tag gallery blog

TAG Interviews Ty Bowman

2012-01-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Ty Bowman
Altar of Zeus
digital photograph on canvas 40 x 60"

Have you always lived in Southern California?

No. I came to California from Texas in '87 to find work and check out the art scene. I grew up in Dallas, Texas from age 5. Before that the family lived in Denver, Colorado. My first memories were of the Rocky Mountains that I could see from our picture window in the living room. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts during the last year my father was finishing his PhD at MIT.

Does where you grew up shape your artistic vision?

Some things from my youth have stayed with me in a general sense. I spent five years in the Boy Scouts and went camping and canoeing almost every month. Because of those experiences I developed a love of the out of doors. As an artist, initially I was interested in Texas landscapes and other local imagery because that's what surrounded me. After studying art history my horizons broadened. If anything, being in Texas for such a long time made me want to travel outside of Texas and outside of the country. I think once you are aware of the world out there you can never go back to a provincial view of things. I love landscapes because I love Nature and feel a connection with the Earth. The natural world as a subject however has become less specific to where I grew up and more generalized for me as a symbol or vehicle for artistic expression.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

I think I was about 9 years old when I first saw a documentary on TV about Leonardo da Vinci. It completely fascinated me and to this day I consider him to be a mentor. I was drawn to his inventive and artistic life--such curiosity and knowledge and originality and mastery of everything. It is said that he is the last person to know everything, the complete body of knowledge his culture had to offer.

I had an early interest in taking pictures with my mother's Kodak camera. Then at age 16 I inherited my grandfather's Zeiss camera which set me off on a photographic journey that continues today. In addition to that I had a big interest in science and making things, seeing how things worked. Dad made a hobby room for us kids growing up with a countertop and drawers that spanned two sides of the room. We did all kinds of projects in that room for school and Scouting and you name it. I usually entered the science fair every year. I won several times. I won the grand prize for the science fair at my junior high school in the eighth grade. I was good with tools and good at anything tools could do. I was good at wood working, wood carving, clay sculpture, model making, candle making, plaster casting, lead casting and theater set designs. I learned to play piano, violin and classical guitar. I consider all of these things to be artistic pursuits that directed my life in art.

What moves you?

Curiosity, creative problem solving, inventing things, making things and making art moves me. I like practical things but I think art has always been on a higher order for me. There is something irresistible to making objects that have no practical purpose, something that exists simply to engage me, lift my spirit or transport my mind. Art is that for me and for me there is no higher pursuit than to make art. It’s my form of communication and how I connect with other people and the world.

Ty Bowman
Coliseum
digital photograph on canvas 48 x 32"

Can you share about your technique? Or is it a secret?

I don't think technique ever needs to be a secret for the simple reason that I am a unique person and any art that I make will bear my unique personality. If someone wants to use the same technique, their results will reflect their unique personality, style and ideas. Look at the Impressionists. They all knew the technique but each artist is distinguishable.

My technique for this body of work is simple. I use one long exposure of a second or more using a digital camera that I move during the exposure to blur the image onto the sensor. Any double or multiple imaging that appears is simply by chance. I have no real way of controlling or predicting what will appear in my camera. That's part of the fun of it, the letting go of control, allowing chance and entropy into the process. I don’t' do any software post-processing of the image that alters the form of the image. I only enhance the color and contrast.

I can tell you that I work very hard at what I do and that's another aspect to me and my working method for this body of work. For example, I went to Rome for a second time to photograph the Coliseum after not getting what I wanted the first time. The second time I went to Rome I spent a total of seven hours in the Coliseum spanning two days. I took over 900 pictures of just the Coliseum in these two visits to Rome and only one of those images satisfies me. I put only one image of the Coliseum in my exhibition portfolio.

Whom do you make art for?

I make art for myself first and then when it's ready, I will show it to you and everyone else. I think it has to be that way. If I'm not satisfied with my work then I can't expect you to enjoy it. When I first came to California I tried making art that was suitable for a certain gallery in Marina del Rey. I made some airbrush paintings that sold, but after a while I didn't enjoy making them. I felt like I was on an assembly line. I could have been making anything. I stopped making the paintings in favor of making art that meant something to me rather than some target audience out there. I've made compromises in my art that I'm not proud of while producing certain commissions I've had. I did the same thing when I was making functional art furniture out of steel and glass and selling it to a retailer on Venice Boulevard. I did it to stay in business. Those were really business decisions that went against my creative judgments. I won't ever compromise my artistic ideas again. It doesn't make that much money and it never makes good art.

Ty Bowman

Ty Bowman's exhibition at TAG opens January 31st.

Buy Local Think InternationalTAG Group Show 2012

2011-12-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

January 3 - 28, 2012

Featuring: All 40 TAG Artists

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 7, 2012, 5-8 PM

The forty diverse artists of Santa Monica based TAG Gallery will display their latest work in a group exhibition from January 3 - 28, 2012. Housed in TAG’s stunning space at Bergamot station, Southern California’s largest art gallery complex, the exhibit will span all media and genres of painting, photography, sculpture with an opening to be held on January 7 from 5-8 pm.

As the foremost not-for-profit art gallery committed to local, contemporary work in Los Angeles, TAG is breaking new ground by integrating the world of contemporary art into the scene of the thriving Buy Local movement. TAG offers a mindful, contemporary approach to participating in the international art market, by committing to sustainability and a vibrant, diverse local community.

Founded in 1993 by five women, The Artists’ Gallery has grown to a membership of forty artists, both men and women, working in all media and genres. The artists of TAG are inspired by each other’s work and the vivid Southern California environment. Work is priced reasonably with 80% of the sales price going directly to the artist, and the remainder toward the functioning of the cooperative. TAG is committed to making art available to people from all walks of life.

By participating in the TAG community, clients and fans support a holistic approach to the contemporary art world, and the positive effects of international cultural exchange.

Hyper-America: Cookies, Wires & Landscapes New Exhibit at TAG Gallery November 29 - December 24, 2011

2011-11-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

Featuring John Clendening, Cameey McGilvray, Joan Vaupen

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 3, 2011, 5-8 PM

John Clendening, The Lake at Sundown, 2011, oil on panel, 24 x 18 in.

American Landscapes
John Clendening
Combining still life images with landscapes in a form he calls the “Stillscape”, artist John Clendening forges a connection between the traditions of American landscape painting and those of European still life. As the former Smithsonian Chief of Design, Clendening has an intrinsic relationship with American art and history. His current show, American Landscapes, surveys American national parks, including Zion, Joshua Tree, Snow Canyon, and Indian Canyon. He reveals how the natural world can inspire on any scale, bringing the majestic together with the commonplace, juxtaposing monumental natural imagery with traditional still-life imagery. From stunning mountain peaks to crates of apples on a desk, John Clendening’s work emphasizes how the smallest detail is ultimately just as important as the large whole.

Camey McGilvray, Haywire 2011 Acrylic, wire and wood 36 x 26 x 6 in

WIred, Camey McGilvray

In WIRED, Sculptor Camey McGilvray challenges the multi-faceted, scattered, high-speed nature of contemporary culture. Using wires and wood in her kinetic constructions, McGilvray shows that twenty-four hour access to information is the blessing and curse of our time. A constant stream of communication may allow us to do more, send more, and process more, but ultimately, will expect more of us in return. While being wired informs our personal energy, it also limits the depth of our connections. By capturing individual slices of life in hyperdrive, McGilvray’s sculptures force us to realize that despite the benefits, digital communication is no substitute for the quality of an unedited, face-to-face interaction. While more words reach, fewer touch.

Joan Vaupen, Red Fortune Cookie, 2011, Plexiglass and mixed media, 12 x 12 x 6 in.

Fortune, Joan Vaupen

Fortune Cookies. Plexiglass. What do they have in common? Mixed-media artist Joan Vaupen revels in the two, in her new exhibit, Fortune at TAG Gallery. Vaupen brings the kitschy cookie into the realm of 21st century art - molding the the soft plastic of plexiglas into the hardened, sensual shapes of that frustrating, sweet paradox: the fortune cookie. We want to eat it, but we don’t want to eat it. We want to open it, and we want to keep it closed. The circuitous forms of Vaupen’s plexiglas cookies simultaneously hide and reveal, are feminine yet hard. Larger than life, they suspend themselves from the wall, requesting us to open them and discover the platitudes of life. Fortune forces us to recognize that even though the unknown shall always be unknown . . . it will always be enticing.

Interview With Cheryl Medow

2011-11-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

Cheryl Medow
Great Egrets of the World, Ed of 5
Digital Pigment Print, Deckled Edge 29 ¼ x 24”

Of all the animals and birds you photograph, do you have a favorite?

The birds are the most difficult to shoot and I love a challenge. When they are in full mating colors it's the best. Their feather, beaks and eyes can be unbelievable. The cats are amazing as well. I have to travel a far distance to see them in the wild. Where they live is as spectacular as how they dress. The leopard is the most beautiful with his coloring and incredible eyes. When I am eye to eye with these cats, I stop breathing. And I have to remember to press the shutter.

I know you often travel to search out birds and animals to photograph. Where are some of the places that your work has taken to you in the past year or two?

For the birds, they live everywhere. I have been shooting them in Kenya, Botswana, and the Pantanal in Brazil and as close as the Malibu Lagoon.

Have you noticed any changes to the conservation areas that you visit, or in the numbers and/or varieties of animals?

The numbers of animals depends on drought and of course loss of habitat. The oil spill in the gulf certainly disturbed the ecosystem there. Malibu is in the process of wanted to change the lagoon. I for one have been against this so as not to disturb the habitat and as well, keep the lagoon in the wonderful state it is with great wooden bridges going thru the marsh, rather than only have a walkway around it.

Cheryl Medow
Elusive Leopard, Ed of 5
Digital Pigment Print, Deckled Edge 29 ¼ x 38”

What are some of the challenges you face in your work? (Technical, scheduling or time constraints, distances, weather, etc)

Technically, the challenge is to be able to carry all my camera gear whether it be 1 mile or taking it on board a flight. The gear is heavy. My camera and 600mm lens weighs approx. 20-25 lbs. Kenya and the continent are not close to Los Angeles but the Malibu Lagoon is. Unfortunately I can't find the big cats in the wild in Malibu. So making arrangement to fly across the world almost once a year for the past 15 years has been exciting and challenging.

Is there a particular season, or time of day that you find better for finding your subject matter?

I try not to go places in the rain. Certainly not good for camera gear. Early morning and late afternoon light are the moments that photographers relish. The light is incredible when the sun is out of course. The lions (morning light), the leopard (afternoon light) and the Great Blue Heron Of The World (morning light) are examples of the nature of light.

There is a new quality to your latest images, a texture. Have you learned any new techniques? If so, can you share them?

My newest work began as field notes and postcards. I wanted to tell people about my travels so I incorporated an envelope pattern on the photographer's canvas. The envelope I used was one I found amongst my father-in-laws love letters to my mother-in-law from December 1930. And here we are 81 years on. Life has texture and maps show us where we are. In other words, the textures explore the fabric of life. The maps are another means of travel and worldliness. The images are placed in their world as a snapshot of time.

Cheryl Medow's exhibition begins November 1.

The Lives We Could Have Led November 1 - November 26, 2011 Featuring: Carol Kleinman, Michael Knight, Cheryl Medow

2011-10-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 5, 2011, 5-8 PM

Artist Panel: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 2-3 PM  

Carol Kleinman
Reflections of Hawaii

Upon first glance, Carol Kleinman's works might seem like photoshopped composite images. However, Kleinman takes a single picture of a single reflection, floating in the complexity of simplicity. Kleinman's images engage a careful kind of seeing, where unlike things interact and overlap in images simultaneously possible and impossible. Though they are real images without technological intervention, they only exist in reflections, and thus are in a way unreal. Kleinman invites viewers to join her in floating between exotic placeless places, somewhere between home base and utopian escape. Here Kleinman explores Hawaii, her origin and oasis, and a place where dreams fade in and out of reality with its surreal beauty and maternal warmth.

Michael Knight
As the Crow Flies

Moving from here to there, people and populations travel and disperse for myriad reasons, ccasionally or with regularity, legally or illegally, willing or under duress. Cultural patterns are reinforced or shifted by these journeys that range from daily commuting to the activity of nomads. Reflecting on this enduring human activity in his new show, As the Crow Flies, artist Michael Knight continues a multifaceted metaphorical exploration of the complexities of human migration. In this series of limited edition digiglyphs on canvas, Knight combines layered images of maps, hand drawn crows in migratory flight and calligraphic tracings that record growth, time and change. These images combine the uniqueness of a monoprint with the sophistication of the digital world, exposing our own, uncertain times. In Knight’s transitory world, nothing is taken for granted, and nothing remains the same.

Cheryl Medow

Wildest Dreams

In her upcoming exhibition Wildest Dreams, Cheryl Medow infuses her hyper-realistic images of wildlife with an acute, visceral energy. From the jungles of Africa to the marshy thickets of the Malibu Lagoon, Medow seeks the textures of the landscape and its diverse creatures, saturating them with layers of color and imagery. With every image we become attuned to the contours of the environment and the creatures within her magical dioramas.

Medow is filled with a sense of belonging whether she is photographing nature in a nearby lagoon or in a far distant land. Join Cheryl Medow in the journey through her wildest dreams.

Carol Kleinman Interview

2011-10-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Carol Kleinman

Portal to Paradise, Hawaii 2011

single exposure digital image on canvas

60" x 30" Ed. of 5

Carol Kleinman's photographic works seem to float between exotic place-less places.

Are you still photographing window reflections?

I have been photographing reflections for almost 20 years. It all began in Russia...on a train from Moscow to St Petersburg. Looking at the reflections on the train windows, I saw the many layers of life flying by. There were the people in the train, the outside world and the cold steel of the dining car. They all collided in front of my eyes creating a collage of life. As an artist, I wanted to capture these complex moments of life and put them on canvas for others to experience. It took time to develop this work. Year after year I've found more mystery, depth and joy using reflections. I plan to continue to explore and expand this work for many years to come.

How do you decide where to go to photograph windows? What attracts you, or what elements are you hoping to find? Do you have a favorite places (or places) to go?

This series was taken in Hawaii - the place of my birth. Hawaii is a nurturing place of light, water, and trade winds. There is a uniqueness in the islands that is found nowhere else in the world. My home had a profound impact on who I am and is in every sense a part of me. With this series, I want to convey this remarkable place from my point of view through my "Reflections of Hawaii".

Carol Kleinman

Orchids, Glass, Water, Hawaii Reflection 2011

single exposure digital image on canvas

60" x 30" Ed. of 5

What technical decisions do you have to make – camera, lens, printing surfaces…?

Upon first glance the work might seem photoshopped composite images. They are not. Capturing a moment in time is one of the most important aspics of my work. I strive to accomplish this with one single exposure.

I work intuitively with a very good small, single lens camera which allows me to catch the serendipitous moment. It is similar to a treasure hunt. My work is all about the unexpected.

Printing on canvas adds texture to my work. It also blurs the line between painting and photography adding to the sense of mystery intrinsic in the reflections.

Carol Kleinman's exhibition opens November 1, 2011.

Carol Kleinman at work.

Interview With Michael Knight

2011-10-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Michael Knight

Juarez

Limited Edition Digiglyph, Ed. Of 8

28” x 36”

Michael Knight's digiglyphs on canvas continue his multifaceted metaphorical exploration of the complexities of human migration.

Can you teach somebody to be an artist or is it an innate ability?

As an art teacher of more than three decades experience, I believe that just about anyone can be taught to make art. In the same way that humans have developed the ability to communicate verbally, they have also learned to communicate on a visual level. In fact, we only have to look to a young child to see that they often scribbling out their impressions of the world around them with a carefree abandon long before they are able to speak (innate artistic ability). Just as there are guidelines that help to organize verbiage, thus clarifying our thinking, so too we use the elements and principles of design to organize visual compositions and to clarify our thinking. These guidelines of visual communication have remained constant through history and along with content, form the basis of art criticism. How to apply these guidelines and the manipulation of materials and techniques can be imparted to others (artistic teaching). However, I also believe that there are inborn personal traits such as desire, commitment, aptitude, initiative and passion that will make developing these artistic capabilities easier to master.

Have you participated in migration yourself? Is your perspective on migration born from experience and/or observation?

Wow! Mapping the course of my relocations would produce quite a circuitous route and has provided a personal perspective on the implications of human migration. Born in Oakland, CA, I soon ended up in the Bronx, NY after a layover in Southern Arizona. Greenwich, CT, Old Saybrook, CT, Mamaroneck, NY were all stops before I came to LA and the San Fernando Valley. As a youth I traversed “The Valley” calling perhaps 12 different locations home. Next was LA 90034 and now LA 90066. Finding my way to and from those locations and being immersed in the environments and cultures that I found there has shaped many of my views on this shared human experience. Observing and reflecting upon how these same activities affect the lives, thoughts, actions and behaviors of others is at the crux of my current process.

Crows are a recurring element in your work. Why crows? Why not parrots or penguins?

Crows first appeared in my artwork during my graphite/tornado series about five years ago. I became aware of them while out walking my dogs in my Mar Vista neighborhood. I would see large groups of black birds flying South and East in the morning and North and West in the evening. As I walked, I mused about the metaphorical connections between the way these cunning survivors would travel to insinuate themselves into an area, and find a way to thrive there. I also noticed that their arrival was met with mixed sentiment. This then led me to find connections to human migrations and especially immigration. To me, these crows became the ideal symbol to use as I questioned these essential issues in my art.

Michael Knight

HYY 80

Limited Edition Digiglyph, Ed. Of 8

26” x 36”

How do the digital and handmade aspects of your work complement each other? How does each support the other?

I have been involved with printmaking for about fifteen years. Initially I explored transfer prints, photo etching and monoprinting. More recently I became interested in digital printmaking, and in the digiglyph, I have found the perfect blend of handmade and digital art making. Creating hand drawn monoprints became a major focus. Along the way, I experimented with digital art making as well, finding the ability to layer imagery fascinating and similar to that which is present in monoprinting. In my current work I begin with a hand drawn monoprints of crows using only black ink on white paper. That image is then scanned and added digitally to images of maps that establish location, destination and movement. I use my artistic training to guide the manipulation of compositional issues and color considerations viewed on a monitor. Concentric rings that represent time, growth, travel and change are then added, both digitally and by hand, to an image that is outsourced to paper or canvas.

Where do you your find inspiration for your works?

Process is the core of my inspiration. My goal is to create images that question the constant evolution of societal pressures, cultural identities and definitions of self, tempered by intellectual control and emotional response. I encourage the viewer to examine the world beyond the art and beyond the frame. To that end, my artwork explores distinctions between the inherent and the refined, the organic and the geometric, the worldly and the spiritual, the male and the female, the cerebral and the impassioned. This contrasting nature of the universe, as I perceive it, is ever present.

What is your thought process while making an artwork? Or, Can you take us through the steps you go through when creating a new piece?

I am always taking photos of crows with the overarching migration theme lurking in the back of my mind. In the studio these two occurrences intersect as I create a monoprint drawing and gather the resources that will form the final composition. Next, images are scanned, and the digital fun begins. Although I start with a concrete plan, I also embrace, even seek, the unexpected discoveries I find while manipulating the numerous digital layers in the computer. I find combining new and age old technologies intellectually and physically satisfying. They seem to round out both sides of my Gemini personality and provide a yin/yang balance to my life. The finished prints are a bonus.

Whom do you make art for?

I make art mostly for myself as a way of reconciling my ideas and understandings of the world around me with those of others. Rather than offering visual opinions, I prefer to pose questions to those who view my work. I would like them to share in my questioning of our world and its constructs. It is my way of saying, “Did you ever notice this?” and if so, “What do you think about it?”

Michael Knight
Photo by Danny Moloshok

Michael Knight's exhibition opens November 1, 2011.

