Posts Tagged ‘arTist’
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
The Monmouth Museum is presenting the third season of its New Jersey Emerging Artists Series in the Nilson Gallery
 The Monmouth Museum is presenting the third season of its New Jersey Emerging Artists Series in the Nilson Gallery. This series continues with an exhibition of oil paintings by artist Shin-Young An, a resident of Palisades Park.
“Shin-Young An — Oil Paintings” will run through Aug. 9.
Shin-Young creates portraits juxtaposing ordinary, routine tasks against a backdrop of current news articles featuring a variety of social, political and environmental issues and events.
She states, “The main theme of my recent work is exploring the unfortunate reality of our present world. While reading the newspaper, articles began affecting me to the point that I realized I am a somewhat powerless artist and I wanted this to be reflected in my work.
“In my ‘Limb Series,’ I depict these reactions through the visual interaction of limbs, portraits and flowers painted against a backdrop of current news articles that have touched me.”
Shin-Young received her BFA in Fine Art from Hyosung Women’s University of Daegu, South Korea, and her MFA in painting from The Graduate School of Figurative Art of the New York Academy of Art..
The Monmouth Museum is located on the Brookdale Community College campus, Newman Springs Road in Lincroft. Admission is $7, children under 2, museum members and Brookdale staff and students (with valid I.D.) are admitted free.
Museum hours are: Tuesday- Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m.
For more information, call the museum at 732-747-2266 or visit the website at: www.mon” mouthmuseum.or
Tags: arTist, hand-crafted, nj arts, nj artworks
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009
 Evelyn, a PARC artist, relishes the chance to glaze pottery. Art director Flora McCabe says that Evelyn is very detailed and focused when it comes to the glazing. Evelyn and other artists at PARC have been putting finishing touches on pottery, paintings and jewelry.
With an affinity for ceramics, she delights in glazing pottery for other PARC artists.
“She is very detailed, focused and completes the glazing thoroughly,” said PARC art director Flora McCabe.
On Friday evening, Evelyn and other PARC artists will have the opportunity to showcase their masterpieces. The event, Art in the PARC, will take place in the College of Business at USF’s St. Petersburg campus, where more than 500 original works of art will be on display and available for sale.
Paintings, ceramics, papier mache, painted fish on canvas, jewelry, handmade pottery and pins will be among the offerings. There will also be note cards with PARC art and a special PARC blend of coffee created by local beanery, Javámo, with original art featured on the bags. There will be pieces starting as low as $5, said Nancy Giles, director of business relations who is coordinating the event.
“Our goal is to share affordable and original art and jewelry. Each piece is one of a kind and is made by PARC artists with developmental disabilities in collaboration with art instructors,” Giles said.
PARC artists benefit by gaining life skills through art enrichment. Those skills are socialization, boosting self-esteem, and experiencing a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment, said McCabe, who has been teaching art at PARC for 9 years.
Artists select the media they want to work with, and they can change as inspiration strikes.
“Some people like to work with clay, some like to glaze and others like to paint. Some really enjoy doing an entire piece of pottery or artwork all by themselves,” McCabe said.
PARC has served as a social service agency for bay area residents since 1953. It serves more than 700 adults and children with developmental disabilities and offers more than 40 unique programs, like the art enrichment that PARC clients receive. These programs showcase PARC’s mission in action, “Turning disabilities into capabilities.”
19 Sunday
Cool Art Show: Cool Art, in its 21st year, is a juried fine art and craft show and sale hosted by PAVA, the Professional Association of Visual Artists. Concessions will be available. Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Free admission and parking. Visit coolartshow.com.
Doodlebugs and their Kin: What are doodlebugs? Explore their lifestyle and observe their behavior and the behavior of their lacewing relatives. This event is recommended for ages 6 to 10. 1-2:30 p.m. Weedon Island Preserve, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg. Free. Call (727) 453-6500 or visit weedonislandpreserve.org.
Sunday Afternoon at the Pier: Enjoy Jazz music and R&B from the “On Que Players” at the Pier’s Waterside Courtyard. 1 to 4 p.m. The Pier, 800 Second Ave. NE, St. Petersburg. Free. Call (727) 821-6443.
