Artist Odyssey Launch Party

 

Artists To Perform Live for The Artist Odyssey Launch Party at 3RDSPACE

Four renowned artists will create and perform live at the event

On Saturday, April 18th, arts and music lovers will converge at 3RDSPACE to celebrate the launch of The Artist Odyssey’s (TAO) Kickstarter campaign and meet featured artists.  This event is free with advance RSVP or $5 at the door.

Performances and artwork at the launch party will include:

• Mimi Wada will perform her dramatic large-scale Shodo, or Japanese calligraphy, using a giant brush to create a message with the sumi-e ink as she dances across a 10’x10’ Washi scroll.
• Mixed-media artist Trinh Mai incorporates family heirlooms and found objects to create deeply-personal collages.
• Folk singer, songwriter, artist, and poet Roy Ruiz Clayton will be playing a short set and showing some of his paintings.
• Americana singer-songwriter Nena Anderson will be performing several of her songs for the audience.
• Tintypes from Jen Jansen and Giles Clement, two leaders in the resurgence of wet plate photography. Jen and Giles have captured most of the artists TAO has interviewed with the dramatic Civil War-era tintype process and 12 of the plates will be on display.

WHAT: Launch Party for The Artist Odyssey Kickstarter Campaign

WHEN: April 18th at 7-10 PM

WHERE: 3RDSPACE in University Heights: 4610 Park Blvd

COST: Free in advance with RSVP, $5 at the door (if available)

RSVP: theartistodyssey.eventbrite.com

CONTACT: Jennifer Coburn: jen@kdrpr.com or 619.838.0125

The Artist Odyssey (TAO) is an arts network that interviews artists and supports arts education. TAO’s artist documentaries put the audience in the gallery or studio with leading photographers, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, and performing artists. Viewers will see the work and hear from the artists in their own words.   

Founder and UCSD alumnus Chris Fessenden says inspiration for TAO stemmed from being surrounded by artists. “I had a great-aunt who was a professional photographer engaged in both photojournalism and fine art photography,” he explains. “My parents were both involved in the arts and now our daughter is a budding artist.  But the biggest inspiration was being fortunate enough to observe several friends take the journey in the arts, as they grew from novice in their niche through years of struggle and exploration before finally evolving into accomplished and professional artists.  Sharing a look into that often-magical journey is our mission.”

In addition to documenting artist stories, part of TAO’s mission is to support arts education.  The interviews will include lessons that can be used by arts educators or anyone at home.  TAO’s long-term goal is to give the curriculum away for free.  In the initial phases, each subscriber will be able to pick a classroom to receive the arts curriculum for free on behalf of the subscriber.  

“Our commitment to documenting artist stories and supporting arts education stems not just from our passion for the arts.  The arts can teach people how to interact with others, how to communicate, how to feel good about themselves, and how to become thoughtful, productive members of society,” Fessenden adds.  “The creativity that the arts foster is vital across so many facets of our society - it’s far too important to neglect.”

TAO has established partnerships with several arts organizations, including UCSD  ArtPower!, San Diego Visual Arts Network, Vanguard Culture, the Bronx Artist Documentary Project, and the Filmatic Festival, among others, to collaborate on arts events, content, and arts education initiatives.  

Fine Artist Trinh Mai in her studio with TAO producer Chris Fessenden

IMAGININGS: A Solo Exhibition by Cathy Breslaw

---

Now in the Rose Art Gallery

OPENING RECEPTION: THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 4-6PM

Cathy Breslaw, a Contemporary Visual Artist from southern California, is now being featured in Francis Parker School’s Rose Art Gallery.  This particular type of show has never before been seen in the school’s gallery, as parts of the installation are site specific, or created especially for our space.  Breslaw was inspired by the gallery’s high open ceilings, abundant natural light, and the possibilities created by the expansive wall spaces.

Breslaw’s artwork combines painting, drawing, mixed media, and sculpture.  She is heavily influenced by nature, space, light, and the ephemeral nature of time.  Much of Breslaw’s work involves the transcendence of functional, ordinary materials such has industrial mesh, plastic, and plaster, but demands curiosity and further inspection through her manipulation of the forms using light, transparency, and color.
Cathy Breslaw has been featured in over 27 solo exhibitions as well as 50 group exhibitions across the United States.  Some of the local venues she has shown in include The Oceanside Museum of Art, The Bakersfield Museum of Art, The San Jose Textile Museum, The San Diego International Airport, Gallery 825 in Los Angeles, among many more.
In conjunction with the show, students in Ms. Taylor and Ms. Enck’s 6th Grade classes, have created collaborative pieces that are exhibited alongside Breslaw’s work.  The students contemplated the artist’s work as well as notions of color, transparency, weaving, line, and embellishment.  Students whose work is now on display include: Jacqueline Crivello, Adam Rauch, Madeleine Rott, Jorge Luna, Jonathon Whitten, Laurence Miller, Isabella Walter-Meade, Joey Diamond-Pott, Jordan Stuart, Isobel Gonzalez, Madison Joyce, William Kwak, Adelyn Phillips, Spencer Ruff, Lena Luostarinen, Amanda Baker-Dunn, and Isabella Polfuss.
Most artwork displayed in the gallery is for sale, and a portion of all sales is donated to support the Arts at Parker.  Please help support our program by supporting our exhibiting artists.

