Artist Spotlight: Shelley Lazarus -- H2O works

Shelley Lazarus, Wild Sky, Watercolor, 12 x 12"

“No matter where I find myself; looking up at clouds, watching the ocean, looking down at rooftops, or just a set up in my studio, the fluidity and immediacy of watercolor bring out my first impressions. My love affair with watercolor first began during my travels in the 1970s and has never wavered. But never the purist I love to add other mediums to my works always looking for new ways to express my visions.

Shelley Lazarus, The Road, Watercolor, 12 x 12"

Spending weekends going back and forth from LA to Ventura I have begun an adventure with clouds and ocean waves. The patterns of the clouds and their effect on the landscape are just what my watercolors were made for. In this show I have tried to portray the clouds and waves on different surfaces.

Shelley Lazarus, The Sky Above Water, Watercolor, 16 x 13"

Clouds Got In the Way is a song my son was very fond of. This exhibition is dedicated to his memory and to the Robert David Lazarus Pulmonary Unit at Cedar-Sinai Hospital. The proceeds from this show will go to that unit.”
-Shelley Lazarus

Shelley Lazarus, Trois Fleurs, Watercolor, 18 x 22"

Shelley has been teaching at the Brentwood Art Center for over 25 years and is one of the founding members of TAG.

The Exhibition runs through Saturday December 15
Reception: Saturday, December 1, 5­-8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, December 15, 3pm

Current Exhibition: Deborah Decker, Shelley Lazarus, Joe Pinkelman

Tuesday November 20 -­ Saturday December 15
Reception: Saturday, December 1, 5­-8 p.m.
Artist Talk: Saturday, December 15, 3pm

Deborah Decker -- Memory

Deborah Decker, Night Ride, Graphite on Paper, 48 x 105"

Shelley Lazarus -- H2O works

Shelley Lazarus, Ventura Hills, Watercolor, 12 x 21"

Joe Pinkelman -- America

Joe Pinkelman, I Can’t Breathe (In Memory Of Eric Garner), Ceramic, 8” x 18” x 12”

Artist Spotlight: Shelley Lazarus -- Nouns

Shelley Lazarus, Besties, Watercolor, ink, 16 x 22"

Shelley Lazarus has always strived to have her paintings speak to their audience on their own merits, evoking different sensations and emotions to a wide array people as they are viewed. When working on a piece the artist tends to make up narratives about the day, different people, or her neighborhood.

Shelley Lazarus, Couple, Watercolor, 18 x 18"

Everything we see, do, or feel has a noun attached to it, so that other humans can identify with it or understand a particular thing or concept fully. Be it love, fear, risk, beauty, rapture, and so even in art, works are given titles to identify where or what the artist felt in order to assist viewers in engrossing themselves in paintings. This collection is Lazarus’ latest set of nouns.

Shelley Lazarus, Deck View, Watercolor, 22 x 24"

As far back as Lazarus can remember, her left hand held some tool to make a mark with. However her true medium of choice has been watercolor ever since she found out all she needed were a small pad, travel size palette, water, and brushes to make her creations. Lazarus will find a bench, pull out her portable gear and get lost in the moment of creating. A non-purist about her work, Lazarus often includes all kinds of mediums -- pencils, pens, and crayons while working on Yupa paper.

Shelley Lazarus, Beachies, Watercolor, ink, 37 x 29"

The exhibition runs through Saturday, November 18, 2017
Sunday Afternoon Jazz, Sunday, November 12, 2-5 pm
Artist Panel Discussion: Saturday, November 18, 3 pm

Current Exhibition: Don Adler, Carol Kleinman, Shelley Lazarus

Tuesday, October 24 - Saturday, November 18, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 28, 5-8 p.m.
Artist Panel Discussion: Saturday, November 18, 3 p.m.

Don Adler - Birth/Rebirth

Don Adler, Torch, Marble, 20 x 7 x 7"

Carol Kleinman - Reflections

Carol Kleinman, Watching Mannequins On the Seine, Single Exposure Photograph, 16.5 x 18"

Shelley Lazarus - Nouns

Shelley Lazarus, Seating, Watercolor, 27 x 33"

Current Exhibition: Pam Douglas, Andrea Kichaven, Shelley Lazarus

August 30 – September 24, 2016

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10, 5-8PM

Artist Panel: Saturday, September 17, 3pm


Pam Douglas – Rhythms

Pam Douglas, The Pulse of Our Times, Mixed media on canvas, 31 x 77"

Pam Douglas’ newest exhibition, “Rhythms” began in a doctor’s office where she lay hooked up to an electrocardiogram – an EKG machine. As she watched the lines form on the scrolling paper, Douglas was fascinated with the cadences, the peaks and rests that described her heart. Those series of rhythms inspired this newest series of paintings.