Summer One Act Play Festival: Nine short plays by local playwrights, featuring both comedy and drama, staged by the Gulfport Community Players. 2 p.m. Catherine Hickman Theatre, 5501 27th Ave. S, Gulfport. $15. Call (727) 322-0316 or visit gulfportcommunityplayers.org.
20 Monday
How to Write a Business Plan: The Florida Small Business Development Center presents a free seminar on how to write a business plan. 6 to 8 p.m. St. Petersburg Business Development Center, 440 Second Ave. N. For registration or more information, call (727) 893-7146.
Paper: Off and On the Wall: More than 25 artists have created original, current wallpaper representations of chintzes, heavy damasks, chinoiseries, and tromp l’oeil patterns, with influences of contemporary design. Florida Craftsmen Galleries, 501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Call (727) 821-7391.
21 Tuesday
“First Time Homebuyers” Seminar: The Community Service Foundation will present a seminar to help first-time homebuyers purchase a home and qualify for down payment and closing cost assistance. 6 to 9 p.m. Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N, St. Petersburg. Free. Call (727) 461-0618 or visit csfhome.org.
Health and Wellness Business Showcase: Open to interested community members, local health care providers, and wellness practitioners. Complimentary wine and healthy treats provided. 5 to 8 p.m. Free. Healthy Being Wellness Boutique, 425 33rd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Call (727) 502-3464.
St. Petersburg College Jazz Band Concert: The SPC Jazz Band, which consists of 15 students of all ages, will perform musical numbers by jazz legends Neal Hefti, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. 7:30 p.m. St. Petersburg College Music Center, 6605 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Free. Call (727) 341-4737 or visit spcollege.edu/spg/music.
22 Wednesday
Landscape Design: Florida-Style Gardening class on creating a pleasing landscape design that requires little maintenance and is easy on the environment. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, 1101 Country Club Way S, St. Petersburg. Registration required, $10. Call (727) 893-7326.
Sun Safety Seminar: The Bayfront Medical Center and the city of St Pete Beach are offering a free “Fun in the Sun” Safety Seminar. The family-friendly seminar will consist of multiple informational booths, tips on sun safety for all ages, giveaways, and a free skin cancer screening for everyone who attends. 6 p.m. St. Pete Beach Community Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive. Call the Recreation Department at (727) 363-9245 for more details.
23 Thursday
Dive-In Movie: The St. Pete Beach Aquatic Center’s first “Dive-In Movie” was such a success that it is hosting it again. Bring your floats and chairs and watch Shark Tale on the big screen. 8 p.m. Family Aquatic Center, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive. Admission is $2 and limited to the first 150 guests. Call the Recreation Department at (727) 363-9245 to register and for more information.
24 Friday
Oddlie: Performing artist Aleshea Harris brings Oddlie’s story to life with a blend of theater, spoken word and music. 7:30 p.m. Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. $20 for adults, $15 students and seniors. Call (727) 895-6620.
25 Saturday
“All Aboard For Murder! Detective Dinner Theater”: Interactive play, 7 p.m. Hilton, St. Petersburg, 333 First St. S. $49.95 plus tax. Reservations required. Call (727) 446-8569 or visit detectivedinner.com.
“Prism” Concert: The Al Downing education scholarship fund presents its annual “Prism” concert featuring past and present scholarship winners. 7:30 p.m. The Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Contact the Palladium at (727) 822-3590 or Aldowningjazz.com for ticket information.
Saturday Summer Market: Produce, crafts and more, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m, first floor, Mahaffey Theater/Progress Energy Center for the Arts Parking Garage, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg. Call (727) 455-4921 or visit saturdaymorningmarket.com.
Art in the PARC
All proceeds benefit the children and adults with developmental disabilities at PARC.
When: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: USF St. Petersburg College of Business, 263 13th Ave. S, third floor, St. Petersburg.
For details: Call Nancy Giles at (727) 410-6302.
Tags: arT show, arThou, arTist, Evelyn, FL arT, Florida arT, paintings, Tampa arT
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Old glass bottles filled with pearls, seashells and paint brushes are scattered around Mo McSwane’s art room.
