NELSON FINE ART STUDIO

Monday, July 1, 2019

July / August 2019

The Piano Player/You and I
by Donalee Nelson

More on Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration not only informs what I choose to paint but leads me on a path out of my comfort zone. Sometimes a painting is successful and sometimes it is not, but the process is always worthwhile. It affords me the opportunity to learn and add to my bag of tricks and even toss some out.

Recently I was watching an old movie that I had seen many times…a favorite. I was struck by a transitional but important scene. This movie is in color and the director was a wonderful artist. Normally I would have been in awe of the use of color but on this occasion what stood out to me was the construction of the scene…the composition, the angles, the staircase, the arches, and where people were placed. I had no inclination to copy the scene in a realistic manner but rather to use the structure. As I was painting and adding the basics I decided I wanted the painting to be blue. I was fiddling around with the piano player and remembered Matisse’s painting of the Red Room and the woman in it so I used her as the inspiration for my piano player. In this case a movie and a painting gave me an idea.

Highlights

Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist is a traveling exhibit starting off at the Phoenix Art Museum on March 9 and continuing through September 8, 2019. The little known artist studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and showed at the famous Armory Show of 1913. As she moved away from the mainstream, she decided to settle in Cathedral City, California. The show features about 45 of her paintings. After Phoenix the show goes to the New Mexico Museum of Art, then on to the Whitney in New York and finally to the Palm Springs Museum of Art. To see some of Agnes Pelton’s wonderful art work go to www.phxart.org and get all the specifics.

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

Currently at the Catalina Island Museum is Wrigley’s Catalina: A Centennial Celebration. It focuses on Wrigley’s first year of ownership in 1919 and how he planned to develop the island. The exhibit features photos, letters, documents, plans, blueprints, maps, and most interesting: digitized historic audio recordings of the Wrigley family and associates as they recount stories about the venture. Find out more about the exhibit which runs through January 19, 2020 and the Catalina Island Museum at www.catalinamuseum.org and take a tour. Starting in May the museum will present First Fridays which includes the screening of a movie and dinner. In September the museum will feature an exhibit about Esther Williams.

Upcoming at the Laguna Beach Art Museum is Thomas Hunt: California Modernist. Mr. Hunt was the son of a preeminent Canadian painter. He moved to Laguna where he painted many seascapes and helped found the Laguna Museum. A supreme colorist, Mr. Hunt’s work will be on view from October 13, 2019-January 12, 2020. My mother and I spent many wonderful times in Laguna wandering through the various art galleries. Many were off the beaten track. There are several other exhibits as Laguna celebrates the centennial of the beginning of the art association in this beautiful beach town. If you are as anxious as I am to see what is happening, take the time to get a preliminary look at www.lagunaartmuseum.org and learn more about these exhibits.

Now open at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is a spectacular event. Guo Pei: Couture Beyond will highlight the art of the famous couturiere. On view through July 14, 2019 the exhibit shows over 40 pieces of her work. Coming in September is Dimensions of Form: Tamayo and Mixographia. Fifty prints make up the exhibit. My brother owned one of these wonderful prints by this great Mexican artist. This exhibit is a special treat. Take a look at www.bowers.org for more facts and interesting information.

The Sweetness of Life: Three 18^th-Century French Paintings from The Frick Collection is currently at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. These three paintings by Francois Boucher, Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze give the viewer a look at the lives of the French middle class in the mid-1700s. To learn more about the exhibit go to the museum website at www.nortonsimon.org where you will also find information on other exhibits.

The exciting news is that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is featuring Frank Stella: Selections from the Permanent Collection through September 15, 2019. Many of these works have not been seen for 30 years. The pieces on view cover the artist’s long career from the 1950s through his current large sculptures. More information is available at www.lacma.org about this and other exhibits.

Flight of Fancy is currently in place at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The exhibit focuses on The Galle Chandelier which was created by the artist in 1818-19. It is an extraordinary work intended to look like a hot air balloon. Incorporated are the signs of the zodiac and a glass bowl for goldfish. The show runs through April 19, 2020. Getty center also has many Online Exhibitions as well as Traveling Exhibitions. Information at www.getty.edu will fill you in on what is going on as well as with dates and times.

At the Santa Paula Art Museum three Ventura County artists have come together for Common Ground: Meredith Brooks Abbott, Susan Petty and Gail Pidduck. The exhibit runs through July 7, 2019. All of these artists are award winners who are inspired by their gardens. By the way, all of these works of art are for sale and more information can be found at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org so check it out.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art has been undergoing a renovation. As a result paintings by currently featured artists are placed at the temporary entrance. Now through October 13, 2019, Kehinde Wiley: Equestrian Portrait of Prince Tommaso of Savoy-Carignan is on loan and is amazing for its color and detail. The installation is part of the museum’s Parks Project.