ARTIST LECTURE/Q&A AT THE ROSE GALLERY: THURSDAY APRIL 23, 8-10:40AMRose Gallery Francis Parker School
6501 Linda Vista Rd. SD 92111
More info: Jaclyn Enck 858-569-7900 x4326

Visit Cathy Breslaw’s Website at http://www.cathybreslaw.com

Article by Jaclyn Enck, Gallery Curator and 3D Visual Arts Faculty

Visual Arts Department, Francis Parker School

jenck@francisparker.org

Adelman Fine Art Opening in Little Italy

Adelman Fine Art at 1980 Kettner Blvd, Ste #40 in Little Italy will be open to the public starting on Saturday March 28 and they will celebrate an official public opening with a reception at the beginning of May. This small but very well appointed gallery is located in the Broadstone Building between Grape and Fir. Marcia Adelman is the owner and the director is her charming daughter Nicole. For more info: 619-354-5969  Nicole@adelmanfineart.com

There was such a vibrant crowd at this reception with high energy and was one of the most stimulating openings we can remember.  It was too crowded to get many single images of the art, but you can see them in these group shots. The location of the gallery will serve lots of the new high rises residences in downtown San Diego.  There were lots of figures and landscapes of a high quality and hopefully suitable for sales to new urban dwellers. There were a few sculptures and a couple of lines of art jewelry as well. 

Because the space is small, they utilized the interiors of  some of the free standing wall for storage on inside walls that slide out for easy viewing. Very clever and space saving idea...bravo to the designer.

Alexis Dixon and Nicole Adelman

Alexander Rosa, Ansley Pye, Luis Magdaleno, Vida and Mark Maine

Jennifer Borba von Stauffenberg of

Olive PR Solutions, Inc., who handled the PR for this opening with an enthusiastic fan

Iris Scott - one of our favorite works

Jennifer Hannaford  - we now own a small beautiful wave painted by this artist

Jennine Emmett does for birds what Dan Adams does for dogs.

Journey to Space at Reuben H.Fleet Science Center

We were delighted to be invited to the VIP film preview of Journey to Space at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

The film was introduced by the fairly new CEO of the Fleet, the very charming and charismatic Steven Snyder. Originally from New York, he was funny and inspiring and is breathing life into the Fleet. He reminded us that we were at the California premier performance for what he called "a love letter to Mars' space exploration". He wants to use the the science center to excite and inspire a whole new generation of young people...one of which could actually be on that first 34 million miles flight to Mars. Recently the Fleet hosted 6th and 7th graders for a video hook up with astronauts in space...can you imagine asking your questions about space to a space man in space. What at thrill for them. And he pointed out that the space race, although now an international collaboration, is still drawing crowds. For a recent launch that was cancelled, 200 people still showed up to the Fleet's live broadcast of the event. 

He ended with a charming story about President Obama chatting to a bus driver at NASA. Obama says, "So you drive a bus for NASA..."  The driver replies, "No, I am helping put a man on Mars."

Steven Snyder

My two science geeks, John Chambers and Darwin Slindee,  after we had indulged in Tang Astronaut Martini, delicious pasta, street tacos, a great cheese board and cookies and chocolate nut bars. The Fleet treats their VIPs right. A shoot out to John Bolthouse from the Water Conservation Garden who was caught in the middle of this photo.

I have included a short trailer about the movie which was stunningly filmed and very informative. This is one of the surround Giant Dome films at the  Heikoff Theater. I especially liked the stories about re-designing the  space suits to make them more mobile and the animation of the inflatable living space that will be created for this 2 1/2 year journey. The writer/director Mark Krenzien was present to answer questions at the end of the film. We learned about this giant 300 pounds cameras which hold 1000 feet of 70 mm film for only 3 minutes of footage at a time. Patrick Stuart (i.e. Captain Picard from Star Trek) was paid a huge amount to narrate a small part of the film and worked for only 3 hours. The film was 1/3 historical footage, 1/3 newly shot film and 1/3 special animation sequences. 

The length of the film, 42 minutes, was actually determined because Dome theaters around the county like to show their film on the hour. For me this was just long enough. My throat felt like it was stretched to breaking point by the end of the show as we were near the front and leaning back in our seats.  My advice is to sit near the top of the theater to get the full affect of the dome screen. I walked away in awe and recommend this experience to everyone, especially the youngest of our San Diego science enthusiast.