It’s a collection of odds and ends, unique little trinkets and objects most of us wouldn’t give a second glance.
 But for Mo, each piece is waiting for inspiration — and once it captures her imagination, she can hardly sleep.
“My husband gets upset with me because I stay up so late working on projects,” she said, laughing. “I get an idea, and I stay awake at night thinking about it. I just churn it over and over and play with it a little bit until I get the finished project like I want it.”
For Mo, art is wound up with her childhood just like the papier-mache flowers her mother made for her as a little girl.
“My mom was an artist, and in the 60s she did papier-mache jewelry and accessories and sold them to Neiman Marcus and other stores throughout the country,” she said. “My whole family is creative.”
One important facet of her story is that Mo never thought she’d be reviving her mother’s penchant for creating art. “When I was growing up, I always said I wasn’t going to do it,” she said. “We always had to go to sell at art shows and pack up the family station wagon, so now, here I am. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
An old photo of her grandmother’s sewing club sparks a smile from Mo.
“Can you imagine what they all lived through, from marriage to sending sons off to war?” she said, motioning to one woman in the photo. “See Alberta with her girdle on? She could hardly bend over!”
Part of the unique nature of Mo’s art is her interest in repurposing old pieces into something new.
“I don’t really buy things with an idea in mind, I have it and then I figure out what to do with it,” she said. “I use things from my travels, things I’ve bought to sell, and I end up doing something different with it.”
The appeal, for her, is using cast-off’s to make something enjoyable again, she said.
“I love old things,” she said. “I love the process. It’s relaxing, rejuvenating and just kind of therapeutic to get in there and make something.”
From making a lamp out of an old dressmaker’s form to using a chair for a shelf or a purse filled with flowers for a wreath, Mo enjoys using things for their unintended purpose.
“I love making things that are a little bit whimsical and unusual,” she said. “My mother had a grand sense of humor that shows up in my work.”
She doesn’t really have a favorite thing to make – her interests are always changing and evolving with the seasons, she said.
“My favorite thing right now is making typeset drawers with different things inside them,” she said. “For spring, it was butterflies, and for fall, I’ll use theme items like owls and branches.”
Her newest arT project is something she calls surprise art – you don’t know what’s in it until you open it up. As she talked, she opened up a green box filled with tiny owls, bottles, a pair of porcelain deer and a vintage pin.
You can find Mo’s work at the The Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top where she sells antiques and her own creations.
“Everything I make involves old materials,” she said. “I also have a company called Rubbish where we sell antiques and everything else, and I sell at a store in Fredericksburg called The Homestead and The Rose Patch here in Tyler.”
But the most important thing for Mo isn’t any profit she might make, she said.
“I do love the Lord, and I do my business unto Him,” she said. “I’m not interested in doing anything unless it gives honor to Him, and that’s always my prayer, that people will be blessed, inspired and encouraged by what I do.”
To catch a glimpse of Mo’s work, visit www.rubbishandcompany.com.
Tags: arT, arThou, arTist, papier-mache, Texas arT, TX arT, Tyler arT
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009
Rachel Q. Landers earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, with a concentration in Scientific Illustration from the University of Georgia in 2006. She currently lives in Gainesville, Georgia.
Rachel’s artwork, by moving away from realism, acknowledges that viewers bring a lexicon of experience and concurrent emotion to a painting. She would like her artwork to encourage discourse – facilitating storytelling and a sense of community. This holds a significant place in her art and philosophy.
Tying together aspects of life and nature with spirituality, Rachel creates mystery, in essence – possibilities. When creating her art, she feels it is challenging as well as freeing to accept change and adapt to what emerges. By layering perhaps unusual combinations of shapes and colors which contrast and resolve, her work represents life with its undulating tensions– and sometimes surprising beauty. She wishes to broaden her outlook visually as well as in day to day interactions. It is an optimistic process.
