When the stars align

I remember taking my second workshop at the Crow Barn, before the Color Improvisations exhibition was slated to open in 2010. It was to be a stellar line up - one I wanted to see up close and personal. But that didn't happen: I didn't make it to Europe and it didn't travel to the United States.

Most of all, I wished for an invitation from Nancy Crow to participate in a exhibition. Now the stars have aligned!

I have been juried into a group exhibition, Color Improvisations 2, curated by Nancy Crow and featuring 50 works by 43 artists. I am honored by the invitation to participate, blessed by the acceptance of my work, Terra Verde, and flattered to be included with many acclaimed artists. A sure bet: I'll be there for the opening!

Color Improvisations II
Curated by Nancy Crow

Organized by Ginie Curtze

March 12 - August 28, 2016

Opening reception March 11, 2016 7pm

Museum Tuch + Technik Textilmuseum

Neumünster, GERMANY

Kleinflecken 1
24534 Neumünster
Telefon  04321 559 58-20

http://www.tuchundtechnik.de

detail from Terra Verde

Not to be missed: Richard Diebenkorn

A drive into San Francisco from Oakland can be a big deal with traffic. I try to take public transit when I can. But since I had a business appointment in the far reaches of the city, I piggybacked a trip to the de Young Museum to see Richard Diebenkorn, the Berkeley Years, 1953-1966.

I love Diebenkorn's Bay Area Figurative and Ocean Park series. I even feel a special affinity since he was an alumni of both my high school and college. Ah, if only I can paint as well as he did!

This exhibition highlights the breath of his work from abstract (often landscape-like) to figurative and back to abstract for those 13 years he lived in Berkeley. It showcases 130 works - oil paintings and many smaller mixed media pieces on paper, most rarely shown before. Most just wonderfully luminescent! Terrific brushwork and underlying textures hinting of changes. Diebenkorn worked improvisationally. He often sat for hours looking at his painting before re-doing areas his canvases.

Due to copyright issues no photography was allowed (nor can I but you can browse through the museum's website for more information including a fewYouTube clips. His daughter's reminiscing is an especially illuminating view of his life and character.

Going home, I got stuck on the freeway for about an hour because the bridge was closed for removal of a suspicious package. That probably won't happen to you, so if you're in the area, don't miss this! Exhibition closes September 29, 2013.

Wire diversions

I've long admired Mari Andrews' sculptures ever since visiting her studio a number of years ago. Now am looking forward to her exhibition Over, Under and Inside Out at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. 

Mari Andrews' Hold Mari Andrews' Propensitus Gravitas

Two years ago she offered a one-day workshop called Paperless Drawing - Wire Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center. But the timing didn't work. This year I had another chance so I broke with my nose-to-the-grindstone routine.

After learning about wire - types, gauges, tools, knots - I played, adding other paraphernalia to wire, to create these two small sculptures:

I'm still having fun toying with their orientation.

It was a terrific diversion from the rigors of piecing. Maybe I'll make one every day week month. Oh, heck, just make another one . . .  whenever . . . then another . . .

Not to be missed: Mark Bradford

In May 2010 I was at the Crow Barn for two workshops - Best of Sets & Variables I & II and Sets & Variables III. If you've ever been in one of Nancy Crow's workshops, then you know how tired I was after week one.

Yet I went to the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio and discovered the work of Mark Bradford. His inspirational work re-energized me and the second week went more smoothly.

I was back at the Barn again the following September and saw Bradford’s exhibition a second time. I enjoyed it as much as the first time and attribute my successes in Strip Piecing & Restructuring to that.

The exhibition toured and is now at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I saw his exhibition for the third time.

Mark Bradford in front of Scorched Earth

Different venue, different art? Though I recognize some works, some are definitely new. Others may have been at the Wexner, but because of space, placement and order, I experienced them differently. I loved getting reacquainted. I was wowed again. Great works. Powerful show.

Don’t miss this! It has already been in Boston, Chicago and Dallas. San Francisco is the last venue. I’m going back for a fourth view!

Part of the exhibition at the nearby Yerba Buena Center for the Arts ends on May 27^th (admission to this auxiliary venue is included). Otherwise the bulk of the exhibition ends June 17^th at SFMoMA.