Human-Nature Urban-Suburban New Exhibit at TAG Gallery October 4 - October 29, 2011 Featuring Artists: Carole Garland, Diane Rudnick Mann, Della Rolle, Ellen Starr

2011-10-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 15, 2011, 5-8 PM
Artist Panel: Saturday, October 22, 2011, 2-3 PM
An Afternoon with Wild Art and Wild Animals: Sunday, October 23, 3-5 pm

In LAyers, Carole Garland’s paintings give us an overview of Los Angeles, city of mirages. They capture both the transitory nature of the marine atmosphere and the permanence of the mountain topography. Fascinated with the natural geometry of the local environs, Garland paints urbanscapes of familiar sites overlooking Culver City, Mulholland, Pacific Palisades and Ocean Park.

Garland’s oil paintings display a city that rests amidst a complex environment. Pink stucco houses, crowded streets and towering palm trees starkly contrast the bold mountains and heavy fog that linger in the distance. The patches of paint which mimic Cezanne’s color block technique diffuse light as it shines through the marine layer shrouding the city.

Everyday Things Come Alive, Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann places everyday things in a limitless cosmos: cherries, peppermint candies and vegetables appear as if carved out of dark matter. Pastels, usually reserved for soft-focus effects and blurry lines, are applied with meticulous intensity and vigor. Edges of objects alternately cut through the black background leaving crystallized reflections or seep into nothingness, losing contrast as they are pushed out of view.

Stripped of time, place, and function, the minutiae of everyday life become the focus of our attention. We are forced to look, to gaze intently at the usual, otherwise, as Mann describes, “you would walk by and never notice."

Animalia, Della Rolle

In Anamalia, Della Rolle highlights the odd yet prevalent parallels between human characteristics and animal behavior. Exposed to both wild and domestic animals that live in and around her home in Los Angeles, Della sees remarkable crossovers between her neighbors and her furry friends who live in her backyard. Amused by these similarities, Della captures both humor and beauty in the animals that she sculpts.

Through her bronze and terra cotta sculptures, she reveals the unique personalities of animals such as the Mule Ear Deer Fawn, Cougar Cub, Gray Fox Cub, and Brush Bunny. By associating human mannerisms to animals, the creatures do not only become entertaining but also familiar. Linking human and animal personalities together, Della is satirically commenting on the connectedness of the city, suburban neighborhoods and nearby nature. Whether it is Della’s unique lighthearted view of the world or the fact that humans and animals are related, Anamalia presents a playful view of our society, both two-legged and four-legged.

Vacation Memories, Ellen Starr

Ellen Starr transports us to primitive "vacationscapes". Her Rousseau-inspired foliage provides a glimpse into these untouched locales, like a postcard from an untouched land. From the sands of the Gulf Coast of Florida and the terrains of the Sierras to the shores of Hawaii, these acrylic on canvas paintings beckon a primitive serenity outside the domain of tourism or even humanity.

Starr’s landscapes channel peace within the wild, simplicity within the complexity of nature. The details of organic forms which have become expected of exotic utopias are given new life as Starr revels in the details of silhouettes and their purple shadows, of the crisscross of stems and branches. Through creating idealized replications of her personal memories, Starr creates visual souvenirs of the ultimate escape: a return to nature.

An Afternoon with Wild Art and Wild Animals Charity Event, Event and Silent Auction

The Nature of Wildworks is a nonprofit 501c3 Wildlife Care and Education Center in Topanga, Ca. It provides lifetime care for over forty non-releasable wild animals that were either injured, orphaned or people’s illegal pets. Wildworks also provides programs to the public and works with the LA school district, working with each school's curriculum, to provide programs to educate and engender respect for wildlife and the environment. The ticket price is $40 per person. Wildworks is a volunteer based organization so the ticket price and the money from the silent auction are donations toward the continuing care of the animals at Wildworks. Sample animals in attendance: a serval, a red-tailed hawk, an owl, foxes, prairie dogs, and opossums. There will be a volunteer with every animal who is there to tell people about the animal and its story. Event is not open to children. October 23rd from 3:00 until 5:00 PM, with the silent auction closing at 4:45 PM. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at: www.natureofwildworks.org

Diane Rudnick Mann Interview

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Diane Rudnick Mann

Cherrie

27.75 x 32” pastel

Diane Rudnick Mann continues her focus on The Beauty of Ordinary Objects with her intensely colored pastels.

How do you decide on your lighting and your palette?

Since my work is defined by very high contrast- shadow and light, I have a very specific way to set up the lighting for my paintings. My latest series of paintings all have black backgrounds. When I set up what I want to paint it is in front of a black background in a dimly lit room. I then shine a lamp on the set up so I can see the real highlights and shadows. My intention is to bring that drama to the painting.

As far as a palette, the objects I use define the color. An apple will be red, etc.

Diane Rudnick Mann

Radishes

20.5 x 26” pastel

Can you describe your process, or take us through the steps involved?

I set up my paintings and then photograph them. My paintings are usually large so I enlarge the photo to the size I want to paint and then transfer the outline to the paper. Because I work in pastel I paint from right to left as I’m left handed. I complete each section as I move across the painting. After all my years of painting, I still get a thrill watching the painting develop across the paper.

Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann's exhibition opens October 4, 2011.

Della Rollé Interview

2011-09-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Della Rollé
Hang in There

12 1/2"h x 6"w bronze, edition of 9

Della Rollé focuses her humorous worldview on animals, creating sculptures infused with whimsy.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

I have always loved to draw, and illustrated my grade school and high school yearbooks. The pivotal moment for me as an artist was the first time I held clay in my hands and worked from the figure. That was in 1991 and I realized Sculpture was to be my passion. I still have the same excitement every time I sculpt with clay.

Where are you from? Did your upbringing contribute to your development as an artist?

My father was in the Navy and we moved often, mostly in California. Drawing became the continuity in my life. Making new friends and changing schools constantly contributed to my creative imagination and why I find humor in my work.

How often do you start a new work?

Generating a new idea may take days or years so there is never a set time to start a new work. Many ideas are rejected.

Does your own life experience play a role in your imagery?

Yes. Recently I have included my love for animals in my humorous sculptures and they will be featured in my next show at TAG in October.

Della Rollé

Pelicanview

31"h x 5"w x 5"d bronze, edition of 9

Is there a separation between your "normal" life and your artwork. if so, how do you manage to keep each in its place?

Definitely not! My artwork reflects my personal life view. Hopefully when you look at my work, you smile.

Of terra cotta, bronze, and stainless steel, …why one or the other? How do you decide which to use?

Each type of fired clay, metal, acrylic and marble/resin reflects light in strong and subtle ways. That is how I decide which one to use.

You have a great sense of humor, and in your artist statement you state, “I see humor and beauty in all body types and find that the humor intrinsic in human behavior is reflected in the body.” So, may I ask …..just what is so funny?

Everything is funny! I think feet, hands, faces, body types, hair are all humorous and beautiful at the same time. That is why I sculpt.

Della Rollé

Della Rollé's exhibition at TAG begins October 4, 2011.

Interview With Carole Garland

2011-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Carole Garland
LA Morning
oil on canvas
16 x 20"

In Carole Garland’s recent oils, an elevated perspective of LA. reveals the mirage - like layers that make up the city.

When did you first realize (or decide) that you were a painter?

While I was always drawing and received encouragement in gradeschool, it was observing a Chicago Art Institute outdoor workshop in Saugatuck, Michigan, that moved me to think about becoming an artist. I saw painters standing at their easels and working from a model. When I was 16 I started taking figure drawing classes at the Art Institute. After that, it was a long and bumpy road before I could become a full-time artist. BUT...I painted as often as I could, sometimes weekends only.

Where do you your find inspiration for your works?

Unfortunately, I find inspiration everywhere, which makes me want to paint everything, which makes me scattered. In fact, I've spent years painting in the Santa Monica Mountains working in watercolor and oil during which time I was always drawn to the woods, canyons and mountains. Seascapes were of less interest. The angle of a tree, a shadow across a field... A landscape evoked a mood, a remembered feeling, a sense of awe, a place of peace. I painted in one area of Solstice so often, it felt like my living room.

But in the last few years I've been drawn to the Los Angeles environment, which is incredible and diverse, geometric and architectural. For instance, inspiration for this show LAyers came from the walks I take at the top of Kenneth Hahn Park, with overviews of the city in every direction, from the beach to downtown, but 90 percent of the time it's overcast and so what you see is like a mirage. And that is what I attempted to capture.

I also am terribly excited by abstract artists and their manipulation of paint. Am currently reading a interesting biography of Joan Mitchell, whose work is exquisite. Among artists I've loved and poured over their work are George Inness, Whistler's nocturnes, Sargeant, Matisse, Hopper, Diebancorn, Twombly, Howard Hodgkin and Gerhard Richter.

Carole Garland
LAyers
oil on canvas
12 x 48"

Can you teach somebody to be an artist or is it an innate ability?

Some people have an innate ability to draw. I definitely did to some degree and got pats on the back for it. But there are many famous 20th century artists who couldn't draw and didn't do well in artschool. But their drive and passion to express themselves in art carried them forward. I have a friend who says he can't draw but his reverence for nature and his knowledge of California historic painters has propelled him into becoming an artist, and his love of art carries him forward.

How do you decide on your palette?

I started with a simple palette influenced by Frank Serrano's workshop in plein air painting. I continued to use that until in a class with Jove Wang, I was told to add some new colors to my palette, otherwise all my work would look the same.

I took that to heart and started adding cadmium red, viridian green, cadmium orange, etc. I am no longer afraid of color. Although I still don't use enough of it.

Does art serve a function beyond decorating walls? In your opinion, what is the purpose of art?

I just thought of a series "SOFA ART".In which, you would take orders for paintings to match the color of the sofa and living room decor. I do some work that is decorative and which I enjoy doing. But the deepest motivation is probably close to spiritual, a divine sense of purpose to recreate the world of spirit, emotion, place, one painting at a time.

Carole Garland in the studo.

Carole Garland's exhibition begins October 4, 2011.

Layers of Landscape: Lorraine Bubar, Peter Kempson, Brigitte Schobert

2011-09-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

September 6 - October 1, 2011
Reception: Saturday, September 10, 4-8pm
Artist Panel: Saturday, September 17, 3 pm

Lorraine Bubar
Papercut Fusion

In her new show Papercut Fusion, Lorraine Bubar offers a blueprint for the multi-layered environments that surround us. At first glance, her pieces depict scenes of Koi fish, birds, and water lilies in their natural environments. However, her papercuts reveal a deeper story. Created by children and adults in numerous cultures for diverse purposes, papercuts have crossed the boundaries of culture, art, and craft. Lorraine connects this heritage and skill through a richness of imagery and a complexity of technique. While historical papercuts were never intended to hold a permanent value, Bubar develops a decorative tradition into an artistic one. Each layer upon layer of paper adds color, form and figure, resulting in a kaleidoscope of colors, shape and surprisingly delicate detail. Lines and shapes overlap and the scene emerges out of texture and depth. Through the flat, two dimensional medium of paper, Bubar transforms nature into a three dimensional dynamic experience. Her papercuts become a reflection of the intricate layers of life.

Peter Kempson

Urban Landscapes: LA and Italy

In Urban Landscapes: LA and Italy, Kempson unlocks new perspectives of two environments with deeply-entrenched preconceptions. Los Angeles, often viewed as a sprawling no man’s land, is revitalized through a detailed attention to the most unexpected places such as a neglected, graffiti-ravaged back alley. Kempson animates the city in its diversity, acknowledging both the magnificence and profanity of the shiny cars, bright lights and cracking pavement. While Los Angeles may not offer the validation many seek, it remains for Kempson a flawed yet magical muse.
Italy is widely regarded as a cultural and historic mecca, but Kempson’s brushstrokes transform Venice into a modern and accessible destination. His work helps decode the mystery of the watery city and reveals the simple beauty the complex, medieval city offers. Urban Landscapes: LA and Italy not only brings new perspectives to old cities, but inextricably links them in the space between art and life.

Brigitte Schobert

Woodcuts and Monotypes

Brigitte Schobert's woodcuts of the four seasons merge the cyclical nature of life and its rituals with cyclical composition. Rounded blocks of color create pastoral landscapes inhabited by abstracted figures in motion. They participate in activities of annual events that are familiar to us in our daily lives, yet the images can as well be seen as representing the different stages of a person's life. In her new abstract prints, She explores different techniques, exchanging carved wood plates with a matrix that does not retain information when the impression is made. She achieves a balance between control and whimsy, allowing the vivid colors of oil based inks to merge in unpredictable ways, layer after layer. Her new approach is a more painterly way of printmaking than the woodcuts and demonstrates the versatility of this medium.

Interview With Lorraine Bubar

2011-08-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Lorraine Bubar Flight (detail) Papercut 40 x 24"

With paper and x-acto Lorraine Bubar paints intricate layers of movement, pattern, and meaning.

Where are you from? How long have you been an artist?

I was born in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA. I studied art and biology when I was an undergraduate, with the idea of becoming a medical illustrator. Biological subject matter has always found a place in my work, including my love of insects and flowers. I became interested in animation while I was at UCLA and continued studying animation at Yale, and then worked in the animation industry for many years. My work often reflects that interest in movement and capturing a moment in time. I have worked commercially animating and directing animated television commercials, movie titles, and special effects. I have done magazine illustrations and illustrated a calendar for The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I taught animation at Santa Monica Community College, which evolved into a career of teaching drawing, painting, and printmaking. I have been teaching studio arts for many years, working with elementary, middle, and upper school students and currently teaching at Windward School. It is important to continue to have one’s own personal voice and I have found that teaching art has clarified many art concepts and techniques for me and working with students has inspired me greatly.

For those of us who are not familiar with what you do, will you explain your medium?

My first major body of work consisted of narrative watercolor paintings. They told stories through the juxtaposition of unusual objects, rendered with a lot of detail, movement, and delicate coloring.

My work from the last several years consists of papercuts, layering many different colors of papers. I became interested in papercutting because it is an art form that reflects my interest in many different cultures and the environment. As a craft practiced across the world, including its origins from my own heritage, Eastern European Judaism, traditional papercuts include imagery and themes that interest me. It is difficult to trace the origins of papercutting because the fragile designs and materials did not last over time, but the earliest papercuts can be traced back to China where papermaking began. By the 17^th century, papercutting spread throughout the world. In Japan family emblems were cut from paper, Turkey had papercutting guilds, and regional styles developed in Holland, Germany, and Switzerland where people used scissors or knives to do their “paper carving.” Jews throughout Europe created papercuts that illustrated their history and symbols from the Torah. Jewish papercuts were made to hang on walls of synagogues and homes and served diverse purposes and folk customs. They could indicate the direction of prayer, as an amulet to protect a child at birth, as calendars, to decorate for holidays, and to commemorate a death. Diverse immigrants brought the craft of papercutting to the United States. These papercuts were not intended to have permanent value and were created by nonprofessionals and became a folk tradition. The richness of the motifs, complexity, and range of themes created an artistic heritage that I wanted to connect with in my own artwork. There were often many layers, or levels of symbolic meaning in a single motif. I love that I can image young and old and men and women planning and then cutting out their complex designs, the paper holding together as one piece when completed. In my most recent pieces, I have been influenced by the fact that many papercut designs were symmetrical and based on a horizontal framework, including delicate foliage, flowers, animals, and birds. I like the idea that papercutting is a “folk art” or “craft” that I am perpetuating and elevating to a “fine art.” The word “craft” often refers to a respect for the materials themselves. I strongly consider the variety of papers incorporated into each of my pieces. “Craft” also refers to a respect for the processes and techniques identified with that specific craft. In papercutting, it suggests that a simple tool such as a knife or scissors can be used to create very detailed and precisely created forms and patterns. Using simple materials, I can include gentle curves, the feeling of movement, detail, and imagery.

Lorraine Bubar Tug of War Papercut 40 x 38"

Can you share with us what is involved in your art making process—take us through the steps, if you will?

I am fascinated with how papercutting spread into so many different cultures. It is an art form that requires only inexpensive and readily available materials and is primarily created for personal use. I wanted to explore the idea of making this craft more contemporary and more painterly. I am painting with paper and an x-acto knife. I make a very complete drawing first and use that as my guide for the top layer of paper. Once I have the negative space in the top layer cut out, using a very sharp x-acto knife, I experiment with a range of colors and papers to begin to get a color palette for the piece. I layer the papers and cut through each layer, utilizing the color and texture of the papers, and improvising as I work. I glue each layer of paper together as I complete the cutting. As I work I decide how much detail I want to include in each layer and how much of each color I want to reveal. Although I start with a detailed drawing, I feel very much like I am painting with the paper and I am reacting to the effect of each color as the piece progresses.

In your artist statement you say that you are attracted to detail and delicacy. I can see how this comes through in your work and I am wondering—what about these attributes initially attracts you?

I have always incorporated a lot of detail into my work. When I was working with watercolors, I liked how a pattern covered the surface of an object; such as the scales of a fish covered its body or the texture of bark encompassed a tree. In painting those objects, the three dimensional shapes got laid down, but then they were transformed by the details on the surface. In papercutting, when I am creating those same patterns, such as the scales of a fish or the pattern in a tree, cutting out the small negative spaces leaves “lace,” such a delicate piece of paper that it continues to amaze me at how fragile the paper can be and still hang together as one piece of paper.

How do you choose your subject matter?

Animals often have symbolic meaning in artwork, including the animals illustrated in papercuts. I began to incorporate koi into both my watercolors and my papercuts. Koi are energetic fish that churn up the water, which is what attracted me originally. From observing koi in my own backyard pond, I tried to capture how the movement of the water breaks up the shape of the fish. Their colors broke up into slivers of color that moved with the water. I tried to capture that in the layering of paper. There is a Japanese legend about a koi swimming upstream against a strong river current and finally arriving at a waterfall. Undeterred, the koi climbs the waterfall against the strong current and is transformed into a dragon when it reaches the top. Swimming upstream against the current shows determination and courage. Climbing to the top of the waterfall shows ambition, strength, and victory. Finally, the koi transformed into a dragon symbolizes good fortune and prosperity.

My current theme relates to the concept of layering, both in the layering of paper and the layering of meaning. I am exploring the idea that there is a hierarchical layering in the nature. All of these species are predators and interact, doing the “dance” of survival.

How often do you start a new work?

I always have a piece of work going in my studio. The papercut pieces that I am currently working on take me about a month to complete. Recently I also started working on mixed media pieces to balance working in a very controlled way, labor intensive technique with a more spontaneous method. I like changing my rhythm and my materials.

Who do you make art for?

I would like to say I make art for myself, but it also makes me very happy when I know that I have an audience. While I am engaged in a piece I try to keep the “critic” quiet, and stay focused on “reacting” to what I am creating. I work at pursuing my own personal vision. If I am working in a way that is satisfying and stimulating to myself, I lose myself in the work and I can work endless hours and hardly notice that the time was gone by. I hope that my process of creating, including the energy, effort, and enthusiasm I put into my work is evident to others.

What satisfies you the most about your work?

Currently I am pleased that I have developed a way of working that is unique and relates to my interests in different cultures, the natural environment, and in my cultural heritage.

Lorraine Bubar

Lorraine Bubar's exhibtion at TAG begins September 6, 2011.

Brigitte Schobert Interview

2011-08-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Brigitte Schobert
Rites of Spring
woodcut 20 x 24"

With new woodcuts that celebrate the four seasons and a series of abstract monotypes, Brigitte Schobert continues her discoveries in printmaking.

Does the work in your new exhibition differ than previous work? What are the differences, the similarities?

My new work differs considerably from the previous work. As a reaction to all the crises and disasters the world faced in recent times I wanted to create images that celebrate the joy of life. My style is now much more abstracted and part of my work is totally abstract. Although I often found abstract pictures intriguing and moving, I was unsure whether this style is for me. After attending seminars at the Art Academy in Bad Reichenhall, Germany, I was finally able to overcome a hurdle. Now I enjoy very much creating abstract images, but I am only at the beginning and curious myself where it will take me.

Many artists create digital prints. How are woodcut prints different than digital prints?

Digital art (including photography) is a new and separate field and expanding with the advent of new technologies. Printing from woodcuts is a technique that is many centuries old and has changed very little over time. The fact that the plate/print is handmade and not as perfect as a computer created image adds a certain quality to it. The simplicity or "rough edge" of the shapes, the limited color palette and the grain of the wood all contribute to the austere beauty of the prints from woodcuts.

