Art & Process

Los Angeles Art Show and More

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Last weekend I went to the Los Angeles Art Show and it was …. It was…. well, …not as fantastic as I’d hoped, but it was still okay and I saw a few memorable things. I am now fascinated with a painter named Armando Romero who I saw at Tasende Gallery. I was seriously impressed with his work and have been reading about him online ever since. I have not stopped dropping my jaw at his life’s work. He’s going right up there with Amy Sillman for me.

Speaking of which, I saw a very good abstract painter named Sarah Stolar at The Bohemian Gallery from Kansas who I liked very much too. Her work was bold and brave, large and it drew me in instantly. I loved her painterly strokes and colors. It inspires me not to be so flat. The people at the booth were also very nice (a little bit rare, but not for the Mid West).

MJP seemed to really take towards a painter named Aron Wiesenfeld at Arcadia Gallery in New York. I liked him very much too. He had his own style for sure, and there was something beautifully eerie about his pictures that made them strangely special.  Excellent painting.

My gallery, George Billis, had a great booth this time around. It was well put together with some of their best work, and they changed it out each day. I saw it on the first day and the last. I wish my work was front and center when I came back on the last day, but apparently I had my time in between.

My favorite booth hands down was Rebecca Hossack’s space from London. I’m in love with artists Peter Clark, Ross Bonfanti, and Balint Zsako.

Now that I type all this stuff down, I realize that it was a better fair than I gave credit to in the first place. Perhaps I spoke too soon.

In other news… “Tzit Tzit” opened at the Saint Vincent Gallery yesterday.

“TZIT TZIT: Fiber Art and Jewish Identity” is the full title for this small group exhibit that is showing at Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania. It is curated by Ben Schachter, and here is an article about the show.  And another in the Jewish Chronicle here.  There’s even a little YouTube piece here.  The exhibition runs until February 21st.

I’ve been thinking about applying to the MacDowell Colony in April for a residency in the fall. I had this killer dream recently where I went away for a few weeks and all I did was draw and I am fixin’ to make that shit come true.

That’s all for now. Ta!

What’s new in the rain?

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It’s been raining like small forest creatures here. Not that we don’t need it. It makes everything green and pretty and stops me from moving to Portland. But being an LA native, I am very cold-sensitive and my old bones can’t take the chill all too well. I need a knitted afghan on my knees like an old lady, which makes me want to complain in my rocking chair and tell stories about what it was like before the war.

I had a productive weekend nonetheless. fellow blogger Anna Conti came down from San Francisco with 3 of her friends and came to me studio for a visit on Saturday. I was honored to be one of their many art stops along their weekend venture. They were all so nice and gracious, they would not even except any of the Hanson’s sodas I offered. I wound up over chatting a bit (I tend to do that when I feel nervous — overcompensating for fear of being too shy and quiet).  I probably just came off “normal” for all I know, but through it all I really enjoyed their visit very much. Luckily, Saturday was a nice day without rain, so I’m sure they were able to see a lot. They are getting jacked on their way back home today with this storm, but being from SF, I’m sure they are well used to it.

Here’s a pic of Anna and her friends in my studio on Saturday:

I also created a new page on my site with some pictures of my studio. You can only get to this page through THIS LINK until I incorporate somewhere else on my site somehow.

In other news, I’ve been working on this new painting of gumball machines. It’s 40 x 60 inches in size, and it’s coming together slowly, but surely:

I finally finished this one about a week ago, but I just now posted it on my site:

“I Waited For You,” 2010. Oil, paper, pencil and embroidery on canvas. 36×36 inches (detail).

When Anna came to visit, I was just telling her about how I was waiting to hear back from the Women’s Studio Workshop on my proposal for a book residency I had applied for. Low and behold my answer was waiting for me when I got home on Saturday. I did not get it. There were 80 applicants and only 2 slots. I know the competition was steep, and maybe a long shot, but I really thought my proposal was strong and I guess my hopes were a little too high because I was seriously bummed when I got the news. The day before, the results for the West Prize came through and I did not get that either, but I was not expecting to win that one at all, so I was not surprised or sad about that one. The winners are posted and they are all very compelling and I can see why I probably wasn’t even in the running.

Just as sad is that Art Clokey died recently. I don’t know what I can say about him that isn’t out there since he’s passed away, but he was a major inspiration for me and will be missed and honored in my heart forever.

If you’ve got a heart, then Gumby’s a part of you.

