May/June 2014

Long ago and far away – What I learned and how I learned it

Over thirty years ago at about this time I had the opportunity of joining my friend and fellow artist, Mickey Hoffman, on a journey to China and Japan. Mickey had written to the Chinese embassy requesting Visas. The Visas were sent which was very uncommon at the time. So after Communist China opened its doors to tourists we traveled on student visas as individuals and not with a tour group. We spent three weeks in China and less than a week in Japan where we stopped by to see a friend studying the Japanese art of tea service. I expected to gain some insight into China but that trip also became pivotal in my journey as an artist and my understanding of the creative process.  I had not really sketched much, unless you consider doodling as sketching, for quite a while. We were given guides and in most cases it was a challenge to make our own schedule.  The Chinese government intended to send us back home with a glowing idea of the changes that it had made in the country so there were many tea plantations, industrial and new housing complexes on our gotta see list. We just wanted to wander and sketch so many times we had to figure out how to ditch our guides. Sometimes we got lucky and an obliging guide took a nap in the car. It was an amazing trip….we met so many interesting people and saw a beautiful country. That was when I realized I was on a journey, not only in life but as an artist. My first sketches were so terrible that I might have given up but I was in a foreign land with an accomplished artist. I was stuck so I continued sketching. I had never really thought of myself as an artist though my family and teachers did. You see, I always compared my work to others I considered better. Luckily I was afforded the chance to see my work progress on a daily basis. I still have that sketch book with every entry dated and can still see how much better my sketches became. I will put some of those sketches on facebook so if you are interested feel free to check them out. The sketches of chairs finally became two watercolor paintings and a couple of scrolls made more than a decade after the trip… multiples of those chairs I saw while there, examples from different dynasties. One of those watercolors is featured in a Disney movie, Can of Worms. My sketches from way back when still serve as inspiration. I still don’t love all of my work and my opinion about it changes constantly but I understand that, for me, it is an interesting journey that I am on. Oh, and as our trip progressed we kept a journal. If you know either one of us you will not be surprised to find that there is a twist in the story we wrote and it became The Amazing Disappearance of Comrade Wang. Mickey, who still makes amazing prints, has now published two mystery novels, School of Lies and  Deadly Traffic.  You can find more information about my friend at www.mickeyhoffman.com.

Where you can see my artwork

Check out my artwork at Rons. For further information call the shop at 805.489.4747.  Rons is located at 850 W. Grand in Grover Beach a few blocks from the train station, a golf course and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Check out Rons website at www.ronsingroverbeach.com or find him on facebook. My paintings will also grace the walls at a wonderful café, Café Ella in Watsonville, California starting in mid-June for about six weeks….I have not spent much time there since I was making movies many years ago. I guess these next few months will be like old home week for me. Café Ella is located at 734 East Lake Avenue, #1, Watsonville, California 95076.  Phone 831.722.0480 for more information.

 Exhibits on the Central Coast

I’m looking forward to Living in the Timeless: Drawings by Beatrice Wood which opens May 11 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and runs through August 31.The renowned Ojai potter emerged on the art scene in 1917 as part of the New York Dada movement. Her drawings were her diary and allowed her “to live in the timeless”. This show features her works on paper, figurative ceramic sculptures and tiles as well as her illustrated books. Details on this exhibit are available at www.sbma.net.

The Art of Bugatti: Carlo, Rembrandt, Ettore, Jean is at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard through mid-December. Not only are cars from the most extensive collection of Bugatti autos in the exhibit, there are many examples of handcrafted furniture, sculpture and paintings from the family’s collection. www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com will supply more information or you can call 805.385.5400.

 Not To Be Missed – Other Museum Exhibits

Here is a quick list of other exhibits worth a visit

The Museum at UC Irvine has a wonderful collection of California Impressionists and rotates exhibits often. The current exhibit, California Scene Paintings: 1920s-1970s, will be open until May 8. Featuring paintings of every day life, it includes works by Millard Sheets, Phil Duke and Emil Kosa Jr, as well as those by lesser known artists. More details can be found at http://www.irvinemuseum.org/.