What excites you about woodcuts?

I like working with a natural material and I definitely like the process of carving. Wooden plates are a very versatile material and I have yet to explore all the possibilities.

Brigitte Schobert
Winter Sun
woodcut 20 x 24"

Are your print editions limited? How many do you/can you typically print before you’re ready to cancel the plate?

My editions are rather small. Color prints take a long time, because each color is on a separate plate and the oil based inks have to dry between the print runs. If I spend too much time on the press, I don't have time to design and carve new images. Small editions are the only way to balance my time reasonably between printing and creating new images.

I know that your process is time consuming, with that in mind, have you had the time to experiment with any of your processes? If so, would you be willing to share with us the results?

Almost every time I print it is an experiment. It has to do with the different properties of inks from different suppliers, the color of their mixtures, printing different colors on top of each other, the properties of paper etc. Recently I started working on abstract monotypes. This is a completely different and more immediate way of working on the press, because I do not have a prepared image in front of me (or in my head). Also, I do not follow a strict procedure when I transfer inks from plexiglass or aluminum plates of different sizes onto paper. Everything is spontaneous and decided at that moment and right at the press. However, it takes many rounds of printing until I am satisfied and consider the image completed.

Are your family and friends supportive of your art?

Yes they are and it is very valuable to have their support.

Imagine you have to evacuate due to a (fire/flood/tornado) coming. Along with your important papers and family photos you can only save one piece of your art work. Which one do you take and why?

I don't think I would burden myself with my art work in such a situation. John Baldessari had a large portion of his early work cremated and the urn with the ashes was shown in his retrospective. This made me think a lot about attachment to my own art.

Brigitte Schobert in the studio.

Brigitte Schobert's next exhibition begins Septemeber 6, 2011.

53 Winners of the California Open 2011 August 17th - September 2nd, 2011

2011-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

TAG Gallery is proud to present the sixth annual California Open Juried Exhibition on August 17, 2011 through September 2, 2011.

The nationwide competition recognizes excellence in a diverse range of styles and media and offers artists exposure at Bergamot Station Arts Center, Southern California’s largest art gallery complex and cultural center.

Interest in the California Open has been on the rise since TAG Gallery moved to its current location in Bergamot Station in 2009. Only 53 artists were selected from a pool of 572 entrants by jurors Katherine Chang Liu, internationally renowned painter, teacher, curator and juror, and Peter Mays, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Art Association, Chair of West Hollywood's Art on the Outside Program, Recognized Artist Advocate.

“From the juror’s standpoint, the quantity and quality of submissions proved to be both daunting and exhilarating” stated the jurors. “As established art professionals immersed in the world of emerging artists, we both see an uncommon amount of artwork on a daily basis, so authentically engaging our attention could potentially present a challenge. After thoroughly reviewing the works independently, we proceeded to hone the final selections together, advocating, honing, and ultimately forging a cohesive exhibition that captured the zeitgeist of the moment.”

“We were pleased to find that the final pieces shared a common “DNA” comprising impressive formal skills and/or originality of idea or execution. The resulting exhibition provides an expansive cross-section of work by a lively and accomplished pool of artists. The proficient, obsessive, playful and thoughtful all happily have role in this exhibit and its story. We sincerely hope that you enjoy this exhibition and the visions of the participating artists. “

Click here to see a list of accepted artists.

Reception and Awards Ceremony
Saturday, August 20, 2011
5-8 pm

Summer Diversity at TAG: Anne Ramis, Group Exhibition July 19 - August 13, 2011

2011-07-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

E Pluribus Artist!

Summer Diversity at TAG
July 19 - August 13, 2011
Reception Saturday, July 23, 5-8 pm
Artist Panel Saturday, July 30, 2-3 pm

TAG Group Show
All 40 Tag Artists

It’s summertime at TAG, Los Angeles’ oldest Artists’ co-operative at Bergamot Station. Featuring the work of all 40 artists, TAG’s summer group show celebrates the diverse local flavor of Los Angeles’ art community. The exhibit will feature creations encompassing every genre and medium, bringing to Los Angeles a globe-spanning and perspective-shifting oeuvre that captures the eclectic spirit of the city, with an opening to be held on Saturday, July 23 from 5 to 8 pm.

Healing Images
Anne Ramis

Adding to this vibrant display of work, the exhibit will also showcase new mixed media pieces by Anne Ramis in Healing Images, her rejuvenating exploration into the nourishing world of creating. Anne embraces a trance-like state during which disparate elements, like computer-generated imagery and painterly touches, effortlessly come together in surprising and beautiful ways. Her genre-defying works act as a metaphor for the entire show, allowing us to bridge the gaps between style and medium, culture and language, in a testament to the collective creativity of TAG.

Water, Nature, Hope Pam Douglas, Julienne Johnson, Joan Ransohoff: Painting to Save the World June 21, 2011 - July 16, 2011

2011-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Reception: Sat., June 25, 5-9 pm
Artist Panel: Wed., June 29, 7-8 pm
Water Charity Event: Sat., July 9, 6-8 pm
Book Signing: Sun., July 10, 12-4pm

The Life of Water
Pam Douglas

Pam Douglas, a painter, award-winning screenwriter, and professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts harnesses the energy of water through her new series, The Life of Water.

Her paintings evoke both the generative and destructive power of water though the interplay of bold colors and abstracted images of waves, waterfalls, splashes, storms, sailboats braving the wild seas, and rivers breaking through dry land. Painted on raw linen, the pieces allow the natural texture of the material to react in unexpected ways with paint and ink. Other works are on wood, creating tension between the tough surface with fluid media. The juxtaposition of the materials, colors and images reflect our equally tense relationship with water as both a beloved source of a hope and renewal a fearsome begetter of tragedy and destruction.

Ashes for Beauty: Scene II
Julienne Johnson

Embracing the perennial ideal of HOPE, Julienne Johnson embraces abstraction, the vocabulary of pure color and the energy of paint to tackle global crises. She views the artistic process as the way to work through fundamental human issues and arrive at open ended, cathartic resolutions. A Grammy-nominated songwriter, Johnson brings that same diligence to her renewed passion for painting. Working from the perspective of action-painting, she blurs the lines between painting, sculpture and assemblage. Her up-to-thirty layers of paint, glazes and hand-mixed pigments obscure hidden photographic images and prints. Ashes for Beauty: Scene II is the second in a series of works that explore the process of transformation. Like the Phoenix, the mythical bird that rises from the ashes, this series theatrically symbolizes the potential for hope that arises out of chaos. It celebrates the energy of life, art and transformation.

On Location...
Joan Ransohoff

Captivated by the colorful beaches and mountains of her outdoor surroundings, Joan Ransohoff heads outdoors to paint the beauty of California in her series On Location.... An Illinois native, she captures the unique playfulness and serenity of her landscape with a keen eye for its ever-changing light, heat, wind, and wildlife. Her paintings are a journey for the senses, a tranquil and luminous place encapsulating the beauty of the natural world. Whether painting spontaneously en plein air or controlling light and composition within her studio, Ransohoff’s technique and subject matter present a refreshing, vibrant look at the natural world.

Interview With Julienne Johnson

2011-06-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Julienne Johnson

untitled # 9 / cropped - mixed media oil painting

48" x 60" 2011

What do you like most about being an artist?

”Enough - if something from our hands has power to live and act, and serve the future hour”. Wordsworth said it all.

Arrogant as it may sound, I love knowing that I am leaving a legacy of having been here. Even as child I was completely fascinated with leaving things behind, like notes in buried bottles. I planted a lot of little trees too as I lived on 80 acres of forest. Thinking I would not live to be even 30 - I was a busy child with all the burying and planting. Although I believe that what really matters are the loving intangibles we leave with people whose lives we touch - some part of me (big enough to be embarrassing) still likes the idea that somebody, someday, just may see a likeness of themselves and know who I was, through a legacy of work I’m leaving behind - especially my dear son.

Is it easy to carve out time in your schedule to work?

No! Nor have I ever made a commitment to anything that was easy to schedule. That wouldn’t be fun. In fact, nothing that ever came easy has ever been the least bit intriguing or challenging to me. It’s the sacrifice that makes it so pricelessly valuable.

Are your friends and family supportive of your art making?

My husband is completely in support of my art making efforts. I couldn’t accomplish any of what I am doing without his sacrifice and presence in my life. My friends and what’s left of my family? I gave up concerning myself with what they thought - a very long time ago. Still, I know there are those who think it’s absolutely magical, but I do not wait for that.

How do you decide on your palette?

In terms of the work I exhibit at TAG - I don’t! A pallet is never on my mind, although it was when I worked representationally. While I most often begin with color, that doesn’t necessarily mean paint. Color is a reflection of mood or undertone rather than choice; not something I concern myself with; I just follow. I run between shapes and color and it is hard to decipher which comes first. It has been said that I paint like a sculptor.

Can you describe your process?

It takes an enormous amount of energy. I work with my hands (no brushes - lots of gloves) putting on, taking off, scraping, sanding, sawing, soldering and pounding. The paintings, freestanding assemblage and metal works are all the same to me. It’s all visceral. I travel from application to demolition. I cry, I laugh and I pray throughout. Like my poetry, one word leads to another. Months or sometimes years later I am able to comprehend what the work was about. The viscera travel miles ahead of the brain

From idea to completion what are the steps that you take to produce your work?

I am not beginning with an idea, nor do I begin with thinking. Although I have been there and have done that - it was only to please others. When I worked from that approach, neither the art making nor the end result were satisfying. Not that it wasn’t good: just that it could never convey what I had to say about anything, except on a superficial level. I am not interested in working from that perspective. The steps I take (daily or weekly) to produce my art works, are this: I enjoy my husband, I read, go to museums, listen to music, bake cookies, worship, make love, do my 4 miles, cook for my friends, work out at the gym, and eat a whole lot of pop corn.

What artists, either historical or contemporary, are influential to you?

Van Gogh, Cezanne, Turner, Braque, Gorky, Rauschenberg, Hess, Twombly, Basquiat and Franklyn Liegel - among others. When I read artist interviews, the artists I think most like in terms of attitude toward art making (according to their conversations) is De Kooning and Kline. I like David Smith; Giacometti as well, and was relieved to discover in his numerous drawings that he too never bothered with heads and faces. Like Tennyson said, “I am a part of all that I have met”. I know that I owe much to other artists.

How do you know when a work is finished?

In the same way I know when I'm finished making love.

Julienne Johnson's exhibition opens June 21, 2011.

Pam Douglas Interview

2011-05-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

Pam Douglas

A Memory of Rain

inks &acrylic on raw linen

32 x 43"

What about water attracts you as a subject for your artwork?

I am in awe of Earth’s primal forces. Their beauty inspires me as a painter -- not as literal objects -- but as experiences and metaphors. Water is the first in a trilogy of art shows I’m planning on earth’s essential elements — Water, Fire and Air.

Ranging from contemplative to ferocious, some images of water provide solace, or celebrate the way water brings life to drought-stricken land; other images suggest the destruction of life in hurricanes and the recent tsunami in Japan. Ultimately the energy of water is connected with the cycle of life -- birth to death. The next two shows in the “Elements” series on Fire and Air will open in 2012 and 2013.

By presenting images of water that inspire wonder or appreciation I also hope to raise consciousness about the social implications of water. At a charity event for The Samburu Project on July 9, Samburu’s founder will show a video about her ongoing efforts to drill water wells in Kenya’s cholera-stricken communities, and people will see how much one well can nurture an entire community and bring it back to health.

Tell us about how this work is different (or the same) as the work you have exhibited at TAG before.

The series I’ve shown at TAG in the past three years explore elemental energies, ethereal landscapes, and our human journey. Each series is a distinct approach, yet they all express a sense of wonder and, taken together, become a meditation on the veil between seen and unseen.

In 2010, I embarked on the new series expressing the vital energies of earth’s elements. These paintings are somewhat more abstract than earlier series, evoking a phenomenon rather than depicting it.

Compared with the muted introspection of “The Sepia Series” and the monochromatic “Seekers Series,” now color returns with bolder imagery in “The Life of Water.” Still, together with “The Seekers Series” and “The Sepia Series” these new paintings reach for order amidst wilderness, an underlying balance in the universe.

Pam Douglas

Flying Water

inks & acrylic on raw linen

24 x 63"

Is there more color? Yes, why? Are you continuing to work on an unstretched linen surface? It looks like there is more form, less abstraction, Do you agree, disagree?

Rich blues -- cerulean, cobalt, ultramarine, phthalo, brilliant, turquoise, prussian and any others that caught my eye – play with bright white inks and acrylics to leap out of solid black grounds in most of this series. That’s not an attempt to be literal (in fact pink seas turns up in a few of the pieces). After several years of blacks and browns, I was ready to be re-energized by color.

I still like unstretched raw linen for its dimension and textures. Unleashing the energies of nature on a tamed perfectly stretched, flat canvas feels inhibiting. To me, nature should be on as natural a surface as possible, even if the resulting work is less than predictable or neat.

Very few of these paintings have representational elements – two have sailboats, one has hands, one has a face and hands, one has a vague figure – but that’s only 5 paintings out of 13 in this show. Most are abstract, far more than in the previous series where landscapes were identifiable. My overall direction is towards abstraction.

How do these paintings come about - what are you thinking as you work?

I try not to think as I work. When it’s going well, I am the paint. Well, actually I’m the human who squirts more heavy gloss medium into a cup of watery white or splashes the canvas with a brush filled with Chinese ink or sprays an acrylic edge with alcohol or chases a drip or stuffs paper towels under the canvas to shape the flow or becomes exasperated and paints out everything black, leaving only the interesting parts. But I don’t know if that’s quite thinking, more like animal instinct. I do think critically about each painting afterwards, in the editing and finishing process. And in the two figurative works, Water Blessing 1 and 2, I planned the image completely in advance because I had something specific to convey about the preciousness of water to people. But for this series, that kind of analytic thinking has been more rare than in the two earlier TAG series, many of which were drawn before I began painting.

Pam Douglas

Water Blessing 2

inks &acrylic on raw linen

32 x 19"

What about your work is most satisfying?

Being amazed. Some of these works are quite large, and I make them flat on a big table outdoors. Since they’re sopping wet for a long time – three days in the case of thick textures layered with slow-drying medium – I’m not entirely certain what the effect will be when the piece is brought indoors and stood on an easel. That begins a process of refinement, returning the painting to the outside table or working on an easel, but with this series I’ve been delighted how many of them turned out.

What comes next?

Red! Orange! Yellow! “The Life of Fire” in all its symbolic and energizing permutations. That will be my 2012 show. As a continuation of “The Elements” series, I expect to keep using unstretched raw linen, probably again with images emerging from black. But we’ll see where the paint takes me.

Pam Douglas's exhibition begins June 21st.

California Open 2011 - Call For Art Deadline June 15, 2011

2011-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

TAG Gallery Juried Exhibition, August 17-September 2, 2011, at Bergamot Station Art Center in Santa Monica. Open to U.S. artists 18+ working in computer art, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. 2-D works maximum size 48”hx36”w, sculptures no more than 40 lbs. Cash awards. Juror: Katherine Chang Liu, artist, instructor and curator; and Peter Mays, Executive Director, Los Angeles Art Assn. Entry Fee: $40/1 to 2 entries, $10/each additional, 6 maximum. Details and Prospectus: www.taggallery.net. Questions: (310) 829-9556 or e-mail caopen@taggallery.net.

American Obsessions: Food and Fashion May 24, 2011 - June 18, 2011

2011-05-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

American Obsessions:

Food and Fashion May 24 - June 18, 2011 Reception: Saturday May 28, 5 - 8pm

Artist Panel: Wedneday June 1, 7 pm

Small Pleasures
Anne M. Bray
The pen and colored pencil drawings in Bray’s most recent exhibition Small Pleasures: Sketches from Everyday Life focus on the contemplative aspects of two everyday objects: cupcakes and paint tubes. Although these two series began as visual journal entries, they quickly developed into formal investigations of form. The sketches, inspired by her insatiable sweet tooth and her longing to paint which is precluded by her current living situation, showcase quiet moments of sitting still and closely observing things at hand. Looking to Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic paintings of desserts, Bray features one object in isolation. The small scale of both the cupcakes and paint tubes draws in the viewer for an intimate look.

New Work
Patricia Doede Klowden
In her ceramic figures that make up New Work, Patrica Doede Klowden’s new exhibit of ceramics and pastels at the TAG Gallery, Klowden investigates the tactile, alluring forms of various fabrics on female figures. These headless bodies are clothed in high fashion dresses of lace, gingham and silk. Klowden’s pastels play with her continuing love of deep color and the hybrid of real bodies and imagined landscapes.

The Food Series
Gary Polonsky
Breaking from the flat surface of traditional painting, Gary Polonsky brings 3D painting to a new level of depth and focus in the food series. After working on traditional stretched canvas for most of his career, Polonsky began an exploration of non-traditional canvases, eventually combining Balsawood, Styrofoam and wire-mesh to create larger-than-life wall-based constructions. In the leaf series, he monumentalized autumn leaves, bringing our attention to their forms, patterns and textures. Now, in the food series, he celebrates popular American foodstuffs, enlarging them to the point where we must confront them in all of their processed glory.

TAG Gallery Interviews Anne M. Bray

2011-05-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Anne M. Bray

Yummy Macaroon 2011
Prismacolor pencil + graphite
5 x 3.5"

Anne M. Bray with Small Pleasures: Sketches Drawn from Everyday Life.

How is the work in this exhibition different from your last exhibition? Also, what does it have in common – if anything?

My last exhibition, Road Work, was of my roadscape pastels - the big open highway. This is a more intimate show: 5 x 5" drawings in pen and prismacolor pencil. I think the only thing they have in common is me.

Is your working method the same for both? What’s different? (i.e. working directly or with reference photos?)

Again, very different approaches to the work. I use photo reference for the roadscapes (see process described here). These sketches are drawn from life.

I see that you keep several bodies of work going at the same time. What goes into deciding, on any given day, which to work on? Why?

Yes, I get easily bored working on only one thing and juggle a variety of projects. Once I start seeing a series develop, I'll get focused on that one theme and go deeper with it. Some will fizzle out, but may pique my interest years later. The yearly TAG shows give me concrete deadlines and help spur me into getting a body of work done.

What attracts you to the objects you sketch as subject matter?

I started this latest burst of sketching in May 2008. I was inspired by Danny Gregory, author of Everyday Matters. In it, he explains how sketching the everyday things of life (and sketching every day) can help one better connect with the world. And ever since my student days at OTIS, I've been envious of artists that maintain visual journals. So I have been trying to keep at it.

I've been working on a bunch of themed sketch journals, from a monthy series instigated by ArtHouse, a collective based in Brooklyn. I completed "mini" (tiny objects I found around the house). In progress are "In these shoes" (shoes) and "incoming!!!" (a day in my life through cropped objects).

The drawings I’ve seen, on your blog, for example, seem like a visual journal, telling the details of your day to day life. Is this what they are meant to do?

Sometimes the objects scream out to be sketched, such as the cupcake on the Magnolia pastry box:

Anne M. Bray

Magnolia Box 2010
Ink on pastry box
8.5 x 11"

Other times I've used the Weekly Challenge list generated by the Everyday Matters Group (I do well with assignments).

I’ve seen a lot of drawings of paint tubes and food - interesting combination - can you comment on that? (yummy paint and icing?)

My choice of exhibiting paint tubes and cupcakes came from having more sketches of those two subjects than anything else.

The first paint tube sketch derived from the Weekly Challenge list "#180 - Draw something in your favorite color." I thought of my cadmium colors and the orange tube was the most squished.

Anne M. Bray

Cadmium Orange 2008
ink + prismacolor pencil
3.5 x 3.5"

I had such fun rendering the tube's contorted shape, I decided to do the rest of my palette. I also came to realize I liked the tubes better with the caps off.

Anne M. Bray

Cadmium Orange 2010
ink + prismacolor pencil
2 x 3"

The subject of cupcakes evolved out of a dessert project started in 2004. I experimented with media a bit before settling on prismacolor pencils. In both sets, the composition of one isolated iconic object is directly inspired by Wayne Thiebaud's dessert paintings, which I greatly admire.