Tags: arThou, arTist, arTwork, GA arT, Georgia arT, Rachel Landers, visual arT
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Saturday, July 18th, 2009
Gen G starts forming the clay into the shape that she wants to be either a ball, a flat bead, etc and either add a hole or pieces of high temperature wire as needed. After the beads have been slowly air dried, and this drying time can take up 4-5 days in winter, each bead is cleaned gently with a damp sponge to make sure the surfaces are smooth. Re-drilling is usually required because with this cleaning process, the holes can be partially lost. Now the beads are placed in an electric kiln and fired to 1101Celsius. Then they must be completely cooled in the kiln before removing. This whole process takes about 24 hours. Once out of the kiln, each bead is painted with tiny brushes. Usually 2-3 coats of specially formulated underglaze colour is applied to each bead and then 2 coats of a clear glaze.
After complete drying, the beads are placed back in the kiln, this time on special supporting racks which I designed myself, and then through a second 24 hour kiln process.
Once this second process is complete, I can hardly wait to open the kiln and catch the first glimpse of the small treasures I have created! I hope you will enjoy my Beads as much as I do creating them. So …
Jen-e-sais-quoi
Source: http://artbyjeng.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-i-make-ceramic-beads.html
Tags: arThou, arTist, beads arT, color arT, colour, Gen G
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Saturday, July 18th, 2009
 Participants interact with a display at the Crucible Fire Arts Festival in Oakland. What looks like a practice ground for Burning Man is really a fundraiser for artists fueled by fire. The annual Crucible’s Fire Arts Festival lit up the Oakland sky with the biggest open-air exhibition of fire art in its 10-year history.
In one corner a fiery tornado jumps two stories to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers. Across the plaza built under an Oakland Freeway overpass, Matthew Andreoli with the artist group “Department of Spontaneous Combustion” tells the crowd to focus on three tanks positioned to a point.
There is a rumble and explosion of blue, orange, and white flames choreographed to techno music.
Andreoli believes fire is misunderstood, and that the event is quite safe. “Nothing burns unless we say it burns,” said Andreoli. “We like to play up the danger of it because it’s fire. But we have our thumb on it. We know what it is going to do.
“We know what we can make it do and what we can’t. You get the littlest flame and it brings you into it. You make it bigger and bigger. Every time we launch the fire cannon, there’s the sound of it and there is the feel of the displacement of air. Incredible,” said Andreoli.
The interactive exhibits challenge participants to see the beauty in fire as well as the way flames bring stagnant materials like stone and metal to life.
The Fire Arts Festival engages people to respect as well as experiment with fire in a safe setting. At the Flamethrower Shooting Gallery festivalgoers go through a safety lesson, gear up with goggles, and fire a flame at statues positioned 20-feet away. “Fire is a living entity,” said Andreoli. “It eats and it breathes and it moves. When you look at the fire tornado you see a beautiful column of fire that spins and little tiny ones that spin off it.
“I can sit and watch that all day.” said Andreoli.
Away from the heat of the flames, there’s a tent that holds delicate pottery, statues, glasswork, and other fire art created by The Crucible artists.
The Fire Arts Festival is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization that teaches blacksmithing, ceramics, modelmaking, and other artforms manifested by fire. While there are some who believe the flames lure the focus away from the art, most would agree the fire is mesmerizing, offering a constantly changing show.
Source: cbs5.com
Tags: arT, arThou, arTist, Burning Man, fire arTs festival, fire-spinning, music
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Friday, July 17th, 2009
 Sascha Baron Cohen is back on the big screen as a gay fashionista Bruno. BRUNO with Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Bañagale, Chibundu Orukwowu and Chigozie Orukwowu. Directed by Larry Charles, Reviewed by Giselle Horner horn...@avusa.co.za
THERE‘S no arguing that Sacha Baron Cohen is a truly unusual artist. Instead of creating a story with actors that portray rehearsed emotions, he captures emotional moments in their raw form by forcing his audiences within the movie, as well as those watching the movie, to move out of their comfort zones. If you choose to watch this movie you will either love it or detest it. The (many) scenes that expose the phallus is the reason that this movie lacks taste.
The plot, if you were to tie the titbits together, was one of the gay fashionista Austrian – Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) – who is the talk of the town when he works in the fashion industry in Vienna. After being fired he is barred from all the clubs and basically becomes a social outcast.
This is when he decides to try his luck in America with a show he tries to create involving celebrities.
Among the celebrities that he criticises in the film are Paula Abdul, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and, very briefly, Arnold Schwazenegger.
