March / April 2017

Urn by Donalee Nelson

In Search of Red

Diana Vreeland, the iconic editor of Harper’s Bazaar and later Vogue, had a profound effect on both fashion and art. I remember seeing photographs of her elegant New York apartment and it was painted a very vibrant red. She is quoted as having said that she looked for the perfect shade of red all her life but that no living artist could mix it for her. “About the best red is to copy the color of a child’s cap in any Renaissance portrait,” she said. Nor was she alone in her search for the perfect red. Artists love to use the color as it is so strong that it can highlight an object and create areas and planes. The Red of Painters is a book by Michel Pastoureau which has just been translated into English. The author goes through the history of the color and the search for new manifestations of red. It is the most written about of all the colors. While it was used in the Middle Ages, recipes were hand written and not exact so it wasn’t until the end of that period that artists, chemists and apothecaries were able to chronicle more exact recipes and find new sources of red and its shades and tones. Ingredients varied and things like arsenic were used. One had to be careful as to amounts, which ingredients clashed, and even the composition of the container. Artists like Rubens experimented and created new recipes. The discovery of the New World didn’t offer new sources except for cochineal found in Mexico. The history is interesting. Obviously I like to use red as you can see in my painting above. It can be cheerful, bold, elegant, and extravagant. In addition, red enhances so many other colors, allowing them all to shine.

Highlights

Now at the Palm Springs Museum of Art is Women of Abstract Expressionism. The exhibit opened February 18 and ends May 28, 2017. This is exciting as it is the first time there has been a show devoted specifically to these ground breaking women. The abstract expressionist movement in art was the first truly American art movement in modern times. Included are over fifty major works by twelve painters active in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Mary Abbott, Jane DeFeo, Elaine de Kooning, Perle Fine, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia Getchtoff, Judith Godwin, Grace Hartigan, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Deborah Remington and Ethel Schwabacher are those artists being celebrated. The museum also has a subsidiary museum in Palm Desert known as the Galen. It is surrounded by the four acre Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden that features over ten significant sculptures surrounded by landscaped gardens. A visit to these two venues make it worth the drive. Google the museum or go to www.psmuseum.org for current information.

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

The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana will host Frida Kahlo: Her Photos beginning February 25, 2017–June 25, 2017. During her lifetime she amassed a large photo collection, mostly single prints, which were stashed away on her death. The collection came to light recently. This exhibition consists of over two hundred images, some taken by her but others by artists such as Edward Weston and Tina Modotti. You will not want to miss this so go to www.bowers.org for all the pertinent information. 

Highlights of the Permanent Collection celebrates the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75^th anniversary. The exhibit features some of the museums most well-known pieces. The Armand Hammer Foundation has loaned some amazing Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Of course, Portrait of Mexico Today, painted by David Alfaro Siquerios while living in political exile in Los Angeles in 1932, has a home in the front façade of the museum. It is intact and is in a protected spot. We are so lucky to have it. Check on line at www.sbmuseart.org/ for more details.

Picasso & Rivera: Conversations Across Time is currently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and is there until May 7, 2017. The exhibit compares the two contemporary artists…where their paths intersected and how both incorporated inspiration from the arts of the antiquities. Included are over 150 works. More information is at www.lacma.org on this exhibit.

The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena has Van Gogh’s Bedroom on view through March 6,2017. It is on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago. More information is available at www.nortonsimon.org so be sure to take a look.

The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion, and Rock & Roll is coming to the de Young Museum in San Francisco on April 8 and will be there until August 20. The exhibit features rock posters, photographs, interactive music and light shows as well as avant-garde films. Check www.deyoung.famsf.org which will have all you need to know. 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.

Monet: the Early Years is at the San Francisco Legion of Honor through May 29. The show commences with the first painting Monet ever exhibited publicly in 1858 and closes in 1872 just before he exhibited in a group show with artists that ultimately became known as the Impressionists. Photography was new at the time and actually helped artists explore new ways of painting as they no longer felt it necessary to provide a realistic chronology. It is an important exhibit because it is the first in the U.S. to show Monet's early works. The website provides an excellent overview of the show so check www.legionofhonor.famsf.org and get more information.

Ongoing at the Seattle Museum of Art is Big Picture: Art after 1945. The exhibit includes some amazing works by Rothko, Motherwell, Newman, Hoffman, etc. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to obtain more information.

Now at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver is Artists Select 2: Julian Schnabel. The artist has selected 60 of Still’s abstract works for this exhibition. These were made late in Still’s life and most have not been seen by the public. Also included is a display of smaller, early abstractions the artist crafted in the mid 1940s. It is on display through April 2, 2017. Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the details.

Make Room for Color Field is a continuing exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri through December 31, 2018. The installation consists of 4 works by the most prominent painters of this genre, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski and Morris Louis. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org will provide more information.

The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting Whistler’s Mother: An American Icon Returns to Chicago for the first time in 60 years. The painting was originally known as an Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1. The exhibit starts March 4 and runs through May 12, 2017. Chicago has deep holdings of works by Whistler and this will allow the exploration of Whistler’s use of family members as subject matter. More details are at www.artic.edu for this fascinating exhibit.