Highlights of the Permanent Collection celebrates the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75^th anniversary. The ongoing exhibit features some of the museum’s 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 Siqueiros 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.

The de Young Museum in San Francisco offers a very special show coming up this summer. Moving Forward, Looking Back: Prints from the Anderson Graphic Arts Collection debuts July 27, 2019 and runs through February 2, 2020. Historically students have learned their trade by copying earlier artists. Included in the exhibition are works by Jennifer Bartlett, Jim Dine, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg. The exhibit illustrates how art by earlier masters such as Bellini, Matisse, Monet, and Picasso advanced and affected their artwork. 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.

Andy Warhol–From A to B and Back Again is at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art through September 2, 2019. This exhibit covers three floors of the museum is the first Warhol retrospective in the U.S. since 1989. For a new take on the artist visit the museum’s site at www.sfmoma.org which has images and much more.

At the Seattle Art Museum find Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement which is open from June 2019-September 8, 2019. As a reaction to the industrialization that was changing their world these artists looked back to the past for inspiration and appreciated the value of the handmade. The exhibit features over 150 pieces including paintings, drawings, jewelry, textiles, sculptures and stained glass from artists such as Morris, Burne-Jones and Bunce. Ongoing at the Seattle Museum of Art is Big Picture: Art after 1945. The show includes some amazing works by Rothko, Motherwell, Newman, Hoffman, etc., and there are interesting videos on the museum website. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to obtain more information. All are wonderful and the interactive videos online are great!

The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver continues to present intriguing shows. As part of a series of exhibits curated by other artists, a new exhibit culled from the museum collection is up through September 22, 2019. Artists Select: Jonas Burget is the newest in this series. Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the details.

30 Americans is up from June 1 – August 25, 2019 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The exhibit features more than 80 works by some of the most influential African American artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Carrie Mae Weems and Mikalene Thomas. Included will be paintings, videos, drawings, and prints. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org will provide more information.

I was pleased to learn that The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting the first exhibition of the work of Edouard Manet at the museum in more than fifty years. Manet and Modern Beauty runs May 26, 2019 – September 8, 2019. This show focuses on his later work, specifically the paintings he did of actresses, models, and female friends. During this period in his life he also did a beautiful series of floral still lives. He was quite ill at this point and in a great deal of pain and was having trouble walking. He is perhaps best known for the paintings Le dejeuner sur l’herbe, Olympia, and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergere. My favorites are, however, these later works so it will be wonderful to see this show. More details are at www.artic.edu for these and other fascinating exhibits.

Anila Quayyum Agha: Between Light and Shadow begins October 19, 2019 at the Toledo Museum of Art. The work of the Pakistani-American artist fills three galleries with beautiful patterns of light and shadow. Each exhibit centers on a different topic such as loss of family and land, motifs found in communal spaces and a third which won top honors at ArtPrize 2014. For further information go to www.toledomuseum.org and see photos of the exhibit.

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 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 include 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 only permanent art exhibit on the mall will be Visual Art and the American Experience, which focuses on the contribution Americans of African descent made to the history of American Art. The galleries will also feature changing exhibits so check out www.nmaahc.si.edu for information. The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and Plaza, also part of the Smithsonian, features a wide range of sculpture from Auguste Rodin to more modern examples like those of Jean Arp. It is a great outdoor space with an ongoing display of many of the finest sculptures in the world. Make sure to check out Kusama’s Pumpkin.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. is celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the birth of Venetian artist Tintoretto with the exhibition Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice. The show runs March 24 – July 7, 2019. It is the first retrospective of his works in North America. Included are close to 50 paintings and many works on paper. Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings is on view until September 15, 2019 and includes 18 recent paintings. The American artist has studied African cultures and American Jazz and these influences can be seen in his paintings, prints and sculptures. Find more details at www.nga.gov with several examples for you to enjoy.

While you are in Washington D.C. you might also want to take a look at the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, the final home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. She was a collector and her home is open with special exhibits. If you are a lover of the decorative arts this is a good place to go. At this time through January 12, 2020 Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt is on display. A well-known photojournalist and contributor to LIFE throughout its history, he photographed Mrs. Post for an eighteen page spread in the magazine’s November 5, 1965 issue. Those photos are among the fifty photos and pieces of ephemera in this show. The museum’s website at www.hillwoodmuseum.org will give you information and reveal some of her amazing pieces of eye candy as well.