He somehow ties in a word here and there that refers to Hitler and Auschwitz. He refers to a picture of Pitt as Mr Auschewin and he also refers to his anus as “my auschewin”. This suggests that he thinks very little of what Hollywood celebrities do.
He adopts an African baby (illegally) from Africa – Jolie and Madonna have adopted African babies.
His assistant, who falls head over heels in love with him, plays a big role in exposing the gay lifestyle. He mocks it to bits, but his brash style is probably one of the many pioneers that embraces gaydom. In this regard he could have been a bit more sensitive to his audience. But if you watched Borat (2006) you would surely know that exaggeration is the name of Cohen‘s game, so brace yourself – the nudity and sex border on the brink of porn. Some would say that it is actually porn.
On a different note, his trip to Israel, where he interviews prominent leaders, parodies the ridiculousness of the notion of war and peace. This is echoed again when he decides to become a soldier in the military.
There was an interview with LaToya Jackson that was edited out of the movie when her brother died. The original movie was altered, leading one to believe that the film crew may have needed a bit more time to create more of a flow in the film that deals with the omission better.
Once it‘s over and done with and you walk out of the cinema you would think “What the heck was that?” It is only after reflection that it might be considered an “okay” movie.
BRUNO with Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Bañagale, Chibundu Orukwowu and Chigozie Orukwowu. Directed by Larry Charles, Reviewed by Giselle Horner horn...@avusa.co.za
THERE‘S no arguing that Sacha Baron Cohen is a truly unusual artist. Instead of creating a story with actors that portray rehearsed emotions, he captures emotional moments in their raw form by forcing his audiences within the movie, as well as those watching the movie, to move out of their comfort zones. If you choose to watch this movie you will either love it or detest it. The (many) scenes that expose the phallus is the reason that this movie lacks taste.
The plot, if you were to tie the titbits together, was one of the gay fashionista Austrian – Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) – who is the talk of the town when he works in the fashion industry in Vienna. After being fired he is barred from all the clubs and basically becomes a social outcast.
This is when he decides to try his luck in America with a show he tries to create involving celebrities.
Among the celebrities that he criticises in the film are Paula Abdul, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and, very briefly, Arnold Schwazenegger.
He somehow ties in a word here and there that refers to Hitler and Auschwitz. He refers to a picture of Pitt as Mr Auschewin and he also refers to his anus as “my auschewin”. This suggests that he thinks very little of what Hollywood celebrities do.
He adopts an African baby (illegally) from Africa – Jolie and Madonna have adopted African babies.
His assistant, who falls head over heels in love with him, plays a big role in exposing the gay lifestyle. He mocks it to bits, but his brash style is probably one of the many pioneers that embraces gaydom. In this regard he could have been a bit more sensitive to his audience. But if you watched Borat (2006) you would surely know that exaggeration is the name of Cohen‘s game, so brace yourself – the nudity and sex border on the brink of porn. Some would say that it is actually porn.
On a different note, his trip to Israel, where he interviews prominent leaders, parodies the ridiculousness of the notion of war and peace. This is echoed again when he decides to become a soldier in the military.
There was an interview with LaToya Jackson that was edited out of the movie when her brother died. The original movie was altered, leading one to believe that the film crew may have needed a bit more time to create more of a flow in the film that deals with the omission better.
Once it‘s over and done with and you walk out of the cinema you would think “What the heck was that?” It is only after reflection that it might be considered an “okay” movie.
Tags: arThou, arTist, gay arT, Larry Charles, reflexionism, Sacha Baron Cohen
Posted in arTists | No Comments »
Friday, July 17th, 2009
 Imagination knows few limits when making crafts from designer fabric samples, including a doll, apron, bag, purse and pillows. Photo by Veronica Weber. Piles of fabric scraps — from 4-inch squares to half-yard swaths — beckon from a large table, where they’ve been sorted by size, not color or texture.
Metallic-edged linens lie atop leather, or faux leather, or silk, cotton or blends, in stripes, checks and paisleys.
All are free and there for the taking. No limits.
Is this heaven, or what?