I've had a lot of fun doing these drawings (eating the cupcake models wasn't too painful either). It is very liberating to do quickie sketches that don't require a lot of set-up or messy materials. I highly reccomend grabbing a sketchbook and a pen or pencil and giving it a go.

Anne's Sketch blog: http://anne-m-bray.blogspot.com/

Anne's Cupcake blog: http://amb-cupcake.blogspot.com/

Anne M. Bray in the studio.

Anne M. Bray's exhibition begins May 24, 2011.

Loss, Life, and Fire Betty Sheinbaum, Grace Swanson, Stephanie Visser April 26, 2011 - May 21, 2011

2011-04-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Loss, Life, and Fire

Betty Sheinbaum, Grace Swanson, Stephanie Visser

April 26, 2011 - May 21, 2011

*Reception: Saturday April 30 5-8pm

Artists' Panel: Saturday May 14 3pm

People II

For sixty years Betty Sheinbaum has been vigorously documenting figures and landscapes in bold colors that have become the hallmarks of her work. At ninety years old, she is still painting strong. In her new series, People II, she creates "peoplescapes"; characters in their daily lives, performing activities they enjoy, in the places they love. A founding member of the co-operative TAG Gallery, Betty embodies the artistic spirit and communal mission of the gallery.

Close Cover Before Striking

Grace Swanson elevates the matchbook from memento to fine art. In Close Cover Before Striking, her new exhibit of watercolor paintings at TAG Gallery, she illuminates the world of matchbook collecting, otherwise known as phillumeny. Swanson takes her extensive personal matchbook collection to create a stunning, brightly colored series of works that she describes as "memory-quilts" of well-known restaurants and hotels. She emphasizes the bold, graphic nature of matchbook advertising by heightening and juxtaposing complementary colors, and playing with chiaroscuro to create three-dimensional form. Her refined technique of applying multiple layers of rich glaze intensifies the luminous quality of watercolor.

Perseus

In the wake of the deaths of both of her parents, Stephanie Visser explores the loss of the parental relationship, and its influence on one's identity. Perseus, her new exhibit of paintings at TAG Gallery, is named for a galaxy cluster whose central black hole was recently reported to emit a single note. Visser delves into the note of bereavement, lost connections and loneliness working within a complex process. She layers and sands away partial surfaces, transfers pigment, and makes marks to create an ethereal stratified image. This built-up layering of emotion, paint and mark-making is a signature characteristic of her work.

*SMMOA is holding their annual Incognito event. Please arrive early to secure parking.

Rebuilding Japan through Building Local Art Collections

2011-04-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

TAG Gallery in Santa Monica and U.S.-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund to hold Benefit for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Victims

Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 from 11-5 pm
Reception: 4-6 pm

Saturday, April 23, 2011, TAG Gallery, a Santa Monica based artists’ cooperative, is hosting an art sale to benefit the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims. Fifty-percent of all sale proceeds from this day will go to the U.S.-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund, an organization supporting the immediate relief and long-term rebuilding of the Tohoku region of Japan. 100% of donations go directly to Japanese NGOs, and funds will only be used for projects in Japan.

A special reception for this fundraiser is open to the public and will be held from 4-6pm. Guests can view all available works for sale, which include paintings and mixed media pieces from artists Cynthia Alexander and Suki Kuss.

Support our sister coastal communities in Japan through buying local Contemporary Art

One month after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japanese communities need our help. Join us for this benefit, and help rebuild Japan while building your own collection.

About U.S.-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund: The U.S.-Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund was established to collect donations to support immediate relief and the long-term rebuilding of the Tohoku region of Japan. 100% of donations will go directly to Japanese NGOs and funds will only be used for projects in Japan. The first disbursement will go to the Japan Platform(JPF) and the Center for Public Resource Development (CPRD).

An Interview With Grace Swanson

2011-04-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Grace Swanson

Viva Las Vegas

watercolor 22 x 30"

With an eye for color and structure, and a memory for favorite places, Grace Swanson paints matchbooks from restaurants and hotels, many of which are no longer in existence.

What draws you to still life and your fascination with portraying patterns, forms, and colors?

It began with the simple task of trying to improve my composition and color mixing skills. I felt the best way for me to do this was to set up my own still lifes. I could repeatedly rearrange objects to try to find the most interesting combination of shapes. Looking at things closely from different viewpoints also makes me think more consciously about what I am painting. In the process, I found that I loved contrasting vibrant colors and defining shapes with light and shadows.

In most of my paintings, my subject matter consists of objects with one or two dominant colors, often complements of each other. I love the push-pull tension of red against green or white and black; the way they play off each other. In my new series of matchbook paintings, I have taken this to an extreme by creating a crazy quilt of contrasting color squares.

In the past your work included a lot of nature; flowers, fruit and birds - Why matchbooks? What do you like about the matchbook compositions - what’s different?

Sometimes, ideas will come from a visual inspiration – a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a bowl of candy, a trip to the market. The ideas will go pop—pop—pop in my head just like those light bulb images in thought bubbles.

About ten years ago, I was moving around my husband’s collection of matchbooks, which are kept in oversized brandy snifters. Nostalgia hit me as I saw the matchbooks of the many restaurants and hotels we had visited. That resulted in my first series of matchbook-themed paintings in 2003.

Then last year, I kept hearing in the news about how so many legendary New York restaurants had closed or were about to close, such as Tavern on the Green or Café des Artistes. It made me appreciate the matchbook mementos we had saved. I decided on a new series that places a greater emphasis on nostalgia by prominently featuring matchbooks from restaurants and hotels no longer in existence or combining current hot spots with those now extinct.

What is your art making process? Take me through the steps, if you will, from concept to completion.

To create the matchbook paintings, I began with photographing the front, back, and sides of the numerous matchbooks to create a source catalog that I refer to once I start painting. I then arrange a combination of different shaped matchbooks – square, rectangular, boxes, etc. to create a variety of compositions. It does not matter what is printed on the matchbook, and I use mostly white ones so that I can clearly see each shape. I take photos of the composition, sometimes as many as 200 different angles and set-ups.

Using one or two of the photos to refer to, I start by drawing out one matchbook near the center of the watercolor paper. Despite taking so many photos, there are always elements that need to be modified, especially with objects that are square because of camera distortion. I use a drafting ruler to make sure that the proportions and perspective are accurate. I then refer to my catalog of matchbook images and paint in the first matchbook. From there, I work outward, one matchbook at a time, weaving contrasting colors and shapes to create an overall pattern that can be viewed from any direction. Along the way, I also add a matchbook with my name in lieu of signing the painting when I am finished.

What satisfies you about painting?

The satisfaction comes from creating an image that can stimulate the senses and evoke memories. It may be the scent of a just peeled orange, the feel of silk embroidery or the recollection of matchbooks sitting in a kitchen junk drawer. As a photorealistic painter, there is also the gratification of trying to capture particular details that pinpoints the emotional element in the painting, such as the marks in a used matchbook striker or slightly caving in a corner of a matchbox.

I think my matchbook paintings are like memory quilts where scraps of baby clothes or old t-shirts are patched together to celebrate a person’s life. Only my paintings capture not only my history, but also a collective history of shared memories from everyone who may have driven by or stepped foot into any one of these restaurants or hotels. The best thing about having people see my matchbook paintings is that it often inspires people to talk about their own recollections of particular places. When a friend recently eyed the matchbook of Café Swiss in one of my paintings, he relayed a story about having a taken a girlfriend there more than 40 years ago.

Grace Swanson

Gone But Not Forgotten

watercolor 22 x 30"

What do you like most about being an artist? Least?

It has been the opportunity to meet so many people who love art—both those who look at it and those who create it. It is always fascinating to talk to the people as they are looking at paintings. It is often a spirited and endlessly engaging conversation. Each viewer brings new interpretations and those conversations will often spark the light bulb moments I mentioned earlier.

I am also very grateful for the many relationships I have made with fellow artists. That camaraderie has not only given me professional support to help me grow as an artist, but also led to many close and important friendships.

My least favorite aspect of being an artist is that it is often difficult to switch back and forth between the roles of creator and administrator. When I am painting, it feels like that is all I can think about. I turn into a zombie staring into a blank canvas or hunched over a drawing. Then, when it comes time to tend to the business side of things, that too can become all encompassing mostly because I find it so difficult. Sometimes I will agonize for days over writing an artist statement or even coming up with titles.

Are you continuing with this theme? What comes next?

I have several subjects that I rotate painting – fruit, flowers, animals, and matchbooks. My choice of subjects has come from that initial exercise to develop better compositions.

However, I often find that as I approach the completion of one painting, I get new ideas on how to improve the work. In the case of my matchbook paintings, I have had several people generously donate their own matchbooks to help build my catalog. Just hearing their stories that come along with their matchbooks make me want to keep the momentum going with this theme.

Grace Swanson's exhibition, Close Cover Before Striking, begins April 26th.

2011 CALIFORNIA OPEN EXHIBITION – Deadline June 15, 2011

2011-04-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

March 29, 2011 - April 23, 2011 Cynthia Alexander and Suki Kuss

2011-03-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception: Saturday April 2nd 5 - 8 pm

Artists' Panel: Saturday April 16th 2pm

Cynthia Alexander Earthly Geometry

Our focus on the perfect female form is obsessive. Women strive to conform their shapes to the airbrushed images in magazines and television. In Earthly Geometry, Cynthia Alexanders new exhibit at TAG Gallery from March 29th- April 23rd, the human figure is blatantly portrayed in its honesty. Beginning her career as a photographer, Alexander shifted to painting ten years ago, and brings a photographers unflinching focus to her painting. Female figures and anonymous torsos face the viewer baring all - totally vulnerable in their perfect perfection. Fine lines meet large fields of color, and the result is mystical yet concrete. Taking her cue from the minimalism of Japanese prints, and the formal, sensual photographs of Edward Weston and Irving Penn, Alexander explores the idiosyncrasies of the female figure as an enigmatic symbol of something greater, and the female form becomes a vehicle for contemplation.

Suki Kuss Available Light

In an era of social and political imbalance, finding stability and completeness is the challenge of the day. In Available Light, Suki Kuss new exhibit of paintings at the TAG Gallery, this search for balance is symbolically explored in her heavily layered works. Using vintage fabrics, maps, patterns and mirrors to bring the painting into the present she creates a restful place to breathe. Her paintings are both formal in their abstract use of line and shape, and intuitive in their multi-layered complexity.

The results are delicate, intimate works that call out to be scrutinized, and recognize the still moments that are so often forgotten in our lives.

Cynthia Alexander Interview

2011-03-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Cynthia Alexander

Black Leotard

mixed media on paper, 30 x 22"

Exploring the figure as landscape, Cynthia Alexander's paintings evoke an essential simplicity and stillness.

Where did you grow up? Did that environment contribute to your art making?

I grew up in Connecticut about an hour outside of New York City. My grandparents lived in Manhattan, and visits to them often included visits to theatres and museums. In particular, I have vivid early memories of going to the Egyptian Wing at the Metropolitan Museum, which still strikes me today as a marvelous, mysterious place, full of extraordinarily ancient and finely crafted things. I especially loved the long wall panels, with their elegant hieroglyphics and silhouetted figures of gods and kings. When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist? I have wanted to be an artist pretty much as far back as I can remember, but for a long time I didn’t know what sort of an artist I wanted to be. For many years I thought I wanted to be a writer, and I was an English major in college. Then, in my 20’s, I began to take photographs, and I realized that I was naturally more of a visual artist than a verbal one. Doing photography taught me a lot about light and how to see. About ten years ago, I began to draw and paint again for the first time since high school, continuing an ongoing exploration of the human figure that I began as a photographer.

Cynthia Alexander

After the Bath

mixed media on paper, 30 x 22"

What is your thought process while making a painting? Can you share about your technique? Or is it a secret?

In making a painting, I see myself less as a creator and more as an observer of what is. I almost always start with a session with a model, usually female. I may have an idea of a pose or a part of the body that I’m interested in exploring, but I rarely have more than a general sense of what the finished product might be. Perhaps because I began as a photographer, I often use the edges of the blank paper to impose compositional boundaries to challenge me and focus my observation. Then I start to draw, and see where the interplay between the model’s body, my seeing and my drawing takes me. Sometimes I am so captivated by the lines of the body that I go no further than that, and the finished piece is a drawing. Sometimes I become more interested in the expressive interplay of light, color and texture, and the piece becomes a painting. Sometimes I become so absorbed in playing with the surface of a piece – drawing, smudging, erasing, sanding, layering translucent washes, perhaps, or painting in opaque blocks of color - that the original figurative image fades into the background as I work. At these times, I wonder if someday the human figure might disappear altogether, leaving just line, color, texture and light behind.

Can you name any artists (historical or contemporaries) whose influence is important to you?

I’ve already mentioned the ancient Egyptians. I also never tire of looking at classical Persian and Indian paintings and medieval European illuminated manuscripts; I am in awe of the delicacy of line, the bold use of color, and the abstract sophistication in these artistic traditions. In my exploration of the human figure, I’d say that early and lasting influences have been the great photographers Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz and especially Irving Penn, whose monumental nude studies introduced me to a new way of seeing the female body. Similarly, Japanese paintings and prints of women have showed me how often less is more. More currently, as I explore paint, color, and composition, I find the work of Richard Diebenkorn a constant source of information and inspiration.

What is the purpose of art? A very big question to which there are many, many answers. Mine is that the purpose of art is to give people the opportunity to experience something new: to see something they haven’t seen before, think about something they haven’t considered before, feel something they’ve never felt before. It may be something as big as a new way of thinking about what it means to be a human being, or as small as noticing the way a patch of light falls on a woman’s skin.

Cynthia Alexander

Cynthia Alexander's exhibition starts March 29, 2011.

TAG Gallery Interviews Suki Kuss

2011-03-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Suki Kuss

A Stitch in Time X - Voyager

MM Collage 12 x 40"

When did you first realize you were an artist (and/or have the courage to identify yourself as one)?

I think there's more to being an artist then just creating visual art...or any type of art, for that matter. I've lived internally as an artist for as long as I can remember. I created a world for myself and decorated it with my imaginings...both emotional and tangible...so, I suppose, I have always considered myself an artist.

Did you go to an art school, and if so, are you satisfied with the experience?

No art school experience. I've studied and continue to study with some wonderful, inspirational artist/teachers. Gerald Brommer has changed my life with his stained paper collage workshops...Katherine Chang Liu is an amazing teacher and emotional guide...Franklyn Leigel is just simply my mentor. Terri Balady has been instrumental in assisting me in recognizing my personal symbols and finding my voice as an artist.

What is your painting process? Are your techniques a secret, or can you share what they are?

My techniques change constantly...often surprising me. I sit and "watch" my work for hours. I'm able to see the shift in texture and color as the light changes throughout the day...and night. This guides me in creating new forms and making decisions regarding composition.

Suki Kuss

Edge of the World I - Beyond Time

MM Collage 24 x 20"

Who are some artists producing work that you like?

All four of my teachers, of course. There are so many others, it's hard to say. I'm very fickle...flitting from one favorite to another.

Beyond decorating walls, do you think art has another purpose or meaning?

Visual art is a means of communication, a search for balance and a continuous dialogue between the artist and the viewer. Decoration has nothing to do with art.

Suki Kuss in the studio.

Suki Kuss's exhibition starts March 29, 2011.

March 1-26, 2011 Katie Crown, Shelley Lazarus, Ernie Marjoram

2011-02-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

Reception: Saturday, March 12, 5-8 pm
Artist Panel: Saturday, March 19th, 3-4 pm

Katie Crown
Beach Scenes, LA

Katie Crown’s new work puts California figurative painting into California landscapes in her large scale, local beach scenes. Crown, who grew up in Manhattan Beach, admits to finding the parade of characters found along California’s coast an irresistible subject. “I love pattern,” she explains, “bathing suits, postures, and body shapes give me a playground of possibilities for patterns and pigments." In these paintings, diverse characters frolic within starkly geometric sand and waves, either enjoying or simply contemplating life. Yet, people are shown faceless and seemingly isolated from their surrounding activities, which adds an air of eerie ambiguity to the otherwise mirthful scenes. "Hey, it’s California, nobody connects. Alienation lives at the beach, too," says Crown.

Shelley Lazarus
Just Desserts

Standing in the tradition of California colorists, Shelley Lazarus explores the sweet coda of any meal: desserts. Like Hockney’s whimsical landscapes, Lazarus’ pieces in Just Desserts use saturated watercolors, acrylic, graphites and crayons to create mouth-watering creations. The dripping chocolate and luscious cakes brought back memories of her mother, “who always checked out the desserts in a restaurant before the entrees.”

Ernie Marjoram
Italy, en Plein Air

Marjoram brings his intricate knowledge of light, form and space into a rich exploration of the central Italian landscape. With only natural available light, he situates himself in the environment, capturing the chiaroscuro of the Italian cityscape and the expanse of the countryside, reminiscent of Pisarro and Cezanne. Having worked for Disney, and currently an instructor at the American Film Institute, he interweaves illustration and fine art, re-seeing the monuments and vistas of the Italian Renaissance. Marjoram believes “art and architecture are a part of life”, and he brings them to life in this current exhibit.

TAG Gallery Interviews Shelley Lazarus

2011-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Shelley Lazarus
Drug of Choice
mixed media 8 x 8"

“Just Desserts” from Shelley Lazarus is an eclectic exploration of the sweet coda of any meal.

Why do you make art?

Nothing gives me more pleasure than the process of making art. Not the product but the times I spend totally immersed in my project. The outside world disappears and I live in the moment of my creativity.

What is your process, what goes into making work like yours?

I have no one way of starting any piece of art. But usually I start from the subject matter, how I handle each subject varies and it is this variation that keeps my work exciting for me.

Are your life experiences a source for inspiration?

My life experience has altered my work tremendously. When my son passed away I spent a lot of time at the easel not only reliving some of his favorite things but attacking canvases with all my frustrations and sadness.

You have been an artist for much of your life, how have you managed to carve out time for art making? Has it ever interfered with your “normal” life, or vice versa?

I think the biggest interference in my married life was when I rented a house in Martha's Vineyard and a few years later in Cagnes Sur Mer, France to go off and paint for a month. But both times they helped me grow as an artist. These were times when I could concentrate solely on my works.

Shelley Lazarus
Cupcake Row
watercolor and graphite 6 x 15"

How do you decide on your palette?

I love color and with watercolor your palette is usually set up in advance. It is how I mix, blend and layer my colors that I am noted for.

How do you know when a work is finished?

After a days work I usually put my painting up somewhere in the studio or house where I can see it. If after a week I can't think of any more changes I know if I am done. In between this time I put up notes about how I can improve the work.

Shelley Lazarus

Shelley Lazarus's exhibition opens March 1st.

Katie Crown Interview

2011-02-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

Katie Crown
Santa Monica Pier No.1
oil on canvas 66 x 62"

Where did you grow up?

I grew up down in Manhattan Beach, California, but moved to the suburbs of Washington D.C. when I was 13. I stayed in the D.C. area through high school. I graduated from college from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in conjunction with Tufts University.

How long have you been an artist and when did you consider yourself an artist?

I feel like I've been an artist most of my life. My father was a recognized abstract watercolor painter, and I grew up going on painting trips with him, in California and all over the Southwest.

Where do you your find inspiration for your works and how do you choose your subject matter?

I get my inspiration from things that set off my sense of humor. I see life as sort of a running cartoon. In my ceramics pieces I like to juxtapose fairly serious looking people with material things which are pleasurable and bring happiness. It's sort of a way of saying that material items can't bring one happiness, but at the same time it's fun to see the divide between whether we have the appearance of happiness and whether, often food, can bring about happiness. I like to use food a lot for some reason. Maybe I'm just hungry.

In my big oil paintings the inspiration is set off by people at the beach. I try to have the people not interact with one another, but just playing out their own drama. I like to use alienation in a situation where one would think people would connect. I see it all as funny in a sad way.

Katie Crown
Tickled Pink
oil on canvas 50 x 62"

Can you name a few of the most important (to you) artists whose work you like?