Menagerie: Animals on View will be on view at the Albright-Knox Gallery March 11 through June 4. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York is one of my favorite places. Animals have always been favorite motifs for artists and this exhibit features over 50 paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and videos by artists like Frida Kahlo, William Wegman, Giacomo Balla, Grace Hartigan and Milton Avery. If you are in the area be sure and check it out. All the details are at the website www.albrightknox.org so be sure and take a peek.

The recent opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. is the culmination of over a century of work. Founding Director Lonnie Bunch said that “The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.” The website welcomes us with its opening words: A People’s Journey, A Nation’s Story. It is part of our national history. The museum contains much memorabilia including both negative and positive. Of course, there is much history here including examples of slave ships. However, there are some more current examples including Carl Lewis’ journey, clothes from James Brown and Pearl Bailey, a trumpet owned by Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac. Items also includes some owned by Harriet Tubman, the dress Rosa Parks was sewing when she refused to leave her seat, and clothes designed by Geoffrey Holder for the award winning Broadway play The Wiz. Areas include a sports museum and a visual arts museum among others. The galleries will also feature changing exhibits so check out www.nmaahc.si.edu for information.

Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on November 21, 2016 and goes through March 19 of next year. Picabia is best known as a leader of the Dada movement but he was extremely versatile and refused to settle into one particular style. This is the first exhibit in the United States to focus on his entire career. The show includes paintings, periodicals, printed matter, illustrated letters and a film. It should be very interesting.

One and One is Four: The Bauhaus Photocollages of Josef Albers is also currently at MoMA. Known primarily for his Homage to a Square paintings, the artist taught at the Bauhaus and later at Black Mountain College and Yale University. His photocollages were only discovered after his death and many are seen here for the first time. This exhibit goes through April 2, 2017 so go to www.moma.org for more information.

Coming March 3 to the Brooklyn Museum of Art is Georgia O’Keefe: Living Modern. The show will be at the museum until July 23. The Brooklyn Museum is where the artist had her first solo show 90 years ago. For more about the artist go to www.brooklynmuseum.org and get information about this exhibit.

Seurat’s Circus Sideshow is one of the Metropolitan Museum’s iconic possessions. Painted in 1887-88, this masterpiece influenced many artists such as Daumier and Picasso. The exhibit which revolves around the Met’s painting by Seurat includes more than 100 paintings, drawings, period posters and journals evoking the feeling of the traveling circuses and seasonal fairs that were so popular in the late 19^th century. On until May 29 the Met’s website will have info at www.metmuseum.org as well as dates and times.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts will play host to Matisse in the Studio from April 9-July 9. It is the first exhibit to examine the artist’s personal collection of objects and their importance in his art. Included are 36 paintings and 26 drawings as well as bronzes, cut-outs, prints and an illustrated book by the artist. Many rare works are included and many come from personal collections. It promises to be a wonderful show so look at www.mfa.org for more information.

Although the exhibit has closed, there is a wonderful video that came out of this show, Monet and the Post Impressionists. So many artists found inspiration in their gardens. Now there is a video available, Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse. Find out more by visiting www.royalacademy.org.uk and get the whole scoop.

Currently at the Tate Modern in London is Rauschenberg. This is the first full scale retrospective of Robert Rauschenberg’s work since his death in 2008. One of the greats in modern art, he created his own world by making art out of everything imaginable. The exhibit is on until April 2. Rauschenberg is possibly the greatest collage artist in history so this is a must-see show. The Tate Britain has David Hockney as he approaches his 80^th birthday. The artist is known for changing styles as he takes on new challenges. This is an opportunity to see his six decades of work together and see how each previous style insinuates the one to come. It will be there until May 29. Both shows have interesting videos online that accompany them. For more information on these exhibits www.tate.org.uk will have everything you need 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…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 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 See

A special exhibit is currently at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Pop for the People: Roy Lichtenstein in LA is on view through March 12. Check www.skirball.org for all the details.

Believe it or not, there is actually a festival celebrating sea glass and it is right here on the Central Coast. The Cayucos Veterans Hall at the Pier hosts the Sea Glass Festival March 11-12 in the pretty little beach town of Cayucos. Vendors and artists will sell sea glass as well as their creations. All the information is at www.cayucosseaglass.com so you can plan a trip to this lovely area.

Days of Art takes place in Oceanside April 22-23 at Pier View way in the downtown area. All kinds of art will be for sale including paintings, sculpture, photographs, ceramics and jewelry. If you are in the mood to shop look at their website at www.ocaf.info to find out more.

Addendum:

I am happy to be a female artist, especially in this day and age even though we are experiencing a chaotic and uncertain climate. I am so proud of the Woman’s March that resonated with so many around the world. Not only did it take place worldwide, it was peaceful. Even though it is depressing to witness the disappearance of funding for the arts and the rise in popularity of the vulgar and uncouth, it is important to continue to make art and to sponsor creativity where we can. Artists and creators will persist as it is so important for us all.

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.