Currently at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art are two shows featuring artists whose work explores their backgrounds. Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer is the artist’s first major exhibition and will be at the museum through September 15, 2019. It features 65 works based on his Choctaw and Cherokee heritage including beaded punching bags, wall hangings and videos. Tyanna Buie: After Image is also at the museum through September 22, 2019. She had a disrupted childhood so her search for her roots has led her to make amazing art using what photos, bits of clothing, jewelry and accessories she has been able to find. Many are recreated in porcelain. For more information go to www.mmoca.org and get a look at these various exhibits.

The Impressionist’s Eye, which is at The Philadelphia Museum of Art through August 18, 2019, shares the work of Monet, Cassatt and Vincent van Gogh along with other artists. This is an important show as the viewer is able to see sculpture, works on paper and paintings by different artists that influenced one another shown together. This fascinating exhibit has information and videos on the museum’s website. Go to www.philamuseum.org to see more information about other shows as well.

Esther & The Dream of One Loving Human Family is at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore through March 3, 2024. The exhibition consists of 36 needlework and fabric collages of holocaust survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. At 15 she was in Poland in the middle of World War II. Her embroideries were stitched as memories for her family but they are also on display to remind all of us about the great danger inherent in demonizing anyone. This exhibit also includes a facsimile of Esther’s farm home. The museum website at www.avam.org will take you there.

Humble and Human: An Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is a collaboration of two great museums. Both the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York and the Detroit Institute of Arts are among my favorites. The exhibit, which began in Buffalo travelled to the DIA where it will run through October 13, 2019. Ralph Wilson Jr. lived in Detroit and was the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills. He was also a philanthropist. The exhibit features work by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir among others. The museum’s website at www.albrightknox.org has some interesting insights on the show.

The New York Historical Society has a beautiful website that you must see. The fourth floor of the museum has been turned into a Gallery of Tiffany Lamps from the museum’s extensive collection. This ongoing exhibit features 100 lamps, many designed by women. Starting last November and ongoing is Audubon’s Birds of America Focus Gallery which will display watercolor models for the artist’s work, The Birds of America. The society also has Picasso’s Le Tricorne on display. The painted theater curtain from the ballet was produced in 1919. Visitors can also have a look at Ed Ruscha’s Fanned Book from 2013. Currently, through August 4, 2019 Hudson Rising is on view. This major thoroughfare has been photographed, written about, painted, mapped and surveyed. This exhibit looks at 200 years of change and evolution. There is much to see at this great venue so check out www.nyhistory.org and prepare to be surprised by all the wonderful historical pieces on view.

Epic Abstraction: Pollock to Herrera is an ongoing exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. With over 50 large paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the show covers the 1940s through the 21^st century and has works by Pollock, Frankenthaler, Herrera, Twombly, and Nevelson as well as abstract work by artists from different countries. Also on display is In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at the Met which runs through October 4, 2020. Covering the golden age of Dutch painting, it also places the works in their cultural context. Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll, presented in concert with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, runs through October 1, 2019. Exploring the relationship between musicians and their instruments, about 130 instruments and costumes will be on display. More information on these special shows is at www.metmuseum.org so look for highlights there.

Several interesting shows are coming to the Museum of Modern Art in New York next year. Opening in February Dorothea Lange: Words and Pictures is her first retrospective in fifty years and shares many of the photographer’s images and words focused on the human condition. Judd opens March 1, 2020 and is the first retrospective of the sculptor's work in thirty years. His work, though using industrial materials, combines sculpture, painting and drawing. Félix Fénéon: The Anarchist and the Avant-Garde – From Signac to Matisse and Beyond opens at the end of March. M. Fénéon was a collector, critic, publisher and anarchist. Signac decided to paint a portrait of the influential gentleman. It is this portrait that is at the center of this exhibit along with over 160 artworks that Fénéon admired and championed. Artists that he collected as well included Matisse, Signac, Bonnard, Seurat and Modigliani. The museum website at www.moma.org has more information.

Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 is at the Whitney in New York through May 2020. While many Americans traveled south many Mexican artists came to the U.S.A. and their influence on American artists was profound. This exhibit features over 300 works by 85 Mexican and American artists. The major Mexican Muralists, such as Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros, spent extended amounts of time here. In fact, we have several of these murals in California such as the Siqueiros mural at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. By the way, the Rivera mural in Detroit is extraordinary. For more about the exhibit go to www.whitney.org and find much more information.

Several ongoing shows are at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Since the museum has an extensive collection it is featuring the work of Constantin Brâncuși, one of the most important sculptors of the 20^th century. The Guggenheim started collecting his work in the 1950s and it is their impressive collection that is on display. Also ongoing at the museum is the Thannhauser Collection which features many French masterpieces by such artists as Degas and Picasso. Don’t forget to check out other museum locations such as Bilbao and Venice. Bilbao has a great Giacometti show as well as one from van Gogh to Picasso. Feel free to go to www.guggenheim.org for information and make sure to listen to various curators talk about the challenges of restoring Red Lilly Pads, as well as an Alexander Calder mobile. Also on view is an amazing and unique Kandinsky painting which is oil on glass…make sure to see Lion Hunt painted in 1911.