Happy New Year

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Today is the first day of a new decade. How weird. How weird that I have lived through a few decades. I don’t feel all that old. I kinda still feel like I’m 8. Well anyway, good riddance to 2009. A thorn in my side. I made a stupid rhyme. I’m not once for New Year’s resolutions, but I have quite a few this time. I had my last cigarette yesterday. (Make way for dramatic mood swings.) And I have to lose all the weight I put on this past year. A year and a half actually, because it started with all the fast food in Las Vegas while staying in hospice with my dad. I’ve been eating badly ever since as a form of comfort and depression. So all that is going to stop and regular exercise will become a priority. Not only will it be better for me physically, it will apparently take me out of the doldrums – so say the doctors.

January I will begin working on a new series of paintings for my show in the fall at George Billis Gallery in Los Angeles. I’m looking forward to making the work. A little nervous about it too, but that’s a good thing I suppose. While working on it all, I’m also going to be embarking on a project that is totally different for me: a stop-motion animation project. I am lucky enough to partner up with UK artist Susan Holloway who is going to help me with making 2 short films. I am trying to get funding for the project, but if I don’t get it, I am still going to inch my way through the project slowly but surely.

I started to employ a part time assistant. That is totally new. And strange. I have never done that before and it’s not easy to let go of things or even know exactly what to divvy out. It forces me to organize my days a lot more because I have to give her something to do for the hours she is here that will essentially make it easier for me to just paint. It’s weird to let someone else do my administrative stuff because I’m such a control freak. It requires trust. She is one of my best friends, so I got lucky on that front. Having her seal panels and stuff like that will be interesting, and probably easy. It’s not brain surgery. Overall though, it’s very different, but it’s making me work more because I’m on a schedule part of the week. The rest of the week I can go into the studio at my leisure, so I still have time to do crack and drink whiskey.

Write Now

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I really don’t have much to say. I’ve been painting. I’ve been under the weather. My friend’s father just passed away. I’m busy, but depressed. Holidays kind of suck. I’m cold. I need a shower. My legs hurt. I’m keeping busy. I got a part time assistant (who is also my friend). Things are moving along. I started my novel. I am getting organized. I miss avoiding my parents this time of year. I am mad at past boyfriends. I am sad about old friends. I look forward to 2010. I’m excited about upcoming work. I’m mad I haven’t quit smoking yet. I don’t like the shape of my face. My dogs annoy me. I love my boyfriend. My car is comfortable. I’m always tired. I wish I could have children. I’m glad I don’t have kids. I don’t have time to write in this blog right now.

 

Happy Holidays.

Buckle Down

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Just buckling down, finishing up work, shipping them out and working on a few pieces at once. I finished up those few I had posted about earlier and they are on my site here – some of them on their way to Houston for my show that opens on the 5th, while some are on their way to Miami for the Red Dot Fair, and even more are packed up now, waiting to be shipped out to Latrobe, PA for a show at Saint Vincent College. Lots going on, so that’s good. I started a new one called, “I Waited for You,” but this is a really bad cell phone camera shot of it:

It’s a 36-inch square, oil, paper and linen on canvas and it still needs lots more paint and embroidery, but the basic composition is there. I’m also working on a tiny piece of my dad on a cell phone, a medium/small panel with some Hebrew on it, and considering doing some garment sculptures, but am going to need a sewing machine for it. It’s going to be very different for me and quite unsaleable, so it’s a bit of an unnerving idea. There’s also this animation idea I’d like to try. It’s super simple, but I think I need to to it. …Could be the drugs talking though. I don’t know.

Something big that I started completely sober is my book. Not an Artists’ book. A creative, autobiographical piece of genuine non-fictional, soon-to-be- novel-sized book.

I also put Horsebucket on super sale for 80 bucks until January 1st, so swoop in on the rest of them while they last.

I saw The Family Stone today, not a bad movie. I was intrigued with the family dynamics. I also saw Hard Core Logo the other night and it was also not too bad. Interesting, but expected more. Still, had I not expected anything, I would have wound up liking it more.

OH! Speaking of REAL writing. Real good writing that is, You MUST see my boyfriend’s new book page and READ THE DESCRIPTIONS of the books. They are absolutely hysterical! And I must say he is not really exaggerating much at all because you can see from his descriptions that he’s a damn talented writer and funny person. Buying one of his books ain’t no shabby, bad idear either. You’ll find out in a short amount of time why I fell in love with him.