The California-Pacific Rim Triennial has been installed at the Orange County Museum of Art and is currently open. The installation focuses on California’s role in the Pacific Rim. 32 artists from 15 countries are represented many with site specific work. www.ocma.net

California: The Golden Years is an ongoing exhibit at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Featured are 22 paintings done in the late 19^th and early 20^th century by some of the best California artists. Included are Elmer Wachtel, William Wendt and Gardner Symons. Also at the Bowers is Chuck Jones: Doodles of Genius.The work of the academy award winning animator will be on display through August 3. If you love Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and the rest of the Warner’s characters here is your chance to see many never-before-seen works by the animator/artist. He personally created the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, my personal favorites. Information is available at www.bowers.org.

Calder and Abstraction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic opened last fall at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and runs through July 6, 2014. The museum commissioned a major work by the artist when it opened in 1965 and the exhibit will feature the installation design by Frank Gehry accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.  Agnes Varda in Californialand runs through June 22 and is the first presentation of her artwork by a museum in the U.S. The sculptural installation is based on the time she spent in Los Angeles during the 1960s. Known as the “grandmother of the French New Wave”, the museum is in the process of restoring several of her films.  Details can be found here. www.lacma.org

Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections is currently at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades through August 25.  The exhibit is presented in conjunction with Heaven and Earth: Byzantine Illumination at the Cultural Crossroads which is currently at the Getty Center in Los Angeles through June 22. The Getty is also holding a symposium on May 6 featuring art historians, scientists and conservators. The subject: Jackson Pollock’s Mural: Transition, Context, Afterlife. This discussion of the mural Pollock did for Peggy Guggenheim should be lively since it centers around the rumors and myths that surround the work. www.getty.edu

Bob Peak: Master of the Movie Poster is at the Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University from May 10 – August 3. Featuring original art from his vast career, the illustrator created images for posters as diverse as My Fair Lady and Apocalypse Now. http://arts.pepperdine.edu/museum

Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George is currently at the de Young Museum of Art in San Francisco. The artist retreated annually from 1918 to the early 1930’s to Lake George in Upstate New York. The rural setting had a profound influence on her work. Information on the exhibit which runs until May 11 can be found at http://deyoung.famsf.org/.

Miro: The Experience of Seeing is at the Seattle Museum of Art and features later works by the artist from the collection at the National Museum in Madrid. It includes 48 paintings, drawings and sculptures done by Miro between 1963 and 1983 and focuses on the dialogue between his easel work and sculpture. Obtain more information at  www.seattleartmuseum.org before the show closes May 25, 2014. Close to Seattle, in the village where the city’s namesake chief is buried, there is a new museum. Be sure and check out the Suquamish Museum in the village of the same name. It covers a range of Seattle and tribal history. Find info at www.suquamish.org. Celebrating 25 years of existence, Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island asked artist Julie Spiedel to create 12 steel sculptures evoking giant glacial boulders.  They are scattered throughout the 150 acre public forest. Amazing! www.bloedelreserve.org

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has announced that it has found six previously unknown  experimental works by the artist. These will form the core of an exhibit opening May 10. Also at the museum from May 18 – August 24 is Halston and Warhol: Silver and Suede which examines the interconnected lives of the two artists. If you go to ://www.warhol.org/museum/ you will find all the details about these exhibits.

At the Whitney in New York, American Legends: From Calder to O’Keefe runs through October 19, 2014. The rotating exhibit has been culled from the depth of the Whitney’s holdings of early twentieth century American art. In addition to Calder and O’Keefe, works by Stuart Davis, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Edward Hopper are on view. Check out www.whitney.org for all the details.

March 8 – June 8 the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosts an innovative show, Gauguin: Metamorphoses. This exhibit focuses on the artist’s rare prints and transfer drawings for the first time.  These works on paper were made at the end of Gauguin’s life. Go to www.MoMa.org for further information.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is host to several interesting exhibits.  Audubon’s Birds, Audubon’s Words pairs Audubon’s life size prints from Birds of America with the artist’s writings. Only 120 copies of this book are known to exist so see it before May 11, 2014 when it leaves. Boston Loves Impressionism runs through May 26. The works in the exhibit, gleaned from the museum’s collection, were selected by the public in a sort of popularity contest. Viewers apparently love Van Gogh as his masterpiece “Houses at Auvers” was the favorite choice with a Monet painting and a Degas bronze not far behind. The museum’s website, www.mfa.org, will provide more information.