 Volunteers sorting through piles of fabrics before June's FabMo giveaway event included Glenda Smith, left, Amy Pinneo, Judy Maybell and Valerie Jonutz. Volunteers get first dibs at taking fabric swatches home. Photo by Veronica Weber. Artists, craftspeople, home sewing enthusiasts, teachers — all have come to the FabMo fabric giveaway, which is held once a month in Palo Alto.
Beginning 11 years ago, Jonathan and Hannah Cranch noticed that Bay Area interior designers were throwing away discontinued fabric samples, which ended up in the landfill. Hannah, a Spectra art teacher in the Palo Alto school district at the time, thought she could cut them up and use them for art projects.
So every six or seven weeks she and her husband, a local contractor, trekked to the City, filled a couple of garbage bags with design discards and distributed the goods to fellow teachers. Over time the couple of bags turned into carloads, and the Cranches needed to rethink how to give it all away.
 Crafts made from FabMo giveaways include a potholder, cosmetic bag, baby slippers, pouch and purse. Photo by Veronica Weber. “We got to the end of the school year, and no one wanted it,” Jonathan said, so soon they were posting their giveaway on freecycle.org.
Today the Cranches organize a once-a-month giveaway, inviting anyone who wants to repurpose the cloth, carpet and tile samples, odd tassels and trims or wallpaper to come and get it.
On a sunny afternoon in June, Amy Pinneo of Palo Alto was sorting fabric to get ready for the monthly giveaway. An artist who’s been sewing and weaving since she was a little girl, Pinneo makes complex bags using five or six different fabrics, sometimes hiding a pocket under an elephant’s ear. She sells some of her creations via www.etsy.com, which features handmade local crafts.
 Book artist Judith Halley uses wallpaper samples to create book covers. Photo by Veronica Weber. Pinneo, who at one time designed fabrics, quickly recognized pieces that retailed at $180 to $400 per yard. As a volunteer sorter, she had first dibs on carting her favorites away.
Palo Altan Judy Wagstrom creates art dolls that she sells at Christmas shows and boutiques. “I get everything (here) but the jersey used for faces and hands. The hair is mohair from goats,” she said.
“It’s just so much fun not knowing what you’ll find,” Wagstrom said after coming to the fabric giveaways for a year. And, she added, “It’s a social activity. You find out what others are doing.”
 Smaller fabric samples were incorporated into a quilt. Photo by Veronica Weber. Rather than competing for the choicest morsels, fabric gleaners often share what they’re looking for, whether it’s a particular shade of rose or something as esoteric as “ecot,” a warp-painted cloth. Some get together for coffee and swap tips on how to work with a particular fabric or make a tote bag. Others offer advice on how to get rid of the labels on some samples (”Use Goo Gone,” one experienced shopper suggested).
Suzanne Olson, a therapist from Los Altos, comes to the FabMo giveaway to tap into her artistic side. “I see this as a vehicle to assimilate different ideas,” she said, noting that she’s made cell-phone cases and quilts.
“The fabrics are so unusual, so unique, they almost invite creative response,” she said.
She chooses her fabrics by her visceral reaction: “I tune in to its potential,” she added.
Judy Maybell of Mountain View was looking for inspiration while sorting. In the past she has worked with a group from Peninsula Bible Church to make quilts for foster children, who get to take the quilt home after camp.
“I took some to a women’s retreat where we made collages of our lives. It was very personal and meaningful. It inspired a friend to do this with a survivor’s group,” Maybell said.
Other artists and hobbyists made appointments — to make sure everyone has a chance to take the time they need to choose — and came to the giveaway. One jewelry maker was seeking a particular shade of purple to coordinate with a wall-hanging sculpture she was envisioning with an amethyst prism, another for just the right fabric to applique on a T-shirt. A teacher was seeking small fabric squares to help her sixth graders make potpourri gift bags.
Jan Scardia from San Carlos has worked with textiles for years, but it was the custom wallpaper that drew her eye. She’s figured out how to make gift bags and little origami boxes that incorporate the folds of the wallpaper samples. “You see things unexpected, that you never thought about before,” she said.
Some make stuffed animals and dolls, others do napkins and placemats, wall hangings and purses.
