Two Apples – acrylic by Donalee Nelson
More thoughts
on perception and the process:
In the movie “Something’s Gotta
Give” the two main characters are having a fight and Harry tells his romantic partner,
Erica, that he has always told her some version of the truth. Funny line,
typical guy. She replies that the truth has no versions. But of course it does.
Everyone’s version of the truth is different. It’s all in one’s perception. I’m
writing about this and art because it is so important for young people to
understand this. I know several successful artists who were discouraged, even
disparaged as youngsters for their lack of ability. I’m sure that at least some
of the negative soothsayers thought they were saving the child from
disappointment. My experience was different in that I was encouraged, given so
many opportunities that I was, in fact, not ready for. You see, my perception
was different from that of the school, my teachers and my parents. I could not
paint nor draw what I saw in my minds eye, at least not at the drop of a hat. Therefore
my perception of my ability was different from theirs. I compared myself at an
early age to prominent artists I saw in books without any understanding of the process
they went through to achieve their goals. It is a journey, a process that all
of us have to take whether or not we are discouraged or lauded. There are some
geniuses that spring fully formed from the head of Zeus but for the rest of us
it takes a lot of hard work. That is one reason that I love to watch the HBO
Master Classes. It doesn‘t matter what creative discipline it is, I always
learn something new. I recently saw an interview with Linda Ronstadt who has to
have one of the most beautiful voices in the world. She told the interviewer
that it took her close to ten years as a professional to learn how to sing. The
interviewer was aghast. Ronstadt explained that it took hard work and that long
before she had control of her instrument and could deliberately do what she
wanted to do. Process and perception!
Highlights
The New Whitney opened May 1
with an exciting new exhibit. America
is Hard to See features works from the Whitney’s impressive collection.
The exhibit which runs through September 27, features over 400 artists. Frank Stella; A Retrospective
opens in October 2015. The show will feature approximately 120 works covering
the career of one of the most important contemporary artists of our time from
the ‘50s through his current works. Check www.whitney.org
for all the details.
Where
you can see my artwork
My artwork
is available 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. For more information go to Rons website at www.ronsingroverbeach.com or find
him on facebook.
Not To
Be Missed –Museum Exhibits
Adams, Curtis and
Weston: Photographers of the American West at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana
is up through November 29. The exhibit of the work of these three celebrated
photographers shows how they documented the changing landscape of the west. Information
is available at www.bowers.org on this
installation.
Modern Masters opened June 16 at the Palm
Springs Art Museum. Amazing artworks on view include those by Manet, Van Gogh,
Renoir, Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell. The show will be hanging
through September 6 so check out www.psmuseum.org
for further details.
Degas: “Russian Dancers” and the Art of Pastel is on
view at the Getty until October 11. The painting is one of the artist’s late
works and is very earthy in contrast to his better known works of ballerinas in
pastels. It serves as the centerpiece for this exhibit, which includes
Bonnard’s La Moulin Rouge and
Lautrec’s At the Circus: Entering the
Ring. The place for information is at www.getty.edu
with a sneak peek at what is in store.
An interesting exhibit is open
at the Norton Simon in Pasadena. A
Revolution of the Palette: The First Synthetic Blues and their Impact on French
Artists runs through January 4 of next year. With the discovery of different blue paint
colors, specifically Prussian Blue, artists had a new palette to work with and
this changed en plein air painting enormously. On view are works by such
artists as Corot and Caillebotte to help illustrate this revolution. More
information is available at www.nortonsimon.org
so be sure to take a look.
The Armand Hammer Foundation has loaned some amazing
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings to the Santa Barbara Museum of
Art for an ongoing exhibit. Degas to Chagall: Important Loans f rom
the Armand Hammer Foundation supplements the museum’s already wonderful
collection of these works. Artists also included in this exhibit are Bonnard,
Corot, Renoir, Pissaro and Morisot. Check on line at www.sbmuseart.org/ for more details.
An
exhibit of 120 African sculptures from the Richard H. Scheller collection, Embodiments: Masterworks of African
Figurative Sculpture, runs through July 5 at the de Young Museum in San
Francisco. J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free is at de Young until
September 20. This exhibit displays over 60 oil paintings and watercolors by
the master and is the first exhibit to focus on his final years. Many of his
greatest works were created after the age of 60…a fact which is inspiring and
should give us all courage. Put together by the Tate Britain in association
with the Getty and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the exhibit shows
the breadth of Turner’s artistry www.deyoung.famsf.org
will have all pertinent information. The de Young prides itself in making its
exhibits accessible and has instituted a plan for people who are unable to come
to the museum whether for medical reasons, distance or finances. They have two
robots that will take visitors on a tour via the internet. Rebecca Bradley is
the Accessibility Curator. You can email her office at access@famsf.org if this great idea is of
interest.
