I Blog For…Art!

Recently went to another great show at Connie Rohde Stanchfield’s the C Contemporary Art Gallery in Los Alamos. This time, I submitted a piece and was in the show.

From the front.

The infamous aluminum foil ball!

Lily and my paintings side by side on the lower row.

Loved Albert’s wood sculptures!

A lovely piece in stainless steel by Suzi Trubitz.

A lovely painting by Karina Puente that represents a Vino de Sueños wine label.

By my painting.

Al, Connie, and Lily at the opening reception.

Connie holds private art lessons in this room in the back of the gallery for anyone interested. Quite a nice space.

Lily talking with fellow artist, Suzi Trubitz.

Lily and I sitting beneath our paintings on a bench hand crafted by Albert.

Lily Nathan

Sandy and Lily Nathan

I recently popped into the C Gallery for a show opening of work by Guy Rocky Stroup. I first saw Stroup’s work in a group show at the same gallery. My introduction to his work was with an intense and personal piece called “Borrowed Time,” which I was glad to see again in his solo show. The piece, to the left on the photo below, is constructed with bottles of heart prescription medications Stroup had to take to stay alive over a trying period of years between heart bypass surgeries. It’s no wonder the heart figures largely in his recent work!

Guy Rocky Stroup surrounded by his artwork.

Stroup describing the process of making this piece from glass, tar, wire, and wood.

Here you can just barely see what Stroup called a gift, a heart that formed in the cracks of glass while it was distressed by heat and other forces.

Here, Stroup explained a bit about his piece, Mourning Glory. Pictured is a print, whereas, the actual piece was in acrylic, wood, and copper. In short, it was a response to the rippling effect of 9-11 throughout the US.

There were also light-hearted pieces, (no pun intended!) that required wearing 3-D glasses for full effect.

Connie Rohde, co-owner of C Gallery, helps guests at the opening view the painting as Stroup intended it to be seen.

This painting also had a slight 3-D effect when viewed with the glasses.

A photograph exhibited in the show.

Stroup began as a sign maker, carving and illustrating redwood signs. He later attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, freelanced as an illustrator, and built props and sculptures for the film industry. “Fine art was always the goal,” Stroup claimed, “it’s just [taken] me thirty years to get there.”

Stroup shows his abstract paintings and wall sculpture in Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and in California’s Central Coast. To view more work by G.R. Stroup, view his website at:

http://www.fineartbystroup.com

It was fun to finally get the chance to see my art hung side by side with my sister Lily’s in our show at Artiste Winery. The opening was yesterday, but it will remain up and available to see and purchase until December 28th.

The entrance to the middle room, where our paintings were shown. Two of Lily’s paintings hang here.

A corner crammed with my paintings.

Lily’s paintings on the left, one of mine on the right.

I painted these from photographs by Ernst Mutchnick. I also painted the models’ faces for the photo shoot.

A cluster of my paintings.

Lily and some of her lovely paintings.

Artist and model, daughter and father. Lily and Barry Nathan in front of Lily’s paintings.

Lily and I with our singing teacher, Michel Marc Gervais, who stopped by for a look at the reception.

Daiken, Lily, Rob, Michelle, and Mac.

Lily and I with friends.

Lily and I with friends Rob, Daiken, Mac, and Michelle.

Lily in the foreground, and my mother getting creative in the background.

I’m grateful to Simo, who put together a video that gives a taste of the show and surrounding wine-tasting and gallery rooms. Just to clarify, he shows some of the art that goes on the Artiste wine bottles, which is not ours. Enjoy!

(12-4-08 UPDATE: Everything is ready and at the gallery! Wahoo! We’re hanging the show with Cyndi at Artiste tomorrow. Hooray!)

How amazing to discover the many road blocks to showing art! I never thought my own mind would work against me, but it has! Even my subconscious has joined the fight, railing nightmares against any ambitions I might have. But give up, I have not!

