Max Ernst Greis at Lux Institute

By Patricia Frischer

From Sept 12, to Oct. 31
Lux Art Institute1550 S. El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024 

A native New Yorker, Max Ernst Greis completed his BFA in painting at the School of Visual Arts in 2005, and his MFA in painting at Hunter College in 2014.

Greis deals with themes of a changing world by showing you those actual changes through a process he has developed springing from his love of landscapes. This very special process starts with a series of video clips all bases on the same imagined view. He then paints that view in vibrant colors and when the video clips are projected on top of the image, you can see smoke whisping, trains moving, fish rising. But the painted canvas gives a depth to the work that you would never experience with just a projected image.  The clips are blended and  each work runs on a loop so by looking at the works, some as long as 15 minutes, you see the full effect. He call this Archaic Armageddon. These are not embellished movies and they are not just technical wonders. They remain somehow art works. Greis says he knows artist that are highly involved in using new technology exclusively, but he feels more comfortable in this between land.

 For the Lux residency, Gries has recorded  the train trip he he took from New York to San Diego, He is creating one of his unique landscapes that is part painting, part photo collage and part video. The composition does not go from right to left or left to right but from a foreground on the East Coast to a distant vista on the West Coast. It reminded me of Saul Steinberg's famous View of the World from 9th Avenue cover for New Yorker from 1976.

He has been working on landscapes for about 10 years but just started this new techniques in the last five years. He continues to make non animated landscapes as well and a selection of both are on view. It would be fun to see if this talented young artist progresses to some virtual reality images viewable on smart devices. He is certainly one to watch.Make sure and scroll down to the end where you can see both the still and animated version of one work.

If you have facebook, then go to this link to see the animated version of this last image: https://www.facebook.com/maxernstgreis/videos/vb.1442418822663645/1559139537658239/?type=2&theater

Women's Work at RB Stevenson

by Patricia Frischer, coordinator SDVAN

There are two shows called Women’s Work on show in SD, so is this a trend?  R.B. Stevenson Gallery is showing a group including Tania Alcala, Joanne Hayakawa, Celia Reisman, Gail Roberts, Ellen Salk and Vicki Walsh until Oct 17. Sixteen more artists are included in the show at the San Diego Art Institute from Oct 2 to Nov 15. But there are men included in the second show which is tag lined Masculinity and Gender in Contemporary Fiber Art. The first is women working as artists and the second is fiber art categorized as women’s work but contemporized for the 21^st century. Watch for the second report after Oct 2.

Women’s Work

Showing Sept 5 until Oct 17, 2015

R.B. Stevenson Gallery

7661 Girard Avenue, Suite 201, La Jolla 92037
More info: Ronald B. Stevenson  858.459.3917

 

The female artists are all local to San Diego demonstrating the very high standard of quality that is available to collectors in our county. Celia Reisman and Ellen Salk are also in the exhibition. 

Tania Acala's lush abstracts always please

Vicki Walsh's portrait wall

This gallery view features Joanne Hayakawa bronze cactus

Joanne Hayakawa's Sing is a montage of books and ceramic birds

These three flower painting by Gail Roberts are extra-ordinary. The backgrounds just jump off the wall throwing the flowers in front of them..

Women's Work: Masculinity and Gender in Contemporary Fiber Art

opens Fri, Oct 2,  6 to 8pm

San Diego Art Institute
1439 El Prado, SD 92101
More info: Marina Grize 619-236-0011 

Ginger Porcella, ED of SDAI, received a curatorial grant from NYC-based ISE Cultural Foundation to produce this exhibition, which includes many artists living on the San Diego/Tijuana border.Participating artists include: Blanka Amezkua, Caroline Wells Chandler, Sheena Rae Dowling, Robert Dupree, Rose Eken, Ashley Gibbons, James Gilbert, Kris Grey, Paddy Hartley, China Lamadein, Don Porcella, Jacob Rhodes, Katia Sepulveda, Katya Usvitsky, Nathan Vincent, and David Willburn

Also don't forget: 

San Diego Art Institute online Paddle8 auction in support of 75th Anniversary Campaign 75 featured works by world reknown artists View Preview Here: Bidding closes Sept 29

Kelsey Brookes Psychedelic Space at Quint Gallery

September 5-26 
Quint Gallery

7547 Girard Avenue, La Jolla 92037
More info: Nina Makos  
858.454.3409

Kelsey Brookes is a Denver transplant to San Diego. He  was a molecular biologist and is now into mediation.  Mark Quint has been showing his work for some time and it is always fun to see what Brookes is up to. This show is no exception. As I walked through it was eye candy for sure, but at the rear of the gallery was this amazing blue pulsing circle that just zaps you.  Maybe it is the after affect of the other works, but this one blue me away! No drugs are needed to send you into orbit in this psychedelic space. Go in and trip out. 