From Abstract Expression to
Colored Planes
runs through August 1 at the Seattle Art Museum. The exhibit tracks the change
in the art world when Paris was at its center to the shift to New York after
World War II. The ground- breaking abstract expressionist movement in the
United States began in the 1940’s with artists like Hofmann, Gorky and Pollack
whose painterly style and large surfaces represented a break with the past.
With later artists such as Frank Stella, Barnett Newman and Ellsworth Kelly a
transition to a cooler hard-edge style emerged. This exhibition follows the evolution.
Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to
obtain more information.
Currently at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver,
Colorado, is Clyfford Still: The Colville Reservation and Beyond, 1934-1939.
The artwork comes from Still’s time as a teacher at Washington State College
and reflects time spent with the indigenous people of northwest Washington. The
exhibit which runs from May 8 – September 13 chronicles the artist’s evolution
into abstraction. The images are stunning! Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the
details.
Coming up in October at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is
the first retrospective of Thomas Hart Benton’s work in 25 years. American Epics: Thomas Hart Benton and
Hollywood opens October 10 and runs through the new year. Benton worked
on silent movie sets in New Jersey and later in Hollywood. His association with
the film industry and early movie making inspired his painting style. This
exhibit contains 100 of his art works as well as photos and ephemera that help
tell the story. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org will
provide more information.
The Chicago Arts Institute brings together two turn of the
century tapestries by French artist
Vuillard The artist is well known for easel paintings of Parisian Life but he
also painted a series of tapestries which were done in panels. None of these
remain together, having all been sold to private parties. Painted Tapestries: Reuniting Two Decorative Paintings by Edouard
Vuillard runs through October 6 and brings together two of these panels
which are being shown together for the first time. More details are at www.artic.edu for this fascinating exhibit.
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit is
currently on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts and runs through July 12.
The DIA houses one of Rivera’s huge murals which sits above a courtyard in the
museum. This exhibit will include many studies done for the mural and some
never-before-seen works by Kahlo. The backstory should be very interesting. If
you are planning to be in town then be sure to check www.dia.org for all the information.
From May 16 – November 1 The
New York Botanical Garden’s Frida
Kahlo: Art.Garden.Life exhibit features a dozen of her artworks. The
garden at her home, Casa Azul, near Mexico City which greatly inspired her has
been reimagined at the botanical garden. A stunning look at some examples at www.nybg.org will also add more info.
Elaine de Kooning: Portraits is currently at the National
Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. and will be there through the first of next
year. The artist is known for her portraits of men, just as her husband, Willem,
was known for his paintings of women. Both were part of the abstract
expressionist movement. Her portraits include such diverse subjects as
President Kennedy, Allen Ginsberg and Merc Cunningham. She sought to capture
that specific feature or persona that made the person instantly recognizable. A
sample of these images at www.nationalportraitgallery.org
will give you a taste of her work. Also at the National gallery through October
18 are over 70 stunning portraits of Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon includes photographs by
Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon.
The Albright Knox Gallery is a little gem of a museum in
Buffalo, New York. It has an exceptional permanent collection particularly deep
in post-war European and American works. Currently it has Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball (Charity) on display through August
16. The artist was inspired by a Picasso painting, La Soupe, of a young girl and a woman handing the child a bowl of
soup. It was Picasso’s comment on the extreme poverty he saw. The pristine
plaster sculpture is in stark contrast to Picasso’s painting as the Koons piece,
replete with Hermes Birkin bags, is a comment on today’s affluence. The museum
has La Soupe on loan so both pieces
are being displayed together. How great is this! If you are in the area be sure
and check it out. Love this gallery. All the details are at the website www.albrightknox.org so be sure and take
a peek.
Van Gogh: Irises and Roses opens at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art on May 12 and runs through August 16. On the day before his
departure from the asylum in Saint-Remy he painted four bouquets, two of irises
and two of roses in contrasting formats and color palettes. For the first time
since the artist’s death they will all be displayed together. The Metropolitan
Museum recently received an exciting gift of 57 works by contemporary African-American artists from the South. The
donation consists of 20 quilts, 10 pieces by Thornton Dial and includes
paintings, drawings and works of mixed media by Lonnie Holley, Nellie Mae Rowe
and others. An exhibit is planned for 2016. Check out www.metmuseum.org for more information.
Currently at the Museum of
Modern Art is Andy Warhol: Campbell’s
Soup Cans and Other Works, 1953 - 1967. The exhibit is on display
through October 12 and features 32 of his works from this period. For the first
time The Soup Cans will be displayed in a line as they were intended to be
viewed. Several upcoming shows look interesting. Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960 – 1971 begins May 17. Years ago her show consisted of releasing
flies and asking patrons to track them so whatever she does is bound to be
unique. Apparently director Martin
Scorsese has been collecting rare movie posters for years. On May 30 they will
go on display at MoMA. Scorsese
Collects runs through September 30 and centers on a poster for the 1951
film, Tales of Hoffman. I remember
seeing that film as a child and it left a huge impression on me when the
dancer, Moira Shearer, fell apart and her dismembered body continued to move. The Red Shoes, which also starred the
ballerina, preceded it and was considered a must-see for children. I saw it
again years later and it was actually a very scary movie on a par with Bambi (in which the namesake deer’s
mother was killed by a hunter). But I
digress, and I’m sure the poster collection is a must-see for every movie buff.