As Douglas explored, she asked, “What’s happening in the world that makes the heart clench?” She thought about the fear and hostility in our current political and social landscapes. Those anxieties bred mixed-media works utilizing newspaper headlines intertwined with the EKG lines. She also asked, “What helps the heart release?” The answer led to a monochromatic landscape constructed from an EKG that flat-lines into light.

Douglas’ palette of materials increased as these layers of meaning called for tougher mediums – rope, string, sand, as well as newsprint and paint. Representational elements – hands and birds – joined with abstractions.

Exploring this series further, Douglas’ subjects extended far beyond heartbeats. Waves of sound make similar rhythms, as do phases of nature. From heartbeats to sound waves, our lives are measured in pulses of energy. We sense universal tempos in the timing of our days.

Andrea Kichaven – Waves

Andrea Kichaven, Imagine, Acrylic on surfboard, 72 x 18 x 9"

In her exhibition entitled “Waves,” Southern California-based artist, Andrea Kichaven, takes a simple Californian staple, a leisurely stroll on beach, and transmutes the concept into something tangible by way of recycling worn out surfboards. Not only have these surfboards earned thousands of dollars for charities, they have earned the attention of many collectors.

“Surfboard art” is a departure for Kichaven in more ways than one. Abandoning her usual colorful and geometric compositions, Kichaven quite literally “rides the waves” with this body of work, letting the ocean tides and her imagination whisk her away to new heights and even greater depths. Even with the medium change, one will always be able to identify a Kichaven artwork by “how it makes one smile.”

Kichaven has painted on many sizes and surfaces, yet none have excited her more than this current obsession. Keeping with ecological and environmental thinking, Kichaven repurposes the surfboard as her own personal canvas, navigating the curves and grooves with her brush strokes, activating the space of an object whose function was previously exhausted. The boards cease to be surfboards the minute they are painted. They become a different shaped surface on which the artist can paint. The result is a body of work with as much variety as the waves themselves.

Shelley Lazarus – H20 COLOR

Shelley Lazarus, Gossip, Watercolor, 16 x 12.5"

Shelley Lazarus’ new works go back to her days in Brooklyn spending wonderful sun filled afternoons on the beaches of Coney Island and Brighton Beach. Today she has traded in her Atlantic Ocean times for the Pacific Ocean in Ventura, CA.

Watercolor has always been her medium of choice from the time she started traveling the globe with her husband. "Find a bench and pull out your very portable gear and get lost in the splendor of seeing your colors shimmering on the white page depicting your newest vista." Her paintings are noted for the vibrant colors that she works with. Shelley has never been a purist watercolor artist and will incorporate new ways to use her watercolors. Today she works in all forms of watercolors including mediums, photo papers and the infamous Yupa, besides finding new ways to use the many watercolor papers available today.

Shelley is a founding member of TAG and has been on its board since its inception, serving as president in 2000. She has been teaching watercolor to adults at the Brentwood Art Center for twenty-three years and is a signature member of many art related organizations including the Watercolor Honor Society. The proceeds of her shows go to the Robert David Lazarus Rehabilitation Unit at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in memory of her son Robert.

Art Story: Shelley Lazarus

Shelley Lazarus, "The Mah Jong Ladies of the Catskills circa 1950's" Watercolor and Limited Edition Giclees, 22 x 29 in

"Although I never met these 5 ladies, I know them so very well.

My mother and they played the game every Wednesday afternoon, rotating houses.
When it was my mother's turn, I was in charge of cutting the pineapple (in winter) or the watermelon (in summer) for the fruit plate. It had to be a new design each time. In the summer we all went up to a bungalow colony in the Catskill mountains, where the game continued.
As a teenager I watched them bet, flip the tiles and concentrate on their hand.
And while they played they gave me wise lessons on life, love and the art of growing up.
They were my mother's best friends and my adopted aunts.
Bertha, Helen, Belle, Sylvia and my mother Rose.
This is my tribute to them."

See this and other works by Shelley at TAG through April 18, 2015.