The hard way to frame:
By hand with a miter saw kit!

After putting in an effort to make some of the more basic frames myself, I found a much smarter method: taking the task to a professional. Imagine that!

Susan Granger at Solvang Graphic Arts Gallery & Frame Shop was very helpful and did a great job matting and framing my pieces. Susan runs a very professional shop, with two kinds of mat cutters running the lengths of half the walls in the back room, and a table-saw to cut custom size frames for seriously stunted artists like myself that stretch their own unconventionally sized canvases!

I love the technical aspects of showing! I wanted to do a series of posts on learning to make frames, but I ended up throwing myself into the midst of the process this last week without much time to post about it. I wanted very basic frames that would make the work stand out and didn’t like the idea of hanging the canvases bare on the wall. My compromise was buying very thin strips of pine from Ace Hardware in Santa Barbara, and later, from Nielson’s Hardware in Buelton when I ran out of the first batch.

If you need framing or matting done, contact
Susan at:

Solvang Graphic Arts Gallery & Frame Shop
(805) 688-2025
1693 Mission Dr # B101
Solvang, CA 93463

UPDATED PHOTOS BELOW

I was out photographing the full moon that came out around 5 pm, and an hour later we heard about the fire that by 7 pm, had me packing. I took a few more photos having my camera out, (I couldn’t resist, as horrifying as it is!) We’re okay, packing as I write to head north to Santa Ynez.

Here’s is the fire over the foothills, a view from the curb of my apartment on Sola Street and Laguna Street. It looks like my apartment is still two whole blocks from the evacuation warning zone, so we’re safe for now. I’m still ready to take off if I learn that the zone expands, as it very likely will during the night.

That’s the moon behind the smoke. As you can see, the fire knocked out the power on the hill below it.

The power came back on intermittently in various areas, as shown below.

It’s unreal. I still can’t believe the wind might bring the fire toward the ocean and right through downtown Santa Barbara. Makes me wish I had less possessions and possibly renter’s insurance. And getting ready for an art show at the Artiste Winery in Santa Ynez December 6th, I’m not sure how to handle packing up all my art. I’m not even sure that I’m equipped to move it all. It makes the prospect of it all being sold to different homes even more appealing! The chance of it surviving the fires that plague California are much better if it’s not all in one location.

I can hear sprinklers going off. Business as usual or fire retardant?

I went out around 12 and the fire had spread along the hill crest to the east.

This is a long exposure, which shows how lit up the streets were from the full moon directly overhead.

In the next two pictures, you can see the trajectory of helicopters moving across the orange skies.

It’s a bit fuzzy, but you can see the lights of many emergency vehicles in this shot.

It’s November and in addition to my birthday, I’m anticipating a show at the Artiste Winery in Santa Ynez! I’ll be sharing a room with my delightful sister Lily in our debut joint art show. It feels auspicious, but I know it will be more so if you all can make it to the opening reception on Saturday, December 6th, from 2-5 pm. I’m meeting with the manager/curator of the Santa Ynez location on Monday and will post more details afterword. I’d love to see some supportive faces in the crowd, as it’s a bit scary to be putting so much of my work out in the public for the first time, well—ever, really! The opening reception will overlap with a wine and culinary event at the gallery, so if you enjoy wine tasting, it will be an added bonus to enjoying Lily’s artwork and my own.

Here’s a little piece I’ve been working on. It’s only 5″x7″. I started it long ago and had not worked it since.

On another note, as a birthday present Lily is paying for my first ever voice lesson! I’m excited and nervous, but trust I will be in very good hands! Michel Marc Gervais seems like the best teacher anyone could hope to have. In fact, I’m trying not to feel unworthy of this great gift and opportunity to explore singing, a skill I’ve always dreamed of developing and honing. Thank you Lily! It’s one of the most thoughtful gifts I have yet to receive!

