08.29.07
Posted in Calendar at 7:43 pm by admin
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Art Scene…”Mildred Kouzel’s collage paintings deal with cookie cutters malls and housing developments of Monopoly-like game board homes. Her critique of the social fracturing of the urban landscape makes its point with a sense of wry humor that somehow elicits both smiles and shakes of the head.”
Long Beach Museum of Art: Congradulations to artist Kent Twitchell. The Long Beach Museum, CA, has acquired and added to their permanent collection the artist’s giant pencil drawings of Kent Twitchell. Go to http://artbridgesgallery.com to view other works by Kent Twitchell, including a pencil portrait of Steve McQueen, who’s private plane is currently offered for sale by a private party. Long Beach Museum of Art, 23oo Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA. Information: 562-439-2119.
EXHIBITS: Look for highlighted artists on http://artbridgesgallery.com
“Mammygraphs” by Mark Steven Greenfield. Multimedia phtographs and sculptural works…from the heyday of blackface minstrelsy. This exhibition surveys the work created over the last ten years of Greenfield’s illustrious career. ”Trick Baby” by Ernest Arthur Bryant III. Minneapolis-based artist weaves race, politics, pop culture and art history into his mixed media assemblages. Wignall Museum at Chaffey College 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737. http://www.chaffeyedu/wignall. August 28-September 27, 2008. Reception: Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 6-9pm. Artists lecture: Tuesday September 2, 2008, 6–7pm.
PERFORMANCES & EVENTS
“The Dance: The History of American Mistrelsy“ Performance featuring Aaron White and Jason Christophe White of in Tha Cut Productions. The Dance condenses 100 years of minstrelsy history and explorations of the lingering perceptions that exist today (received 2007 award for “Best Playwright”) with the support of Mark Steven Greenfield, Harry Belafonte, KCET and others. Co-sponsors include: VPCA, ASSCC/Student Activities, Language Arts, Human Resources, and AMAN/AWOMAN. FREE. Chaffey College Theater, 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737. Monday, September 15, 2008, 7-9pm. http://www.chaffeyedu/wignall
“Erasing the Fear of American Ministrelsy“ Lecture featuring Aaron White and Jason Christophe White, In Tha Cut Productions. FREE. Chaffey College Theater, Wargin Hall 142, 5885 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737. Monday, September 15, 2008, 12:30-2pm. http://www.chaffeyedu/wignall.
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08.20.07
Posted in Art Insight, Artist News at 2:50 pm by admin
WAYS & MEANS: The Artist & the Collector
ART COLLECTIONS & THE COLLECTOR“ Art collecting has a long history, and most of the world’s art museums grew out of great collections formed by royalty, the aristocracy, or the wealthy.” However, in the 20th and 21st century, art collecting has become increasingly more financially accessible to most citizens. Many individuals are directly handling their financial accounts or working through a financial advisor. They’ve learned the importance of diversifying their holdings to include stocks and bonds, property and artwork. “The volume and scope of art collecting have continued to expand … resulting in ever-higher prices for works of art.” For example, the 2006 Spring market’s vitality for contemporary art reached $432 million in sales.
STATE & FEDERAL LEGISLATION: Legislation passed to protect visual & public artists. The artist, collector and those persons, corporations, and other entities purchasing fine art or commissioning public art need to know these laws for their mutual protection. California Resale Royalties Act (CA Civil Code S986) http://ivanhoffman.com/crra.htm; and California Art Preservation Act (CA Civil Code S987) http://sfacommission.org/pubart/about_us/faq/index.html look under resources; and Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA-17 U.S.C.) http://www.studiolo.org/CIP/VARA/CIP-VARA . We also recommend you read proposed legislation giving artists equal treatment to collectors when they donate their work at afinch@artsusa.org . Go to http://artbridgesgallery.com -front page to view Kent Twitchell’s story. SHARE YOUR STORIES!
