, something about that fog is trapped in my brain so I work on small drawings. I’ve got the drawing that becomes the springboard for Untitled #1 (grey). As I finish the piece, I reflect on a conversation with my friend. A few days earlier, her sister in Seattle passed away (not from Covid-19) and she is too worried to attend the funeral as her elderly mother-in-law lives with her.

Introducing Creative Outpost

The objective of this blog is to share exhibits at museums and galleries, generate exposure of my art as well as other artists, optimally sell work, critique work, promote workshops, musings and rants. This is a lofty objective. I am reminded of Louise Bourgeois’ Salon and wonder what it would be like to be a fly on the wall. I can only hope to be as pithy as Louise.