TAG Gallery VIP Event Wednesday, June 26

TAG Gallery and Bobi Leonard Living
invite you to
How Can Interior Designers Make Money Selling Art?

A VIP Event with TV personality, acclaimed commercial and residential designer Bobi Leonard,
artist Laddie John Dill, and ASID past president Fernando Diaz.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
7:00 p.m.

Reserve your tickets now for $20 at the door.
RSVP to gallery@taggallery.net

Coming Exhibition: Peter Kempson, Patricia Doede Klowden, and Gary Polonsky

June 18 - July 13, 2013

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 22, 2013, 5-8 p.m.

Artist Talk:
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 3-4 p.m.


Peter Kempson, Controlled Chaos

Peter Kempson, Steven Spielberg, Director, Mixed Media, 42 x 30 in., 2013

Known for his photo-realistic acrylic L.A.andscapes, Peter Kempson has been exploring a wide-range of subjects and new media for a little over a year. His new works include a portrait of Steven Spielberg rendered as a montage of scenes from his movies, and “20th Century Modern,” a large piece celebrating modernist architects from Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry. There are also color studies, an ode to the film industry, entitled “Cinemetropolis,” (which imagines an entire city devoted to film history, production and Hollywood ephemera like Angelyne’s billboards) and a tongue-in-cheek piece called “Abstract Painting Hung on an Inappropriate Wall.” Like a modern-day Hieronimous Bosch, Kempson renders these diverse subjects with meticulous attention to detail, employing photo-montage and painting together with a dose of social satire.

Patricia Doede Klowden, Sliced

Patricia Klowden, Abstract Figure, Glazed Ceramic, 15 x 6 x 5 in., 2013

Klowden’s current series, Sliced, continues her examination of the figure in ceramic and bronze, with representational forms as well as abstractions that invoke the figure without full representation, and ceramic vessels that approach the physical body from a more intuitive perspective. Each of the ceramics has been sliced into horizontal bands that are then re-pieced together to form the whole. Heads, torsos, vessels and abstracts, all sliced and re-made, with a resulting repetition of horizontal line that breaks the vertical pieces into complex compositions, and offers a sense of play mixed with dynamism. Klowden finds fascination in the resulting reconstructed forms, and the way in which the edges refuse to be re-pieced as they once were. The eye of the viewer then has the opportunity to conceive of the original form, and to make its own connections. The bronze figures, remaining whole and un-sliced, stand as a counterpoint and reminder of the unaltered physical body, while the multiple glazes Klowden uses on the surface of the ceramics in blues, greens, purples and golds offer luminous cool depths, with moments of warmth pulling us back in to a feeling of flesh.

Gary Polonsky, The Food Series Continues

Gary Polonsky, 5 Carrots, Acrylic on Mixed Media, 48 x 40 x 15 in., 2013

In his latest exhibition, artist Gary Polonsky further explores large-scale food studies, focusing his most recent work on classic American confections. Working from real food while using non-traditional canvases of balsawood, styrofoam, and wire mesh, Polonsky’s three-dimensional works break the surface and effectively blur the line between painting and sculpture. “Each piece in this series attempts to advance my ability to describe, recreate, and emphasize the beauty and wonder that can be found in almost any object,” says Polonsky. Magnifying his subjects’ detail, Polonsky’s wall-based constructions echo themes of nostalgia while beckoning viewers to take a closer look at an array of tantalizing salty and sugary treats - just short of taking an indulgent bite.

Special Closing Reception: Andrea Rubin Kichaven, Suki Kuss, Joe Pinkelman

Missed our opening reception over the Memorial Day Weekend?

Not to worry - artists Andrea Rubin Kichaven, Suki Kuss, and Joe Pinkelman will host a special closing reception on Saturday, June 15th, 4-5pm for a final night of mingling + refreshments for those who missed our opening. See you there!

TAG Interviews Darlyn Susan Yee

Darlyn Susan Yee, a TAG artist since 2007, is part of a unique public art project: CAFAM Granny Squared. Her group, Yarn Bombing Los Angeles, has covered the facade of the Craft and Folk Art Museum with hand worked granny squares that were contributed from all over the world.

[all photos courtesy of Yarn Bombing Los Angeles]

We asked her some questions about Granny Squared:

How does it feel to pull off such a large project?
Very rewarding to have a chance to work on a project with over 500 artists and crafters from 49 states and 25 countries! As a core member of Yarn Bombing Los Angeles (YBLA), I’ve had the opportunity to assist with many aspects of the CAFAM: Granny Squared project.

Explain how you crowd sourced.
In October 2012, we received the green light from the Craft And Folk Art Museum and began collaborating on crocheted modular design elements. We refined these elements during our business meetings and with others during public outreach sessions at the museum. With a definite installation plan in mind, YBLA distributed a call for 5 inch x 5 inch granny squares in specific colors.

The LA Times and LA Street Art Gallery wrote articles about our plans, and we began receiving lots of granny square submissions. Documentation of the squares received was the most labor intensive but vital part of the project. When people saw images of their friends’ squares, they became even more excited about submitting their own! Once we saw that we would reach the targeted number of squares, we began hosting stitching parties and events to assemble the squares into sections, and then stitch the sections onto metal frames. In the final weeks before installation an intern joined us to post our call for essays about our project, and to launch a YBLA twitter account.

Did social media play an important role?
Which platforms did you use?
Social media was definitely the key to expanding our community. We used the Yarn Bombing Los Angeles website and newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter. We also reached out to artists and crafters with more specific interests through Ravelry, LinkedIn Groups and Meetup groups.