One of the current exhibits at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City is Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak’s Designs for Opera and Ballet. Best known for his children’s books, the artist also designed sets and costumes for the stage. The exhibit includes storyboards, sketches, costume studies and dioramas from Mozart’s Magic Flute, Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen, Prokofiev’s Love for Three Oranges. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and an opera based on Where the Wild Things Are. He was inspired by other artists and many of these artworks are included in the show which is on through October 6, 2019. The museum website at www.themorgan.org has a nice video about the show and shares a view of the exhibit.

Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper is on view at the Brooklyn Museum until October 13, 2019. The exhibit includes more than a hundred drawings and prints from etchings by Rembrandt to prints and drawings by Picasso. To learn more go to www.brooklynmuseum.org for more details.

El Museo del Barrio in New York City has two interesting exhibits that cross paths in time. Culture and The People: El Museo del Barrio, 1961 – 2019 Part I/Selections from the Permanent Collection is currently up through September 29, 2019. Part II /Historic Timeline begins June 11 and continues concurrently with Part I. In a nod to its activist origins these exhibits feature art from the collection. Included are works by artists of diverse cultural backgrounds, indigenous art and artifacts as well as works by contemporary artists. To find out more check in at www.elmuseo.org and enjoy the online stories.

At this moment the Boston Museum of Fine Art houses several interesting exhibits. Among them is Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris. The exhibit details the nightlife of Paris and Montmartre and the folks he painted there and made into stars. It runs through August 4, 2019. Mural: Jackson Pollock/Katharina Grosse will be on display through February 23, 2020. Juxtaposing Pollock’s largest painting with a current work by Grosse, the exhibit shows how artwork was transformed by each artist’s original approach and technique. Please be sure and look at www.mfa.org to find more information and continue to check so you don’t miss anything.

A Passion for American Art: Selections from the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection is at The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. The exhibition is on view until December 1, 2019 and features a stunning range of genres. The couple collected superior furniture, folk art, artwork by Childe Hassam, Georgia O’Keeffe, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent. The place to find more information is www.pem.org and get a view of this engaging exhibit.

Currently at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London through September 1, 2019 is Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams. The exhibit takes a look at one of the most influential clothing designers of the twentieth century. Dior created the New Look, which included fuller skirts that were right in step after the restrictions of WWII. His assistant was a young man, Yves Saint Laurent, who took on the mantle of head designer when Dior died, and who became equally as famous. In the sixties another fashion revolution exploded with miniskirts and hot pants. Mary Quant, named for the designer who started it all, is on through February 16, 2020. Included are more than 200 garments and accessories as well as pieces from the designer’s archive. For more information check these out at www.vam.ac.uk if they are of interest.

Until August 11, 2019 the Tate Britain is hosting The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh And Britain. The show features 45 works by the artist in an attempt to share how the artist was inspired by Britain and how he inspired British artists in return. Keith Haring is at the Tate Liverpool until November 10, 2019. The artist and activist worked with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat and this is the first major exhibition of his work in the UK. More than 85 of his pieces will be on display. More information on these exhibits is at www.tate.org.uk which will have everything you need to know. While you are there, check out the amazing videos at the site about various exhibitions and van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhone.

The National Gallery in London has put together the first exhibition of the work of the artist Sorolla in the United Kingdom in over a century. Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light runs through July 7, 2019 so you can still catch it if you hurry. His iridescent canvases are exquisite. Find more information at www.nationalgallery.org.uk when you look for details.

Kaffe Fassett’s Quilts in America is at the American Museum and Gardens in Bath, England through November 3, 2019. The show features twenty new quilts by Kaffe and his team including Brandon Mably and Phillip Jacobs. As a point of reference, the museum has included eighteen historic quilts from the museum’s own collection. Find photos from this show at www.americanmuseum.org as well as information on this and other exhibits.

There are many exciting exhibits at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Berthe Morisot: Female Impressionist is there June 18 – September 27, 2019 followed by Degas at the Opera which is scheduled for September 24, 2019 – January 19, 2020. The Musée de l'Orangerie also has many fine exhibits. Check out www.musee-orsay.fr if you will be in Paris for any of these shows.

Dora Maar is at the Pompidou Centre in Paris until July 29, 2019. Known more for her association with Picasso, the exhibit contains her artwork, photography and her ventures into Surrealism. Find out more details online at www.centrepompidou.fr and take a look at an early Vasarely work from 1938, Zebres – A. It is wonderful.

