Friday, September 30, 2011

Becoming the artist

Here is a clip of Caitlin making her masterpiece at ArtLanuch
with help from the Rock The Bike guys.

ArtLaunch 2011

My friend Caitlin and I went to the SF Open Studios ArtLaunch party at SomArts last night and had a great time. The place was filled with artists, collectors and browsers and they had drinks flowing, music bumping and over 400 pieces of art!

I took photos of some of my favorite pieces, although of course I forgot my camera and had to use my iPhone, so please excuse their horrible quality.

Tomorrow we are venturing out into the studios and going to check out some great jewelry designers…pictures and updates to follow!

Untitled
 2011
Mixed Media

Rainy Night on Mission Street
2011


Untitled
2011
Cyanotype


 
Woman with a Hat
 2011
Oil on panel


New River
2011
Paint Collage


Green Window
 2011
Digital Photographic Print



Caitlin making her own work of art 
with the guys from Rock The Bike

Friday, September 23, 2011

Artist Spotlight: Ivy Jacobsen

I have been doing research and making notes about which artists I want to visit for San Francisco's Open Studios in October and decided that each week I will share some artists I am interested in seeing. There are over 400 artists participating and I am hoping to view a broad array with different styles and studios throughout the weekends!


Ivy Jacobsen 


I love the ethereal feel of Jacobson's mixed media paintings. The lines are smooth and the silhouette against the light background reminds me of summer evenings as the sun is setting. They are calm, serene yet I find myself wanting to look further into them, as if the picture could just keep going and going. Jacbosen's paintings are also available through Hang Art Gallery, which is a great gallery and resource for Bay Area artists and collectors. 




Violet Clearing

2011
Mixed media on panel



Blue Hill

2011

Mixed media on panel

Sanctuary

2010

Oil & mixed media on canvas


Sun Showers

2011
Mixed media on panel

all images by and courtesy of

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

MONDAY

It's Monday...how is your work-space/desk/home office/studio looking today?







Friday, September 16, 2011

Open Studios 2011

ArtSpan has announced the dates for San Francisco Open Studios and I couldn't be more excited! Open Studios is a great way to build real connections with artists by visiting their studios and seeing their process and art in a close and personal way...and its free!


October 29: ArtLaunch party
6:30 - 9:30 pm

Preview of over 400 artists at ArtLaunch Celebrating 36 years of SF Open Studios
ArtSpan Members: $35 in advance / $40 at the door
Non-members: $50 in advance / $60 at the door

Open Studios: 

Weekend 1
October 1 & 2, 11am to 6pm
Mission, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Castro, Excelsior

Weekend 2
October 8 & 9, 11am to 6pm
Ocean Beach, Sunset, Richmond, Duboce, Eureka Valley, Hayes Valley, Haight, Upper Market, Diamond Heights, Buena Vista, Mount Davidson, Twin Peaks, West Portal, Glen Park

Weekend 3
October 15 & 16, 11am to 6pm
SOMA, Tenderloin, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Bayview

Weekend 4
October 22 & 23, 11am to 6pm
Fort Mason, Marina, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, North Beach, Financial District

Weekend 5
October 29 & 30, 11am to 6pm
Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios




Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Building Blocks of Color



                                         Untitled                                                                                            Elie Tahari
                                         c. 1950-1952                                                                                 Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

A fashion trend that has been picking up speed, and which I personally love when done right, is color blocking. Pairing pieces of two different colors (or to really challenge yourself, using different shades of the same color) can be an art in itself. It takes just the right colors, cuts and accessories to make it work and looking over images from NY Fashion Week, I saw it done right all over the place. From numerous runway collections to some of my favorite bloggers, this style has hit hard in all sorts of colors, and I got to thinking about art…


Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

I knew the color blocking style resonated in me for some reason and not just because I think it looks great, but there was an artistic inclination pulling at me, and I had to figure out where I had seen this before. It dawned on me that this trend of color blocking is a real-life form of abstract art and my mind then immediately clicked to Mark Rothko.


Although not labeling himself as an abstract expressionist, Mark Rothko found his place in the art world in New York among other Modern artists in the early 20th century. Although his work continued to evolve and developed overtime, (he was also well noted for his Surreal art), Rothko finally found his niche after releasing himself from the constraints of form, symbol and formal titles.



