Three Trees 1 by Donalee Nelson
Three Trees (final) by Donalee Nelson
Some Thoughts on Painting
Robert Burridge is a local artist who gives painting seminars all over the world. He, along with his wife Kate, also posts short videos which demonstrate how he works. Recently, I was looking at one of these videos which demonstrated how he paints his “drip” trees. It looked like fun so I tried it. The result is above. The first painting is the bones, an underpainting, and the second shows the final product. It involves painting negative space which means that after you make a mess with all the drips you paint in the negative space, in this case the background and delineate the object. This can be done with any painting where the artist paints in the background first leaving an outline of the object as opposed to the other way round where the object is painted first. I chose to show with the drip paintings because they make a more dramatic illustration and can be demonstrated in two steps. I realized that the first time I did this was in 8th grade. Working on the cover of our yearbook I submitted a drawing that was approved but then had to paint it backwards, so to speak. The background had to be dark and the lines of the drawing light. It was a challenge for me at the time. Painting this way is much looser. There is a tendency as a beginner to try and paint the object as it appears. If a painting, drawing or photo is divided into quadrants it is easier to see shapes and then paint the shape in the quadrant rather than the object. That is very freeing. I know that I still have a tendency to try and paint the object when it is a subject that is new to me. Painting, making art, is such a wonderful and fun journey. To see Bob’s videos check out his page on social media or go to his website at www.robertburridge.com as you are in for a treat. He is very inventive and he makes things fun. Be sure and take a class if you can. Enjoy!
Highlights
Solvang, CA has a wonderful little museum in the heart of
the Danish community. Currently, the Elverhoj Museum hosts Manna
from Heaven featuring three wonderful artists including painters Robert
Burridge and Jim McWilliams as well as ceramist Bob Nichols. This stunning exhibit focuses on vessels used
to feed the body and the mind. It ends November 6 and is a must see. Go to www.elverhoj.org for information and for
dates when the artists will be speaking. There is even a two-day collage and
painting workshop in October and a drop-in clay workshop later that month. All
of these will be informative and fun…what a great opportunity to meet and work
with these guys. At the same time you can drop in on Danish Days in Solvang.
Danish Days has been going on for 80 years and celebrates all things Danish.
The annual event takes place September 16-18 this year and information is
available at www.solvangdanishdays.org
to find out all you need to know.
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
A Passionate Eye: The Weiner Family Collection is at The Palm Springs Museum through
December 11, 2016. Featured are over 60 sculptures, paintings and prints by an
impressive array of artists including Picasso, Moore, Marini and Lipchitz. The
list continues with works by Arp, Modigliani and Isamu Noguchi making this a
must see installation. 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.
Currently at the Bowers Museum
in Santa Ana is California Bounty:
Image and Identity, 1850-1930, which consists of paintings from the
museum’s collection representing a visual history of California. The exhibit
explores its mixture of Mexican and Anglo traditions as well as California’s
position on the Pacific Rim. Many paintings from the state’s Mission and Rancho
periods are part of the mix. Those who love art and California history 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 75th
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 as well for an
ongoing exhibit. British Art from
Whistler to WWII opens September 18 and runs through January of next
year. The fifty artworks represent an overview of British art from the end of
the 19th Century through World War II. Adjacent to this exhibit is a
collection of photographs by Sir Cecil Beaton. Cecil Beaton’s “London’s Honorable Scars”: Photographs of the Blitz
is a series of dramatic photographs by the famous photographer. 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.
Alternative Dreams: 17th- Century Chinese Paintings from the
Tsao Family Collection is currently at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art until December 4, 2016. The collection took over fifty years to
assemble and is one of the finest collections of Chinese Art of this period in
the United States. The collection contains works by some of China’s most
well-known artists. The 17th Century in China was one of turmoil and
saw the end of the Ming dynasty and the transformation to the Ching dynasty. It
was a period of creativity and eccentricity in art. More information is at www.lacma.org on this exhibit.
The Getty is featuring some
very special paintings. Degas:”Russian
Dancers” and the Art of Pastel is the centerpiece of the exhibit of
pastels by artists such as Henri de Toulouse Lautrec and Odilon Redon. It runs
until October 3, 2016. The place for information is at www.getty.edu with a sneak peek at what is in
store.
It’s not too late but you are
running out of time so be sure and catch The Art of Our Time at MOCA Grand Avenue in Los Angeles which features
post-1945 art from the museum’s large collection. The impetus for this installation
is an interesting one in that it attempts to shed light on the relationships
between the artists, the interest they had in each other’s work, the history of
art schools and their friendships. The artworks were chosen from close to 7000
objects. These wonderful works are on display through September 12, 2016. You
can see paintings by Rothko, Kline, Pollock, Krasner, Frankenthaler and
Mitchell among others. This is a must see so go to www.moca.com
for a taste of this show. There is a very nice video about abstract
expressionism on line that is worth the time.
Wow! Can’t wait for this one to
open. States of Mind: Picasso
Lithographs 1945 – 1960 opens October 14 and is on display through
February 13, 2017. The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena has one of the most
extensive collections of Picasso prints anywhere. Toward the end of WWII the
artist became more interested in the movement of his thoughts than of the
thoughts themselves. Due to the nature of paint and its density the process is
often covered up. Prints on the other hand offer an easier way to see the
process as a series of prints is easier and quicker to do so the artist can
change, add and subtract from print to print. I personally love to see the
evolution of an image. More information is available at www.nortonsimon.org so be sure to take a
look.
Ed Ruscha and the Great American
West opened
at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on July 16 and goes through October.
The exhibit includes 99 of the artist’s works. He left his home in Oklahoma at
the age of 18 and took Route 66 to California where he has worked for 50 years.