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Posted in Artist News at 2:37 pm by admin
ARTIST FEATURES
Musings of an Artist
What’s a senior, the last year in high school or college? The word aged is taboo in our youth worshiping culture, yet age only denotes the number of years one has inhabited the planet. I’m such an elder, which means I have a history of living and of developing my art as I live through phases in career change, marriage, raising a family, losses, and successes….I see that my artist colleagues are stretching their visions, enlarging and developing their scopes of interest. How inspiring are Matisse and Monet as they left their legacy with art done in spite of infirmities. - Mildred Kouzel - (The greatest artists do not retire. Art-Work is a lifelong endeavor. Henri Matisse - 80’s, Claude Monet - 80’s, Pablo Picasso - 90’s; Salivadore Dali - 90’s)
Beauty Beyond Tragedy
There is beauty beyond tragedy that effects me when I look at, or create a painting of this nature. . An artist friend looked at one of my painting’s and didn’t initially respond. Two years later, after originally seeing the work, she exclaimed, “You know, that’s a beautiful painting.” The first thing that effects me when I look at a painting is the color; then the movement in the brushstroke in relationship to form and shape; then how it all comes together as a whole. Occasionally, I will see a painting where all of these elements come together simultaneously but many times it takes several viewings to perceive the work. One professor said to me, “If you like something right off, beware, let it sit awhile; and then look at it again.” Look at the art. Look at the artist’s expression and execution, color, line and form. Lastly, look at the content – Thea Robertshaw-
A Glimpse of Brazil
Arlete Soares, photographer and publisher, invited me to conduct Public Art workshops for the homeless street children of Bahia. For one month I was transported into a magical world filled with the rich folk culture of *Umbanda/Candomble and *Orisha deities. Each day after working with the children I sat somewhere in the city and made collages using artifacts collected such as candy wrappers, ticket stubs, business cards, photos and local newspapers to make a multi-media collage book. In contrast to the colorful festive mood of the “Brazil” series, the underlying social and economic conditions I encountered were shocking. Large families intentionally abandoned their unwanted children at Carnival, forcing them to live on the street or beach to beg or steal from tourists. Despite all the serious conditions that existed I found an inspiring passion for life. There was nonstop music everywhere, soccer madness, vivid buildings in pastel colors and unique restaurants. One day at the end of the trip Arlete said to me, “Bahia is magical. You are blessed as the Orishas opened all doors for you and your art in a grand style.” *Umbanda/Candomble: Yoruba African spirit worship blending with Catholism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Orishas: African demi-gods. – Gayle Salmon Gale-
The Romantic Spirit
Buildings are more than functional shelters; they are the means by which architects communicate their visions. Buildings are the bridges that architects construct between themselves and their viewers. Perhaps no American architect connects to people so clearly as does Frank Lloyd Wright through his buildings. Wright invites us into a dialogue about the way Romantic ideas fuel the spirit of human potential. He conceived an architecture that appealed to the human craving for beauty…[by] how the foundation engages the ground, where the roof meets the sky, the placement of trees and foliage – all of these environmental factors were as significant to him as the structures themselves. His work is evidence that designs from the past can be timeless and inspire subsequent generations to work against a dislocation from nature. Growing up in Chicago I was surrounded by a legacy of impressive architecture, but the houses of Frank Lloyd Wright made an especially deep impression. The essential beauty of his work was evident immediately, yet it was the feelings I experienced while watching his buildings interact with their environments that initiated my interest in his ideas. My quest in creating art based on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright is not only to communicate my personal reactions to his designs, but also to expand the discussions inherent in the original work. Through photography I reveal how his architecture can force us to think and feel about the harmony between nature and humanity. This is the Romantic Spirit that originally touched me in the buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright. –Carol Bishop-(“The Romantic Spirit” by Carol Bishop – may be found on Amazon.com)
