Artist Spotlight: Sally Jacobs - Sunday At The Farmers Market

Sally Jacobs, Turban Squash, Watercolor, 20 x 21"

Sally Jacobs is a contemporary watercolor botanical artist. She is also a foodie, and the Los Angeles farmers' markets are a treasure trove for her. Each Sunday Jacobs visits one, prospecting for her gold: Turban Squash, Cherimoya, Lady Finger Bananas, Safflowers, Buddha’s Hand – she loves and paints them all.

Sally Jacobs, Buddah's Hand (Lemon), Watercolor, 19 x 16"

In her latest exhibit, Sundays at the Farmers Market, Jacobs zooms in, portraying flowers, vegetables, and fruit with a dramatic precision unique for a watercolorist. She illuminates a vegetable we may choose for dinner or a flower for display, rendering its structure eye-catching and explicit. She causes viewers to catch their breath in wonder at the feats of nature.

Sally Jacobs, Pink Peony, Watercolor, 26 x 22"

Jacobs has exhibited in numerous juried shows in New York and San Francisco, and at museums in New York, Minneapolis and Phoenix. She was an award winner at the Brand 37 Works on Paper exhibit and is one of the artists included in Todays Botanical Artists, a publication of well-known nature artists. She has taught botanical art at The Getty Center, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles Arboretum, and the annual meeting of the American Society of Botanical Art.

Sally Jacobs, Safflower, Watercolor, 25 x 26"

The exhibition runs until May 12th.

Current Exhibition: Sally Jacobs, Ernie Marjoram, Toni Reinis, Jenny Revitz Soper

Tuesday, April 17 - Saturday, May 12
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 21, 5-8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 28, 3 p.m.

Sally Jacobs - Sunday At The Farmers Market

Sally Jacobs, Hydrangea, Watercolor, 17 x 19"

Ernie Marjoram - Selected Paintings

Ernie Marjoram, Eye Candy, Oil, 12 x 12"

Toni Reinis - Looking But Not Seeing

Toni Reinis, LaShanda, Clay with patina and steel wool, 18 x 13 x 11"

Jenny Revitz Soper - Twisted Visions

Jenny Revitz Soper, Metal Face: Yellow, Digitally twisted photograph, 24 x 18"

Current Exhibition: Sally Jacobs, Ernie Marjoram, Jane Peterson

September 27th – October 22nd, 2016

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 1st, 5-8PM

Artist Panel: Saturday, October 8th, 3pm


Sally Jacobs – Larger than Life

Sally Jacobs, Bok Choy, Watercolor, 27 x 29"

In her latest exhibit of watercolor paintings and graphite drawings Sally Jacobs, a long time Miracle Mile resident, was inspired by the rich arrays of produce and flora found in Los Angeles’ farmers markets. Jacobs zooms in, portraying flowers, vegetables, and fruit with dramatic precision. She  transforms a vegetable we choose for nourishment or a flower for decoration by aiming higher, rendering the unique structure eye-catching and explicit, causing the viewer to catch their breath in wonder.

Jacobs uses watercolor or pencil in a unique, graduated way, masterfully capturing the minutest details of her subjects’ anatomy while staying true to the whole. She delves deep into a plant’s structure to reveal striking patterns and colors that seize one’s attention and imagination.

Jacobs is a contemporary botanical artist who has exhibited in numerous juried shows in New York and San Francisco, and at museums in New York, Minneapolis and Phoenix. She was an award winner at the Brand 37 Works on Paper exhibit and is one of the artists included in Todays Botanical Artists, a publication of well-regarded nature artists.

Ernie Marjoram – Homage to Trees

Ernie Marjoram, Backlit, Oil, 36 x 48"

As a Los Angeles artist, Ernie Marjoram lives in the city and sometimes finds himself stressed and anxious while stuck in freeway traffic. On a recent visit to the local San Bernardino Mountains Marjoram seemed to feel better, physically and emotionally when surrounded by trees. With this new series of paintings the artist has attempted to capture that feeling and bring it back to the city. “At least now I am surrounded by paintings of trees!” the artist said with a smile.

Marjoram’s art reflects his interest in representational painting techniques but upon closer inspection the images also utilize elements of abstraction. Working on canvas with traditional brushes, Marjoram also uses unconventional tools such as sea sponges, rags, string and rope to create subtle textures and random forms. Unusual angles and close cropping further enhance the sense of abstraction in some of the compositions. Working from his own photos, Marjoram moved his easel from the studio into his backyard to be able to paint in unfiltered natural light and fresh air.

“The process of creating these paintings was an enjoyable yet challenging experience. I am still exploring how to render tree forms in the futile attempt to capture the beauty of nature.”

Jane Peterson – Welcome Earthlings

Jane Peterson, Landing, Mixed media sculpture, 25 x 38 x 4.5"

Jane Peterson’s new work continues to explore the spectrum of human emotion with particular attention to anxiety, passion, fear, as well as elements of humor. Cartoon-like characters make their way through Peterson’s fanciful compositions, ranging from otherworldly creatures to abstracted human forms. Her hybrid travelers exist in an environment not entirely foreign to that of her viewers; they wander between reality and the subconscious, taking on personalities that are decidedly familiar, yet eerie.