“This is like going to the paint store,” noted Nancy Desantis-Vannice, from San Mateo.
And some create clothing, including Margaret Winters from Atherton, who has made a linen jacket, as well as a coverlet for a sofa.
When hesitant, other “shoppers” encourage newcomers to just take what appeals; one can always bring it back in the future, if inspiration fails.
Mostly women have come from San Jose to Burlingame to participate in the fabric giveaway. The former discards have been incorporated into quilts sent to Fiji, Ghana or the Philippines and auctioned off in support of the Special Olympics, Jonathan Cranch said. “The response of the community has been very welcoming,” he said.
After turning their home into a fabric refuge, the Cranches are negotiating for a regular space in the warehouse district of South Palo Alto.
The last few months, FabMo events have been held at Fiber High, a small-business incubator that offers high-speed Internet connectivity. A member of FabMo was driving by and noticed the name on a sign. “It’s a short transition from optical fiber to fabric,” laughed David Gjerdrum, managing partner at Fiber High. The hope is that several fabrocentric organizations can find a way to share space, Cranch said.
In the fall, he added, a FabMo Artist Exhibit is planned for Oct. 24, when participants can see what others have done with all that fabric. cblitzer@paweekly.com.
What: FabMo fabric sorting and giveaway
When: Sorting: Wednesday, July 29; distribution: July 30-31, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Aug. 1, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sept. 3-4, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sept. 5, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Fiber High, 895 Commercial St., Palo Alto
Reservations: E-mail fabrix@fabmo.org to reserve a time, or help.fabrix@gmail.com to help with sorting.
Info: Visit www.fabmo.org
Source: www.paloaltoonline.com
Tags: Amy Pinneo, arT, arT projects, arThou, arTist, California arT, FabMo, fabric arT, Jan Scardia, Judy Maybell, Palo Altan, Suzanne Olson
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
 Bradley “Carney,” terra cotta clay, glaze, wire and ceramic decals by Kansas artist Ben Ahlvers. Currently showing at Shy Rabbit Contemporary Arts in Pagosa Springs is an exhibit not to be missed. Paper & Clay 2 presents work by 15 artists from nearby and faraway, assembled together in an exhibition spotlighting contrasting materials and varying artistic approaches. As unusual as it is to find a contemporary art space nestled in the tall pines of a light industrial district in Pagosa Springs, so too is it surprising to find this quality of art on display in our geographically isolated region. Leave it to Shy Rabbit to bring fresh and innovative ceramic and print works together for a captivating display.
The theme that weds Paper & Clay 2 is perhaps the reason for the show’s excellence. Gallery owners Denise and D. Michael Coffee set out to acknowledge “the role that art educators and mentors play in the shaping of generations of artists.” To this end, the exhibit showcases the work by ceramic artists who have studied at Ohio University in Athens with internationally known ceramic artist Brad Schwieger. That’s the “clay” part of the exhibit – and it’s thought-provoking and fun.
“Paper” refers to the reductive ink prints (on paper) created by three artists who have studyied this unique printmaking method with D. Michael, a printmaker (and ceramicist) who developed the process. This is the second year that the Coffees have focused their efforts on bringing high-quality ceramic art and prints together for this event, showing emerging artists chosen by influential teachers in each medium.
The inherent material differences between paper and clay set the tone for the viewing experience. Paper is fragile. The decision to hang the prints bare, without frames, was a practical one and serves to amplify the delicate nature of the paper as well as the directness of the monoprint process. Fired clay, on the other hand, is durable. The glazes and surface textures on many of the works, however, offer a different impression.
Joe Davis has applied textures to his ceramic sculptures that are so fragile that it’s hard to believe that they are, well, hard. His amorphously shaped forms, crafted through a slip-casting process, reinforce this softness. Their fetish finishes in designer colors, like Pepto Bismol pink, lemon yellow and avocado, add another layer of oddness to them. Davis’ sculptures allude to physiology and anatomy with their bulbous, phallic and lobed forms, titled “Pumper,” “Bulb Boll” and “Blue Sqwyrt.” They seem to be equally informed by the unconscious mind, sourced purely from the imagination. They are strange, curious and playful objects.
