Tales Of The Maya Skies presents the rich history and culture of the ancient
Maya civilization at Chichén Itzá, immersing audiences in Maya science, art and
mythology. Southwestern College Professor of Art History Mark Van Stone,
an expert specializing in Maya Hieroglyphs and calligraphy who worked on
graphics for the film, and will speak on Science
and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya at the Ruben H. Fleet Science Museum on December 3.
It is not often that you come away
from a lecture informed and amused. Prof. Mark Van Stone was as entertaining as
he was accurate in debunking the myths of the end of the world that are flying
around about the date Dec 21, 2012. And if you are reading this, I guess he was
right. Not only is there no prediction by the Mayans, but there is
contradiction and confusion among scholars.
And when you add the marketing of sensationalism, there is lots more
fiction than fact available to cloud our judgment of a people who would
certainly appear to be mathematically extremely advanced. They figured out a system to record very
large numbers with no decimal points or fractions. So we were convinced that
instead of the world ending in 12.21. 2012, it might just be the end of one
calendar period and the beginning of the next. There is also evidence to
suggest that the Maya calendar continues well into the 4000’s
The lecture was given to a
room of seemingly very intelligent San Diegans of advanced years on what is
known as Senior Mondays at the Fleet.
Afterwards we saw the film Tales of the Maya Skies, a beautifully
produced animated film about the origins of the mythology of this culture. It
was made spectacular by the huge digital presentation dome a new $2 million
screen generously donated by the Jacobs. Every school child should have the
opportunity to be mesmerized by presentations like this one. It was visually so
exciting with aerial swoops and dives, changing perspectives and great glowing
splashes of color. I came out of the theater elated.
Michelle Cole,
Journeys from Dec 3 - Jan 8 at the Encinitas Library,( 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas 92024)
Based on life-transforming travels to South and Central America, the South
Pacific and Caribbean, these uplifting works
of light, color and form explore a passion for the natural beauty of
people, their countries, and the oceans. More info: Jim Gilliam Jim Gilliam
The glass “paintings” of Michelle Kurtis Cole
are radiant and seductive. These are not pieces of glass that are painted on
but glass that is manipulated while red hot into controlled compositions. Yes,
there is an element of happy accident, but Ms. Cole has a second sense of how
the glass will perform and she channels her very potent energy and extreme
knowledge of the material to coax luminous lines and rushes of intense color
into slabs of glass that are very covetable.
When
entering when the library was brand new, 6 beautiful lighted display cases
greeted you. Unfortunately, those display boxes are now separated and a bevy of
rather unattractive book shelves is the first thing you see. I have nothing
against books and even feel that displayed correctly they can be a center
piece, but this wasted opportunity is distressing to me and I hope it is
corrected soon. How glorious it would to see Michelle Kurtis Cole’s art as your
first glimpse of the magic awaiting you at the library.
I was so delighted that the
OMA museum did an outstanding job of hanging this show. Great thanks goes to
Danielle Susalla Derry for making sure that the show was a first class tribute
to this artist of immense talent. I
feel strongly that Jen’s work could take its place in history someday along
side of Eva Hesse, another passionate artist who died way too young. Jen Trute
had many long time friends. I was lucky to know her and speak to her often
about her work. I was interviewed by Kelly Davis for City
Beat about the Jen Trute show and so I decided to repost her column for
you to read here.
On her website, Jen Trute explains the inspiration for
“Sunbathe Barbie at Bombay
Beach”:
“We pulled into the village…
and drove around this godforsaken trailer-ville that looked like a modern day
ghost town…. The beach was lined with layers of orange and turquoise and
chocolate colored foam. Where you could see into the water, pinky beige gunk
waved back. There were lots of rotted out houses and trailers submerged out in
the lake to about the 4-foot level. A rusted out delivery truck was sunk in
sand up to the dashboard. Dead fish lay along the water’s edge.”
Trute was a passionate
environmentalist, says longtime friend Patricia Frischer; scenes of
environmental degradation fill her paintings.
“It can look like it’s anime
or surreal, but… the underlying passion in her life was that,” Frischer says.
Trute died on July 23, 2011,
after a long battle with breast cancer. She left her paintings to her friend
and fellow artist Dennis Paul Batt, and Batt started making plans for a
retrospective exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), where Trute had
shown work in the past. But, on Jan. 30, 2012 Batt died suddenly. His sister,
though, made sure the exhibition moved forward, Frischer says.
Trute’s body of work is
small, Frischer says. The artist spent much of her life in a great deal of
pain. “She was very conscious of how much energy she had and how she had to use
it very wisely. She couldn’t afford to waste any time and she knew that.”
“Sweetness and fear, side by
side” Frischer says, “That is what imbue Trute’s work. She captured that
combination so perfectly. She added Pop art and surrealism and made them her own.”
The San Diego Museum of Art
has set aside a
small room on the left of the grand staircase to showcase the work of Marianela de la Hoz a ten year
resident of San Diego
County who has
established a following through her gallery Noel Baza. . Her detailed painting
technique is informed by Surrealism and focuses on representational art. Heaven
and Earth, the Determined Freedom of an Undetermined Life consists of an
altarpiece with 11 individual paintings and is inspired in part by the Museum’s
painting, Madonna and Child, ca.1468 by Carlo Crivelli. But de la Hoz
has given us more to ponder and discover with her new masterpiece showing until
Feb 2013.
Mark Jesinoski: Aquaticus at Pulse Gallery until
27 December is showing painting which
are described by the artist as the organic and meditative abstract paintings
where “Life is constantly changing and, like water, we can flow and adapt to
our world while gracefully shaping it over time.”. What I see is a great leap
forward by this artist who is producing sensitive works that are elegantly
painted and showing off really improved skills. I have watched Mr. Jesinoski
progress over the last few years as he finds himself not only at a new level
within his work, but finding a bride and honing in on a balance between his day
job and his passion for art.
Capturing
The Wonder of Women at the Women’s Museum of California is first
juried show in the brand new
gallery space at Liberty Station. UCSD's Li Huai, was the curator and installer and Robert Pincus made his
choice for the $1000 prize and two honorable mentions. More than 150 local and regional artists
submitted work for this show and 48 pieces were on display. Ashley
Gardener tells us that the theme for the museum future shows at least in the
near future will all be about Wonder Women in all sorts of guises. The show had
many many artist that we know and love, too many to mention here, but it was a
good representation and a wide spread of concepts. Juried shows on themes this
vague are not my favorite, but it is a handsome show with something for
everyone. AND we are thrilled that the museum now has an elegant and roomy
showing space for art by and about women.
Exhibition
view
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| Lisa Marie
Rodriguez |
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| Claudia
Cano |
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| Anna
Zappoli |
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| Emilia
Sedeghi |
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| Mele
Fox |