So Cal art whirl

When schedules suddenly aligned for an unencumbered week, I seized the opportunity and ran drove to southern California. When I go out of town, I like to know what to see, where to go and how to fit it all in. Monday was an eight-hour drive to San Diego. I laid out an ambitious schedule of exhibitions and venues for the next three days:

• Northern Stars: Twentieth Century Finnish Designs at the Mingei International Museum, San Diego (vintage Marimekko)
• Dyed Elegance: Asian Modernism and the Art of Kuboku and Hisako Takadu at the San Diego Museum of Art (roketsuzome - wax resist dyeing)
• Art Meets Science, Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection, and Magical Mystery Tour: en homage at Visions Art Museum, San Diego (quilts)
• California Design, 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (comprehensive view of modern design)
• Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in LA (1945-1980) at the Chinese-American Museum, Los Angeles (googie architecture by Helen Liu Fong)
• Folding Paper: the Infinite Possibilities of Origami at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles (mind-boggling folds)
• Claire Falkenstein at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles (she sculpted entrance gates for Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy)
• Pasadena to Santa Barbara: a Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951-1969 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Karl Benjamin's abstract compositions would make great quilts)
• Carefree California: Cliff May and the Romance of the Ranch House at University Art Museum University of California, Santa Barbara (he was great at marketing)

I didn't have time to see much more at each venue. I just missed San Diego's Craft Revolution: from Post-War Modern to California Design. It looked great even as the Mingei staff were dismantling it. But I maxxed out and even saved the Eames House in Pacific Palisades for another time. But I did manage to connect with friends in San Diego and LA for dinner.

Making it all possible meant a one night stay each in each city - if it's Tuesday, it must be ___ - and two-hour drives each day in crazy southern California traffic. To cap off the trip I spent one relaxing non-scheduled day in San Luis Obispo before returning home.

You may think I'm nuts, but this was a great vacation - full of art and inspiration. 

Unexpected art

Lakewater 10 by Robin Kandel

Not only did I not expect to fall in love at Neiman Marcus, I didn't expect to find a treasure trove of art either.

Art is throughout the store. Not framed posters. Real art. Fabulous abstract art all by local artists. All thoughtfully placed and given viewing space.

Not only that, there's functional art too. The furnishings, store fixtures and lights are works of art in themselves. 

Neiman Marcus has a corporate curator to select and place art in each store. How wonderful is that? And how wonderful to be in a place where a private art collection is accessible to the general public?

Admittedly  the general public doesn't shop at Neiman Marcus. Neither do I. Yet the staff could not be more gracious and welcoming.

For more, here are some links to check out: here, here and here.

There's also this great video about the fantastic kinetic piece "Wind Fins" by Ned Kahn on the exterior. Seeing this undulate in the wind is even better from inside. Wish I had my camera.

Kudos to Neiman Marcus for a beautiful store! I foresee trips into Neiman Marcus in my future.

Work two, play half

After chores Saturday and Sunday, Monday was a day for rest and relaxation. I caught Picasso, Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

There's no question about Picasso's place in the pantheon of modern art.  But afterwards I was hungry for color and expressive brushwork. 

Picasso

Compare that to these Bay Area Figuratives.

David Park Two Bathers



Elmer Bischoff

Which do you prefer?

The rest of the day was lost to computer time.  Really lost. After three hours and much frustration, my computer seized. Yikes! I prayed feverishly for recovery. It did, but it was a sign to back up everything. Eschewed the online system and called customer service. A live person and a quick successful transaction!

Whew! The whole experience left me beaten and pummeled! Watering the garden and washing the car will wait for another day.

Color choices

Color Improvisations - the catalog - arrived. Simply beautiful both inside and out.

Which color cover would you choose: yellow, orange, violet, blue or green? I picked violet. It's not as saturated or as magenta as it'd looked online. It's a beautiful soft purple. Compare it to my my deep purple sheets in the photo.

 

Though it's usually shown with the round logo in the top right corner, doesn't come that way. Instead, you get a sheet of nine stickers. DIY. Which one would you choose for the purple cover?

Sorry, I'm not giving you peeks inside. You can see some of the works online at exhibition website or from the artists' websites or blogs. The catalog has more. Photos are terrific and include detail shots. Next best thing to being there. I especially love the little snapshots of the artist at work in her studio, development sketches or works in progress.

Enticed? How to get your very own copy: (1) Lisa Call, one of the artists in the exhibition, has a limited number; (2) SAQA or (3) if you deal in Euros or speak German, the exhibition website.

I stayed up beyond my bedtime being inspired. Worth every minute.

