Mission Federal Art Walk April 2015 preview

Every year, the Mission Federal Art Walk team headed by Sandi Cottrell selects 10 artists to feature out of the hundreds on display in the annual event, this year on Sat/Sat April 25/26. They launched the following special artist at the Westgate Hotel at a lovely reception. Those not present were  Dorothee Naumburg and Tim Pattison.

They also announced the current crop of Artie award winner who are chosen for their contribution to the art community. The Arties this year went to Cymer Corporation,  the Little Italy Association, Gwen Nichols from Qualcom (all sponsors of Mission Federal Art Walk) as well as very special lady, Carmen deBello,  who is in charge of the large pool of over 2000 volunteers that can be called upon to help put on the event each year. The last of these awards was presented by ArtReach's Judy Berman Sibert which is the non-profit educational arm of the Art Walk.

Ellen Dieter represented by Adelman Fine Art

Karen O'Brian

Scott Palmer of Copper Phoenix

Mark Andrew Allen

Defective Barbie Christina Let

Chris Schwimmer

Hong Rubinstein

Sue Britt

La Jolla: Bellows, R.B Stevenson, Quint Athenaeum

I can't be everywhere and see every show in San Diego county but at least once or twice a year, I like to do a walk about in La Jolla. This month I went to see  Astrid Preston at R.B. Stevenson Gallery (7661 Girard Avenue, Suite 201, 92037), Thomas Glassford at Quint Gallery (7547 Girard Ave. 92037) and Amanda Farber and Michelle Montjoy at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library   (1008 Wall St. La Jolla, 92037).  

Here is also a shout out to Joseph Bellows Photography next the R.B Stevenson with their show of photographs in black and white of homes. It was fun to see how each artist has a very subtle but different view of this exact same subject. The show is called Living Arrangements and is on until March 7. Reenie Barrow, Bevan Davies, Scott B. Davis, Douglas R. Gilbert, Charles Johnstone, Gene Kennedy, Michael Mulno, and Phel Steinmetz are featured with multiple works and I was drawn to Phel Steinmetz. These are multi-panel works that are of Southern California and very typical of homes in the 70's and 80's. I loved that black outline which was used selectively.

 





Astrid Preston: Coming to the Edge at R.B. Stevenson Gallery (7661 Girard Avenue, Suite 201, 92037) Showing until Feb 28

Don't be fooled by the first image below that was also the one used on their pr announcement. This artist has a very unique view of landscape in these perfectly painted oil on wood creations. 

This a more close up view of just one of the 15 or so bird surrounding the larger image.

Thomas Glassford Solar Plexus at Quint Gallery (7547 Girard Ave. 92037) Showing until March 7. The first of these images is from early work by Glassford. The hand bent plexiglas leaves are lit to shine on their edges and the shadow on the wall below was very dramatic. The rest of the works of the show take their shapes from similar botanical references. They are all 3-dimensional works and the mirror plexiglas is reflecting the viewer and a range of colors in the room. They also cast interesting shadows on the floor of the gallery. 

Amanda Farber: Here and Michelle Montjoy: The pit bull licked the baby's head and scented it with ham.  ( at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library   (1008 Wall St. La Jolla, 92037) Showing until Feb 14.   

Both Michelle Montjoy and Amanda Farber are local artists. Amanda teaches at the Design Institute and got her MFA from UCSD. My favorite work in Farber's show is the door which is purposely distorted and lures you in to look closer to see what is real and what is painted. This are ordinary objects but through the lens of Ms. Farber they become noticed and noticeable.

Michelle Montjoy has taken strips of 500 t-shirts and knitted them into shapes that could look like extremely long sleeves. This references her tiny delicate drawing that are also in the show and one amazing sculpture with a tiny sweater and a long sleeve dragged down by 1500 straight pins.  

 

 A few bonus shots - first this wonderful display of heart shaped cookies in preparation for Valentines day.

... and finally a little gathering of the clan on a bookshelf in the Athenaeum.

North County Arts Network

North County Arts Network with Craig Watson CAC director is Thurs, Jan15, from 5-7 pm at the New School of Arts at Cal State University, San Marcos (333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, 92078) Reservations required: sofaevents@csusm.edu 760-750-4324. 

Craig Watson, Dave Roberts, Daniel Foster

The first 2015 meeting of NCAN  (North County Arts Network....I consider this an homage to SDVAN!) was held this month arranged by Daniel Foster from the Oceanside Museum of Art at the new School of Arts at Cal State University, San Marcos. The goal is to arrange collaborations through networking and share best practices. I think eventually it could be an advocacy group as well. 

Craig Watson, director of the California Arts Council was the key speaker and his budget has doubled to $10 million, still small potatoes as California is 44^th down the list of state funding of the arts.  One important point he made was that we need a SD Arts Council that serves the whole county. It needs one person who wakes up every morning and thinks about what is good for the arts community and how the arts serve the county. It needs three supervisors to approve the county wide council in order to get funding from CA Arts Council. 

The funding is only about $20,000 from CAC but we have also been promised money and an office from Supervisors Vice Chairman Dave Roberts who was present at this presentation. If we can get two more supervisors to agree we could at least get a part time position started. But that might be a long way off as things move very, very slowly in politics. Hopefully in the north county, Supervisor Chairman Horn, who was also present, will hear from these people in NCAN that that is what they want. 

Mark your calendar for April 116, July 16 and Oct 15 for future events this year held in CA Center for the Arts Escondido, Lux Art Institute and Oceanside Museum of Art. Daniel Foster is spearheading this new organization with help from Jim Gilliam, Patricia Frischer, Naomi Nussbaum, Marilyn Huerta, Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, Jerry Van Leeuwen, Reesey Shaw, Vincent Kitch, and Jerry Kern.

In the Studio at CCAC Escondido

In the Studio: Artist Dialogs  curated by Wendy Wilson
plus Contemporary Constructions: Matthew & Iris Strauss Family Foundation
 Showing until Feb 22 at California Center for the Arts Escondido Museum
340 N. Escondido Blvd Escondido, 92015 More info: Megan Thudium 760.839.4125

Getting a behind the scenes view of the art making process is always fascinating. We know there is new project to bring a video network to us called  The Artist Odyssey,
which intends to deliver premium art programming including this type of insight. Until that time, we have a special opportunity to see a set of local artist who have been gallery assistants or had the privilege of working in the studios of some of the masters of our time.  The gallery immediately draws you in with an assortment of interesting sculptures but you have to slow down and read to understand what is being presented.

This is a studio shot of the process in Sam Francis's studio that Raul Guerrero used to make the spiral drawing below

Under this stroud is a body cast of Raul made by Edward Kienholz

Here is the view of a tower of a house of card strung along the wall by Raul Guerro

Peter Phillip early work with Eleanor Antin

Eleanor Antin

David Rogers demonstrating his kinetic sculptures

David Rogers: close up looking down into a tiny intimate world

 Many of us have visited the Strauss home to see their impressive collection which now spreads across multiple properties in Rancho Santa Fe. But lifting the works out of the home and showing them in the superb white space of the CCAC in Escondido was like a breath of fresh air. The works seem to breath and expand. This is a visual treat and because the works are multi-dimensional they work very well with the other In the Studio exhibition. The museum looks wonderful and reminds us that this could be a premier space in the county. Escondido needs help to make this happen and hopefully, some sort of SD County Arts Council or the newly developed North County Arts Network could help them by adding collaborations with many more professional like those involved in this show. 

 

Fred Wilson

Raul Guerrero

Jean Lowe

Nelson Leirner

Chema Alvargonzales

Sam Taylor Wood