 

 

Patti Cooprider at 1210 Gallery in La Jolla

Patti Cooprider is an amazing women who has involved herself in the arts through a wide variety of initiatives. This is first solo show I have seen of her work in the 20 years I have been in San Diego. 1210 Gallery is a new space at 5745 La Jolla Blvd, 92037 run by Nicole Hadfield 858.831.8669. Nicole has a passion for the arts and an opportunity to expose some of our locals to a wider audience. 

Patti, who is originally from Montana, was a John Robert Powers model in New York before she married Coop Cooprider. Together they collected art and supported numerous art endeavors. While living in Germany for twenty-six years, Patti and Coop raised seven children and she worked for the Department of Defense, travel extensively and earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in art history. She has met Henry Moore, Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Marc Chagall and his wife, Vava who became a friend. 

She has been on many boards including but not limited to  La Jolla Playhouse, Center Stage Steering Committee 2000-2003, Patrons of the Prado 1998-2001, Senior Vice President 2002-2003, Balboa Theater Foundation 2000-2001, KPBS Program Advisory Board 1998-2000 and Museum Art Council, MOCA 1992-1998. She is currently on the board of San Diego Art Institute from 2003.

 Many of us have been recipients of Patti's very spontaneous greeting cards, but these larger format works are a better representation of the sheer spirit and joie de vive that Patti expresses. Not only do they appear effortless, I feel that they truly are effortless for her. The images just seem to pour out and spill onto the page. She is tapping a very deep reserve of all that she has experiences in her life but not in a ponderous or pontificating way. Instead we can see her joy in her life and that in turn makes us joyous. Patti has had her share of trials but I have never heard her say a negative thing. That is what makes these images so thrilling. They are an honest representation of who she is and how she sees life. 


There is only one Patti Cooprider. We are lucky to her and her reflections of life through her eyes.

Marker's Spaces by Patricia Frischer

Three big art fairs are coming to town. The one you probably know about is at Art San Diego Contemporary Art Show  Nov 5 -8 because SDVAN displays the San Diego Art Prize 2015 at this show and has done every year. It is again at the Balboa Park Activity Center. The SD Makers Fair on Oct 3 & 4 is sponsored in part by the Balboa Park Cultural  Partnership at the Fleet Science Museum. SD STEAM Maker Festival is Dec 5 at O’Brian Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The last two of these shows are a way to see everything that is going on at Maker’s Spaces within the global Maker Movement which is DIY nirvana. Marker’s spaces vary but all seem to offer a variety of prices to come and use equipment of all sorts with training on the use of that equipment.  Here is a summary of the shows and the spaces.  

SD Makers Faire Fleet Science Musuem,Balboa Park, Oct 3 and 4, 10 am to 6 pm Adults $20 - $30, Children $12.50 to $$18.75 includes entrance to 10 Balboa Park Museums.

Part high tech science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to celebrate the Maker Movement, a global tech influenced do it yourself community that celebrates new products and services. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, San Diego Makers Guild and Tijuana Innovadora are partnering with the City of San Diego to put on this first ever event showcasing innovators and creators from our bi-national region. The first Maker Faire launched in May 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area and was quickly followed by Faires in Austin, Detroit and New York City, as well as others around the world. Technology has lowered the barriers to entry to becoming a Maker and this launched the Maker Movement which fuels Maker Faire.

The 2015 San Diego STEAM Maker Festival  Dec 5th 2015, 10:00am to 5:00pm Adults: $8, children under 18 $6. Parking $10  at O’Brian Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds.
SD STEAM makers Festival is designed to bridge the gap between school based STEAM programs and the MAKER Movement STEAM is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) with the added A of Arts. . Over 120 booths, displays and presentations will showcase local school programs, crafters, makers and the people and companies that are driving the next wave of creative technologies. Expect to see local and national companies with every vendor  providing an activity or demonstration to enjoy. Plus meet charities making a difference in children’s lives. STEAM Maker Festival is a celebration for all-ages, a gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. This is an expos combined with an educational event. Save $2 on any full price ticket by using the discount code STEAM when buying online until Dec 1. 

17th Annual High Tech Fair is Oct 14-15 sponsored by the San Diego Science Alliance and the San Diego County Office of Education, the High Tech Fair is free and open to the public. It takes place in Bing Crosby Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.Special Student-Parent Night Wednesday, October 14, 5- 8 pm. Parents can connect with their children and learn more ab out science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the upcoming High Tech Fair.

The following spaces offer multiple membership plans and give you an opportunity with trained helpers to make your own things.  