 

SDAI MAS Attack: Art for Artists' Sake by Lonnie Burstein Hewitt

 It was art for artists’ sakes at Balboa Park meetup for San Diego Art Institute’s MAS Attack
La Jolla Light by Lonnie Burstein Hewitt

One of the coolest art events of the almost-spring season took place Feb. 28, 2015 at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. It was a one-night-only mass meet-up called “MAS Attack,” where 75 Los Angeles artists joined 75 San Diego-area artists to show and view their work and create new possibilities for engagement with audiences.
MAS (Mutual Appreciation Society) Attack is a concept created by LA-based Artra Curatorial, and this was its first outing in San Diego. The free event drew hundreds of attendees, including local art-lovers, who obviously enjoyed the opportunity to interact with 150 artists from around the world currently living and working in Southern California.


All photos by Maurice Hewitt

Cooper Baker, an MFA in Fine Arts now pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Music at UCSD, with a piece made from salvaged circuit boards — Maurice Hewitt

Born in Belarus, Katya Usvitsky considers NYC her grad school; her specialty is sewn assemblages. She met painter Sean Noyce in Brooklyn; they recently moved to L.A. — Maurice Hewitt

L.A. artist Lena Wolek with a piece made from porcelain and a silver fox hat she wore in her native Siberia. “I’d feel embarrassed to wear it here, but there, you can’t survive without it,” she said. “In Siberia, everything ... — Maurice Hewitt

Robert Pendleton, president of the Oceanside Museum of Art board of directors, with one of his photographs — Maurice Hewitt

North County sculptor Cheryl Tall with ‘Pygothia,’ her response to mental and environmental crises — Maurice Hewitt

Bhavna Mehta, 2014 Art Prize winner with a cut-paper piece titled, ‘I’ll bring you my sunshine and my madness’ — Maurice Hewitt

La Jolla artist Becky Guttin, with one of the pieces she creates using plants from her native Mexico — Maurice Hewitt

San Diego artist Anna Zappoli, originally from Sicily, with her painting — Maurice Hewitt

L.A. artist Max Presnell, British-born curator/director of Torrance Art Museum and co-creator of MAS Attack, with his painting — Maurice Hewitt

SDAI executive director Ginger Shulick Porcella with her artist-husband Don Porcella and his self-portrait in pipe-cleaners — Maurice Hewitt

Sparks Gallery: Art Family Style

Grand Opening: One on One of the Sparks Gallery( 530 Sixth Avenue, SD, 92101) on Sunday March 1, 6 -11 pm and showing until April 29. We have been waiting since 2013 when we presented New Contemporaries VI at this lovely space in the Gaslamp for it to open with a whole new interior. More info: Sonya Sparks 619-696-1416

How often have you gone into a gallery with large white walls and although you have been impressed by the art, you have had trouble envisioning it in your own home. My first impression of the Sparks Gallery, now that it has been renovated, was that of an inviting home setting. The warm brick walls and handsome original floor are just two of the thoughtful details that enhance this space and make it welcoming. Sonya Sparks' mother  advised on the interior details of the project and her father who is a lawyer is giving professional business advice especially on contracts.  Time will tell if Ms. Sparks can build a family of collectors to support her keen eye and it will be a pleasure to see her and her very supportive family succeed. Here are some photos of the space and the wide range of works including in this first survey show of her selection of local artists.

View of the front window installation by Vincent Robles with the owner's father

First view, bar and balcony above with office space

View from the walk way down to the bar

View at the back of the space

View at the back near the door to the outside back deck with the lovely Kaarin Vaughn

Outside with the owner Sonya Sparks

Large mural by Monty painting on one of the new structural re-enforcements

Polly Jacobs Giacchina: great folded straw weaving

Jennifer Anderson created this high relief carving embellishment for the small side table. Truly functional art.

Daniel Dust's hyper-realistic painting - Guns and Roses revival.

Roy Kerckhoffs presents this large very compelling work and the star of the show as it lines and finish exactly coordinate with the building structure.

Steven Florman charmed us with this small but or so touchable wood sculpture

Vincent Robles series of chairs progress from raw to finished.