Artists' Reception: TONIGHT, Saturday, March 28, 5-8pm

Artists' Talk: Saturday, April 11, 3pm

Coming Exhibition: Daniel Janotta, Shelley Lazarus, Betty Sheinbaum

Tues. March 24 – Sat. April 18, 2015

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 28, 5-­8 pm

 
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 11, 3pm

STREETS OF LA, Daniel Janotta 

Daniel Janotta, LA Night 1, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 24 in

LA is a city of commuters. We spend countless hours getting to and from our jobs. Dan Janotta’s interest is in these hours. We drive as the sun rises and sets, yet we generally only appreciate this when the backdrop is a panoramic view of the ocean, city or mountains. Janotta’s paintings illustrate the beauty and serenity in those moments that the rest of us just try to rush through. He see’s what most of us can’t wait to get past. Streets of LA reintroduces the viewer to his/her surroundings. The work reminds us to take everything in and see the beauty that is all around.

Dan’s painting style and compositions reflect the Southern California environment of strong sunlight, dense vehicular movement, and beautiful landscape. His oil paintings have distinct brush strokes that help to define the areas of color within the composition and provide a level of abstraction for the realistic content.

FIGURING IT OUT, Shelley Lazarus

Shelley Lazarus, 3 Women, Watercolor on Paper 31.5 x 44"

The figures that Shelley Lazarus captures in this show are very personal to her. Models who have become friends over the years, family, or just people she may have met or seen and photographed on one of her many trips. She captures their emotion and involvement at the time, through various mediums and styles. The painting methods for these figures are varied depending on how she wants to portray them. She never hesitates to experiment with new papers and media.

Shelley was born and educated in New York, where as a teenager she attended classes at Pratt College while still in high school. As a founding member of TAG she takes great pride in the gallery and her ability to present her work there. Her works have received numerous awards and her paintings can be seen in both private and corporate sectors here and abroad.

All proceeds from this show will go to the Robert David Lazarus Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit at Cedar-­Sinai Hospital.

STRIKE A POSE, Betty Sheinbaum 

Betty Sheinbaum, GQ, Acrylic on Canvas, 28.5 x 22.5 in

Betty Sheinbaum’s current series, Strike a Pose, features acrylic studies on canvas with an emphasis on drawing and painting figures. Sheinbaum spent the past year concentrating on works where her subjects were live models with an emphasis on the use of black, white and gray. Rather than her usual tack of capturing people in public places, she has chosen to explore figure painting with more attention to the form. She still conveys a certain mood or air to each figure, expressing the feelings of the models through the tone of the moment captured in time. Immediacy is not a focal point in this series. This time out, Sheinbaum reveals a different side of her work; one of calm, pensive and thought-­filled subjects.     

Coming Exhibition: Shelly Lazarus, Ernie Marjoram, Jane Peterson

November 26 - December 21, 2013

Opening Reception:
Saturday, December 7, 2013, 5-8 p.m.

Artist Talk:
Saturday, December 14, 2013, 3-4 p.m.

Shelley Lazarus, Multiples

Shelley Lazarus, Want to Buy a Bridge (detail), Watercolor and Colored Pencil, 22 x 15 in., 2013

Watercolor and mixed media artist Shelley Lazarus’ latest series looks fondly at her native city of New York, and her current homes in Los Angeles and Ventura. Lazarus’ expressive brushwork portrays sentimental moments and landscapes with a mixed media technique combining watercolor, acrylics, graphite and colored pencil. In her current show, Multiples, Lazarus made her focus on the subject of grouping. “I grew up as one of five children and I learned that we all have to form our own identity,” says Lazarus. “This show is about that dynamic - shining through as part of a group.” From iconic views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Chrysler building to Ventura seascapes and more intimate interiors, Lazarus uses the idea of multiples to explore different perspectives. Proceeds will benefit the Robert David Lazarus Pulmonary Rehabilitation unit at Cedars Sinai Hospital.

Ernie Marjoram, Eye Candy

Ernie Marjoram, Gummy Worms, Oil on Board, 12 x 12 in., 2013

Borne out of his previous food studies of decadent main courses, artist Ernie Marjoram’s current exhibition is a playful look at candies and confections in their various shapes and sizes. Marjoram’s magnified perspective provides a glimpse into a sea of truffles, salt water taffy, foil-wrapped Hershey’s Kisses and nostalgic treats. The result is a vibrant study in color, as well as detailed pattern and texture. “I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas,” says Marjoram, who said his current work was more than a natural choice. “I saw this series as an opportunity to work with fun color and transparency.” Ribbed, colorful gummy worms become studies in transparent color gradation, while cellophane candy wrappers appear as reflective abstractions. Compositions are closely cropped to emphasize line and shape, referencing traditional still life, while exploring oil painting with a contemporary approach.