For her limited edition digital pieces, Peterson always starts with drawing. The digital process and its potential to surpass and exceed the speed of thought continually amaze Peterson. Any digital mark she makes can be instantly changed, duplicated, or eliminated. In addition to digital paintings, this current body of work includes drawings on birch panels with wax/oil crayon, ink, and graphite. The wax surface is polished with a soft cloth, to create a satin finish. The surfaces of her sculptures are treated in the same way, on ceramic, wood, and metal supports.

Coming Exhibition: Shelley Adler, Sally Jacobs, Carol Kleinman

April 22 - May 17, 2014

Opening Reception:

Saturday, April 26, 5-8 p.m. 

Artist Talk and Mother’s Day Open House: 

Saturday, May 10, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Artist Talk at 3 p.m.

Local Color, Shelley Adler

Shelley Adler, "Teeth" Oil on Gessoboard, 10x8"

In her current exhibit, Shelley Adler fuses the colorful and bizarre. Inspired by the traveling carnivals that temporarily occupied her West Adams neighborhood over the last two years, Adler’s paintings pulsate with intensely saturated hues. Local street signs, eerie clowns, tents and carnival games create a surreal environment that blurs the line between playful and frightening. “Carnivals are a perfect storm of lively street life with the blatant primitive aura of a medicine show,” says Adler. “In contrast to this were evenings of wonderful pink, mauve sunsets that were sublime, and a total contrast to the manufactured features of the carnivals and signs.” It is the dichotomy of this imagery that attracted Adler to her subject matter. Coupled with the challenge of cataracts and later surgery, Adler says her sense of color changed dramatically as she continued her series. “Local Color” presents a detailed study in color that simultaneously examines the co-existence of grotesque and manufactured objects within the natural world.

Up Close: Plant Portraits, Sally Jacobs

Sally Jacobs, "Freesia I" Watercolor 16.5x20"

Watercolor artist Sally Jacobs dramatizes the defining nature of a range of flowers and succulents. Departing somewhat from traditional botanical art where an entire plant is depicted, Jacobs focuses her viewers’ eyes on a plant’s subtle or unique features.
Whether she’s painting delicate freesia petals, the leathery skin of a pomegranate, or the bold swirl of succulent leaves, Jacobs uses her keen eye and layered watercolor technique to capture incredible detail. Her work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows in New York and San Francisco; and at museums in Minneapolis and Phoenix. She was an award winner at the Brand 37 Works on Paper exhibit, and was featured on the CNN show, “Your Money.” She is one of the artists included in “Today’s Botanical Artists,” a book of contemporary, well-regarded nature artists.

Westside Windows, Carol Kleinman 

Carol Kleinman "Superman at the Farmers Market" Single Exposure Photograph on Canvas, 20x24"

Through the lens of Carol Kleinman’s camera, the reflection on a restaurant window at Santa Monica Beach is transformed. With one single exposure, Kleinman combines interior with exterior. The tables and chairs merge with sand and sky, creating an abstracted world. Kleinman’s images blend illusion and reality - a door opens as a portal to the shoreline, a superhero keeps watch over bustling sidewalks. “Reflections fracture, layer and transport visions of reality into the realm of fantasy,” says Kleinman. “They are a common occurrence all around us that most of us don’t notice. I seek and find these visual treasures and say, ‘Look at this!’” These reflected images are further enhanced as Kleinman prints her work on canvas, creating a textured, painterly effect. 

Kleinman has traveled the world capturing reflections on windows in places such as New York, Paris and Hawaii. Her current series, “Westside Windows" consists of reflections on the windows of Los Angeles’ Westside. From the beaches to the farmers markets, to the streets of Venice, these images open doors into a surreal world that nevertheless exists for all to see.

Discovery and Renewal March 27 - April 21, 2012 Featuring:Fielden Harper, Sally Jacobs, Sue Keane

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 31, 2012 5-8 PM
Conversation with the Artists: Saturday, April 14, 2012, 2 pm

Fielden Harper, In a New Light
Attracted to the architectural environs underneath the Santa Monica pier, Harper focuses on the repetition of the jetty’s architectural supports and on the expansive ocean rhythmically flooding the area. The contrast of the solid structure with the fluidity of the waves exposes the restless, incessant energy of the surf coiling around massive piers. Harper’s palette of blues, browns, and grays highlights the muted spectrum of light, which reaches the concealed and obscured space. Illusive shadows cast on wet sand and whispering sea spray divulge the secrets of this secluded spot.

Sally Jacobs,Nourishing Art

The vegetables and fruits at Los Angeles’ outdoor farmers’ markets inspire the palate and the palette. In her new show, Nourishing Art, contemporary botanical artist Sally Jacobs depicts the vegetables she loves to paint and cook. The watercolors show us the beauty and vibrancy of what’s fresh from the market – from the “common” carrot or onion, to the more esoteric celery root or watermelon radish. Delectable to eat and view.

Sue Keane, Through the Fire

Sue Keane’s ceramic works reanimate fragments of clay into unified forms. Glazing, firing, and temperature interactions produce an inorganic, nonmetallic solid, as if a phoenix rising from the ashes. As a result, Keane’s generative process extracts a raw and organic life force. Her minimalist and colorful geometries align with the work of Abstract Expressionist George Ohr. By juxtaposing the polarities of black and white, organic and inorganic, hot and cold, we can piece together these elements to behold a singular, renewed form of art.

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

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."

Sally Jacobs Interview

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.