Jewelry Display

Glass artist Michelle Kurtis Cole modeling bracelet by Alexandra Hart

Bracelet detail

7 Billion Others Project at Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego

7 Billion Others

A Good Planet Foundation Project, Video Exhibition by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Exhibition at the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego

February 21 – September 13, 2015

Article by Cathy Breslaw

www.cathybreslaw.com

The 7 Billion Others video exhibition now on view at the Museum of Photographic Arts was the brain-child of Yann Arthus-Bertrand, president of the Good Planet Foundation. This exhibition and its premier showing in the United States will help audiences discover the humanist message of  the inter-connectedness of all of us on this planet. The project provides an immersive video experience using interviews – with thematic updates occurring  throughout its installation to continually engage viewers during its 30 week run. The project began in 2003, as authors Sybille d’Orgeval and Baptiste Rouget-Luchaire traveled with a team of reporters visiting 84 countries recording the voices of men and women. Young and old, and rich and poor speak in more than 50 languages, and represent many ethnicities, professions, religions and social backgrounds. People present answers to  questions in a touching and honest way and with a generosity of spirit that is quintessentially human. Organizers posed 45 questions to more than 6,000 interviewees that span their thoughts on life, death, politics, music, climate change, love, marriage, friendship, forgiveness, anger, fear, joy and more. The exhibition opens with a 42 foot long video mosaic of a multitude of faces, eyes, expressions and smiles, reflecting their view of the world. There is also a film “Making Of” which documents the ‘behind the scenes’  filming from the other side of the camera. The exhibition ends with interviewees answering the question, “What message would you like to address to the inhabitants on this planet?” There is also free internet access with computers that visitors can use to contribute their testimonies on the project’s website. 7 Billion Others will travel to 16 separate locations around the globe during its exhibition run.

Model and Muse: Photography Exhibition by Hendrik Kerstens at The Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego

Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego

Model and Muse:  photographs by Hendrik Kerstens

February 7 – through May 31, 2015

Article by Cathy Breslaw

www.cathybreslaw.com

                        Flange  2009   Pigment Print,  Collection of the Museum of Photographic Arts, Gift of Gail and Ralph Bryan

Since 1995, Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens has been photographing his daughter, Paula. Kerstens’s approach is a mix of painting and photography, borrowing traditional dark background poses, the careful handling of light, and the subtle treatment of skin from the masters of 15^th century Dutch portraiture. He blends them together with accessories including a bubble wrap headdress, a plastic shopping bag cap, cloth napkin and towel hats,  a carefully arranged aluminum foil head-cover, and a collection of doilies stacked around Paula’s neck mimicking ‘old world’ starched collars. Reminiscent of a Johannes Vermeer portrait like the famous “Girl With A Pearl Earring”, Kerstens’s work plays with a dialogue between photography and early Dutch painting. His work is ‘painterly’ in its sensibility and there is a certain air of humor in the costume-like combinations of hats and caps he creates for Paula’s head in each image. Bordering on the ridiculous, the accessories he uses complement the photos of Paula so much so that viewers don’t immediately see them but are drawn more readily to the dead-pan expressions on Paula’s face. These images are also a serious effort of a father’s desire to document his child’s growth over time, and to maintain those memories in the form of formal photographs. This series of large-format unframed pigment prints express the ‘Dutch Light’ of Dutch Master paintings. They are at once classically beautiful and at the same time cast with an unexpected misplaced absurdity, giving Kerstens’s images an excitement and contemporary context.

Environmental Concerns Fuel Jeff Irwin's Sculpture Exhibition at RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla

Jeff Irwin

“The Nature of Trophies”

RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla CA

March 14-May 2, 2015

Article by Cathy Breslaw

www.cathybreslaw.com

Jeff Irwin       “Dogwood Teapot”      earthenware,glaze    13” x 14” x 8”    

It can be said that “context is everything”. In the case of sculptor Jeff Irwin’s  current exhibition, it is most certainly the case. Irwin’s earthenware works are entirely white with a luminescent white glaze, and all the surfaces in the gallery are white including floors, walls, ceiling and display structures. In addition, climbing the stairs leading up to RB Stevenson Gallery adds to the feel of arriving in a hazy, ghost-like ‘heavenly’ space, edging upon the spiritual.  Entering the gallery, the first piece “Jumping Deer” greets you. A deer in active motion is cut in two segments so that the head and front two legs face you, while you have to peek around to other side of the wall to find the other ‘half’ of it’s body. Another adjacent piece, called “Striving”, a pig head holding up a tree branch with its snout, and a cone-like form hanging from it , speaks to one of Irwin’s underlying conceptual ideas. Curiously, though the works are made from clay materials, the pieces are intentionally created to look like wood with all the nubbiness one sees on tree limbs as well as ‘sawed off’ areas in the details of the works. Many different animal images emerge including a pig, dog, deer, cat, coyote, duck, woodpecker, horse, bear, buck and antelope. Though some animal heads hang from the wall like trophies, others appear to speak mostly to environmental concerns. One wall features three horses called “Win” “Place”“Show”, - only the heads and front legs are visible, as if the horses are actively running through the wall to meet the viewer. There is a certain humbleness in the nature of the material and content of Irwin’s work, as well as a clarity of purpose. The hybridization of trees and animals integrated into mostly animal forms reminds us of the connections existing among all living things and nature.

side view of the work below where the fish is revealed