There are so many artists that have inspired me, starting with my dad, Keith Crown. But I've also been influenced by Saul Steinberg, Alice Neel, Joan Brown, people that play with the figure. I love Nathan Oliveira and Red Grooms too.

Why do you make art?

I do art to keep myself from falling into deep depression. The work is cathartic for me, I need to do it.

What is the hardest thing about being an artist? The best thing?

The hardest thing for me about being an artist is any time that I have to explain my art to people, or speak about what I do. I'm mortified by public speaking and like to let my art speak for me.

The best thing about art for me is it's ability to keep me going and finding new ways to express myself.

Katie Crown

Katie Crown's exhibition opens March 1, 2011.

New Exhibition Featuring Joan Horsfall Young, Darlyn Susan Yee, and Fielden Harper

2011-02-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

TAG PRESENTS
New Exhibition Featuring
Joan Horsfall Young, Darlyn Susan Yee, and Fielden Harper

February 1 - February 26, 2011

Reception:
Saturday, February 5, 5- 8 PM

Artists' Q & A Panel:
Wednesday, February 9, 7 PM

Joan Horsfall Young: abc...z

In her latest exhibit, abc...z, local artist Joan Horsfall Young explores the beauty in simplicity with her 12" x 12" oil paintings of fruits and vegetables, depicting one for each letter of the alphabet. Her series of twenty-six images celebrates what she calls "the great sustainers of life." Young's inspiration for this series came from her recent visit with her granddaughter in Shanghai. She explains "I needed a way to teach my young granddaughter the American alphabet, and I found the fruits and vegetables in the local farmer's market to be great didactic tools for teaching. In the first days we conquered 'T' for tangerine and 'L' for leek." As a follow up for more practice for the little one, Young started to paint the vegetables and fruits as they went along. "I learned a lot about conscious eating and how these everyday market treats could nourish our bodies and our souls. I hope these paintings will capture that same nostalgia for others too."

Darlyn Susan Yee: Metamorphic Metaphors

In her new exhibition, Metamorphic Metaphors, Darlyn Susan Yee creates a series of body-like cocoons knitted with brightly colored commercial yarns to symbolize our essence, style, and transformation as we proceed through life. Suspended from the ceiling, each piece mimics the cocoon of a not-yet-hatched butterfly swaying with the breeze to evoke thoughts of dance or play. "In each piece, I try to explore how our personalities and physical characteristics are still evident despite our efforts and societal requirements to conceal them," explains Yee. Ms. Yee prefers using hands-on processes to achieve the breadth of texture and form in this series, combining both hand knitting and manually manipulated machine knitting techniques.

Fielden Harper: Parallels

In Parallels Fielden Harper explores thematic similarities between her local landscape and distant scenes from Greece and Turkey. After a recent trip to Greece and Turkey, Harper was inspired to juxtapose scenes from both areas with well known landmarks from her own hometown. "There were many scenes in my travels that reminded me of similar places in and around Santa Monica. As different as these places seemed on the surface, the artist in me started to see the universal patterns emerging in the disparate," explains Harper. Creating unique pairings of two separate paintings, Harper invites her viewers to discover the universal essence emerging from two seemingly different vistas like the Getty and the Parthenon; or the skyline of Istanbul and the towering palms of Santa Monica. "It is amazing to be on the other side of the world, and be continually reminded of home," states Harper.

An Interview With Joan Horsfall Young

2011-01-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Joan Horsfall Young
Nectarines
oil on board 12 x 12"

In ABC...Z, Joan Horsfall Young presents 12 inch square paintings of vegetables and fruits, one for each letter of the alphabet.

I’m getting hungry looking at your paintings. What inspired you to paint fruit and vegetables?

I was reviewing the letters of the alphabet with my three year old granddaughter and discovered that vegetables and fruits were the most poignant examples that I could find for her to connect the elementary sound of the letter with the visual image of the letter.

I like to think I know my vegetables and fruits, but I’m struggling to think what will represent X, or U and V - did you already know that there is a fruit or vegetable for every letter of the alphabet?

My granddaughter lives in Shanghai. Although she knew the names of some vegetables and fruits, usually it was in Chinese. So we determined to overcome this dilemma. By taking frequent walking excursions to the open market down the street we identified and learned the English names of some local products. When she correctly identified the letter the name the food starts with, we bought it, brought it home, prepared it and proudly presented it at dinner to Mommy and Daddy.

Each morning she could hardly wait to descend on the market to conquer another prize. As we walked we played food games. Imagine the games you can play with “a… artichoke”. Is it “a artichoke” or “an artichoke”? What is an artichoke? Why is it so prickly? Why is it called an artichoke? (Well, Arter ate it and choked on it, of course!)

In the first days we conquered “t…tangerine”, and “l…leek. “d…dates” came easily. It was thrilling to see her eating all these wonderfully healthy foods with such enthusiasm. Then disaster hit! We ran out of foods to fit the hard letters. I couldn’t find any thing for letters like “z” or “j”. There was no zucchini for “z” in this Chinese market. There was no jicama for “j”. What was I to do? There was nothing to do but to paint a painting for each letter. When I returned to California I did exactly that. As I was painting I reflected on what a joyous time I spent with her. We had connected on so many levels. A simple lettuce had inspired memory, emotion and action. We were away from the computer and all things commercial. All three generations had shared the art of conscious eating. Now, when I shop at the local farmer’s market, I reflect on how people across the world are doing the same, including my granddaughter.

I have produced a 6” x 6” booklet of all the images and letters and dedicated it to my grand daughter.

Did you have any difficulty finding the subject matter or keeping it fresh while working?

When living in England I ate a lot of vegetable marrow. In my frequent visits to China I ate a lot of zigua (small baseball sized watermelons). Jalapenos are indigenous to California and nearby Mexico. So I was familiar with all the foods, but finding them was not always easy. I had to wait through four seasons, to get them all.

What attracts you to this small format, and what do you like about it most?

I am usually a plein air or still life painter. This show really combines the two. All were painted from life. Because I wanted to limit the subject matter to just the fruit or vegetable, the small simple square format of 12 x 12" allows for personal compositions. There are a few that I would like to now paint on a much bigger scale.

I am hoping that viewers will enjoy these playful studies of vegetable and fruits. There is one for each letter of the alphabet. Will they be able to identify each letter before looking closely or if need be, reading the label?

As always my paintings are rendered with lots of thick buttery paint with loose brushwork. I strive for paucity. I want my paintings to be comfortable, pleasant to live with, charming, decorative… painterly not illustrative.

Joan Horsfall Young's exhibition starts February 1, 2011.

TAG Gallery Interviews Fielden Harper

2011-01-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

Fielden Harper

Santorini

40 x 20" acrylic on canvas

Working with acrylic on wood and on canvas, Fielden Harper's paintings focus on the ways man has chosen to enclose his space.

Can you indentify at what point in your life you decided to be an artist?

I do not think I ever made a conscious decision; I just always was making things and assumed that I was an artist.

Can someone be taught to be an artist or is it something you’re born with?

I think that having a special way of thinking and seeing is what makes a person an artist and some people are born with it, but we can all learn from exposure. I have to think that way because I am a teacher and I believe deeply in that we can all be taught.

Who are your favorites artists/art influences - either historically or contemporary?

Diebenkorn and Hopper were the first artists I ever felt were my influences. Long before that I stood at the sewing machine and watched my grandmother make doll clothes and dresses for me from flat pieces of cloth and something was born in me watching her. Also, my mother nurtured my need to make art

How do you go about making a new work? What steps, or process do you use or go through?

I will be doing something and suddenly an idea will come into my mind. It will consume me and I cannot rest until I finally work it out on paper. That sketch tells me size and shape - the color just comes to me when I pick up the brush. I typically lay out the painting in one burst of energy. Then, I circle it and think about it before I go back in to refine it. The time varies, but I usually have several weeks between beginning a painting and completing it. If I am making an assemblage, I go more slowly. It may take months to complete a piece. I go slowly and carefully - my work pattern is opposite of the way I approach painting.

Do you work in more than one medium? If so, do they influence each other, and how?

I paint, sew, make assemblage, garden, cook hold my grandchildren and tell them stories - it is all part of a whole. I think that you can find traces of my thinking and my style in all that I do.

What do buildings mean to you? What is it about buildings that fascinates you so much, makes you want to paint them?

I have always been fascinated by the way in which Man has chosen to enclose space. I love the way the light changes on them throughout the day.

Which of your recent works did you find the most challenging to create? Why?

I am just finishing a painting of the Santa Monica Hospital and it has been so difficult because of the perspective involved. I must have reworked it four times over the past two months.

Who do you paint for?

Me.

Fielden Harper's exhibition opens February 1, 2011.

Darlyn Susan Yee Interview

2011-01-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

Clockwise from top left are selections from Darlyn Susan Yee’s three bodies

of fiber artwork: Tying The Knot (detail), Body Cocoon No. 4, and

Security Blanket.

Hand knitting and manipulated machine knitting techniques are combined to create Darlyn Susan Yee’s Body Cocoon series.

In a prior interview you discussed your knotted work, which is what you are most known for. Are you still working the same way, or has there been a shift?

I’ve been working simultaneously to expand three distinct bodies of fiber work. In each, I apply traditional fiber methods to create three-dimensional forms. I continue to enjoy knotting the most. It is also the most detailed, representational and labor intensive work I create. Some of my knitted sculptures are a bit more portable at certain stages of their life cycles. This portability makes them ideal to stop and start when I am traveling. I'm also working on a series of knitted projects using and cast-off and obsolete materials such as barricade tape, correction tape, etc. These range from wall-hung pieces to freestanding sculptures.

You are still working with fiber, but how is the knitting different than the knotting?

My sculptural knotting is done with multiple strands or lengths of fiber hand tied together to form the fabric surface.

My hand knitting is generally created by using two needles and a length of yarn or string resulting in a fabric structure of interlocking loops. I also incorporate other tools, which replicate the movement of the yarn across the needles to create this flexible fabric.

What is hand manipulated machine knitting? Are these pieces hand knit, or by machine? Will you elaborate on your process?

Knitting on the machine I use is similar in nature to weaving on a hand loom. It relies on my hands to move the needles into the desired positions, and then to move the carriage across the needles to create the fabric. Once I remove the fabric from the machine, I manipulate stitches and add more knit or crochet to contour and finish the piece.

I understand that some of these pieces are just returning from an exchange exhibition in Slovakia, can you tell us about that? What was exchanged? What was the experience like? Did you go to Slovakia?

After Hours/Individual Stories was an exchange project between Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Ana and Galéria Z in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was exciting to assist in unpacking the crates of Slovakian artwork for display at OCCCA. And it was so wonderful to meet some of the Slovak artists in attendance at the exhibition. Unfortunately, I was unable to travel to Slovakia, but from the reception photos, the artwork sent by OCCCA artists was as well received as the Slovakian artwork was received here in the US.

What's next?

I really enjoy fiber processes. I plan to continue applying traditional techniques to take my work in exciting new directions. I’m in the design phase on a very large-scale project. And I'm anxiously awaiting the publication of my first book, Macramé Today: Contemporary Knotting Techniques, in July 2011.

Darlyn Susan Yee

Darlyn Susan Yee's exhibition opens February 1, 2011.

Best of TAG Opening Reception

2011-01-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 8, TAG Gallery artists hosted the opening reception of BEST OF TAG, the annual group exhibition of its members. Guests enjoyed wine and cheese as they viewed the exhibition which features a vibrant mix of styles, subject matter and media. BEST OF TAG continues through January 22, 2011.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11am - 5pm, Sundays 12 noon - 4pm.

An Interview With Betty Sheinbaum

2011-01-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Reclining Woman and Greek Statues
oil on canvas 40 x 30"
Betty Sheinbaum

Betty Sheinbaum's rich variety of images reflect her 40 plus years of dedication and passion to life and art.

Your work is bursting with color and motion, are you working with large brushes? How do you choose your palette?

I work with small and medium brushes. Color reflects emotions – since most of my paintings have happy subjects, I use bright cheerful colors and color combinations.

Describe your process if you will, do you do drawings first, or go directly to paint?

I take many photographs and I use them mostly as my “inspiration.” I also love working from a model. I do lots of drawings before starting a painting.

How do you choose your subjects – is your own life reflected in your work?

I hope my life is reflected in my work. However, I am very tuned into our political and economic climate and find them inexplicable and depressing. I turn toward happier moments in one’s life out of self-defense!

Tell me about your figurative work – many of the poses do not include faces, or heads. Are you preserving the privacy of the model, or are you making a statement?

I wasn’t conscious that I wasn’t using faces in my smaller paintings, but I do love portraits, particularly in the larger paintings. I like working with different media and particularly mixed media paintings.

Waiting
mixed media, newspaper on canvas 24 x 30"Betty Sheinbaum

You’ve been painting for much of your life, how have you managed to carve out time for artmaking? Has it ever interfered with your “normal” life, or vice versa?

I became an artist during my time as a young wife and mother. I had studied art and
loved using my hands to express myself. I had some encouragement from my art teachers and while bringing up 4 children, I found I could work at home on projects.

After the children grew up, I took several art classes at UCLA extension and became
more and more involved both with painting and sculpting. I loved sculpture and spent 10 years as a welder working on taking cars apart and making abstract people and animals. This was physically taxing and at age 60 I had to give it up and go back to painting. I love color, which is such a great element of painting, but I like 3 dimensions better in sculpture.

What do you like about painting? About being an artist?

Being an artist satisfies my need to do something alone. I love people and their activities and relationships. I love using color. I’m intrigued by shapes and compositions which are always an interesting challenge. There is so much to learn about myself and others. Painting is a method of looking for better understanding. However, there is always so much more to learn and to try. I never feel that I achieve enough. I will never feel as though I have reached a goal (one that I have set for myself). This is both discouraging and exciting. The end result of a painting is for me, and I am the one I care most about pleasing. As a painter, I can live in an amazing, beautiful, intriguing world – one in which I am constantly learning something new.

Betty Sheinbaum's retrospective exhibition at TAG Gallery begins Sunday, January 23, 2011.

Betty Sheinbaum

BEST OF TAG Group Exhibition Opens

2011-01-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

TAG Gallery was filled with the sound of tape measures snapping and nails being hammered as artists were hard at work installing the BEST OF TAG annual group exhibition which opened on December 28.

First, gallery walls and sculpture pedestals are patched and repainted by TAG Gallery members on the Wall Prep crew led by Gary Polonsky. Polonsky, along with Pat Klowden and Anne Ramis, come in the gallery at the end of every show to make sure that the walls are pristine for the next group of artists to install their work. Even spouses pitch in to help, as was the case in preparing for this exhibition, when new TAG Gallery member Katie Crown brought her husband Guy Webster to help.

“People do not realize that there is a lot of work that goes into getting ready for a show,” says former TAG Gallery president Ellen Starr. “Hanging a big show such as this often takes a lot of people and a couple of days. Sometimes the trickiest part is evaluating where each of the art pieces should be displayed. When we layout the show, we have to consider not only size, but also medium, subject matter, color, and framing. Then, the artwork and walls are measured to be equally spaced and centered on a point close to 60 inches from the floor. A poorly hung show can reflect poorly on the art and exhibition space.”

In addition to the Wall Prep crew, Starr was joined by co-presidents Carol Kleinman and Cheryl Medow, and members Della Rolle, Katherine Kean, Diane Rudnick Mann, Suki Kuss, Joan Vaupen, and Grace Swanson, in setting up the show.

The BEST OF TAG exhibition continues through January 22, 2011 and features a diverse mix of painting, photography, mixed media, printmaking, pastel, sculpture, and fiber art.

A reception to meet the artists will be held Saturday, January 8, from 3 to 6 pm and is open to the public.

Annual Group Exhibition

2010-12-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

Best of TAG
Annual Group Exhibition
December 28, 2010 - January 22, 2011
Reception: Saturday, January 8th 3-6pm

TAG Gallery Interviews Michael Knight

2010-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Austin 60 x 40"
digiglyph
Michael Knight

Blackbirds become symbols in Michael Knight's imagery as he explores patterns of relocation and change.

In observation of your work one gets the impression that there is a ritual taking place. How would you account for this?

I don’t see it as being ritualistic. My work is communicating the rhythms of migration and the change that occurs when someone with established patterns of living moves from one place to another and has to understand how to fit in. People move, establish themselves, and survive; these things are a part of migration. The black birds are symbolic of humans as survivors, and the concentric rings are symbolic of time passing, growth, change, and the ripple effect that these type of movements engender. I present symbols of human migration, travel and change, leaving and starting, endings and beginnings.

Who or what determines the meaning of your work?

I would imagine that each viewer can establish a unique meaning by bringing their own personal history to the work. The viewer and I add a layer of meaning, as does the culture in which the work is viewed. How people might feel about the concept of border, crossings, migration, and change also adds a layer of meaning. I invite the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the ideas presented in my work.

Does your life experience play a role in your imagery?

Yes. My life experience has lead me to make certain conclusions about life and see the world in a particular way. I think humans have a proclivity to unravel their surroundings to find meaning, and we all have different ways of doing that. As I find things important, trivial, or significant, I want to express them through a visual means of communication. I am understanding my environment and picking out what’s important and what I want to share

Which facet of art do you find more favorable: aesthetic, conceptual, commentary, objectivity or something different entirely?

I find all of these to be equally significant and I emphasize one of those aspects more or less in a particular piece.

Michael Knight

Michael Knight's exhibition opens November 30.

New Exhibition Featuring Shelley Adler, Eve Brandstein, and Michael Knight

2010-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Shelley Adler

Eve Brandstein

Michael Knight

November 30 - December 24, 2010

Reception:
Saturday, December 4th, 5- 8 PM

Artists' Q & A Panel:
Saturday, December 18th, 3 PM
(Followed by Poetry Reading by Eve Brandstein)

Shelley Adler: "New Work"

In her new exhibition, Shelley Adler calls upon her love of old photographs and transforms them into small scale oil paintings to capture moments of casual sublimity that often go unnoticed in our everyday lives. Exploring human body language and vibrant juxtapositions of color, Adler breathes life into vintage black and white photographs of people unknown to her. Adler's work is the thoughtful product of her intuitive response to modes of human expression. "I do feel that I am intuiting truth about [my subjects] as I paint them, and I try to communicate my understanding of them as I work to complete a painting," Shelley says. This exhibition also includes Adler's explorations in painting contemporary still lifes, landscapes, and portraiture.

Eve Brandstein: "Word Forms"

In her new exhibition, Word Forms, Eve Brandstein blends her painting's sensual symbolism with the emotive voice found in her poetry to create levels of harmony and tension between her writing and forms of visual expression. Brandstein paints her subjects from live models before turning to rhythmic lines of poetry that are then directly layered onto the canvas to accompany her ambiguously painted figures. In light of her new exhibition, Eve reflects, "For me, making art and writing poetry come from the same place and have the same urgency that pour out of me in different ways. It was only natural for me to allow the two mediums to meet this way." By pulling together these two art forms, Brandstein extracts a vital narrative that exposes what her painting and poetry cannot express alone.

Michael Knight: "Border Crossings"

In his latest exhibition, Border Crossings, artist Michael Knight uses the ubiquitous crow as a symbol for human migration prompted by instinct, necessity, and fate. Knight creates unique works that he coins "digiglyphs;" -- a combination of hand drawing and traditional monoprint techniques with digital manipulation. Distorted maps become the backdrop of silhouetted black birds within a repetition of hand-drawn rings in-order to symbolize the rippling effects of time. "Black birds are symbolic of humans as survivors," explains Knight, "My work is communicating the rhythms of migration and the change that occurs when someone with established patterns of living moves from one place to another and has to understand how to fit in." Knight's work beckons the viewer to reflect on how these rhythms affect their own lives and our world at large.

An Interview With Shelley Adler

2010-11-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Honey #1
oil on gessoboard 8 x 10"
Shelley Adler

As if by clues sent through time, Shelley Adler's oils from old snapshots reveal unexpected stories.

Whom do you make art for?

Primarily for myself. I have to find subject matter that is intriguing to me. When I have a commission I try to have the client give me several images so that I can hopefully find one that is really appealing in some way, that grabs my attention so that I will want to work on it.