Looking forward to Degas/Cassatt at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. which opens May 11 and is up through October 5, 2014. This exhibit will include 70 works in a variety of media which for the first time focuses on the dialogue between them. Degas’ influence on Cassatt is generally acknowledged but apparently her influence on his work was also pronounced. This promises to be an interesting exhibit and the gallery’s website at www.nga.gov has more information.

Currently at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. One Life: Martin Luther King Jr. will be on display through June 1, 2014. It traces the trajectory of Dr. King’s career through photography. http://www.npg.si.edu

The Albright Knox Gallery is a little gem of a museum in Buffalo, New York. If you are in the area be sure and check it out. Love this gallery. Albrecht Durer: Highlights From The Collection celebrates the quincentennial of the artist’s work Melancholia I from 1514. The exhibit runs from May 2 through July 6. All the details are at their website www.albrightknox.org so be sure and take a peek.

At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri the current exhibit, In the Looking Glass: Recent Daguerreotype Acquisitions, promises to be an interesting exhibit. I have a particular fondness for them. In a past life working at different museums, I assisted in putting together a small exhibit of them. The show, which ends on July 20, 2014, focuses on those daguerreotypes currently added to the museum’s amazing collection of over 800 pieces. By 1843 and for twenty years after they became the most popular form of photography.  They were inexpensive so it allowed many to have portraits taken. Check out www.nelson-atkins.org for more information.

Matisse:The Cut-Outs is at the Tate Modern in London through September 7. The exhibit offers a rare opportunity to see a large amount of these later works by the artist in one place. The exhibit will travel to MoMA in New York when it leaves London. The website, www.tate.org.uk, should provide all the information you need.

The works of American fiber artist and California native Kaffe Fassett star in Kaffe 2014 – The Colorful World of Kaffe Fassett at the American Museum in Britain through November 2. Look up www.americanmuseum.org for information and a look at the artist's amazing work. Gorgeous!

Simply the Best:

The best place to find books on the arts, Arcana, is a very special book store located in the Helms Bakery complex in Los Angeles…It’s wonderful! I have known owner Lee Kaplan for decades and his  selection of books is as superb as his taste is impeccable.  Arcana: Books on the Arts at 8675 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232. For information go to http://www.arcanabooks.com  or call 310.458.1499.

Michiko Jewelry Design is an incredible jewelry store in downtown Seal Beach, CA., featuring excellent one-of-a-kind gifts. The shop owner and artist, Carol Matsumoto, custom designs beautiful pieces. Michiko is at 228 Main Street. Call 563.431.3237 for more information or check www.michikojewelrydesign.com.

  

If you want to see beautiful oil paintings or are interested in taking a class, go to Ana de Wilson’s site at www.anadewilson.ca. Her flower paintings are exquisite.

Bauer Pottery, the classic early twentieth century California pottery that rivaled the east coast’s Fiesta Ware, has started producing again. If you are looking for reproductions and/or new pieces you can find them at Bauer Pottery Company of Los Angeles. Go to their website at BauerPottery.com \aqua@bauerpottery.com or give them a call at 888.213.0800 or 818.500.0666.

Places to go, People to meet

In a drive through the area around Lompoc you will see beautiful rolling hills and if you are fortunate to be there at the right time of year you will be treated to the stunning show of color from the area flower and seed farms. Known as the flower and seed capitol of the world, there is much more to see in Lompoc. The city is home to several boutique wineries and boasts over 100 murals on its structures in the heart of the city. If you are headed this way be sure and take them in and check out http://www.lompocmurals.com/ for more facts.

Ventura has a very active music scene and from May 2 – 10 the Ventura Music Festival will feature world class acts including An Evening With Judy Collins at Ventura High School on May 6. If you want more details www.venturamusicfestival.org is where you will find them.

On May 17 The 27^th Annual Catalina Island Silent Film Benefit takes place and will feature Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. The proceeds from the event go to the day-to-day operation of the Catalina Island Museum. This year and for the first time City Lights will be accompanied by a full orchestra playing the original score by Chaplin and led by Grammy winning Conductor Richard Kaufman. You can go to www.catalinamuseum.org for further information.

Notes:

Television:

Six by Sondheim is a gem of a documentary by HBO. I also find the HBO Master Class series enlightening. These programs are so informative and inspiring and speak to creativity in any form. The performances in Six by Sondheim of Being Alive by Dean Jones and of I’m Still Here by Jarvis Crocker are riveting. It is wonderful to be able to see the layers each artist puts on a particular piece. Great stuff!

