Paintings at Thumbprint Cellars

(One of the (somewhat older) paintings-- from my 'islamic tile period' recently featured in the Thumbprint show. And perhaps this one has found a permanent home...?)

First of all, let me just say: Facebook ate my blog.
Perhaps you've heard of this thing, this Facebook. Bloggers who I used to visit, they started saying they were spending their internet energy over there, and now I can see how it happens. I have been neglecting this space miserably.

Now: I have paintings, six big ones, hanging up at the new location of the Thumbprint Cellars Tasting Room in Healdsburg.
Not entirely my most recent-- after seeing the space I chose the paintings that I thought would fit best there. (Alas, show now closed)

SRJC Art Faculty Exhibition-- (2 more days!)

The bi-annual Faculty Exhibition at SRJC (where I teach) will open tomorrow (Thursday, November 5), with a reception from 4-6.
I've seen a sneak preview, and it looks like it should be a strong show, so if you're in the neighborhood, check it out. Two of my paintings are included.

The show will remain up through December 12.

"Dualities"

... that's the name of the show opening Thursday evening at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. This earlier painting of mine, called "Rhyme or Reason" is one which will be in the show. (It's about 5 x 8') For several years, all my work was in the form of diptychs, and dealt with contrasts of one sort & another.
Not so much any more.

after ARTrails

Well, the two weeks of Artrails are just past. As many of you know, I took the year off "on sabbatical", which allowed me to go out and visit several artists each day-- mostly ones within a couple miles of me here in West Sonoma County-- and be here to be support to Tony as he participated in our back-yard studio. My apologies to my faithful visitors who may have been disappointed to find me not in the catalog... I expect to return next year, but most likely showing down the street at the Atelier. We weren't sure how the split-location would work out, and when the momentum was there for a AtelierOne building-specific opening in September, I decided that would be my one Fall Open Studio Event for this year.



(details of work in progress)

I've been leaning more purely abstract in the studio the past year or more, and as things incubate & shift, it's been helpful not to think too much about having a lot of visitors & the whole commercial end of things. Sort of an on-going see-saw for some of us.

I really enjoyed visiting with my colleagues out on the 'Trail'. As well as enjoying the fruit of their artistic output, I was impressed with their level of professionalism, and happy to be able to experience ARTrails as a viewer for a change!

September's Studio

Here's the digital review of what was on the walls last month when the Atelier One in Graton held a Building -wide Opening.

Before the studio slowly reverts to its full working mode, I photo-graphed all the walls, as well as what was up in the hallways.

If you click on any image, you should be able to see 'em nice & big.

Now-- back to work.

Andy Harper

Never heard of him before-- guess he's from England; but looks as though I'll be making a jaunt to Oakland some day this month to see his paintings at Johannson Projects (photo via SFGate).

loving Ernst Haeckel...

Here's a dose of art meets nature beauty for you... best viewed larged.
Just saw (via Netflix!) a documentary on Haeckel called 'Proteus'....

I don't know how they do it... but I like it...
by korb, via moon river. (better viewed large)

art in context

It's fun to see my paintings out in the world-- here's "Blue Moon" as shown in Cabana Home of Mill Valley.

notes from before...

In the early eighties, when I was a shy 20-something art student at the California College of Arts & Crafts, I took a class called "Drawing from Nature"-- or something like it-- from an instructor named Don de Vivieros. I still remember things he said in that class, & handful of places we went to work-- I think my mom still hangs some work from those days. In the move to my new studio last year, this page of notes labeled "DeViveiro's Law", surfaced. And this past weekend, Don-- (a Sonoma County resident), and his daughter-- came into my studio.... a small world, no? And some of this advice-- bears re-reading.

(click on images to enlarge)
notes continued on back with:
work with what happens, don't use force.
don't think while you do, only before or after.
vary vary vary.

inspired!

Maybe it's just the coffee talking... maybe it's the afterglow of so many great conversations this weekend... or of hanging all my work together & lighting it (almost) properly and getting some perspective...but I'm feeling inspired. Inspired to get back to work-- inspired to take it up a notch-- inspired to dream a bigger dream... so thank you! Loving my community even more, if that's possible.

Pretty good coffee buzz, too.

Open Today @ Atelier One

Somes scenes from last night's opening party at the Atelier One, where I've had my studio operations for the past year. It was a lovely time-- especially for the sense of community amongst the building's residents, many of whom don't open their studios often.

new to me: Deborah Salomon collage

Yesterday found us at the Art for Life Auction, where we were happy to donate art to a good cause-- and come home with art! I've always loved Deborah's work.

In-progress today

After a month spent just finishing up that batch of paintings for Far West, now I'm working on this. As Tony said, 'for every action there is an equal & opposite reaction'-- so perhaps this is the opposite of stripes. 3 x 6 feet.

(As always, click to see bigger.)

Of Gifts & Genius

I'm bumping this up to the top for my Monday Morning peeps to find-- it's Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love fame) speaking on the nature of 'genius'. I was reminded of this by a book I've begun reading called "The Gift" by Lewis Hyde (subtitled: Creativity & the Artist in the Modern World) which came highly praised by another group of artists.
And if you've never heard of the TEDtalks, another fascinating one is Jill Bolte Taylor's talk on lessons learned by surviving a stroke.

Today's the Day... Opening Reception

Hey guys, today (Saturday) is in fact the day--
I have an opening reception downtown here in Graton.
Drop by if you're in the neighborhood:
Far West Trading Company, 3-6pm.
Scroll down 2 posts for links & more!

P.S. Thanks to all who came out, & Lou, Gary, Naisie et al.
Look how cute they are...

Show continues til October 4th, & while you're in town, check out paintings by Janet Moore, Lorraine Cook & gallery artists at the Graton Gallery, too!

Stripes!

In honor of my upcoming show at Far West Trading Company in Graton-- now my Stripe Series has it's own page! See here.

The (formerly, temporarily) Lost Work

About a year & a half ago, I started doing a bunch of work on paper... experimenting with some things, trying to make a break of sorts with what had come before. I don't believe I posted much during this period, either. Then, with an open studio coming, they were cleared away to a portfolio in Deep Storage, where they remained, un-found, 'til recently.

It's always interesting to re-discover work from a prior period-- and see how it differs from what you held in your memory.

science*nature*art*science*nature*art

nature and numbers from Bethany Lesko on Vimeo.

I've got some sunflower-inspired motifs going on in the studio--and it's that time in the garden too-- but it turns out I haven't been following the rules... : )

whole lotta 'stripes'

My next showing (at Far West, lovely downtown Graton, date to be revealed) will be of these, so I'm revising & completing a few, and adding a few new ones to the mix.
The 'stripe' paintings have been an on-going series, with its genesis back in abstracted forest pieces from my grad school days.


Oh, and here's the June view from the studio's doors; plenty of distraction, work to do, and inspiration-- out there.