When I am painting to show the work or even if I intend to keep it, I always feel compelled to be very emotionally involved in the process and project. Otherwise the whole task is boring.

Do you have a favorite painting?

I love almost all of Vermeer's paintings.

What are your favorite things to look at?

People's faces, and also the way they hold or carry themselves, the way they dress. The sky with cloud formations, especially with colorful sunsets. Things that have wonderful color juxtapositions or combinations that may be either in nature or manufactured.

Are you able to learn more about your subjects, or even yourself, while going through the painting process?

Having imaginary conversations with the subjects of my paintings is exactly the process that I go through as I am painting their images. I do feel that I am intuiting truth about them as I paint them...and I do try to communicate my understanding of them as I work to complete a painting. I think I do this by carefully seeing the facial expressions and body language in the photos that I use as a basis for my work.

Alone
oil on gessoboard 16 x 18"
Shelley Adler

Are you driven to make your paintings more beautiful than the subect? Do you think such is necessary?

No. In fact I guard against making the subject more beautiful. What I try to make beautiful is the painting itself, by the selection of color and texture, atmosphere etc. The individuals or subjects in the painting need to look as "real" or "ugly" or "specific" as they appear in the original snapshot....because it is the flavor of the original image that I am attempting to expand on with the additional use of color and atmosphere. It is entirely possible to make an incredibly beautiful painting from a very ugly subject...such as a decaying structure or piles of garbage or a decrepit person. I think it is the artists' job to conjure up that transformation from what we glance at in passing and do not really see...to what we actually notice. Naturally, if you start with a beautiful subject...either a person or scene you want to get all the beauty you can across also. Sometimes an artist can heighten the effect of a subject by contrasting the sadness or decay or fear of a subject by deliberately painting it beautifully. Something similar to the song sung by Billy Holiday called "Strange Fruit". The melody is haunting and lovely and then suddenly you realize the words refer to bodies hanging on trees. Paintings can do that also...John the Babtist's head on a platter was painted beautifully by numerous well known painters...the subject is grizzly, but the paintings are beautiful.

Shelley Adler

Shelley Adler's exhibition opens November 30th.

TAG Presents: New Exhibition Featuring Katherine Kean, Susie McKay Krieser, and Sally Jacobs

2010-11-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

November 2 - November 27, 2010

Reception:
Saturday, November 6, 5- 8 PM

Artists' Q & A Panel:
Saturday, November 13, 3 PM

Sally Jacobs, "From the Ground Up"

In her latest exhibition, "From the Ground Up," botanical artist Sally Jacobs inspires us to find the extraordinary in the ordinary with her hyper-real depictions of the every day fruits, vegetables, and flowers we find at the local Santa Monica or Hollywood Farmer's Markets. While staying true to the botanical art tradition of accurate portrayals of plants, Jacobs brings a modern edge to her subjects through her eye-popping displays of color and detail that she captures with her watercolor layering techniques. Jacobs explains, "I want people to wonder at the pattern on the skin of a strawberry, or the marvelous colors in a head of garlic; things we 'see' all the time, but perhaps don't really observe."

Katherine Kean, "Atmospheric"

As a painter, Katherine Kean seeks moments of breath-taking transition in nature - a gathering of clouds or changing tides; times when the elements of the landscape combined with memory and observation illuminate the world of heightened mood and sensation. In her latest exhibition, "Atmospheric" Kean explores the inherent beauty within the powerful forces of wind, storms, and volcanoes. "These phenomena have a huge effect on the look of the landscape," explains Kean, "whether it is the light effects caused by the reflective particles thrown into the air by a volcano, or the strange twilight caused by a storm suddenly and dramatically changing the angle of the sun's rays and for a moment, relighting the landscape." Her works capture these fleeting moments in time and reveal the serene center that can arise in the midst of nature's turbulence.

Susie McKay Krieser, "Building a Story"

In her latest exhibition, "Building a Story," Susie McKay Krieser articulates the essence of her subjects in a minimalistic fashion, placing the importance instead on the colors and shapes. The minimalistic views are filled with daring color clashing with flat, interlocking shapes inviting the viewer to explore the merging of exuberance and serenity. Using live models in the creation of each piece, Krieser often found herself using multiple canvases for each work and experimented with rearranging the positioning of the canvases to alter the effect. She explains, "Even after the work was completed, I found there was still room for the image to evolve. It's an organic process, and the viewer is invited to complete the story already started on the canvas."

TAG Gallery Interview: Katherine Kean

2010-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Trace in the Sky
oil on linen 30 x 40"
Katherine Kean

Katherine Kean's paintings reveal a serene center that can arise in the midst of nature’s turbulence.

What does a painted landscape offer that the natural landscape cannot?

A work of landscape art can create a view that doesn’t exist in a natural landscape. The painted landscape can be edited and rearranged, or come wholly or in part from the imagination. All of the elements of the landscape, including the element of time, can be put in an order that supports the artist’s vision. In my work, I might put a thunderstorm from one time and place together with a field of grass from another. I might emphasize the light to allow for more drama. I routinely remove buildings, people, and cars, or anything that does not contribute to the meaning – adding or taking away whatever I feel is called for to reach the mood and tell the story.

The path-like waterways in your paintings seem to invite the viewer into a docile and curious natural realm. Are you in-fact sending the viewer an invitation?

The meandering, serpentine pathways invite the viewer to wander, to free the mind, to contemplate or explore, to dream and imagine, and ultimately they are an invitation to one’s inner world, to one’s Self.

Wayward
oil on linen 18 x 24"
Katherine Kean

Can you describe the feeling when your idea of the painting that will-be comes to a finish?

It can take some time to realize that a painting is complete. I’ll often let a painting rest while I work on others – the drying process in oils creates subtle shifts in color that I need to see. Once dry I’ll have a fresh look and may decide to add something; another glaze, a highlight, whatever is needed. However, there’s a moment when I realize that there’s nothing else to add, which often takes me by surprise. This feeling is followed quickly by the excitement of wanting to show the new painting to someone, to share it.

If you had to part with every piece of work but one, which would it be?

The one that I can clearly visualize in my mind’s eye, but I haven’t painted yet – the next one.

Does where you live now hold any influence in your painting?

I have a great respect and appreciation for the places that continue to hold space for that which is still undomesticated, for what is wild. I’m lucky to live quite close to the edge of a National Forest and have easy access to vast and unimpeded views. I hope that the proximity helps some of that sense of wildness and freedom to reflect in my work.

Katherine Kean in the studio.

Katherine Kean's exhibition at TAG opens November 2.

Sally Jacobs Interview

2010-10-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Garden Flowers
watercolor 22 x 27"
Sally Jacobs

Sally Jacob's enjoyment of the natural world shines through in her precise botanical watercolors.

Whom do you make art for?

I wonder sometimes if I would create art if no one except me ever viewed it. I love the process, so I guess my primary audience is me. But I also love to show my work, to share my joy.

Would you collect your own work if you saw it in a gallery? Why or why not?

I have pieces that I can’t part with, so yes, I do collect some of my work. Some pieces I keep for sentimental reasons; others because I can’t imagine ever doing the subject again.

Can someone be taught to be an artist or is it an innate ability?

I think much can be taught. But like anything else, it’s 80% perspiration. Maybe the part that is innate is the motivation to create art; I feel that strongly. As frustrating and challenging as it can be, I’m happy when I’m drawing or painting; the motivation is there.

So I Won't Run Out
watercolor 21 x 17"
Sally Jacobs

What is your biggest fear?

I have lots of fears but the biggest one that relates to my art is anything that would disable my hands. My work is so detailed; I need a great deal of hand control. So far, so good.

What excites you about painting?

I paint from life and get great pleasure in really observing plant life. When you study it, the complexity and beauty of the simplest flower, fruit or vegetable is inspiring. If I can make a plant come to life and have people pause and really observe what they may have seen in passing hundreds of times, then that work is a success.

Sally Jacobs in the studio.

Sally Jacobs exhibition opens November 2, 2010.

An Interview With Susie McKay Krieser

2010-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Girl With the Curl
acrylic on canvas 40 x 20"
Susie McKay Krieser

Susie McKay Krieser’s bold and vibrant works explore the divergence of stimulation and serenity.

When did you first realize you were an artist - or have the courage to identify yourself as an artist?

My college degree is in Art, with a Business minor. I concentrated on Graphic Design and Photography. When I graduated, I worked as a Graphic Designer and a Cartographer. I became a real estate salesperson and discontinued my art for more than 30 years. Six years ago, after having taken a year of art classes, I was approached by two interior designers, who owned a store in Lake Tahoe. They asked me to frame my work and sell it in their store. That was the beginning of my professional life as an artist.

Can anybody be taught to be an artist or is it an innate ability?

I believe it is an innate ability, although everyone can be shown how to do it, and learn to enjoy the process. It is important to not have expectations and just let the magic happen. Making art frees us up mentally, putting us in touch with our spirit.

Have you learned any new techniques this year? If so, will you share what they are?

I learned how to do screen printing, which I am excited about incorporating into my paintings. I already use my photography in my mixed media paintings, and would love to do a version of it on canvas.

How do you decide on your palette?

My palette is a very subjective thing. It has to do with how I am feeling on a particular day. I find that oftentimes, the colors in my outfit are reflected in my art. My art is all about color and shape, and the correlation of one to the other.

Pink Cadillac
acrylic on canvas 24 x 24"
Susie McKay Krieser

What excites you about painting?

I love mixing colors together and then figuring out the juxtaposition of the shapes. I love the challenge of reducing what I see to it’s essence, while still being able to articulate it. My goal is to find the essence of the forms.

Where do you find inspiration? Does your own life experience play a role in your imagery?

I continually push myself to see life in a new light, guiding me in new directions. Live models and my photography also serve as inspiration. I study the great works of Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Amedeo Modigliani, Alex Katz, Rene Magritte and myriad of other fine artists. Studying art is exciting.

Whom do you make art for?

I make art foremost for myself, because it speaks to my soul. I also enjoy sharing it with others and the highest compliment in the world, is for them to enjoy my work. I feel that Spirit works through me, and that my work can bring comfort and inspiration to others.

Susie McKay Krieser

Susie McKay Krieser's exhibit opens November 2, 2010.

New Exhibition Featuring Anne M Bray, Karen Florek, Joe Pinkelman, and Stephanie Visser October 5- 30, 2010

2010-10-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Reception:
Saturday, October 9, 5- 8 PM

Artists' Q & A Panel:
Thursday, October 14, 7 PM

Anne M Bray, "RoadTrip"

Anne M Bray's roadscapes are a celebration of fleeting moments frozen in time. Whether depicting urban or rural settings, or the roads in between, her works create windows of contemplation for her viewers to get lost in the moment themselves. Working from photographs taken while driving cross country, Bray then interprets the images in the studio, simplifying the compositional elements with chalk pastels.

Karen Florek, "Seeing Through: The Function of Light"

In her latest exhibition, Seeing Through: The Function of Light, Karen Florek uses light, film, found materials, and x-rays to explore below the surface of what is obvious to the eye, and uncovers the essential role light plays not only in our real world, but in our language as well. Her photographs of the completed images capture how light can evoke feeling, enhance an emotion, reveal our vulnerabilities, and create drama.

Joe Pinkelman, "New Ceramics from Jingdezhen, China"

Destruction and re-creation strike a delicate balance in Joe Pinkelman's three dimensional forms in his latest exhibit. The forms of Joe Pinkelman's work consistently appear to tip, balance, fragment, and reconnect in a myriad of patterns and designs. The physicality of the clay fuses delicacy and solidity. The metaphysical aspect of the clay is that shapes are created, destroyed, and recreated.

Stephanie Visser, "Mysterium"

In her latest exhibit, Mysterium, Stephanie Visser's mixed media artwork moves away from the predominantly geometric forms of previous exhibitions to much more ethereal, moody and emotive images - although still reminiscent of landscape and skyscape, both urban and rural. Built layer by layer through translucent color washes; scumbled color upon color; and scratched in line and collage; each piece represents a "mind photograph" that hints at everyday life and its impact.

Interview With Stephanie Visser

2010-09-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mysterium #1
Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Paper 76" x 43"
Stephanie Visser

Stephanie Visser's intriguing abstracts explore the relationships of sunlight and shadows, stillness and movement, sound and quiet.

Which of these pieces was the most challenging to create or conceive?

Initially, these new pieces come from a surprise chemical reaction that occurred, when attempting to be frugal, I mixed regular house paint with dried acrylic paint and worked it over with sand paper. The first piece in this series was on a large unprimed canvas. The result of the experiment was a look and feel that was not typical of my process which I found exciting and intriguing. I had no idea as to how far I could take it and in what materials it would be the most successful.

If you had to swap being an artist for a separate role that you would commit to at the same capacity, what would it be?

That's an easy one for me since I would most likely recommit to my career as an interior designer. It always afforded me an opportunity to work with color and form in a three dimensional format and I found it challenging and rewarding as well as artistic.

What 3 things are most unlike you or your work?

I am not a painter or a person that is struggling to make social commentary in my work or in my life. I often see work I admire that is a composite of images with deep subconscious meaning. However, my work is more lyrical and emotional and does have subconscious meaning, but is less image related and more like a Rorschach ink blot than realistically interpretive.

Mysterium #8
Acrylic Mixed Media Collage on Paper 76 x 43"
Stephanie Visser

Does art serve a function beyond decorating walls?

I certainly hope so....even though in my other life I often am called upon to "decorate" walls. I most often preferred that people have the opportunity to have art around them that speaks to them at the deepest level, even if they did not have the desire to explore or understand why. For me, art's purpose is to examine and illustrate our interior worlds in any form that it takes, realistic or abstractly. Everyone has a unique language or personal culture that they may not be able to articulate except through the work of another that arouses their personal psychology and explains themselves to themselves.

Stephanie Visser

Stephanie Visser's next exhibition opens October 5, 2010.

TAG Gallery Interviews Anne M. Bray

2010-09-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Desert Sunset
pastel
Anne M. Bray

Anne M. Bray’s Road Trip pastels celebrate fleeting moments captured on the road and frozen in time.

What goes into making work like yours?

My steps for creating my Road Trip pastels:
1) I get in the car and drive off.
2) I shoot digital captures when I see something that catches my eye (while driving).

this set of captures was shot in about 10 minutes

3) I edit my favorite shots and get them printed as glossy photos at Walgreens.
4) I crop the photo with tape, if needed.
5) I clip bristol paper to foam core on top of some large gridded paper
6) Holding the photo in my hand, I plot the general composition: sky, ground.
7) I start applying chalk pastel in large swaths and smear and smooth with my hands.
8) I work in color sections and do the sky first before any mountains or foreground. (I don’t want the dust from the sky getting on the lower parts). I smudge with my hands a lot. I do NOT use fixative. Fixative ruins my pastels because of the many many layers of pigment.
9) Done! I remove the drawing and grid paper from the foam core and tape both with a cover sheet. I keep these all together until I get the piece to my framer.

Who are some artists, contemporary or historical whose work you like?

Hudson River School, Whistler (the dark landscapes), Rebecca Campbell, Danielle Eubank, Paul Klee, Nancy Monk.

How did you end up becoming an artist?

I've always been an artist. One thing that helped shape my vision was growing up with original oil landscapes painted by various relatives. Also, when I was five or six, my grandfather would sit and doodle with me - we would both work on a sketch and pass it back and forth.

What do you like/love about being an artist?

For me, the best thing about being creative is that when I'm truly involved with
my work, I go into a whole different place that is not of this world.

What projects are you working on right now?

At TAG, I like to show every year to justify my membership dues. Since I also have money jobs, my art time is limited. I work in series and have many going on simultaneously. One big project still in the planning stage I call "On the Edge." My concept is to circumnavigate the contiguous US states that border the Pacific, Mexico, the Atlantic, and Canada. I will drive as close to the edge as the highways allow and will shoot video out the passenger side window. I will make incremental stops along the way and do work based off the video feed.

Name something you have done or that has contributed to your art career?

I've had residencies at four different art colonies -- unstructured time away
from home to concentrate on getting work done. I've had four sessions at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in Temecula, CA which almost functions as a studio for me. Almost all of the pieces in this show were created at colonies.

Anne M. Bray's exhibit, Road Trip opens October 5, 2010.

Joe Pinkelman Interview

2010-09-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

White legs
ceramics/decals/wire
43 x 22 x 22"
Joe Pinkelman

Destruction and re-creation strike a delicate balance in Joe Pinkelman's three dimensional forms.

Does your own life play a role in your imagery?

Yes it does. Most if not all my life experience plays a role in my imagery. I think that is always the starting point and hopefully it expands beyond self. That allows someone else to share and be empathetic with the form and experience. In addition, ceramics adds an abstract element to the work because it is a pot and not a reference something else.

Who are some artists that are currently producing work that you like?

In the ceramics I like Paul Mathieu, Grayson Perry, and Daniel Kruger. On an international scale I like Jeff Koons, Anish Kapoor, Martin Puryear, and Richard Serra.

Would you collect your own work if you saw it in a gallery? Why or why not?

There are some specific pieces I like and wish I had kept. In general though because I am constantly surrounded by it (I can't sell most of it), it's good to look at work that is opposite of my interests. There is a story of Soutine admiring the works of Rembrandt in the museum yet their paintings are polar opposites.

In your work do you prefer timeless themes or current issues?

All my work has been an attempt at timeless issues and it is just recently since my visiting Jingdezhen, China that I am interested in current issues. I am working on a series of pieces that respond to pedophile catholic priests and the amnesty they receive from the Vatican, and in a new body of work I want to explore the involvement and culpability of the U.S. in regard to Iran, Iraq, and 911.

What is the purpose of art?

I think the purpose of art is to communicate ideas and emotions that have significant and universal meaning. Not to sound crass, but everyone scratches their ass. Even the Queen of England scratches her ass. Yet is that a universal that has significant meaning? The ideas and emotions expressed through art should be about understanding the world and individuals in more complex contexts. The purpose of art allows us to see those contexts and great art gives us the knowledge that we are free in our own lives to direct them as well. Consequently I am not a believer in causality.

Joe Pinkelman's exhibit at TAG opens October 5, 2010.

New Exhibition Featuring Julienne Johnson, Sue Keane, Pat Doede Klowden, and Ellen Starr

2010-09-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Reception:
Saturday, September 11, 5- 8 PM

Artists' Q & A Panel:
Tuesday, September 14, 7 PM

Julienne Johnson, "Ashes For Beauty"

For her first Solo Exhibition Julienne Johnson presents a powerfully poetic body of work in a visceral, yet painterly language all her own. Working an Abstract Non - representational format, Johnson leads us through a complicated, dangerously vulnerable drama on canvas. Acting out each scene with emotionally charged, often hand mixed color pigments and symbolic references - we follow her down a path of angst and honesty as we try to put our own feelings in order.

Sue Keane, "New Ceramics"

After a successful career in architectural design, Sue Keane began working in clay, and one can see her work is still strongly influenced by the geometry of architecture and how forms relate to their surrounding space. Surface textures play an important part in the visual attraction of each piece as does light and shadow and types of glaze used. The fine detail of her work requires close examination of both surface texture and form.

Pat Klowden, "La Famiglia"

In 'La Famiglia', sculpturist Patricia Doede Klowden continues her exploration of the notion of place and identity as it functions in the modern world. Her newest bronze figures represent a transitional shift from the more androgynous communication of humanity seen in her previous series, 'The Bronze Age'. Here, recognizably female figures express the power of cultural origins and physical strength through attenuated form and subtle detailing. Klowden then moves to her most personal exploration of identity yet: her own family. In ceramic, she touches upon the forms and personality of her grandchildren, trading the universal cast of her earlier bronzes for the more personal markings of family.

Ellen Starr, "Return to Nature"

In her latest exhibition, "Return to Nature," Ellen Starr explores the endless possibilities of subject matter presented to us in the natural world. She explains, "I am attracted to complexity, perhaps because I'm an inveterate organizer. I like to find logic in disorder; to see beauty in the intricate; to make confusion understandable. I strive to balance form against form; color against color; and light against dark. My ultimate goal is to achieve a stable whole out of many parts to create a sense of equilibrium and serenity."