Inspirational Color Improvisations exhibit

Color Improvisations is an exhibition that opened on July 11, 2010 in Stuttgart, Germany. 50 large quilts from 26 artists.

Nancy Crow had invited artists to submit pieced tops which had to be new and large – minimum 6 feet in both directions. Upon approval, the artist finished these tops – all the while keeping these works under wraps. I awaited the unveiling with high anticipation.

Twenty four of the artists, as well as Nancy Crow and co-curator Ginie Curtze, were at the opening reception. The excitement is palpable in the photos. Oh, to have been there to bask in that creative atmosphere!

Here are links to postings from a few of the exhibition artists:

Lisa Call posted her two works, but was unable to attend the opening.

Kathy Loomis was the first artist at the opening to report. You can see her two magnificient contributions and a link to her photos.

Bonnie Bucknam posted her three beautiful painterly pieces.

Terry Jarrard-Dimond posted most recently. Not only can you see her two fantastic pieces, she also provided great photos of other artists' works and their statements too. ***7/27/10 update*** Terry added photos of her three pieces and describes her process in another post.

What an inspirational work! Congratulations and kudos to all! These works will contribute immensely toward perceiving quilts as an art medium.

There is a catalog available through eBay.

Two prayers: may I have a chance to see this exhibition and may it travel in the United States.

Amish quilts

Recently I ventured to the de Young Museum in San Francisco with three fellow Quilt Therapists for Amish Abstractions: Quilts from the Collection of Faith and Stephen Brown. Two of them had seen it before – one went to the symposium and the other had caught a docent tour. So I got the benefit of their commentary. Though a non-traditional quilter, I found much to admire.

The lighting was dim. To discern details, our noses were barely two inches away. Until the museum guard advised us to keep further back.

As expected, lots of traditional patterns. I finally get Tumbling Blocks. Usually blocks are stacked, but in one quilt they really look like they're about to tumble down. Many were very effective variations of traditional patterns.  And wonderful unnamed patterns. Here's one of my favorites. Gee, even the Amish had their rebels.

Colors showed up fantastically which may be attributable to the use of wool in some. Still, even when the quilt was cotton, color choices were terrific. The darker and duller colors were great foil for the brighter ones. As a border, they gave breathing space for the lively centers. And they gave weight to the composition. Besides black, variations of purple seemed to predominate.

No prints used at all. So different from all the named designer prints that prevail today. Just terrific colors, designs and compositions.

Dazzling

Saturday, after Karen arrived from Michigan, I briefly showed her around the studio before we took off to Canton, OH for the exhibit Kimono as Art: the Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota at the Canton Museum of Art.

It's a two hour drive and we reached our destination at a quarter after 4 - only 45 minutes left before they closed. Where did the time go?

When we approached the ticket desk, she said they weren't selling any more tickets because it had been a very busy day. She asked us to return another time. We told her we drove from Columbus and would be unable to return. And I had tried phoning to inquire about a cut off time for admissions, but all I could get was the voice mail system.

We were disappointed. Not even a peek was possible. We resigned ourselves to browsing the gift shop and flipping through the catalog.

While we were in the gift shop, the same woman approached us and asked if we were the ones from Columbus. Much to our delight, she consulted with her superior and they decided to let us in after all! After expressing our gratitude and paying for our tickets we scurried in knowing we only had half an hour left.

I was prepared to be dazzled. Someone told me it brought her to tears. In the first room were about 10 kimonos. Each one a beauty. But I wasn’t dazzled. Then I went into the next room. O M G.

30 beautifully lit larger than life silk kimonos arranged around the room. They hung side by side barely touching. Landscapes on each kimono transitions onto the next. Colors of each kimono oh so subtly changes and melts into the next. Textures relates & morphs from one into the next.

These kimonos depict the seasons from autumn to winter. Kubota planned on a complete series for all four seasons. 75 kimonos total. But he only completed these 30 before he died in 2003.

If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have known what I'd missed. But having seen it, I am really really thankful I got that chance. The photos in the catalog were good but doesn't do them justice.

What amazing work. I was dazzled.

Cornell at SFMoMA

The Joseph Cornell exhibition at SFMoMA is wonderful! Not to be missed.

His works speaks to my psyche. Is it the selection of objects, their symbolism, their arrangement or design? Or is it the intimacy of each small piece? Evidence of his personal touch adds to the experience. No Photoshopped work here! He actually cut and pasted things together.