Any surprises?
While I am generally happy working on my artwork in the solitude of my studio, I found myself craving the social aspects of this project: the public outreach events; actually meeting the friends of friends and followers; the lively discussions around the table as we learned about each other and our shared interests.

Explain the crowd funding process.
In December 2012, we launched a two-month fundraising effort through USA Projects. The pressure was on - if we didn’t meet our fundraising goal, we wouldn’t have received anything. But our ever growing community of artists and crafters wanted to make the project happen as much as we did!

Since this was an installation on a public building, how did you get permits?
YBLA hired a structural engineer and contractor for the project so we had a bit of help in navigating the permit process. Their expertise proved invaluable as we prepared for meetings with city and county officials. I believe the biggest hurdle we faced was that a temporary project like this had never been done before. There was no precedent, therefore it was challenging to pin down the applicable codes.

I hear you received a surplus of granny squares. What's happening with them?
For the second phase of the granny square project YBLA is partnering with Downtown Women's Center (DWC). We will be creating blankets for DWC residents out of the extra squares. We will also be creating a series of public installations on the facade of the DWC building that includes a series of Urban Letters installations and another granny square arrangement. We will also be developing a product that DWC residents can produce and sell in the DWC store MADE, and working with the women to develop skills related to product making.

What's next?
We expect the granny square project to continue through December 2013. In the meantime, we will be coordinating stitching events to turn squares into blankets. Our next special event is a Stitch-In for International Yarn Bombing Day at One Colorado Old Pasadena on Sunday June 9th, 11am-2pm. And we meet at the Craft And Folk Art Museum on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 2-5pm.

Granny Squared will be installed on the Craft and Folk Art Museum 
at 5814 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036 until July 1st.
Read more here.

TAG Interviews Joe Pinkelman

Joe Pinkelman is exhibiting paintings and ceramics in his show New Work: The Heaven and Hell Series.
He answered some questions from us:

Are there any challenges working with the artisans in Jingdezhen, China?
In general, Jingdezhen has been great because it is a place where you come in with an idea and you have incredible technicians that help you realize that idea in ceramic form. They literally have 1000 years of experience behind them. It isn't a challenge working there because it is very first world in environment so all of your needs are met.

Self Portrait #1, stoneware, wire, 21 x 15 x 10"

You have a couple of 2d drawings in this show. 
Is this something new for you? Or work that you just haven't exhibited at TAG before?
I've always worked in a 2-D medium so I wanted to include some images in this recent show.

Trees #1, oil/charcoal on paper, 44 x 33"

Has your day job influenced your art?
My job doesn't influence my work, rather various life experiences.

What is the biggest challenge that you face as an artist? 
I think ceramics is a very abstract medium like poetry and music, yet unfortunately in our culture it (ceramics) goes quite unappreciated except as a craft medium. That however doesn't deter me from working in the medium.

Do you have some questions for Joe?
Come ask him at the Artists' Talk at TAG on Saturday, June 8, 3-4pm.
The show runs until May 15th.
There will be a closing reception on Saturday, May 15th from 4-5pm.

TAG interviews Andrea Kichaven

+ & - / Textured Terrain is Andrea Kichaven's current show at TAG.
On Saturday, June 8, she will be at the gallery to talk about her work.
We asked her a few questions:

What excites you about the medium/genre that you work? 
My excitement for a new piece begins with the canvas size and the blank canvas. I look at all the canvases and one will just speak to me, as if it is saying, "paint me!" I am not afraid of the blank canvas. The first thing I do is layout the page and divide it into sections. I suppose this is my graphic design background speaking.

Una Nueva Vida (Renewed Life), 2013 Mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36"

Can you share about your technique? Or is it a secret?
The title of my current show is + & - / Textured Terrain. The + & -, or addition and subtraction, refers to my process of layering color and texture. My grounds are made with texturing pastes and gels to create texture. Then I build color and texture one layer at a time. Once I add a layer of color, I quickly wipe away most of it and then seal it so that I can add another layer. This process goes on for many layers (10-30). My hope is to have fragments of each layer coming through from beneath, leaving a history and creating depth. Often, more texturizing layers are added for more depth. Complementary colors are used to add harmony and unify the different textures throughout the piece. I believe that my work in monotypes (a type of printmaking) inspired me down this road of experimentation of textures, colors, and layers.

How do you know when a work is finished? 
I generally don't know where I am going and I rely on my instincts during the process. Eventually the piece tells me when it is finished, and whether the environment I have created needs an animal or not. I have a collection of animals (hand painted photographs, illustrations, renderings, paintings) and if the piece calls for an animal, I will add it. I prepare the animals separately so that I don't spoil the grounds I have created thus far.

Traves de la Bahia (Across the Bay), 2013, Mixed media on canvas, 24 x 24"

Tell us about your studio -- where do you create?
My studio is my converted two-car garage. I generally work on three to four pieces at a time, so I also utilize the garden tables for drying between layers.

What would you like your viewers to take away from their encounter with your artwork? 
I hope that the textures and colors draw the viewer into these abstract environments and provoke their imaginations and curiosity.

This is your first show at TAG. Have you had any surprises? 
Becoming a member of TAG has been a wonderful experience. I am enjoying the camaraderie of the other artists and the professionalism of the gallery.

Do you have some questions for Andrea?
Come ask her at TAG on Saturday, June 8, 3-4pm.