MakerPlace has  a complete metal, wood and electronic shop, classroom with work areas. Think of it as your dream shop… the one you’d build if you had a really big garage and a huge budget … a large number of expensive tools, many computer controlled, available for your unlimited use. Multi-needle embroidery and industrial sewing machines are available for your construction of personalized gifts, shirts, caps, backpacks and comforters. A 3-D printer can create real durable plastic objects from just a drawing. Large format, high powered lasers are available to cut shapes from wood, plastic or many metals or delicately engrave messages on wine glasses. A computer controlled vinyl cutter can make precise signs, decals or sand blasting masks. Welders, benders, brakes, shears, mills, an English wheel and a complete (legal) paint spray booth are ready to make or modify your motorcycle, bike, or ATV. The wood shop offers a planer, shaper, sanders, drill press, a large format 3 axis cnc router, numerous saws and a lathe all with integral sawdust management. If some of these tools are unfamiliar, MakerSpace offers classes that will teach members how to safely operate their machines, which are available as needed for one low cost membership. $79 to $160 per month

1022 West Morena Blvd, Suite H, SD, 92110 Tel: 619.225.7288 info@makerplace.com

Shop Hours:  9am - 9pm - 7 days a week. Facility tours available @ 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM & 5 PM everyday. No appointment necessary. Closed toe shoes required.

Open Source Maker Labs  is a high-tech digital fabrication lab, where members can learn, collaborate, innovate, design, and build almost anything. Makers of all ages and skill levels have access to a wide range of tools, equipment, resources, and workspace. Makers, do it yourself (DIY) technology enthusiasts, students, and startup entrepreneurs can leverage open source designs and projects. Activities include 3D printing, electronics, robotics, and the use of advanced CNC tools. OSML has a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively. Prices from $35 per day, from $70 - $130 for month

2591 Pioneer Ave., Suite G, Vista CA 92081. Tel: 760.998.1522 info@opensourcemakerlabs.com

Shop Hours: Tues - Fri 6 -9 PM, Sat 9 AM - 6 PM, Sun 1 - 6 PM

Fab Lab is a non-profit community space that gives access to the tools, training, and community needed to feel comfortable making just about anything. Memberships are open to everyone. Started by the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms in 2007, Fab Lab San Diego is one part of a large network of Labs across the world.  These labs are production workshops and small-scale innovation hubs equipped with digital fabrication machines and technologies for the production of objects, tools and electronics. Fab Labs are organized around a global network connecting 100 laboratories in more than 30 countries, from South Africa to Norway or Amsterdam center to an ashram in India. Fab Labs are building one of the largest networks of knowledge and people in the world that is growing exponentially worldwide, it is expected to double in the next two years. Fab Lab San Diego is a founding tenant of Makers Quarter in San Diego’s upper East Village. Prices start from $75

847 14th Street (at E Street) , SD 92101 info@fablabsd.org 
Shop Hours: Monday - Friday: 2:00pm–10:00pm, Saturday: 12:00am–8:00pm

Makers Quarter™ is a gathering place of San Diego’s Artists and Innovators, and the heart of our city’s Maker Movement. The Maker Spirit has always been part of the fabric of East Village, from the original home of Jerome’s Furniture almost a century ago, to the craft brewers at Monkey Paw, to the modern day Makers who perfect and teach their crafts in the Moniker Warehouse today. Makers Quarter™ is located as an extension of the East Village tech corridor and serves as the hub for San Diego’s urban innovation economy, offering the environment and culture that inspires our city’s entrepreneurs, artists and makers to unleash their creativity. The following are found in the Makers Quarter: Silo,  Smarts Farm, Monkey Paw, FabLab, Moniker Warehouse, Urban Discovery Academy, San Diego City College, Fuse Integration

Bio, Tech & Beyond is an innovation space established by the city Carlsbad to promote biotech and STEM based ventures. They incubate programs that relate to start up businesses, education, new technologies and solutions for enabling more sustainable healthcare. The aim is to be an economic hub that companies, organizations and individuals can utilize for business development. Currently the facility is being sustained through low cost lab space rentals. But they also are working with reagent and consumable vendors for establishing a product distribution center and instrumentation providers for show casing new equipment or refurbishing old equipment. BTNB was founded by Joseph Jackson who helped start BioCurious and Kevin Lustig who is founder/CEO of AssayDepot.

2351 Faraday Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tours available by appointment contact info@btandb.com

 

Thinkabit Lab at Qualcomm, also referred to as the STEM Lab, is the combination of a lab, makerspace, and classroom for middle school students to learn about STEM careers, as well as participate in engineering experiments to promote the importance of STEM opportunities and skills for all. The Lab allows students to experience what it is engineers do at Qualcomm. Students are led by teachers and engineers as they create, collaborate, and present their Robo Crafts. They’re encouraged to innovate, partner and execute in ways that represent 21st century skills.