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08.06.07
Posted in Featured Artist at 3:53 pm by admin
The Holy Trinity with the Virgin
View from the Top…of Scaffolding (a controversial recollection)
At Otis Art Institure there was an ongoing controversy, instigated by a few students in my Renaissance Art class, that happened whenever the professor dared to mention Jesus, Mary, or one of the apostles in a historical painting. They insisted that Otis was a government-supported school and that saying religious names in the classroom was against the separation of church and state. One day, Charles White, Chairman of the Drawing Department, recommended that I paint the west wall of the main classroom building as my graduate thesis project. It took me months to get the signatures of all of the members of the LA County Board of Supervisors. I was planning to paint 3 people in white lab coats, representing research and the pursuit of knowledge. A year later, after a short interview, an LA Times reporter asked, “What do you call it?”I answered, “The Holy Trinity with the Virgin.” He wadded up his notes and started over. His story caused quite a stir and people who had never seen the mural called for its destruction. But, the mural was just a painting of some people in white lab coats. The woman on the left, however, was Jan Clayton, the idyllic and chaste mother, without a husband, in the original “Lassie” TV series of the mid-50’s. She was my Virgin Mary.On the far right was Billy Gray, son on the popular “Father Knows Best” TV series of the late-50’s. He was the son of the father who knows best, the perfect model for Jesus. Between the two was my crowning achievement. No one had ever seen his face and lived. Clayton Moore, TV’s Lone Ranger, was God the Father, painted purely in grays, because he was flesh only in Christ. The iconography was true American culture and classical theology. A space between the Father and the Son was for the Holy Spirit. Otis has moved to Westchester but the mural is still on the old site. My intent now is to paint my former mentor, Charles White himself, a few feet away, overlooking Wilshire Boulevard from the south wall of the Otis Gallery, casting a great shadow to the west. That is as it should be. The original Otis Art Institute is officially now the Charles White Elementary School. –By Kent Twitchell- Featured Gallery Artist at http://artbridgesgallery.com
The Freeway Lady
Street View Mural Locations ~
Biola Jesus Mural: Midst of Biola University campus at 13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, CA.
Ed Ruscha Monument: 1031 S. Hill Street at Olympic Blvd in Downtown Los Angeles. Painted out illegally. We’re hoping to see the Ruscha Monument repainted in the future. Go to http://artbridgesgallery.com, front page to learn more.
Freeway View Mural Locations ~
The Grand Avenue Altarpiece: Beneath Grand Avenue along the westbound lanes of the Hollywood Freeway (101). Mural faces the City of Angels Cathedral.
The Harbor Freeway Overture: A monument to the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The mural is located along the Harbor Freeway (110) at 9th Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Marathon Mural: Located along the Golden State Freeway (5) at Stadium Way, bordering Elysian Park beneath Dodger Stadium.
The Freeway Lady: Re-located to the west wall of the VIVA (Valley Institute of Visual Art) Gallery at 13261 Moorpark Street at Fulton Avenue in Sherman Oaks, CA. Contact VIVA, online, for more information as to expected date of completion. Original location: along west-side of Harbor Freeway, Downtown Los Angeles.
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~Artist Myth: Pablo Picasso walked down the beach one day, carrying a long stick. There was no one on this stretch of sand except Picasso and a man a short distance away. Along the shoreline Pablo Picasso lazily scratched lines in the damp sand. The man, recognizing Picasso, ran over to him and said, “Mr. Picasso, Mr Picasso, would you sign your picture?” He pointed to the scribbled lines on the sand?” Picasso laughed at what he considered a great joke, and did so. Apparently, the man made a plaster cast of the lines and the famous Pablo Picasso signature. What happened to the plaster cast, if it actually exists, is anyone’s guess. ~
Art Bridges Gallery Artists (http://artbridgesgallery.com): Kent Twitchell, Carol Bishop, Joseph Gatto, Lukman Glasgow, Gayle Salmon Gale, John Kempton, Joel Schiller, Barbara Thomason, LaMonte Westmoreland, Eleanor Yudkoff, Dorte Christjansen, Mildred Kouzel, Stephen Werlick, Thea Robertshaw. New artists joining gallery in October: Mark Steven Greenfield, Janice DeLoof, Matthew Thomas Jr. Gallery Director: Joan de Bruin
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