I should have done this last week, but sometimes things don’t get on a list…. anyway, these shows are still up for a few weeks left, so if you’re in the area, there’s still time to enjoy them.
The 29Palms Art Gallery has the Guild Summer show in the Main and Center Galleries, and in the West Gallery, Tim Warren and Ted Wright in a 2-person show.
The 29 Palms Gallery is open Thursday-Sunday 11-3pm.
The other day I responded to a question on Facebook by Renee Phillips of Manhattan Arts International. She asked artists to comment on the post “Dear Artist, What’s a favorite art supply, material or medium you love to use most and why.” People mentioned the richness of certain watercolors, the quick drying advantages of acrylics, the feel of wet clay among others.
I was in the process of designing a piece of art in response to the Collage Artists of America’s themed online show ‘It’s about Time’. We had been asked to interpret the phrase any way we chose. Bearing in mind the timeline on which this show was announced, I anticipated they expected may entries about the timeliness of the recent changes brought on by the #BLM movement. My thoughts however went to the words of a friend who is currently on a journey with cancer. She has progress and setbacks. Some things held in check, new things popping up. Extraneous issues like being self employed so ineligible for disability, annual changes in carrier by her spouse’s employer, who provides the health insurance, and of course the threat of covid.
The artwork incorporates some of her steps in the numbers on a handless clock, the extraneous issues in surrounding teardrops, and on the rods of the pendulums, her quote that inspired me: “I know that the cancer will take me, I just want some more time.”
So back to the question on Facebook. My response was that my favorite material was my imagination, it allowed me to create art in response to such inspirations and challenges as the one mentioned. Serendipitously in today’s reading from 365 Tao (Deng Ming Dao) is the paragraph: “Why concern yourself exclusively with the mechanics of a situation? That is like seeking an artist’s genius in the brushes; it is the mind of the artist, not the tools, that is responsible for the beauty of a painting.”
When I went back to find whether anyone else had posted an answer similar to mine, I found my comment had been removed.
I guess I think a little too far outside the box.
Aside from the fact that I’m slowly putting a lot of art up on my Etsy site (it’s amazing how much time it takes to pull everything out, photograph it in various poses and edit the results) I’ve been working on a fun book-length poem about hognose snakes, with illustrations. I can complete this amount of work because, it may not surprise you to learn, everything else is cancelled.
Having gotten to the point in life where I can order from the senior menu, I was eligible to enter the 55+ show “Visions: A gathering of Elders”, and this was it turned out the last time I was able to go to a gathering before the world imploded. True that people were observing precautions such as elbow bumps vs. handshakes, but otherwise it seems that the elder wisdom was the same as for having a bad cold. Don’t cough on people, and go home and feel sorry for yourself for two weeks.
Otherwise it was a normal art show. This was hosted at the Walter N. Marks art gallery at UC Riverside Palm Desert.
I recognized the work of Gary Borgstedt – far right – though I didn’t see him at the opening.
Diane Morgan was also there, she too had a painting in the show.
That scuplture in the middle was very intersting.
One of the two fabric entries
Intersection of the virtual and real worlds.
Such a variety of mediums, subjects and styles with an open-themed show.
I think I had the physically smallest entry in the show.
This lamp was my second favorite entry.
The orange Bee painting to the right of the door is Diane’s.
Donna Miller-Haggerty and I took pics of each other in front of our paintings.
And this one was my absolute favorite. So sorry, don’t remember the artist’s name at this point.
Last week I went to the monthly meeting of the La Mirada Art Club to talk about my work and demonstrate part of my process for them. I was fortunate that one of the members agreed to take some pics of me working while I was assembling the refractured watercolor.
Here’s the empty room, just when I’d set up.
After having watched me brutally hack up my painting, I start by assembling the horizon.
I usually am looking at the sky the ‘right way up’…..
…and I usually start with the top of the sky….
Now it’ starting to come together.
Sliding some deeper blue under other pieces.
Well folks, that’s all we have time for tonight.
This is the layout that I created at the demo, but I just picked up the pieces without marking their places.
This is the final product
The poem in it reads:
Dawn leaves me speechless
These gold and turquoise jewels
precious beyond words.
Last weekend I was at the 29 Palms Art Gallery pretty much all weekend. On the Saturday we had an art fair during the day and in the evening was the reception for the Membership Show, which was a judged show.
Some of the Artwork in the Main Gallery
Sometimes I had to wait until the people moved around.
There just wasn’t a good angle on this one for the camera.
The Pickering Gallery had a nice selection. As I was looking around the show early in the morning, I was approached by someone who wanted to buy one of the artworks in there.