Spring 2010 Ready To Wear

        Spring 2012 Ready To Wear


Rothko began his mature work, called “multiform” paintings in 1946 and continued with them until his death in 1970. These pieces he felt were more organic, self contained and far surpassed figurative painting in expression and meaning, as they “possessed their own life force”. Although the underlying influences, feelings and experiences behind his pieces have nothing to do with fashion, a direct correlation between Mark Rothko’s color blocking can be made to the runway and streets of today. 

Due to the nature of labeling and copyrighting of Mark Rothko's 
works I was unable to label each piece. With continued research
and your feedback I hope to attribute titleshipto each work. 
Until then, enjoy for your viewing pleasure. 

Friday, September 9, 2011

First Thursday

My sister and I visited the galleries at 49 Geary yesterday for their First Thursday open house. Numerous galleries throughout San Francisco participate (all members of the SF Art Dealers Association) but I hadn't been to 49 Geary in at least six months, so I thought it would be fun and a great introduction for my sister. 


Although we went to a number of galleries, my favorite show was at Scott Nicols Gallery


Photographs from Philipp Scholz Rittermann's collection, The Emperor's River, which he photographed on a trip along China's Grand Canal in 2009, took up the walls with their impressive size, color and fine detailing, showing the industrial development as well as the natural beauty of the canal and those who live an work there. 


As stated in the press release: 
The Grand Canal, [is] the world's oldest and longest man-made canal. Over 2000 years old, the canal runs more than 1000 miles connecting Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in  the sout...The photographs take you down the canal contrasting the rural terrain and growing urbanization; uninhabited skyscrapers tower over village markets, coal towers dominate relaxing evening views and young men in modern attire pose before ancient statues. These large-scale high resolution panoramic images have been described as visual poetry.
Philipp Scholz Rittermann's exhibition will be up through October 29th. 



High Rise Apartment Blocks Under Construction
Wuxi, Jiangsu Provice, China, 2010


 Stone Bridge and Lumber Barge Seen from Moxie Rd.
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, 2009

Moored Barges at Yuejin Port
Grand Canal, Jining, Shandong Province, China, 2010



Monday, September 5, 2011

Salon of Modern Art


The Girl with Green Eyes
Henri Matisse
1908
Oil on canvas
Copyright SFMOMA

I had the pleasure of spending Sunday with my family at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art viewing The Steins Collect. This exhibition, from the collection of three siblings Gertrude, Leo, Michael and his wife Sarah Stein, highlights the avant-garde and modern works of the 20th century, a time when their initial popularity was low compared to the Realist and Romantic art of the late 19th century.

Bathers
Paul Cézanne
1898-1900
Oil on canvas
Copyright The Baltimore Museum of Art: The Cone Collection


Gertrude, Leo and Michael Stein were born in Pennsylvania and moved to California at a young age. Settling in Oakland in 1878, they attended school locally, Michael choosing to stay and run the family business, and Gertrude and Leo eventually went back east for college. In 1903 Gertrude and Leo moved to Paris, later followed by Michael, and their life-long love affair with modern art and literature began.

Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat)
Henri Matisse
1905
Oil on canvas
Copyright SFMOMA


Gertrude and Leo began hosting Saturday night viewing parties at the home they shared at 27 Rue Fleurus, turning it into a modern art salon with acquaintances and friends, including artists Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, stopping by to visit, chat and view their ever-expanding collection. Michael and his wife Sarah also opened their home at 58 rue Madame, for friends and visitors as they too began collecting avant-garde modern works with their keen eyes.

Tea
Henri Matisse
1919
Oil on canvas
Copryright Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Stein's Salon at 27 Rue Fleurus, Paris
source unknown

The exhibition at the SFMOMA gave a thorough overview of their extensive collection, highlighting important pieces and giving interesting historical background information on the family, specific artists, and the feeling of modern art in the 20th century. As with most exhibitions, the real showstoppers: Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse etc. attracted the most attention from visitors, but the museum also included family photographs and letters, sculpture and a number of pieces from Surreal artists that I loved. I also greatly enjoyed the large screen prints hanging on the walls, giving an inside view of what these paintings looking like hanging in Stein’s homes, a far cry from hanging in a museum.