TAG Gallery Interviews Patricia D. Klowden

2010-08-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Two Bronzes
Patricia D. Klowden

Patricia Klowden calls upon a strong rapport with her materials to create in three dimensions.

What about your work is most satisfying?

The most satisfying thing is to create a figure or a piece where am using my hands. I am very touch oriented. I paint with my hands and have been for 17 years. I find it difficult to use brushes. I like intimate contact with the surface of whatever I’m working on. I love the material on my hands, it feels natural to me.

What are your ideal conditions for creating new work?

I need light air and music. Sometimes I enjoy having other people around. A lot of people need absolute silence, but I prefer the company of others. For me its helpful to talk.

What three things are most unlike your work?

Darkness, total control, and a lack of movement.

Ella
Patricia D. Klowden

Why do you make art?

Much of my becoming a full time artist began 18 years ago when I lost my younger brother. He wanted me to be an artist, that was my only gift at the time. I spent 8 hours a day painting, everyday. There are times when I’m far more possessed by the need to express myself, and making art is my best form of expression. It fills my need to articulate a feeling. I think that being an artist is a tremendous gift, we get to go to our material, what ever it is, and express what’s going on in our lives. Its a phenomenal way of coping.

Is art only Meaningful when its seen?

No, It is important to the artist. Its our need to do it.

Patricia D. Klowden's exhibit begins September 7, 2010.

TAG Gallery Interview With Julienne Johnson

2010-08-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Trust³, Detail
Mixed Media Triptych 60 x 168"
Julienne Johnson

Layering, scraping, painting, and sanding are among the processes used by Julienne Johnson to create her abstract paintings.

What is it like being an artist in Los Angeles?

I think it is perhaps like being an artist anywhere. Only it’s more expensive here. While I have been an artist in Michigan, it was not with the same commitment to the work that I have now in Los Angeles.

Whom do you make art for?

I’d like to think that I make art for the world. However, when one works passionately in any area there is definitely something in it for themselves; that something is always beyond the obvious or what you can put in the bank… so much bigger. I make art for myself: to please myself.

Do you work in more than one medium? How do the two influence each other?

When my expression must make more sound it goes from drawing to painting to assemblage. When it must shout even louder, that assemblage becomes sculptural and free standing.

Have you been an artist all of your life, or is art something that you’ve come to recently?

I was first called an artist when I was about nine years old. I had a substitute art teacher in elementary school, Johanna Spargo from Estonia. Everything I made she praised and put in the highest position on the board. She singled me out; called my parents and wanted to mentor me. My father hung up on her. She called several times to no avail. Finally she called and said she would like to do a portrait of me at no charge. She was well known for her pastel portraits of children and they were expensive, at least to a family like mine. So to this free offer my father finally responded. For the next three to four months, every Saturday I went to her house for several hours. I had the most wonderful times. She would draw and sketch me happily in various positions and we would have graham crackers with applesauce on them and tea with milk. She would tell me about Estonia, about the communist labor camps she had escaped from and about how I brought her good luck. When the portrait was finished I begged to take it home with me on the bus; I fell into a mud puddle. Until she died, she stayed in my life. She always insisted that I was an artist, no matter what I was doing. She impacted me greatly with her blue eyes and kind heart.

Why do you make art and what excited you about painting?

I am compelled with all that is in me to make art. If you take away my paints I will draw. Take my pencil and I will carve with a knife. I need nothing special to work with. I will make art. If I have nothing I can still live it. On my bed I will dream it.

Julienne Johnson's exhibit opens September 7, 2010.

TAG Interviews Ellen Starr

2010-08-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Park Bluff
acrylic on canvas 18 x 24"
Ellen Starr

Ellen Starr's paintings clarify the visual intricacies of everyday subjects.

How do you decide on your palette?

My palette is determined by very concrete subject matter that gives rise to an image. I work with the original colors in nature, so I use an awful lot of blues and greens.

What goes into making work like yours?

As you can see I love detail, and it takes a substantial amount of time to produce the amount of detail that I like. I’m drawn to the extreme complexities of nature, ones that I can simplify and organize. I try to create a sense of serenity in my subject matter. It is this feeling of harmony that I want to communicate to the viewer of my work.

The Banana Bunch
acrylic on canvas 20 x 20"
Ellen Starr

How do you know when a work is finished?

If I can look at my work in total comfort, not see any small detail that I wish to change, then I know I’m done.

What is the most memorable comment someone has made about your work?

An art consultant bought one of my pieces and told me months later that she enjoyed looking at it every day. It brought her pleasure. When someone appreciates my work, it makes me realize that my efforts have value. It feels good to be recognized for giving satisfaction to someone else because of something I’ve done, no matter what it is.

If only one person were allowed to experience your work, who would It be and why?

I would have to say my husband, James. We share our assorted interests – art, music, magic, making videos, and more. He comments on my art, and gets after me when I don’t spend enough time working in my studio, so he is the logical person I’d share with.

Ellen Starr in the studio with Redford.

Ellen Starr's exhibit opens September 7, 2010.

TAG Gallery Hosts the Fifth Annual California Open Exhibition Juried Show at Bergamot Station from August 17 through September 3rd

2010-08-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Jumping Beans
Karen Yee

Santa Monica, Ca. – TAG Gallery is proud to present the Fifth Annual California Open Juried Exhibition beginning on August 17th and running through September 3rd at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue, #D3 in Santa Monica. The nationwide competition features artwork in a variety of mediums including painting, photography, computer generated art, mixed media, printmaking, drawing, and sculpture. Though TAG Gallery has been hosting this competition for five years running, this will be the first CA Open Exhibition at TAG Gallery’s new location in Bergamot Station, Southern California’s largest art gallery complex and cultural center.

This year’s Open attracted a record number of applicants with over 600 individuals submitting work. “The response we received for submissions was really inspiring,” explains Cheryl Medow, co-president of TAG Gallery. “The rich pool of entries allowed the juror to select an extraordinarily diverse show representing artists from 10 different states. The result is an exhibit with some of the most intriguing works contemporary art has to offer today.”

Deus ex Machina
David Pruitt

The juror of selection and awards for this year’s exhibition is Karen Moss, Deputy Director of Exhibitions and Programs at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA). Moss holds a B.A. in studio art and art history from the University of California at Santa Cruz and completed her graduate work in art history at University of California, Berkeley and University of Southern California (MA, PhD/ABD). An art historian and curator, she has worked in museum and academic positions since 1980 and has lectured and taught extensively on contemporary art history and theory.

Flora of the Westchester Place
Olga Ponemarenko

The Reception and Awards Ceremony for this year’s California Open Exhibition is open to the public and takes place on Saturday, August 21 from 5-8 PM at TAG Gallery, 2525 Michigan Avenue, #D3 in Bergamot Station. TAG Gallery was established in 1993 as a not-for-profit corporation, owned by its members, who share in all business decisions, responsibilities, and expenses. It is both a physical gallery and a community of approximately forty artists. TAG’s mission is to offer artists invaluable opportunities for promotional and creative growth. TAG offers extensive exhibition opportunities through the gallery and off-site venues, exposure to prominent members of the art community and inclusion on its website. TAG has been a resource for launching the careers of both emerging and mid-career artists. For more information about TAG Gallery or the California Open Exhibition please see http://www.taggallery.net/

Brigitte Schobert, David Twamley, and Anne Ramis

2010-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Brigitte Schobert, David Twamley, and Anne Ramis

July 20- August 14
Artists' Reception: Saturday, July 24th, 5-8 PM

Brigitte Schobert, "Dreams and Reality"

In her latest series, printmaker Brigitte Schobert exhibits subtly surreal prints from etching and relief plates that explore the edge between dreams and reality. Using printing techniques that have not changed much since Duerer’s or Rembrandt’s time, Schobert strives to engage the viewer with images that can be puzzling and freed from reality in order to leave room for the beholder’s own fantasy. “The ideas for my images are derived from many different sources: happenings in daily life; movies I watch; books I read; or my numerous travels to foreign countries. I see my work as a journey and invite the viewer to be an active participant in the unfolding of that journey,” say Schobert.

As an artist, Brigitte Schobert is a late starter and she spent most of her professional life as a scientist at UC Irvine. After being involved in the art scene for several years, she realizes that there are a lot of similarities between art and science, and sees her transition as a moderate shift in methods and goals rather than a radical change. She has received training in Graphic Design, Drawing and Printmaking at UCI and Saddleback College. Her work was shown in numerous competitions throughout the US. It is in the homes of private collectors and at the Center for Political Graphics, Los Angeles. She is a member of the LA Printmaking Society and TAG Gallery.

David Twamley, "Miniature Collages"

David Twamley’s latest works entitled “Miniature Collages” use collage and mixed-media to celebrate the complexity of Western society which he describes as “a collage of experience in and of itself.” These works are a continuation of Twamley’s ‘LA’ series, which is inspired by the colors, shapes, and patterns we see around Los Angeles. David’s fascination with smaller pieces of artwork, such as Persian miniatures, also influences this body of work. He explains, “I find that creating smaller pieces forces the viewer to look very closely and become more involved with the piece.”

Twamley views his collage technique as a way of ordering sensory input rather than being overwhelmed by it. He states, “It’s an ideal medium to explore diversity,” and one finds this to be true in his creative use of color and light in his miniature works. Creating art for over 30 years, David has displayed work in numerous galleries throughout the US, and in several private collections. He has received training at the University of Minnesota, the University of Southern California, and the Otis Art Institute. David Twamley is a member of the TAG Gallery in Santa Monica, California.

Anne Ramis, "Most Recent Work"

Creating art since high school, Anne Ramis’ new show at TAG Gallery explores the three themes of “color play in abstraction,” “famous kisses,” and classical “horror” characters through the endlessly experimental medium of digital prints. Her varied show highlights familiar characters like Dracula and Frankenstein and famous kisses like that of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. In her abstract images, Anne pulls the unconscious connections of shape, color, size, and patterns to the surface through a series of spontaneous decisions made during her creations process.

“Each year, I explore a different medium to uncover the spontaneity of the art process,” say Ramis. “Using a variety of methods encourages me to keep evolving in my work.” With this latest series, Ramis cleverly captures a playful take on pop culture horror and kisses. “The digital prints really lent themselves to exploring the finer details of these themes and was a particularly exciting new arena for my art work,” says Ramis. Trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brentwood Art Center, Anne uses her work to feed and reflect all aspects of her life.

The reception for Anne Ramis, David Twamley, and Brigitte Schobert will be held on Saturday, July 24th 5-8 pm, and the exhibition runs from July 20 through August 14th at TAG Gallery in Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue, #D3 in Santa Monica. For more information, please see www.taggallery.net or call 310-829-9556.

Anne Ramis Interview

2010-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Infamous
Anne Ramis

Exploring new mediums with a playful approach, Anne Ramis allows her process to take unexpected turns and deliver happy surprises.

How long have you been an artist?

I have been ready to call myself an artist since 1983.

Why do you make art?

Because it feels good. It shows me parts of myself that I don't know or expect. It's fun. It's problem-solving. I go into a kind of trance state and get to use everything I've accumulated up to that point.

Can you name a few of the most important artists to you?

Massacio, the Master of the Portinari Altarpiece, Caravaggio---so many of those I studied in Art History. My studies didn't get up to contemporary art, so I'm kind on my own after WWII.

Did you go to art school?

Yes. High School, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Brentwood Art Center.

Do you work in more than one medium?

Yes. Every year I work in a different medium, often combining them. I'm really motivated by having a show every year. It's freeing and it keeps me off the streets, or in the streets--a little of both.

What is your thought process while working?

I actually don’t have an end image in mind. I trust that I can get to a point where I'm satisfied. There's always the problem of going on past that. The process takes over and surprising myself is integral to that.

Is there a separation between your "normal" life and your art making?

No. All aspects of my life feed and reflect each other.

Do you find that the solitude is good for your art?

Yes and no. Sometimes solitude doesn't feel healthy. Often the ideas are generated from interactions with others and then built up when I start to play with them on my own.

Anne Ramis's exhibition opens July 20, 2010.

An Interview With Brigitte Schobert

2010-07-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Red Carpet
etching
Brigitte Schobert

Brigitte Schobert encourages discovery with her subtly intriguing, often amusing, etchings and linocuts.

Where did you grow up? Do you consider where you are from an
influence on your artistic development?

I grew up in Germany, and yes, I think that there is an influence,
because German Expressionist art and woodcuts in particular made a
great impression on me and I always wanted to do something like that.

When did you first realize you were an artist or have the courage to think of yourself as an artist?

I still have a problem thinking of myself as an artist. I was always
interested in art, but spent my professional life as a scientist and
waited to do art until after my retirement.

I have a friend who is a printmaker and she told me to come by to
print something together. I went off to the art store and bought some
linoleum and used the lino cutter, which I still have from my high
school days, and I carved my first two linocuts. I liked it and found
I wanted to do more and that is how I grew into it.

What process or medium do you use for your work, and why?

I use etchings, linocuts, and also photography. When people ask me
why I prefer these media to painting, I usually give them this
answer: "Paper burns better than canvas."

But seriously, I don't know! I just feel attracted to it and I like
the process of carving and working with the knife.

Will you share with us the process?

In etchings are many fine details and it takes a long time to compose
and draw the picture on paper and then I have to draw it again on the
etching plate. The next step is to etch it and add aquatint to it.
This whole process takes weeks and weeks. After that I pull a proof and
sometimes I have to make corrections and finally I can print the
edition. Even with experience it is always a surprise to pull the
first print and I am happy when it comes out how I expected it to be.

With linocut there are different rules. It is not possible to work
with very fine detail and you have to concentrate on the most
important lines to create the image. It is similar to a photography
with high contrast.

Leporello
etching
Brigitte Schobert

Where do you find inspiration for your works? Does your own life
experience play a role in your imagery?

It comes from different sources like books, movies, events in the
news and photos. I basically came from photography to printmaking.
With digital photography it is a whole new world to be able to work
on the photos and print them yourself. Printmaking was a next step
for me after printing my own photographs.

Do your images come then from your photography?

Well, not always or not entirely. I may use the photograph as a
starting point, but in photography there are different rules. A good
photograph may be perfect with very little and just a small detail,
but for etchings or woodcuts you need more to make a good image.
Sometimes I use part of a photograph as a model and modify it or add
to it whatever comes to my mind.

How often do you start a new work?

Now with a show coming up I made a list of what I wanted to do and
just went down the list. On average I start a new work every month,
but the projects always overlap. If I weren't having the show I might
have experimented with new and unfamiliar methods, but they don't
always work out.

How do you know when a work is finished?

I have in mind what I want to put into my design and I develop and
draw it at first on paper. When this is done it is done. Only very
few corrections can be made at the stage of printing.

Who do you make art for?

Like many artists, I make it mainly for myself. However, I am happy
when other people enjoy it too.

Brigitte Schobert at work in the studio.

Brigitte Schobert's exhibition; Dream and Reality, opens July 20, 2010.

Darlyn Susan Yee, Carol Kleinman, and Betty Sheinbaum: June 22- July 17, 2010

2010-06-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

TAG Gallery Announces

New Exhibit Featuring Works By
Darlyn Susan Yee, Carol Kleinman, and Betty Sheinbaum

June 22- July 17, 2010

Reception: Saturday, June 26, 5-8 PM

Artist Talk: Saturday, July 10 at 3 PM

Contained!, Darlyn Susan Yee

Although Darlyn Susan Yee has been creating containers in various media since childhood, for the last twelve years she's been stimulated by the textures that the knotting process yields. Through her study of the human form and character, Darlyn realized that we judge others by their appearances and attire, or their own personal containers. Fascinated by its simplicity and raw beauty, Darlyn has chosen cotton fiber for this series. Employing the basic knots - Lark's Head, Overhand Knot, Half Hitch, Clove Hitch and Reef Knot - she has created non-functional objects of art to be enjoyed and passed to future generations. Darlyn has hand-built each piece knot by knot, just as one would shape or form a clay object. Utilizing the knot structures and fiber properties, she has encouraged the final shape of each unique sculpture.

Paris Reflections, Carol Kleinman

Carol Kleinman is known for her unique ability to capture and highlight the "mystery in the mundane" through her bold, unmanipulated single digital exposures printed on canvas. In her latest exhibit, Kleinman's creative use of window reflections that capture images from inside and outside at the same time, allows her to depict the complexities of Paris life while simultaneously drawing out universal human themes. Whether or not one has ever traveled to Paris, Carol's work provides a gateway to get lost in the moment and discover the multiple realities that present themselves to us, but so often get overlooked as we rush through life. These reflections provide an emotional glimpse into the life, the charm, and the soul of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

People, Betty Sheinbaum

Betty Sheinbaum is neither a struggling newcomer nor a jaded veteran. Coming to art seriously in the 1950s, long before feminism carved the freedom for women to select and juggle roles, Betty has led a full, complex life packed with "other concerns." Nonetheless, she is a true artist. Betty's latest series, People, goes beyond mere portraits and explores her subjects on a deeper level. She captures them mid-activity in order to translate onto the canvas how the participants are pouring out their hearts and souls. For the last 40-odd years, Betty Sheinbaum has worked in painting, sculpture and weaving.

Carol Kleinman: An Interview

2010-06-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Window Dancing on the Rue de Rivoli
Archival Digital Image on Canvas 40 x 60"
Carol Kleinman

With bold, unmanipulated single exposures printed on canvas, Carol Kleinman presents Paris through a series of complex reflections on windows.

Where did you grow up? Do you feel that environment has had an effect on your artwork?

Hawaii is my place of birth and where I spent my formative years. The Islands had a profound effect on me. Growing up I remember mystical, visual stories of the past layered with the reality of the present. In my work, I look for layers of reality through reflections on windows. I combine what is inside with what appears outside in an attempt to challenge the viewer to look at mysterious layers that float just below the surface of life. To give that moment a sense of immediacy, I do not manipulate these images. What you see is what I saw.......a fleeting moment....a place in time.

Can you teach somebody to be an artist or is it an innate ability?

I do believe art can and should be taught. I also believe people who become artists are born with an unstoppable need to create art. For us it is more then "should" I create art - it is what, when, how, where, now! We need to do this.

Tour de Eiffel Bus Window
Archival Digital Image on Canvas 54 x 36"
Carol Kleinman

Why art? Why not writing or theatre?

I was very active in theater in high school as well as art. In collage and graduate school I concentrated on art as my medium for expression. I have worked with many art mediums and have a teaching credential in ceramics. I came upon photography in the last 10 years when I realized I could capture wonderful, complex images using windows and reflections on glass. These reflections constantly surprise me. I feel the more I do this work the more complex the images become. With this latest work the images go from the strange layering of "Window Dancing on the Rue de Rivoli" to the almost minimal "Tour de Eiffel Bus Window". Both of these images magically appeared in my camera.

Are there any artists, historical or contemporary, that you feel have been an influence for you?

Art History is one of my passions. I've learned from artists past and present. I'm particularly interested in photographers who have worked with reflections since that is the scope of the work I have chosen.

Does your own life experience play a role in your imagery?

I love being an emotional, intuitive, feminine human being. My work is an extension of that. I offer my complex multi layered images to viewers as a metaphor for the human condition. Being human is complex, layered and even mysterious. With my work I try to bring all of this to the viewer......plus some joy, fun and,

Carol Kleinman photographing window
reflections in Paris.

of course, a touch of humor.

Carol Kleinman's exhibition opens June 22.

An Interview With Darlyn Susan Yee

2010-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Does Knot Hold Water I
knotted cotton 10-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 7-1/2"
Darlyn Susan Yee

From hand-tied knots in cotton, Darlyn Susan Yee constructs intricate versions of seemingly everyday objects.

At what point in your life did you decide to be an artist?

I don’t think I really decided. It decided for me. I started entering some of my craftwork into fairs. From there it was recommended to me that I should put some work in galleries and that the best way to do that would be to enter competitions. So I started getting my feet wet there. And that’s how it all started happening.

Is the craftwork you started with related to what you do now?

I started knotting when I was about 9 years old. That’s the one constant throughout my life. That’s my favorite medium. I also paint and have done some paintings that have sold, but I’m thrilled by the knotting and what I can do with it. It’s a guilty pleasure in a way to be able to do what I want to do.