At the other end of the aesthetic spectrum is the ceramic sculpture of Steve Schaeffer. His minimalist work is inspired by the landscape and simply titled “Warm Fire” and “Cold.” These elemental forms combine round and smooth with rough and earthy. This juxtaposition of form and surface implies a harmony of opposing forces. The elegant, elongated orbs that nest within their heavy bases seem to simultaneously ascend and rest, reinforcing the balancing of opposites. In his artist statement Schaeffer offers some insight into his choices: “The forms define space, and their weight is connected to the landscape they are inspired by. My work is about the spatial relationships I’ve experienced in nature and, in turn, the work has become a voice for those landscapes.”
While Schaeffer’s interest lies in the natural world, Ben Ahlvers is preoccupied with human nature. The sculptures are odd portraits, or heads, which is an appropriate choice for his psychological expressions. “Carney” is a funk art-inspired ceramic bust of a cigarette-smokin,’ beer-drinkin,’ hot-rod-lovin,’ 5-o’clock-shadow-wearin’ guy who is surrounded by a ring of missile-like darts. Ahlvers is interested in a sort of twisted whimsy. He writes of his work, “The good, the bad and the ugly … get exposed. Sarcasm, humor, fear, honesty, dishonesty, nostalgia are layered in the pieces.” As a father of three boys, he finds family life to be the major source of inspiration for his art.
Children and family relationships are the inspiration, too, for Juanita Ainsley’s vibrantly colored reductive-ink and mixed-media prints. A child psychologist by profession, Ainsley creates images that are sophisticatedly naïve and possess an aesthetic ease that is grounded in a child-like perspective. The compositions are busy with layers of images of animals, pottery, people and patterns that are compartmentalized into their separate areas on the paper. Ainsley continues her stream of consciousness process by drawing with ink, chalk, oil pastel, charcoal, pencil and, of course, crayon, adding more imagery and color to the print.
Underneath the playful elements of her work, discomfort can be sensed. Perhaps Ainsley is pointing to a world in which children feel boxed in and overwhelmed, a place not of their making. Perhaps she is addressing the powerless and innocent aspect in each of us. Either way, her solution to use creativity and the power of personal expression to create a world she wants to live in is admirable and inspiring.
Take the drive to Pagosa to see this show – I’m bettin’ it’ll be worth the trip!
Written by Jules Masterjohn
Source: www.durangotelegraph.com
Tags: arT, arT gallery, arThou, arTist, clay arT, contemporary arT, paper arT, Shy Rabbit
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
 The first two billboards, unveiled on July 13th, showcase works by renowned New Jersey artists Tim Daly of Hoboken and Gary Godbee of Westfield.
Click for Daly and Godbee
Highway Art Gallery
New Jersey’s first-ever highway art gallery hits the road this summer, and Palisades Insurance Company wants you to be a part of it!
Click here to submit artwork or here to view the online gallery and vote.
The Palisades Highway Art Gallery is exhibiting original works by area artists on some of the largest and most-viewed canvases in the state – New Jersey’s highway and roadway billboards. We’ve picked prominent billboards on some of the most traveled roads throughout the Garden State to feature landscape artwork by New Jersey artists.
And you can get in on the fun, too!
Beginning July 13th, New Jersey residents of all ages and abilities can register and submit images of original paintings, drawings, photography, or mixed media inspired by New Jersey scenic views, landscapes, seascapes, urbanscapes, destinations and landmarks. Starting July 14th, visitors to the site can vote for their favorite submissions in our online gallery. Up to a dozen top-voted winners will be sponsored by Palisades for exhibit on billboards throughout the state.
Ready to share your NJ masterpiece? Then submit your work here and encourage friends and family to visit the site and vote! You can enter until July 31st but voting begins July 14th, so make sure you enter early.
Voters also have a chance at winning a prize! After casting your vote, you can enter to win a NJ weekend getaway or daytrip. What are you waiting for? Vote here!
To learn more about Drive With a Smile, the campaign rules and more, go to http://www.Palisades.com/DriveWithaSmile.
Tags: arT billboard, arT event, arT gallery, arThou, arTist, Hoboken arT, masterpiece, New Jersey arT
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