The Musée Unterlinden in Colmar, France underwent a renovation and expansion in 2016. In the Alsace region, the museum has been in existence since 1853 and is home to Grünewald's Medieval masterpiece, Isenheim Altarpiece, as well as one of only 3 tapestries of Guernica approved by Picasso. It also has a large collection of Dubuffet artwork. The National Geographic station aired the made-for-television series on Picasso’s life which features a dramatization of the making of Guernica and how it came to be and why. I had the privilege of seeing the work at MoMA years ago. As I got off the elevator in the museum I came face to face with this large masterpiece. I have never forgotten the experience. The museum’s website at www.musee-unterlinden.com, is very informative.

Finally, a very special exhibit will open at the Louvre this fall. The year 2019 is a significant year for the artist Leonardo da Vinci. He came to France at the behest of King Francois I along with a large number of his paintings and died there in 1519 so 2019 is the fifth centenary of his death. The Louvre holds about a third of his body of work. This exhibit will showcase the five large paintings in the museum as well as 14 to 17 works attributed to him and 22 drawings by the master. If you are interested the museum website at www.louvre.fr has many more details.

Simply the Best:

The best place to find books on the arts, Arcana is a very special bookstore located in the Helms Bakery complex in Los Angeles…it is 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

Come to the Central Coast of California. We have wonderful beaches and countless wineries. You will find a Danish Village, beautiful Moroccan architecture and exotic gardens. Special events abound.

On July 7, 2019 LotusFest takes place at Lotusland in Santa Barbara. Featured is food, beer and wine in the beautiful botanical garden. The website at www.lotusland.org will have all the information as reservations are required.

The 31^st annual Santa Barbara French Festival is on July 13-14 this year. Join in to celebrate Bastille Day with entertainment on three stages plus lawn games and of course, wine, crepes, art, dance and the Canine Cavalcade. There is a lot to enjoy so check out www.frenchfestival.com for details.

As usual the California Wine Festival at Santa Barbara takes place in various locations. This year it is set for July 19-20 with rare wine tastings and food from local chefs. A sunset rare & reserve tasting takes place on July 19, 2019 from 6:30-9pm at Chase Palm Park Carousel House. The event starts with a champagne reception then rare reserve level wines are served with appetizers from local chefs, artisan cheeses, fresh fruits and olive oils. Live music adds a finishing touch. To find out more go to www.californiawinefestival.com and gather up some friends for a wonderful experience.

The Santa Barbara Greek Festival with its own Greek Village comes to town July 27-28, 2019. Featuring Greek food, music, dancing and crafts check out www.santabarbaragreekfestival.org for more information.

For the quintessential Santa Barbara experience come to the 95^th annual Old Spanish Days-Fiesta. This year the celebration of Santa Barbara’s heritage takes place July 31-August 4 in various locations. You won’t want to miss it so go to www.oldspanishdays-fiesta.org for all the information.

UC Santa Barbara just received a treasure trove of drawings by the late architect Lockwood De Forest III. His Italy Scrapbook was made on a trip he took in 1921. The drawings are primarily of gardens so are of interest to artists and gardeners alike. In order to view it call the UC Art and Architecture Museum in Santa Barbara at 805.893.2951 to make an appointment.

A little north, but still in Santa Barbara County, you will find Santa Maria. This year the Obon Festival is on July 28 at the Veterans Memorial Cultural Center. It features Japanese food, crafts, dancing and martial arts displays. Currently, there are many of these Japanese Festivals in cities throughout California so check in your area to find one close to you. In the meantime, go to www.guadalupebuddhistchurch.org for all you need to know about the celebration in Santa Maria.

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.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

May / June 2019

More on Inspiration

There are times when I am without inspiration for a painting and am confronted with a blank piece of paper or a blank canvas. That situation can be intimidating and frustrating, and I can compare it to writer’s block that can sometimes derail authors. The only choice for an artist or author is to just go ahead and start. An artist can throw some paint out, go from there and hope.

Luckily for me, I find inspiration in many things. I did a series of flower paintings some time ago. The series consisted of different flowers in different vessels. The Blue Bottle was part of that series. I saw it again recently and decided to paint a companion piece in opposite colors. In this case my inspiration was the color that I found beautiful and wanted to use and twist a bit. The Blue Bottle was painted from a still life set-up with a bottle full of morning glories. I certainly have a long history of making paintings of flowers but, Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue is not a standard studio setup but a painting purely out of my head based on colors that I love. Again, I never know where the inspiration will come from.

