Monday, January 25, 2010

Siete días...


Después de siete días y todavia tengo un nudo en la garganta.

10 year anniversary...


Reminiscing...I was thinking today that January of 2010 marks my 10th year Anniversary since I left the Corporate World to become a full time semi-starving artist. I remember the excitement when I found my first and most beautiful studio in Cold Spring, New York. Bare big white walls, 16 foot ceilings and time (the biggest gift of all). I didn't mind the 45 minute drive, with our dog Bogie in tow, singing and chanting all the way down I-84.

Now 10 years later, 5 thousand miles from my first studio and working outdoors I'm still saying that "Art if Life". I learn something every day from life and I try to embed it into my art. A combination of channeling what one learns and wanting to safe keep it, at least for a while. Later ... we can let go.

A friend just sent me a quote that reads "Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can" -- Danny Kaye

Espíritu... an unusual piece...


I found this little doll's head on one of my walks to the beach with the pups. I picked it up on the way back and brought it home. It is unusual for its dark skin color and bright green eyes. It seems like she is looking at you. For a long time I had her in my studio on a shelf, just there... idle. However with time it seemed to grow on me, almost like I could see into its soul and I could see a bit of darkness in it.

Eventually she was incorporated into an unusual piece together with other found objects. The little head being the core, and other pieces hanging and dangling from it. As if dependent on her strength.

Niño Problema...


Just came across this picture taken last summer while visiting my sister Julie. We walked around a small town called Sayulita, a few miles south of Puerto Vallarta. There was a truck parked which called my attention because it had this "Niño Problema" (problem child) painted on the front windshield. It made me wonder was he bragging or complaining? Was he the trouble child, or did he have a trouble child, or was he actually very shy, and wished he could be rebellious and a trouble maker.

Encaustic Workshop in Todos Santos...






Introduction to Encaustic Painting at the Studio in Casa Montemar.
It was a fantastic day for a workshop, slightly overcast, a little breeze and wonderful artists ready to dip their brushes in hot wax. We talked about how to prepare supports & boards, safety procedures, had demonstrations which included: tools and techniques for fusing, layering and scraping/scribing, building up of texture, collage, carving, monotype, image transfer, combining oil and encaustic, dipping, and much more...

Zulu finds her home...







Zulu is one of my favorite pieces from "The Greeters Series" because I spent a lot of time with her. It took a lot of work to find all the pieces that would make her dress. They are discarded parts of the engine of a washing machine. I thought I had tons of these circular pieces, and when I fell short while making her dress I panicked. Where will I find another discarded engine from a washing machine. Well I did! in the Todos Santos dump. Gustavo, gatekeeper at the dump, helped me find one, then burn the pieces in order to separate them. It was a treasure to find him.

Zulu lives now in the Zen Garden of Rancho Pescadero, a beautiful boutique hotel in Pescadero, Baja California Sur, Mexico. (http://ranchopescadero.com/).

The Greeters are traveling...



It was a fun site to pack up "The Greeters" Sculptural assemblages in a pick up truck to be delivered to their new homes around town. Heads were turning left and right!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Our new gallery...






Today we are having an official opening for Galeria Catalina (just two doors away from Tecolote Bookstore on Juarez)at 7PM. Five artists friends and myself opened this gallery in November but have not a chance for a "party". My partners in the gallery are: Tori Sepulveda. Roxanne Sparks, Diane Knight. Margy Woodall and Mike McAllister. We have over 50 pieces of art ranging from 3-dimensional conceptual work to traditional works in acrylic, oils and pastels.

Silhouettes....


I have always loved to observe light and what it does to all objects. Whether by casting shadows or creating high contrast silhouettes of figures, it's interesting to see how our perception of the object changes.

The Greeters Opening...


The Opening came and went with great joy. On a beautiful afternoon in Todos Santos, people meandered around the garden to meet personally each and everyone of the members of "The Greeters Series" that I spent the good part of the year working on. They proudly stood between the agaves, the grasses and the palm trees.

The “Greeters” Series originated simply from finding interesting pieces of scrap metal while walking or driving around our desert roads. It is amusing to see what image each of us can see when looking at a crumpled piece of wire, or a broken window, a fan or any other discarded item. Remember as kids, when we used to call the shape of a cloud as a lamb or an elephant.

Since I was a child I always enjoyed making things out of discarded items. I remember making flower vases out of bricks. The most fascinating thing about re-using something is the idea of giving it the opportunity to live on. To pick something up that has been discarded as trash and taking it at whatever stage this item might be, then transform it into something totally different and present it to the world again makes me smile.

The “Greeters” are whimsical and joyful little humanoid figures that have a sense of humor. You can see pictures of all of them and the reception by pasting these URL's onto your browser window.
http://glorita.smugmug.com/Art/Greeters-Series-09/10479577_GZ9a7#727135224_HckYp

http://glorita.smugmug.com/Art/Greeters-09-Art-Reception/10484239_MvsNS#727436572_BfYmR