MoMA’s website at www.moma.org will fill you
in.
On July 1 the Guggenheim Museum
in New York will reopen its Kandinsky
gallery. The gallery traces the artist from his early beginnings in
Munich to his return to his native Moscow, through his Bauhaus period and
finally to Paris. Check out www.guggenheimmuseum.org
for more information.
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston
will host Gordon Parks: Back to Fort
Scott through September 13, 2015. Gordon Parks was an artist and photojournalist.
In fact, he was the first African-American photographer hired full time by LIFE magazine. In 1950 he went back to
Fort Scott, his birthplace and the town he had left 20 years earlier, to make a
series of photographs to accompany an article he planned to call “Back to Fort
Scott.” The series chronicled the day to day life of African-American citizens in
the town, including the discrimination they faced. This was the period just before
the Civil Rights movement took off. The article, which was slated to be
published in 1951, never appeared. The museum’s website, www.mfa.org will provide more information.
In 1962 Mark Rothko was asked to paint six murals for
Harvard’s penthouse dining room at Holyoke Center. He took no payment but asked
that the murals be displayed together and that curtains be drawn to preserve
the color of the paintings. Only five were ever displayed and apparently the
request for drawn curtains was ignored and partiers added to the damage by splashing
drinks on the canvases. Hence, by 1979 it became apparent that significant
damage had occurred. The damage was so complete that the murals were taken
down, could no longer be displayed and traditional restoration techniques were
of no help. Finally, after twenty years of research a unique restoration
process was discovered. The original colors have been digitally projected onto
the canvases where they are being displayed in the Harvard Art Museum. Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals is
open now through July 2015. Details are available at www.harvardartmuseum.org right now.
If your plans take you to England in the near future make
sure to stop by the Tate Gallery. The Tate has got it going on with three major
exhibits. The first retrospective of the work of artist Sonia Delaunay is
currently on view and will be up through August 9. The EY Exhibition: Sonia Delaunay celebrates the 60 year
career of this seminal artist and her wide range of work. Included are paintings,
fabrics and clothing. Don’t miss it. Barbara
Hepworth: Sculpture for a Modern World is the first London exhibit of
the artist’s work in 50 years. You can see her clean, abstract sculptures at
the Tate Britain through October 25. Meanwhile at the Tate Liverpool enjoy Jackson Pollock Blind Spots. The
exhibit, which will be there through October 18, emphasizes five areas of his
work that have not been the focus of past exhibits including Pollock’s link to
Picasso. You can make plans by going to www.tate.org.uk
for more information.
Just a quick mention that Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty continues
through August 2 at the Victoria & Albert in London. The exhibit focuses on
the late couturiers amazing designs. Images are available at www.vam.ac.uk
so you can find out all you
want to know.
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…its 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 is 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
Places
to go, People to meet
The Pageant of the Masters comes back to Laguna Beach
this time every year. I’ve seen copies of this extravaganza but nothing comes
close to the original. This year the 90 minute show of tableaux from paintings
by the masters will take place July 8 – August 31. If you have never been it is
well worth the effort. Tickets for the event at Irvine Bowl can be procured at www.pageanttickets.com or by calling
800.487.3378. It may already be too late for the main event but there are
always adjacent artist booths selling their wares.
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.
The Art
of Living Well
For about four or five minutes most mornings I go
to the beach…and I don’t have to drive there or walk. It’s a great way to start the day because it
isn’t crowded and it’s beautiful to see the clear sky and the waves washing in
and out. I love seeing the daily changes
in the surf, in the clouds and in the sea birds and the random seal or sea lion
that hangs out. If the surf is good surfers show up so I can watch them catch a
wave. My secret to this mellow and serene start to the day is a fellow I’ve
never met. Kevin McCree lives in Ventura and every day he picks up a cup of
coffee and heads down to Ventura Harbor where he sips his “Coffee on the Rocks” and shoots a video with its “tranquility
moment” then posts it for the rest of us to see. Sounds simple but it makes such a difference
in people’s lives. I’m sure many of his followers, like me, have never met
him. Some live in far off places and
just like being brought back to the beach, and many are those who grew up
somewhere on California’s coast and now live far away from home. The thing they
have in common is that they all appreciate what he does. Many of the comments are
touching and all make it clear how much his posts mean and how they look
forward to seeing the harbor and hearing his narrative. He had a tough week recently
but he continued to post in his positive manner There was something different
in his voice though so we wish him well …this man most of us don’t know but
whose generosity of spirit has meant so much. We all need a tranquility moment
to get the day off to a great start and he is giving it to us one post at a
time. Kevin’s posts are on FaceBook at I love Ventura, Growing up in Ventura
and The Kevin McCree Show. They are special.
Take
care and have a wonderful Summer!
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.