Jane Peterson, Fear of Falling

Jane Peterson, Symbiosis, Giclee', 5 x 7 in., 2013

Transitioning from her previous series Pith and Vinegar, mixed media artist Jane Peterson’s current exhibition uses characters to communicate contrasting human emotions of fear, trust, and comfort. Using current events as a reference, Peterson’s characters’ are expressive vehicles constructed from a range of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media including oil on canvas, pen and ink, and digital painting. Peterson’s figures are startlingly grotesque, yet familiar, as insects and shape-shifting human amalgams convey mixed passions and anxieties. Detailed antennae and liquid forms make reference to surrealism, while Peterson’s mixed media arrangements hold personal value to the artist. In a series of photographs, Peterson injects herself into the composition, communicating directly with her characters and the core struggle within. The bridge between real and surreal is blurred, as Peterson poses the question of what world is our own.

Emotional Transcendence: Shelley Adler, Shelley Lazarus, Joan Vaupen

May 22 - June 16, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 26, 2012  5-8 PM
Conversation with the Artists: Saturday, June 9, 2012, 3 pm

Shelley Adler, Dread
 In her new series of paintings, Shelley Adler tackles the emotional and psychological issues associated with the word “Dread.” She acknowledges a shift in societal values that has altered the mood and tone of her own art and life. Politics, social order, and psychological insight have ultimately informed her oil on gessoboard portraits. Adler’s subjects draw parallels to those of Dorothea Lange’s Depression-era portraits, expressing the ‘Dread’ experienced by the average American in moments of uncertainty and chaos.


Shelley Lazarus, Moments
 Shelley Lazarus’s new show captures intimate glimpses of personal and sentimental moments in her life. Painted not only with her signature watercolor technique, but also in acrylics, graphites and crayons, Lazarus’s work combines saturated hues with expressive brushstrokes. Her landscapes depict urban New York street scenes, Ventura’s orchards and seaside, and the vineyards of the Rhineland which are reminiscent of Cezanne’s watercolor landscapes. Through her paintings, Lazarus reminds us of those moments that we often take for granted.

Joan Vaupen, A New Reality
 Joan Vaupen’s abstract and vibrant works experiment with the evolution of time, form, and color in various media. The mysterious and nebulous forms which fill the frame of Vaupen’s monoprints on archival paper ebb and flow into one another, transitioning in color and shape. Vaupen translates Salvador Dalí’s Face of Mae West As a Room, which was built by Dali, into her own interpretation as a mixed media collage. Her transposition of the past breathes new life into previous Surrealist works, evoking a sense of renewal and regeneration.

Shelley Lazarus: TAG Interview

Shelley Lazarus 

Lavender Fields  

15 x 22"  mixed media

Where did you grow up? Do you feel that your early environment had an influence on your artistic development?

I grew up in Brooklyn, new York where as a teen ager I attended Pratt Institute and was exposed to the many museums in the city.

Your last TAG Exhibition focused on sweets. Has your subject matter changed? (If so, what is it and why?)

This exhibit is focusing on moments when I am involved with nature and my surroundings. My favorite occupation is to sit on a hill, on a rock or the curb of a street and tell the story of the area around me.

How would you describe your growth as an artist?

My growth as an artist has come about from observing and learning to incorporate new mediums into my works.

Shelley Lazarus 

The Two of Us  

watercolor and pencil  22 x 30"

Have you recently learned or practiced any new techniques? If so, will you share what they are, or keep it a secret?

I never keep any of my new discoveries a secret. I teach at the Brentwood Art Center and as soon as I learn something new, I rush in to demonstrate their uses. Ergo my discovery of ‘Magic Eraser’ which is now circulating around Brentwood.

Do you have a favorite painting (Yours or somebody else's)?

I can’t say I have one favorite painting especially mine as my taste keeps changing. If I win the lottery I would like to wake up to a Wolf Kahn, Larry Rivers or a David Levine painting.

Shelley Lazarus in the studio.


Shelley Lazarus's exhibition opens May 22, 2012.

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

 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

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.