5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, CA 92121

Don Bachardy's Hollywood at Southwestern College Art Gallery

Don Bachardy's Hollywood Thurs. Sept 10 to Sept 29 at Southwestern College Art Gallery (900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, 91910) More info: More info: Vallo Riberto 619.421.6700 ext.53

The following very informative press release information was sent to us earlier this month, but it does not even touch the excitement created by the opening reception for Don Bachardy during his talk at the Southwestern College Art Gallery. 

"The Gallery @ Southwestern College, Chula Vista, in cooperation with the Craig Krull Gallery. Santa Monica, California, presented HOLLYWOOD, Paintings and Drawings, portraits of some of Hollywood’s greatest screen stars and personalities. This exhibition is  Mr. Bachardy’s debut show into the greater San Diego Community. The portraits in this exhibition represent an excellent cross section of the hundreds of portraits the artist has completed over his long and celebrated career in Los Angeles. Mr, Bachardy has also published a number of books, including Chris and Me, an intimate Portrait of his love affair with his life long partner, writer, Christopher Isherwood, Another volume, a book of published love letters and a heart felt, no holds bared book of drawings titled, The Last Drawings of Christopher Isherwood, His latest offering, Hollywood, from which the exhibition borrows it’s title, is a compendium of hundreds of screen star luminaries."

Don Bachardy is a man whose disarming charm was as important to his success as his connection with Christopher Isherwood.  Just take a look at his silver sandals, just a small touch of glamour which matches the twinkle in his eye. Bachardy spoke for about an hour where he answered questions from the packed crowd.  Here are some of my favorite sound bites:

When I first met Christopher I looked like I was 12 and so lots of his friends wanted to meet me.
I wanted to be an actor, but Christopher gently guided me away from that idea.
I always drew pictures of movie star from pictures, but when Christopher let me draw him from life it was one of the most exciting things I have ever done. He looked 10 years older than he actually was because I lovingly recorded every line on his face. 
When I first took figure drawing classes, I was amazed to be able to see bit of the body.
I knew I had to be somebody because I wanted Christopher to stay interested in me. 
Deborah Kerr was so kind and sat so still for three hours. 
I do portrait because I get to dive into people faces. I become that person and get out of myself. 
Christopher taught me three way to make people laugh so I would not be so intimidated when speaking publicly.  I  can't remember what they are. (Then the audience laughed) I must remember how to do it cause you all laughed. 
I never know if I will have one hour or three hours, so I always try to capture the most important things first. Over the years, I have gotten good at that. Sometimes if I have one hour, that portrait is better than the first one of the three I could do in three hours. 

The man was so sweet and so straight forward and by sheer force of his subtle personality he made you want to paint a portrait yourself and he certainly made you appreciate this ancient desire to record the human countenance.

The lovely gallery at Southwestern College. It is beautiful lit, clean space which honors the work on display

Don Bachardy in mid-sentence

Barcardy signing books and posters

Vallo Riberto - the force behind this show and gallery director

Lots of photos being shot during the talk

 I like the variety of fine line drawing and more loose watercolor images. It was fun to identify the famous people from Hollywood in this show.

Henry Fonda

Terry Gere

Warren Betty

Jane Russel

Tilda Swinton

Ellen Burstyn

I wanted to include this photo of Lynnette Tessitore-Lopez who I met at this opening. She is the brand new head of the Cultural Ats Division for the City of  Chula Vista.  Over 60 art teachers have been hired for  $15 million in Chula Vista which shows an incredible support for the value of the arts. Hopefully we will see the results of this push with the young people in south county as well as Lynnette's organization of the cultural resources of the area. She will be working on the Chula Vista master art plan.

Cathy Breslaw at Mesa College Art Gallery

Macro Views, Micro Wonders by Cathy Breslaw The exhibition is on show from Sept 8 to Sept 30 at Mesa College Art Gallery ( 7250 Mesa College Dr, SD 92111) More info:. Allesandra Moctezuma  619-388-2829 

Cathy Breslaw's exhibition is not  about a complicated installation. It is about the sea and sky and ocean and one women's intense interpretation of the world around her. Breslaw is obviously fascinated with materials and how they come together to make things unexpected and ethereal.  That is why I was so surprised to be most interested in her drawings. I found them to be a more direct and less labored connection to her soul. Yes, I use that word freely as there is a lot of soul searching in this work. Even these drawing on a substrate of plastics of various kinds which make them appear alive, have that same fascination with materials. But they also have a more intimate nature which I find particularly strong. They are new and at the same time connected to a long history of line making.

 It is a testament to the show that it was a cool fresh breath of air on the hottest day of the year. I recommend that you go and find some relief from the heat and discover something soul soaring for yourself.

Link to the article to learn more about the installation of this show

Installing An Art Exhibition Is A Creative Act  At San Diego Mesa College  Picked RAW Peeled by Cathy Breslaw