How did you learn knotting?

I was at summer day camp and we started on basic knots to form things around the campsite. We made a belt and a little pendant and all sorts of little decorative items and I thought that’s really cool, I could do a lot with that. Since then no string was ever safe with me again.

What is it about the string, or the knots that you like?

I like the ability to make a fabric, to make a structure, to construct something. I am really in a way hand building my forms, knot-by-knot, piece-by-piece and choosing the knots that will help it to stand up, that will help it to move in a certain way. There aren’t many people who knot structurally. Jane Sauer is really my inspiration. She currently has her own gallery. Her work is hard to find online, but she has pieces in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design.

Can you share about your technique? Or is it a secret?

It’s not a secret. In fact I’m working on a book right now about the knotting techniques. It is a “how to” and has a segment that has some of my artwork. I was really lucky to be tapped - right after being included in 100 Artists of the West Coast II, one of the editors wanted me to write this book. I’ve never written a book. So again, I’m trying something I’ve never done, but I’m really enjoying the process. It’s causing me to analyze everything that I do: “Why is this not working, why am I still doing it?” It’s been enlightening to go back to the basics and find the words to describe what is second nature to me.

Excessively Handled
knotted cotton 13-1/2 x 8-1/2 x 8-1/2"
Darlyn Susan Yee

Do you have an idea in mind before you start about what it’s going to look like?

I have a general plan. I don’t work from patterns or anything like that. I’m an anti pattern person. I like trying to build something. Awhile back I looked at a tree and I said, “I bet I could make that in knots”. And I made an abstract knotted tree that people do recognize is a tree.

How often do you start a new work?

Not often enough. I get sidetracked by gallery work, various obligations, family things. At this point I haven’t been starting new pieces more than once every three months and completing them about once a year. They really are time consuming. What normally happens to me is that I get a burst of desire to complete - right around show time. I pull a few all nighters and get it all finished. I decide what’s the closest and I often have to set a piece aside because it’s not clear where it needs to go next. Everything lives in a corner somewhere and I pull out a piece when I see what I need to do with it. And I always work faster on a deadline. I grew up in magazine publishing and the idea of the deadline and how do I get to that point from here. I have to set my own deadlines in order to get things accomplished.

Is there any separation between your "normal" life and your artwork? If so, how do you manage to keep each in its place?

I really strive to do work at work and as soon as I leave I can put on the other hat. I try and keep it really separate and distinct – I wouldn’t want my employee doing something else on the side while I was paying them.

There’s a lot to being an artist that isn’t about doing the actual work. There’s the website, there’s trying to develop some sort of blog, I’ve been hammered recently, “Why aren’t you on Facebook? Why aren’t you Twittering?” If I had eight arms and maybe four brains I could do all that. There’s a lot that goes into it. I realize that I’ve had accumulated a lot of knowledge about the various pieces along the way. The skills I’ve acquired in my normal life have informed my work and life as an artist, and vice versa.

Do you find that your own life experience plays a role in your imagery?

Sometimes. I know that some of the first few pieces that I created I could correlate to dreams that I had, that I really wanted to flesh out. Not everything though. More of my recent work is just things, trying to represent things and people and thoughts, clearing out the clutter in my brain with all those projects that I’ve wanted to do. The last several years have been about clearing the clutter in my life. Part of moving is reassessing, “What did I have this for? Why haven’t I used it again,” and clearing some of that out, finding new uses for things, finding new ways to express using the tools that I have.

Does art serve a function beyond decoration?

Yes. I think most artists will say the same thing – that it’s meditative. They get into a groove, they get going, and where does the time go? I have to set an alarm to tell myself to do other things if I allowed myself, I would procrastinate on everything else. I’d rather be knotting, but the balance of activities is better for me in the long run.

Darlyn Susan Yee

Darlyn Susan Yee's exhibition at TAG Gallery opens June 22.

Cheryl Medow, Gary Polonsky and Peter Kempson May 25 - June 19, 2010

2010-05-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

TAG Gallery is proud to present new works by Peter Kempson, Gary Polonsky and Cheryl Medow.

May 25 - June 19, 2010

Artists' Reception Saturday May 29th, 5-8pm

"L.A.NDSCAPES" BY PETER KEMPSON

Though relatively new on the fine art scene, Peter Kempson has already exhibited at LACMA, the prestigious Los Angeles Co. Museum of art. His canvasses are remarkable for their detailed precision, as his style evolves from realism to photorealism.

With a wry sense of the city's proclivity to spin paradox on top of paradise, Kempson's L.A.ndscapes were called "love notes to Los Angeles" by one critic, and he has recently been awarded the commission for a large painting to grace the lobby of the L.A. Firemen's' Credit Union. Nonetheless, his paintings have been purchased for collections across the U.S. and in Europe.

Kempson has had a career as an advertising art director and creative director at Ogilvy & Mather in New York and McCann Erickson in Los Angeles, with numerous awards for creativity to his credit, including several Clios and an Emmy.

When viewing his paintings, it may be hard to believe that Peter Kempson is a self-taught artist. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia, which is reflected, in the story-telling quality of his work.

Though he has begun painting other cities, beginning with his hometown of New York, Kempson's primary focus remains capturing the unique and ironic character of Los Angeles where, as he puts it, "...validation may come in the form of an Oscar statuette or a stamp on your valet parking ticket."

"THE BOTANICAL SERIES" BY GARY POLONSKY

Los Angeles artist Gary Polonsky presents a series of three dimensional "botanical" pieces in his new show at TAG Gallery. He has abandoned the flat, rectangular canvases of his early work to experiment with, and then expand upon the use of other materials. The results are "canvases" with no corners, with painted surfaces that twist, and undulate, sometimes showing both sides of the piece. Most of his "canvases" have rough, textured edges, a notable characteristic of real leaves.

Yet, on close inspection of any of his colorful leaf paintings, one notices that he still incorporates expressionist methods, suggesting his early admiration of Jackson Pollock, and other abstract expressionists.

Seen in person, the painting's surface jumps out at the viewer because of the varying degrees of depth; and some, like his two orchid paintings, extend almost eight inches into the room.

A graduate of Santa Monica City College, and Art Center College of Design, Polonsky has been involved in art for almost fifty years and has shown his work in several galleries, both here in the Los Angeles area, and San Francisco.

"WILD WINGS" EXHIBIT BY CHERYL MEDOW

"Is that a painting?" "Are those stuffed birds?" "Are those really wild birds?" These are some of the questions you may find yourself asking when you see the works in Cheryl Medow's latest exhibition, Wild Wings which continues her exploration of her passions for photography, birds and the environment. She presents idealized images of the wild birds she photographs in idealized environments to emphasize the interconnectedness of all creatures.

Medow travels from her backyard to other parts of the United States, Europe, Central and South America and parts of Africa in search of just one more bird, one more photograph of the flying descendants of dinosaurs.

Her images are initially captured in the field as photographs of birds, landscapes and sky. Then they are melded in the studio through modern computer techniques and tools to produce a final idealized image that is simultaneously hyper-real and hyper-artificial, reminiscent of the dioramas found at the Museum of Natural History.

Medow graduated from UCLA with a BA in Art & Design. Her recent work has been published in 100 Artists of the West Coast II, NANPA Expressions Magazine 2009, Nash Editions: Photography And The Art Of Digital Printing. Her awards include NANPA Juror's Award, Brand Art Library Competition and The Topanga Canyon Art Center, Best of Show Award. She has donated her work to the Inner City Arts Program in Los Angeles and this year, has been asked to donate a work to the Venice Art Walk Silent Auction.

Gary Polonsky Interview

2010-05-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Large Leaf Group 3
acrylic on wire mesh 53 x 63 x 5 1/2"
Gary Polonsky

Gary Polonsky's Botanical Series expands the boundaries of painting with added dimension.

Gary, where were you raised, and how has that environment and/or emotional climate influenced your art making?

I was born and raised here in LA. As a young boy, I was always drawing and building things: Erector Sets, wooden models, plastic models, paper models. Even Popsicle sticks. They were perfect for creating buildings and bridges.

A supportive family allowed me to pursue my art, but making a career of it was another matter. My father was in the import business, and had a large warehouse in Culver City that used to be the laundry for Culver Studios. I had about 1,000 square feet of space to use as a studio. And use it, I did.

One of my early motivations was the discovery of Jackson Pollock, and Abstract Expressionism. The energy, and enthusiasm of his work, and others was appealing and exciting. Most of all - it looked like a lot of fun. So my serious experiments with painting began many years ago.

What in particular fuels your passion toward this art you are making in 2010? Why the “leaves Gary? I’m completely fascinated with those leaves.

I’m finding - especially as we “all” age, a greater appreciation for the more common elements that make up what we perceive as life. My earliest experiments in AE were initially to emulate Pollock. It was all about learning - trying something new. It still is!

That sense of fun, that feeling - creating something unique, the pleasure and excitement of seeing your creation coming together - out of nothing. Those issues are motivating my work. The abstract work didn’t depend on a particular starting point or plan. Just the size of the canvas and a few colors. Other series, years later followed with other types of painting. Now – almost 50 years worth.

The leaf series developed over a short period of time, but as opposed to the abstracts, these began with a specific idea and a tentative plan. Using a (film) camera, scanner and computer, I started building a library of leaves with the idea of making them into paintings (not necessarily 3D though).

Again, I discovered another artist that sparked something in me - Patrick Hughes. His 3D “canvases” were amazing, unique, exciting, and very motivating.

With the idea of the third dimension in my head, and my library of leaves, I guess the idea just happened. Fascination: excellent word for it. I was fascinated with the colors and patterns of leaves, which were very reminiscent of my early work .Take a close look at practically any leaf on the ground. You’ll see small colorful abstract patterns, and colors. Each leaf is unique.

The only thing preventing me from proceeding with the series was the issue of the “canvas” itself; it wasn’t square anymore, it wasn’t flat, there were no stretcher bars, and no canvas. That critical issue meant that the requirements for the new canvas material were many. What material do I use instead of Canvass? Wire mesh!

53 Leaves
acrylic on wire mesh 26 x 26 x 3"
Gary Polonsky

What would you like your viewer to experience; do want to influence them toward some action or viewpoint?

Any experience is OK with me. When I was doing abstract expressionistic canvases, on more than one occasion someone would come up to me and say how much they liked the work. Each person had their own take on what they were looking at, but most liked the piece for some mysterious reason they could not always put into words.

Of course, there were some who didn’t . When that happened, I asked them what it was that they didn’t like. Almost always after some thought, they would say it was because they saw something in the painting (that I had not seen) that displeased them. I found those opinions to be quite helpful.

Painting - the arts in general, have their own language. No words are necessary - or required. The only influence, or viewpoint I hope to suggest is that life is more precious, more profound - than we realize. The only action I suggest is to awaken, like the Budda, to the higher consciousness, and wonder of life.

Could you talk a bit about your process in creating your work? Do you have a visual or emotional response that you initially want to capture? Do you always have a plan and stick to it? How do you begin and continue through completion?

As I mentioned before, I use digital tools to capture, compose, and develop ideas. I always carry my 35mm camera with me in hopes of capturing the beauty, and uniqueness of nature. And some subjects (small, colorful - fast – fish for example) require video.

Yes, I do have an initial idea that I try to capture, and develop, and then focus on. But an idea, a plan is just that, only a guide of sorts. Most plans change as the painting, or the series of paintings progress.

Interestingly enough, mistakes pay a big part of the process too. Most ideas, most paintings, when completed are not exactly what I anticipated when I started. And many times, those mistakes turn into something usable later on.

I also work on several pieces at the same time, so that if one painting becomes tedious, or a problem develops that requires me to consider what next to do, I always have another piece, or two, to work on.

Does any of this making of art that you do really matter? Why do you believe that?

Yes, it matters to me, and I believe it matters to most people - everywhere because it allows us the opportunity to share a common bound, a recognition, a communication that goes beyond words, or language, or cultures. Something we all can share, regardless of where you are from.

It’s an epiphany we experience as individuals that can be recognized, appreciated and shared with a diversity of people. All in the hope that each of us, in our own unique way, contributes to making our world a better place by promoting a higher understanding, and a greater respect for our selves, our planet, and our collective awakening consciousness.

If I may quote, from Thomas Moore (Care of the Soul), who puts it so profoundly: Creative work can be exciting, inspiring, and godlike, but it is also quotidian, humdrum, and full of anxieties, frustrations, dead ends, mistakes, and failures. It can be carried on by a person who has none of the soaring Icarus whishes to abandon the dark shadows of the labyrinth in favor of the bright sunshine. It can be free of narcissism and focus on the problems the material world furnishes anyone who wishes to make something of it.

Creativity is foremost, being in the world soulfully. For the only thing we truly make, whether in the arts, in culture, or at home - is soul.

Gary Polonsky with Large Leaf Group.

Gary Polonsky's exhibition at TAG Gallery begins May 25, 2010.

An Interview with Peter Kempson

2010-05-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Gate to Malibu Pier
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
Peter Kempson

While acknowledging the unconventional, Peter Kempson’s paintings pay homage to Los Angeles as a landscape subject.

Are you originally from Los Angeles? If not, what brings you here? Do you consider where you are from an influence on your artistic development?

I came to Los Angeles from New York City in 1996, to take the position of Associate Creative Director at Lois/EJL Advertising. As I paint L.A.ndscapes, I'd say that my adopted hometown has had more of an influence on my art than where I was raised. To one who grew up associating the idea of a city with the vertical thrust and paved-over urbanity of Manhattan, L.A.'s relationship to Nature and sweeping vistas are exotic, and her gifts for nonchalance and self-parody are a refreshing change from cities that take themselves a bit too seriously.

Why do you create? What excites you about painting?

What excites me about painting right now is the opportunity to share my fascination with others. What can you say about a place so blessed by mountains and sea, and yet whose iconic structure is a half-ruined real estate sign from the 1920's? Los Angeles is a city where validation may come in the form of an Oscar statuette or a stamp on your valet parking ticket, where people live in palaces, bungalows and cardboard boxes and wear cars like clothing. She spins paradox on top of paradise with unselfconscious ease. My work attempts to capture the ironies and idiosyncrasies that make her L.A. One critic referred to my paintings as "love notes to L.A." A little surprising as I paint her billboards, telephone poles and all, but I suppose the affection I feel for her comes through on my canvasses.

What is the process that you use for your paintings?

My process begins with photography of L.A. scenes I find interesting or amusing. I avoid the obvious (and much pictured) views like the Hollywood sign or the Chinese Theater. I then use Photoshop to compose an image, sometimes from as many as 20 photos, often changing the color of a house, moving a palm tree or adding and deleting elements to create a harmonious composition. I paint from my printouts, making additional changes as I go.

Yard Sale
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
Peter Kempson

Did you go to art school?

I did not go to art school, per se. My degree is in English from the University of Virginia, and I did post grad work in Communication Art & Design at Virginia Commonwealth University. I consider myself primarily self-taught as an artist.

Who are some artists that are currently producing work that you like or that you’d consider an artistic influence on you?

I appreciate abstract art, but am drawn to representational work. I admire many artists from Richard Estes and Edward Hopper to Dali and Magritte, but can't say that any have had a direct influence on my work.

What’s your biggest fear?

My biggest fear? I suppose it's that I will not have time to do the kind of work I want to do.

Do you think art is important?

Yes, of course I think art is important. It is the way we communicate with one another in ways that hold deeper meaning and insight than any "tweet" or "twitter." Art expresses our times, environment and ourselves, and provides a link from our souls and minds and hands to those who will come after we have gone.

Peter Kempson.

Peter Kempson's upcoming exhibition at TAG Gallery opens May 25th.

Cheryl Medow Interview

2010-05-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ovampo Sparrowhawk ©2010 Masai Mara, Kenya
Digital Pigment Print
Cheryl Medow

Blending photography and a painterly sensibility Cheryl Medow elevates images of wildlife into a rarified domain.

Where did you grow up?

Los Angeles. I graduated from UCLA with hardly ever leaving home. After graduating, I started traveling around the world with my camera, family and friends.

When I was young, there was far less asphalt and cement, so I spent a lot of time outdoors, playing, catching caterpillars and watching them turn into butterflies. I was always out doing something in nature. I didn’t realize how interesting birds are until I went to Africa. Our first trip guide asked, “Do you like birds?’ I said yes and asked why the question? He said, “When the animals are not around, the birds will always be around, so you’ll never get bored.” I found that watching birds is far from boring. They may be small, but their lives are incredibly interesting, busy and sometimes outright funny.

I initially wondered why it wasn’t more like National Geographic. Then I realized that National Geographic only shows you the final result, highly edited, leaving out all the waiting and waiting for the animals to show up and seeing no animals for a day or more. This made me even more interested focusing on birds. I must say, of all the places I’ve been, the birds in Africa are the most spectacular, Brazil a close second.

What made you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

Art has always been a part of my life. The creative aspect comes from my family. My immediate family pursued music. I found my niche in the visual arts. Creativity is where I continue to find my “Self”. When I am working on my art, I can get to a calm, Zen-like place. I make it a practice to be with myself as much as possible – thereby being an artist fits my needs.

How do you choose your subject matter, and where do you find inspiration?

For this show, I think the birds have found me. When I approach them, they don’t necessarily fly away. Some, almost, say, take the picture already. What are you waiting for – I’m posing for you.

I’ve always been inspired by nature. In the Masai Mara in Kenya, you can stand in one spot, twirl yourself around and see the horizon everywhere. No buildings, no other obstructions - it just goes on forever. That feeling of spaciousness warms my soul.

Carmine Bee-eater ©2010 Manda Bay, Kenya
Digital Pigment Print
Cheryl Medow

Are there any artists, contemporary or historical, that you count as influential to you?

On a trip to a Paris museum, I spent hours staring at the Monet Lilies. The sofa that I sat on was oval and the paintings were placed in a way so that they were not just in a straight line and I sat there feeling like I was at the edge of these ponds just taking in the beauty of them. The Impressionists have a soft, romantic, ethereal quality and I strive to have my photographs feel like watercolor.

I know that your images are more than just photography – how do you make them? Can you share that?

I go out in the field and take photographs with my digital camera, capturing images of birds, animals, sky, clouds, water, reflections, all that I see as beautiful or interesting.

To create a photo like those in this show, I find and watch a bird (before he flies away), noticing everything around him. I also take in the surroundings of the animals, the sun raising or setting, the clouds – I want them all in the final photograph. If the bird (since birds are rather small) is to be sharp and printed large, I have to take the shot only of him, leaving out all that wonderful information about the surroundings.. So, I will use more than one photo in my work layering in the backgrounds, foregrounds, central image and additional details that I find compelling. I call them digital pigment prints, which seems to be the current name for photographs that are digitally enhanced.

My fellow artists call me the “bird lady” and the “mask lady”. If you take a Photoshop class someone will eventually show you how to make a mask. Usually they are very rough around the edges, but mine are very, very precise, down to little feathers that are showing on the edges of the bird. Masks are one of my major tools.

Is there a separation between your "normal" life and your artwork?

When I work in my studio, my husband feels himself to be a Photoshop widower. I can stay up until late at night or work in the evening so I’m not available. Also, I have found that vacations are now working vacations for me. Even when we went to Hawaii - we’re supposed to relax, go for walks, but I wanted to go where the Albatrosses were and take pictures. So I’m taking all my camera equipment with me. And I’m weighed down by sixty or so pounds of equipment. So, it has intruded on my life, but it is my life.

What scares you, if anything?

That I won’t come up with another image. That I will not feel beauty in my life.

I’ve been doing birds for a couple of years now and I always thought that something will happen and I’ll move on to something else. And I still haven’t. It makes me think, “Oh my goodness, I’ll only be known for birds.” And so….

What do you see as next?

I’ve become so aware of landscapes. On my trip to Brazil to photograph jaguar, all the photographers waited around for a jaguar. While we were waiting, they saw me taking pictures of the clouds and the water, which were absolutely stunning. It’s a note to remind me that at every turn there is another road. When I see a new path, I will know it.

Until then, I will just keep exploring.

Cheryl Medow at work in Kenya.

Cheryl Medow's next exhibition at TAG Gallery begins May 25, 2010.