He is still actively painting at age 78 and continues to explore the great
American west. Check www.deyoung.famsf.org
which 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.
Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection
of Style
opens October 11 at the Seattle Art Museum and goes through January 8, 2017.
One of my favorites, this promises to be an incredible show as it not only
includes garments and accessories, it
also documents the process that the designer went through to arrive at the end
product. Included are drawings, films and photographs from Saint Laurent’s 44
year career. This is a must see. Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to obtain
more information.
Now at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver is a small
exhibit that highlights Still’s years in San Francisco. Clyfford Still and the San Francisco Scene, 1946-1950 is
open through October 9, 1916. This exhibit, which runs in conjunction with the
Denver Art Museum’s exhibition, The
Women of Abstract Expressionism, focuses on Still’s role as a teacher
in the Bay area. Check out www.clyffordstillmuseum.org
for all the details.
The groundbreaking exhibit, Women of Abstract Expressionism is at the Denver Art Museum through
September 25, 2016. This will be the first time this artwork has been shown
together. This very exciting exhibit features work by Helen Frankenthaler,
Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and Grace Hartigan as well as
other female artists, many lesser known. Information is available at www.denverartmuseum.org where you
will find a particularly informative video and slide show. It is about time for
an exhibit of this kind and it is wonderful that these women that I have
admired over the years are finally being recognized. I can’t wait for this
show! Lucky for us on the West Coast in that this exhibit will travel to the
Palm Springs Museum in February 2017.
Make Room for
Color Field includes
paintings by three of the foremost color field painters, Helen Frankenthaler,
Jules Olitski and Morris Louis. There is still ongoing discussions on just how
Louis created his paintings and how he got the look he did. The exhibit is on
view at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in St. Louis through November 27. The museum’s
website at www.nelson-atkins.org will provide more information.
The Chicago Arts Institute has so many wonderful
exhibitions currently. America after
the Fall: Paintings in the 1930s is just one of them. This exhibit,
which is open through September 18, 2016 features such artists as Georgia
O’Keefe, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton and William H. Johnson
and their reaction to the Great Depression. The 1930s reflected great changes
in the American way of life. The exhibit runs the gamut in styles and political
perspective. Be sure to go online as there is a wonderful video that
accompanies this exhibit and some discussions with artists. More details are at
www.artic.edu for this fascinating exhibit.
Stuart Davis: In Full Swing opened in June at the Whitney
in New York. One of my favorite modernists, his work is so colorful and
whimsical. In this exhibit his early works will hang next to later works as
they made reference to each other throughout his career. On September 16 Carmen Herrera will debut. The
Cuban–American artist is still working in her 100th year. A
contemporary of Ellsworth Kelly and Barnett Newman, her hard edged style
continues intact. The exhibit will contain work from her years in Paris as well
as selections from her Blanco y Verde
series, current work and some rare three dimensional pieces. The exhibit runs
through January. Be sure to check www.whitney.org for all the details. You
will be delighted.
Currently ensconced in the
Albright Knox Gallery, a little gem of a museum in Buffalo, New York, is Shade: Clyfford Still/Mark Bradford
which is up through October 2, 2016. Mr. Bradford picked twenty of Still’s
paintings from the museum’s collection and they are hanging in their own
galleries. In adjacent galleries Bradford created works specifically for this
show. 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.
Francis Bacon: Invisible Rooms opened at the Tate
Liverpool on May 18 and is open through September 2016. The artist is known for
painting a ghost like figure in many of his portraits. This device not only
draws attention to the figure but gives the viewer a glimpse of the emotional
content of the work. This exhibit examines his recurring use of this device. You can make plans by going to www.tate.org.uk 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.
Coming up in September at the
Victoria and Albert is You Say You
Want a Revolution? Records & Rebels 1966-70. Examining the upheaval
in all areas of society, the exhibit will bring together objects relating to
music, fashion, film, design and politics. Sex, drugs and rock and roll will be
the mantra of this major exhibition which runs from September 10, 2016-February
26, 2017. For more information on both exhibits www.vam.ac.uk
will have everything you need to know.
Black Chronicles: Photographic Portraits 1862 – 1948 is at
the National Portrait Gallery, London through December 11, 2016. This
interesting exhibit which intends to comment on Pre-World War II life in
Britain taps its own resources as well as those of Les Ballets Negres. The
portraits all have interesting stories associated with them. For example there
is a portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta who was born into a Yoruba royal family but
was captured in a slave hunt where her parents were murdered. A Royal Naval
Captain named Forbes convinced her captors to gift her to Queen Victoria. Sarah
was fostered and the Queen payed for her education. She later married a wealthy
merchant and lived in Laos. Her eldest daughter became Victoria’s god-child.
Information on this exhibit can be found at www.npg.org.uk
so you can plan your trip.
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
Batchelder: Tilemaker will be at the Pasadena
History Museum starting September 21. The exhibit runs through February 12, 2017 and celebrates
one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement in Southern California.
Batchelder started with a kiln in 1910 in Arroyo Seco. His tiles are highly
prized and some of you may be lucky enough to have a few in your home. This is
a great opportunity to learn more about the man and the process. Check out www.pasadenahistory.org for more
information.
Beautiful Morro Bay, CA is the
place to be! Starting September 10 with the Avocado and Margarita Street Festival which is exactly like
it sounds and followed up later in the month with an international art show. Pastels USA: An International Exhibit
begins September 20 and runs through October 30, 2016. Information for both
events can be found at www.avomargfest.com
or www.artcentermorrobay.com so
take your pick.
Addendum:
Another Drip Painting
The Usual Suspects by Donalee Nelson
My website, Nelson Fine Art Studio, was designed and created by Sandy Crespo. Check out her multimedia art on her Facebook page.
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.