There was quite a bit of 3-D art. This one won a ribbon.
The West gallery contained something familiar. Again, I was struggling with glare…
I’d seen David’s work before and it was good to finally meet him because he had a booth at the fair that day.
On Sunday my co-worker at the gallery was Miri, whose painting is on the left here. She is also a singer and sang at the reception when I had my first show at the Glass Outhouse Gallery a couple years ago. I have a CD of hers.
Earlier in the month I’d encourage Tim to create something to enter the show. He won best of show!
Yesterday I attended the reception of the Chaffey Community Museum of Art Membership show. Saw a few friends, one of who won an award.
The little on at the bottom left (orange and purple) was an award winner by my friend Joe A. Oaks. The blue and white one near the middle with the fruit on also won an award.
Second from the top right in the corner (going towards the left) is my collaborative piece with Helen Pietre
The show was sponsored by Ontario Elks
Quite a crowd
This won best of show. It’s made of pieces of silk.
A few years ago I was introduced to the Glass Outhouse Gallery in Wonder Valley – just east of 29 Palms. It is in the middle of nowhere, even more than I am, and has a small gallery where Laurel and Howard hold month-long 2-artist shows, and a sculpture garden made of recycled material art, created by Howard.
Four skies in the Glass Outhouse Gallery
I had a show there a few years ago with my Mixed Media work and am scheduled to have another show there with that medium in January 2021. Yes, artists do plan ahead.
The cart shows that this is a hanging day.
As I have another body of work and enough Mixed Media to run two shows concurrently, I’m on their ‘waitlist’. A list of artists who, in an emergency can put together a show in a couple days. Last week I got the call.
The outgoing artist hadn’t picked up her work yet.
I had planned to take my oils and acrylics to the show in Monrovia this weekend, but with a quick call I managed to get that changed and this body of work was available for the month.
Nice little row, the last 4 ‘diamonds’
My fellow artist is Tami Wood. We both joked that our names are two four-letter words. Her work is made exclusively of recycled materials. We’ve called our show ‘Fleeting Passions’ because we both explore ephemeral aspects of our environment.
And room for the bin, that holds paintings I did in or for paint and wine evenings that I’ve taught.
After the show in Newport I brought everything up and hung the show. Howard will pin up the prices later.
I’m surprised the one on the left hadn’t sold at Newport, it had a lot of interest.
Because of existing commitments (Monrovia), I can’t be at the reception but Tami will handle that and I’ll do my share of gallery sitting during the month.
The painting on the right is one from my house – I’m down to the last few oils and acrylics and am selling at discount prices!
What I didn’t realize until I told another friend in 29 Palms about the late arrangement, I’d scored a show during the Highway 62 Art Tour – three of the four weekends in October, and the Glass Outhouse Gallery is one of the stops. Wow, I’m sure glad I decided to go for it!
Almost exactly the right amount of space, there was only one suitable painting I didn’t put up!
I feel bless that because of various issues outside of my scope, I now have a show with both bodies of work on the Highway 62 tour – I have Mixed Media work at the High Desert Medical Center!
The Collage Artists of America membership show, “Just your Imagination” was held at the San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center. The show runs Sept 4-29th and the reception was on Sept 7th. As part of my contribution to the show, I sat in the gallery on the afternoon before the reception. It was quite during much of the afternoon though there were several families turned up with kids to have an art lesson.
I had forgotten my kindle so I had plenty of time to enjoy the exhibit in detail.
My entry was right next to the front door!
Assemblage is allowed, so we have sculpture too.
My show favorite is on the left there. I also serendipitously met with a friend who came to see the show, and this was her favorite too. It did not win an award.
A lot of figurative and portrait work.
I did like the tree piece and the one on the right, which also contained a tree.
The large green creation near to us took second place. My pic of the winner did not come out well, sorry.
I talked to this lady at length as we were the only ones in the gallery early on.
Getting ready for the reception.
Loved the piece on the right, though I felt it was more painting than collage.
Great crowd at the reception! I still didn’t win an award….
Ha – got so busy for a while, I forgot to post this month’s newsletter!
On Sunday after my painting class with Mary I went over to the Chaffey Community Museum of Art to attend the reception for the 10th annual Southern California Collage Society membership show. The reception was well attended and the walls were filled with an awesome show of collage, mixed media and assemblage.
A lot of people asked whether I’d measured the space between the window before creating ‘Rose Ochre Morning’.
There had been several sales already – including one created by Janelle Lowry, who is the chief receptionist at the museum.
Someone actually played the piano for a while. I didn’t quite have the audacity to show what a bad player I could be….
Skyscapes for the Soul - Jeni Bate 