Highlights

Where you can see my artwork

Not To Be Missed – Museum Exhibits

Currently at the Catalina. Island Museum is Wrigley’s Catalina: A Centennial Celebration. It focuses on Wrigley’s first year of ownership in 1919 and how he planned to develop the island. The exhibit features photos, letters, documents, plans, blueprints, maps, and most interesting: digitized historic audio recordings of the Wrigley family and associates as they recount stories about the venture. Find out more about the exhibit which runs through January 19, 2020 and the Catalina Island Museum at www.catalinamuseum.org and take a tour. Starting in May the museum will present First Fridays which includes the screening of a movie and dinner. In September the museum will feature an exhibit about Esther Williams.

Currently at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is Matisse/Odalisque. The small exhibit spotlights paintings featuring erotic images of women in stylized oriental harem-like surroundings. Many are obviously staged and even though Matisse declared his work to be an excuse to paint nudes, the backgrounds are exquisitely decorated. In addition to Matisse the exhibit features artists such as Picasso and Brazille. It runs through June 17, 2019. To learn more about the exhibit go to the museum website at www.nortonsimon.org where you will also find information on other exhibits.

As a special feature at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Rauschenberg: The ¼ Mile (or 2 Furlong Piece) will be on view through June 9, 2019. The work took over 17 years to create and consists of 190 panels. More information is available at www.lacma.org about this and other exhibits.

Flight of Fancy is currently in place at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The exhibit focuses on The Galle Chandelier which was created by the artist in 1818-19. It is an extraordinary work intended to look like a hot air balloon. Incorporated are the signs of the zodiac and a glass bowl for goldfish. The show runs through April 19, 2020. Getty Center also has many Online Exhibitions as well as Traveling Exhibitions. Information at www.getty.edu will fill you in on what is going on as well as with dates and times.

At the Santa Paula Art Museum three Ventura County artists have come together for Common Ground: Meredith Brooks Abbott, Susan Petty and Gail Pidduck. The exhibit runs through July 7, 2019. All of these artists are award winners who are inspired by their gardens. By the way, all of these works of art are for sale and more information can be found at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org so check it out.

The de Young Museum in San Francisco offers some special shows right now. Monet: The Late Years features around 50 paintings from 1913-1926. These were the artist’s last and more modern paintings. He did not travel much at that time and was at home for the most part, so most of these were of his garden. The exhibit runs through May 27, 2019. Also at the museum through June 23, 2019 is Gauguin: A Spiritual Journey. This is the first time this museum has dedicated a show to Gauguin. Featuring more than 50 works, the exhibit includes paintings, ceramics and wood carvings. 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.

There is a beautiful planned community developed in the 1960s in northern California. The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism is a wonderful exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Art through June 2, 2019. Designed by a group of progressive architects from San Francisco, the exhibit features original sketches and drawings, as well as photographs. We discovered Sea Ranch a few years ago and it is wonderful. The museum’s site at www.sfmoma.org has images and much more.

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., and there are interesting videos on the museum website. Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement opens in June 2019. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to obtain more information. All are wonderful and the interactive videos online are great!

The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas is hosting From Remington to O’Keeffe: The Carter’s Greatest Hits. This is part of the museum’s extensive collection of American Art. Up until June 2, 2019 check out www.cartermuseum.org for more details.

Super/Natural: Textiles of the Andes is at the Art Institute of Chicago now through June 23, 2019. Featured are over 60 textiles and a selection of ceramics that cross cultures, and different areas of Peru, as well as time periods. Also at the museum through June 9, 2019 is Rembrandt Portraits. Featuring two portraits, one a self-portrait, the focus is on Rembrandt’s use of props to highlight the painter’s ability. If you ever have a chance to see any of his self-portraits together it will be quite a treat as they tell his life story beautifully with all its ups and downs. I was pleased to learn that The Art Institute of Chicago is hosting the first exhibition of the work of Edouard Manet at the museum in more than fifty years. Manet and Modern Beauty opens May 26, 2019 – September 8, 2019. This show focuses on his later work, specifically the paintings he did of actresses, models, and female friends. During this period in his life he also did a beautiful series of floral still lives. He was quite ill at this point and in a great deal of pain and was having trouble walking. He is perhaps best known for the paintings Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, Olympia, and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère. My favorites are, however, these later works so it will be wonderful to see this show. More details are at www.artic.edu for these and other fascinating exhibits.