The C Gallery is a gem! I haven’t had a piece in the shows yet, but I’m keeping my eyes out for an appropriate theme to submit one of my paintings.

The latest show “Pop,” was a mix of whimsical and touchingly deep. From pieces designed from popcorn kernels and popsicle sticks to a piece on “popping pills” in order to survive a series of heart surgeries.

Connie Rohde greeted guests in a 1950’s inspired garment made partially of bubble wrap, which would occasionally pop in an embrace! Here she is with daughter and business partner Nina:

Karina Puente with her piece centered on “The Story” of her family’s roots:

A lovely piece by Dara Mark:

A tattooed portrait.

The pieces ranged from light-hearted to deeply personal. (On the left, a necklace made of beads and soda pop lids. On the right, Rocky Stroup’s “Borrowed Time—(13 years of pill poppin’).”)

Very cool quilted piece:

Popsicle Toes, by Larry Le Brane. (Borrowed image.)

On the left, Pamela Zwehl-Burke “Man’s Woman: Two Views” Mixed Media. On the right, another view of Connie’s fabulous bubble wrap outfit! (Click on the photo to enlarge!)

Rob proving a ball of solid aluminum foil the size of a balled-up human can be lifted!

Afterward, we hit up an arts and craft fair in Los Olivos, CA. Not as much fun, but worth it for the delicious sandwiches we got at Panino’s!

I was in Seattle and couldn’t make it to the reception to a show at Art Resources, but Rob took some great photos for me. I had one painting in the show.

“Thank you for calling” was the title of the show, and was primarily the work of Rafael Perea de la Cabada, and a few up and coming artists of his recommendation.

My self portrait is to the right.

A wall of drawing that Rafael did while on the phone by his desk!

The self-portrait I chose to submit for the show. The title didn’t make the price sheet. It’s called “In the evening light.”

Heather Mattoon also submitted a self portrait. I love it!

Jonny Troyna to the right of his painting, “Sea Foam Black.”

“Sea Foam Black” by Jonny Troyna.

This is “Untitled,” by Matthew Woodford.

“Power Outage,” by Richard Irvine.

Three framed drawings by Rafael Perea de la Cabada.

A framed drawing by Rafael Perea de la Cabada.

More materials from Rafael’s studio.

Rafael Perea de la Cabada with his son.

To visit the show, stop by Art Resources at 512 E. Haley St. from Oct. 4-Nov. 4 (Hours: M-F 9-5:30, S 10-2.)

It’s been a busy couple of weeks! The portrait below is going in a small group show at Art Resources at 512 E. Haley St. from October 4th to November 4th. (Hours: M-F 9-5:30, S 10-2.) The art reception will be on October 11th from 5-8 pm. Unfortunately, I will be out of town and won’t be able to make it, but come anyway and meet the rest of the artists. The main body of work will be Rafael Perea de la Cabada’s studio artwork. Also featuring art by Heather Mattoon, Jonny Troyna, and several others.

Here it is in progress:

Here is the “recycled” canvas:

And here is the progress on the copy of Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait With A Monkey:

I had to put this aside to finish the self portrait for the show.

I started a copy of Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Monkey yesterday on a lovely recycled 11″x14″ canvas. I’ve been tempted at every point to call it quits because I love the juxtaposition of the abstract shapes and wonderful brush strokes and colors of the background with my homage to Kahlo.

Here it is around noon:

And here it is in the evening:

I’m frustrated with myself only a little, after deliberating over three copies of Frida’s work, (the one above and two others I worked on today,) when I have so many ideas that are forced to lap the fishbowl of my mind. Friends, acquaintances, even fictional characters from films, books, and my imagination fight for their place on one of my canvases. They stare angrily through the moss and rust shades of my eyes, in disbelief that I would laps yet again into obsessing over a nose shadow on a Frida portrait finished about a year ago. Soon, you’ll see them here! They’ve been using a log on the door of my mind and are bound to come racing onto a canvas near you shortly!