PBS Digital Studios has just launched a weekly web series called The Art Assignment. Designed by its founders to foster an open conversation about art and our expectations surrounding it, the initial offering, “Meet in the Middle”, focuses on a project by two emerging artists exploring the concept of the halfway point. To catch it on YouTube use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9lpMFPEj58.

Fashion:

Paris design house Schiaparelli, which has been closed since the 1950s, relaunched this past July with designs by Christian LaCroix who has been absent from the fashion scene for four years. Both Schiaparelli and LaCroix are known for their interesting, colorful and whimsical creations so this should be a hoot! Plans are to feature a new guest designer every year but launching with the artist LaCroix is brilliant. An animated video of the things she did first is on the website www.schiaparelli.com  and is very entertaining.

Travel:

Well, I’ve Never Been to Cuba, but I Kinda Like the Music

If you are into old cars you might want to take a trip to Cuba.  That’s right, Cuba!  Due to past trade restrictions, Cuba boasts an abundance of classic cars.  A good friend, Mayra Crespo, is from Cuba and is now setting up tours to her native country. She has several theme tours upcoming, including one featuring automobiles and another on Cuba’s architecture. Hemingway’s home there is a huge draw as he left it with most of his manuscripts still in residence.  Mayra’s agency provides legal travel to Cuba so if you are interested in going to Cuba, and with great service, contact her at Marimar Travel and Tours through her email address at mayra@marimartravel.com.

Education:

Studio One is presenting online workshops called Awaken the Artist Within! With personal feedback from artist Erin Lee Gafill, it is an eight week class where you make the schedule and go at your own pace in your own studio. Included are streaming live demos, inspirational tips and step-by-step instructions within a supportive creative community. Discounts are given if you register with a friend so check out registration at http://www.eringafill.com/shop/online-workshops/awaken-the-artist-within/. Erin conducts many of these workshops through out the year, some on-line, some not, and does outreach with children’s groups that would not ordinarily have the opportunity to receive this kind of training. To find upcoming class schedules go to her website.

Bob and Kate Burridge, the dynamic team of artist and marketing guru, have some great classes coming up. Bob will share his expertise in  Contemporary Abstract Figure Painting and Collage in May in Sedona, Arizona and also in Flambeau, Wisconsin in June. Kate will be presenting Art Marketing for the Busy Artist in August in Calgary, Alberta Canada. These classes are fun and insightful so if you have a chance try to get to one of them. Information is on their website at http://www.robertburridge.com/.

The Youth Academy of the Arts of the Central Coast is in the planning stages. Land in Grover Beach, CA has been donated and a building has been designed.  For more information go to their website: www.YouthArtsAcademycc.com.

Music:

A Ventura native, one of my incredibly talented nephews, musician Aaron Johnson, aka Aaron Orbit, has a really cool website.  Stop by for a look and listen to his wonderful music at www.aaronorbit.com and find a schedule of his upcoming appearances.

Happy Birthday to many friends and dear ones…you know who you are…a special shout out to Mickey, Jill, Janette, Alec, Theo, Anna, Kathy and Cathy Lee.  Take care and have a wonderful birthday.

Epilogue: What I Learned

We all have different lessons to learn on this journey. Some of you came into the world already knowing things I needed to learn and some of you will identify having been on a similar path. I have learned that everything is a process…to only do things out of love…to work hard and focus on what inspires you…to continue and stay positive even though things don’t always go well…to take criticism and praise with an equal grain of salt…to please yourself first (there will always be someone who agrees and someone who doesn’t)…to celebrate your differences, to cherish your loved ones and to hang in there and enjoy the ride.

If you like my website be sure and check out the services offered by Sandy Crespo at www.designscrespo.com. Not only is Sandy easy to work with but her experience provides clients many options. These include freelance design and production of websites, web graphics, logos, CDs/DVDs, posters, t-shirts, stock and fine art photography, photo treatment/digital restoration/retouching, business cards, brochures, copywriting, custom greeting cards, postcards, sales flyers and one-sheets.

Continue to check back as we will be posting upcoming shows here and on the exhibits page of my website…and again, there is always Facebook.