The Detroit Institute of Arts has expanded its Asian Galleries which opened November 4, 2018. Joining the Japanese Wing are the new Asian Galleries which include works from China, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Buddhist Art from all over Asia. Upcoming are several excellent exhibits. From Camelot to Kent State: Pop Art, 1960-1975 is an exhibit on view until August 25, 2019 and features works by Claes Oldenburg, Jasper Johns, Rosenquist, Rauschenberg and Warhol. It includes over 70 works of art and covers the Kennedy years to the shootings at Kent State. I happened to be in a motel in Toledo on the day of the shootings, close to Kent State, where I heard unsympathetic comments about how protesters should be dealt with…many seemed to feel that that the results were warranted. I will never forget that day and the anguish I felt.

Humble and Human: An Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is a collaboration of two great museums. Both the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York and the Detroit Institute of Arts are among my favorites. The exhibit started in Buffalo on February 2, 2019 – May 26, 2019 so you still have time to see it. It then travels to the DIA and opens on June 23, 2019. Ralph Wilson Jr. lived in Detroit and was the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills. He was also a philanthropist. The exhibit features work by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir among others. Check the museum website at www.dia.org to find information on this show and its collections.

While you are in Washington D.C. you might also want to take a look at the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, the final home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. She was a collector and her home is open with special exhibits. Perfume and Seduction is up through June 9, 2019 and features eighteenth century luxury items for the ritual of la toilette. If you are a lover of the decorative arts this is a good place to go and www.hillwoodmuseum.org will give you information and reveal some of her amazing pieces of eye candy.

Ongoing through June 9, 2019 is Eye Deal: Abstract Bodies of the Chicago Imagist at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibit features a group of figurative Chicago artists who came to the fore in the 1960s. Their work was a commentary on popular advertisements of the time and were witty and comical. For more information go to www.mmoca.org and get a look at various exhibits.

Esther & The Dream of One Loving Human Family is at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore through March 3, 2024. The exhibition consists of 36 needlework and fabric collages of holocaust survivor Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. At 15 she was in Poland in the middle of World War II. Her embroideries were stitched as memories for her family but they are also on display to remind all of us about the great danger inherent in demonizing anyone. The exhibit also includes a facsimile of Esther’s farm home. The museum website at www.avam.org will take you there.

Humble and Human: An Exhibition in Honor of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. is a collaboration of two great museums. Both the Albright-Knox Museum in Buffalo, New York and the Detroit Institute of Arts are among my favorites. The exhibit, which began in Buffalo and is still on view until May 26, 2019 so you can still catch it there. It will then travel to the DIA, where it will run June 23 - October 13, 2019. Ralph Wilson Jr. lived in Detroit and was the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills. He was also a philanthropist. The exhibit features work by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir among others. The museum’s website at www.albrightknox.org has some interesting insights on the show.

Epic Abstraction: Pollock to Herrera is an ongoing exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. With over 50 large paintings, sculptures and assemblages, the show covers the 1940s through the 21^st century and has works by Pollock, Frankenthaler, Herrera, Twombly and Nevelson as well as abstract work by artists from different countries. Also on display is In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at the Met which runs through October 4, 2020. Covering the golden age of Dutch painting, it also places the works in their cultural context. Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll, presented in concert with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, comes to the Met on April 8 – October 1, 2019. Exploring the relationship between musicians and their instruments, about 130 instruments and costumes will be on display. More information on these special shows is at www.metmuseum.org so look for highlights there.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York shares Joan Miró: Birth of the World, a painting which was inspired by a poem. The show runs through June 15, 2019. The exhibit examines the painting and puts it in context with the artist’s other paintings. The museum website at www.moma.org has more information.

Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 is at the Whitney in New York through May 2020. While many Americans traveled south many Mexican artists came to the U.S.A. and their influence on American artists was profound. This exhibit features over 300 works by 85 Mexican and American artists. The major Mexican Muralists, such as Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros, spent extended amounts of time here. In fact, we have several of these murals in California such as the Siqueiros mural at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. By the way, the Rivera mural in Detroit is extraordinary. For more about exhibit go to www.whitney.org and find much more information.

If you are a Hobbit fan this show is for you. The exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City is the largest display of Tolkien material to be shown to the public. Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth includes original material from several collections and will be open through May 12, 2019. Included are family photos and memorabilia as well as illustrations, maps and designs. The museum website, www.themorgan.org shares a view of the exhibit.

At the Brooklyn Museum Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving is on view through May 12, 2019. This exhibit displays many items of the painter’s personal property including clothing and photos. Also on display are important paintings and drawings by the artist. The museum has also included works from its extensive Mesoamerican Art collection as well as historical film and ephemera. To learn more go to www.brooklynmuseum.org for more details.

The Boston Museum of Fine Art Exhibition Lab: Sargent and Fashion through June 23, 2019. As a precursor to a huge Sargent exhibit coming in 2021-22, this show allows visitors to give input for the big show that the museum is co-organizing with the Tate. Also at the Boston Museum is Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular. This exhibit which runs through June 16, 2019 focuses on Kahlo’s collection of Mexican folk art and its influence on her work. Continue to check so you don’t miss anything because coming up soon is Toulouse-Lautrec and the Stars of Paris. The exhibit details the nightlife of Paris and Montmartre and the folks he painted there and made into stars. The exhibit begins April 7 –August 4, 2019. Please be sure and look at www.mfa.org to find more information.

Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment is at The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts until May 5, 2019. The show uses the work of such artists as Audubon, Bierstadt, Homer, Cole and O’Keeffe to show the relationship between art and our natural habitat. Many of the over 100 works are iconic masterpieces and several are rare. The place to find more information is www.pem.org and get a view of this engaging exhibit.

C0ming March 27 - August 11, 2019 to the Tate Britain is The EY Exhibition: Van Gogh And Britain. The show features 45 works by the artist in an attempt to share how the artist was inspired by Britain and how he inspired British artists in return. The Tate Modern shares the work of one of the finest colorists of the 19^th century with its show, Bonnard: The Color of Memory. Hurry if you can so you can catch as it is about to close. Running until May 6, 2019, the exhibit covers the period from 1912 through 1947 when Bonnard died. Color became very important to him and he enjoyed painting from memory and sketches. Many of his paintings are of everyday places and people … glimpses of places just left or meals just finished. For more information on these exhibits www.tate.org.uk will have everything you need to know. While you are there, check out the amazing videos at the site about various exhibitions and van Gogh’s Starry Night over the Rhone.

The National Gallery in London has put together the first exhibition of the work of the artist Sorolla in the United Kingdom in over a century. Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light runs from March 18 – July 7, 2019. His iridescent canvases are exquisite. Find more information at www.nationalgallery.org.uk when you look for details.

Jeff Koons at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum is open from February 7 – June 9, 2019. The combination of one of the most subversive artists and the world’s oldest public museum is interesting in itself. The exhibit is curated with input from the artist himself which also adds a surprising element. Spanning over 4 decades and featuring 17 major works, the show will undoubtedly spark controversy. Check out their website at www.ashmolean.org for information plus some interesting videos.

There are many exciting exhibits at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Berthe Morisot: Female Impressionist is there June 18 – September 27, 2019 followed by Degas at the Opera which is scheduled for September 24, 2019 – January 19, 2020. The Musée de l’Orangerie also has many fine exhibits. Check out www.musee-orsay.fr if you will be in Paris for any of these shows.

At the Pompidou Centre in Paris a major retrospective, Victor Vasarely: Sharing Forms, runs through May 2019. The “grandfather” and leader of the Op Art movement is the focus of this show with over 300 paintings, drawings and pop art objects. Vasarely was born in Hungary and is considered a Hungarian/French artist. Ellsworth Kelly's Windows is also on display until May 27, 2019. Exhibited are 6 windows created by the artist in France during the period of 1949-1950. Included are related works such as paintings, drawings, sketches and photographs. Find out more details online at www.centrepompidou.fr and take a look at an early Vasarely work from 1938, Zebres – A. It is wonderful.

Simply the Best:

Places to Go, People to See

At this time of year, throughout California there are many local festivals and special events. Check events near you for car shows, quilt exhibits, art and wine events, and gardening shows, as well as strawberry festivals. The extra perk about checking out many of the following venues on the California Central Coast is that they are all near wineries!!! You can make a weekend of it and enjoy the venue, the beach and a toast.

If you hurry you can just catch the last performances of Ramona, the early California story of star-crossed lovers and racial inequality. It has been performed at Hemet’s Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre for many years. If you’ve never had the opportunity to see it, now is the time. The production with more than 600 performers, dancers and musicians comes to life for several weeks including May 4-5. The historical story is a must see so go to www.ramonabowl.com for details.

The 26^th Annual Avila Beach Blues Festival is coming up May28, 2019. This year the headliners include Little Feat as well as Eric Burdon & the Animals. This small town venue on California’s Central Coast at the Avila Beach Resort is beautiful so you can enjoy the scenery as well as the music. More information is at www.tinyurl.com/avila-festival so check it out.

In Santa Barbara the annual I Madonnari chalk drawing festival is from May 25-27 this year. See wonderful sidewalk chalk drawings at the Old Mission Santa Barbara. It is free and their website at www.imadonnarifestival.com has all information posted.

Go to beautiful Ojai for the Lavender Festival on June 29, 2019. The 16^th annual festival in Libbey Park celebrates everything lavender. Go to www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org to find out about lavender plants, food, jewelry, clothing, shopping and dancing at this fun show. You might even catch Rona Barrett there as she owns a lavender farm in the area.

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.