Becoming the artist

Here is a clip of Caitlin making her masterpiece at ArtLanuch

with help from the Rock The Bike guys.

ArtLaunch 2011

My friend Caitlin and I went to the SF Open Studios ArtLaunch party at SomArts last night and had a great time. The place was filled with artists, collectors and browsers and they had drinks flowing, music bumping and over 400 pieces of art!

I took photos of some of my favorite pieces, although of course I forgot my camera and had to use my iPhone, so please excuse their horrible quality.

Tomorrow we are venturing out into the studios and going to check out some great jewelry designers…pictures and updates to follow!

Untitled

Jared Sussman

 2011

Mixed Media

Rainy Night on Mission Street

2011

Luis MonteAlegre

Untitled

Paul Cartier

2011

Cyanotype

 

Woman with a Hat

Stevan Shapona

 2011

Oil on panel

New River

Aaron Vonk

2011

Paint Collage

Green Window

Amar Chaudhary

 2011

Digital Photographic Print

Caitlin making her own work of art 

with the guys from Rock The Bike

Artist Spotlight: Ivy Jacobsen

I have been doing research and making notes about which artists I want to visit for San Francisco's Open Studios in October and decided that each week I will share some artists I am interested in seeing. There are over 400 artists participating and I am hoping to view a broad array with different styles and studios throughout the weekends!


Ivy Jacobsen 


I love the ethereal feel of Jacobson's mixed media paintings. The lines are smooth and the silhouette against the light background reminds me of summer evenings as the sun is setting. They are calm, serene yet I find myself wanting to look further into them, as if the picture could just keep going and going. Jacbosen's paintings are also available through Hang Art Gallery, which is a great gallery and resource for Bay Area artists and collectors. 

Violet Clearing

2011

Mixed media on panel

Blue Hill

2011

Mixed media on panel

Sanctuary

2010

Oil & mixed media on canvas

Sun Showers

2011

Mixed media on panel

all images by and courtesy of

ivy jacobsen and hang art gallery 

as seen on...

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

Paul Delaroche

1833

Oil on canvas

National Gallery, London

Pixie Geldof at London Fashion Week 2011

From Giles Autumn 2011 collection

MONDAY

It's Monday...how is your work-space/desk/home office/studio looking today?

Open Studios 2011

ArtSpan has announced the dates for San Francisco Open Studios and I couldn't be more excited! Open Studios is a great way to build real connections with artists by visiting their studios and seeing their process and art in a close and personal way...and its free!


October 29: ArtLaunch party
6:30 - 9:30 pm

Preview of over 400 artists at ArtLaunch Celebrating 36 years of SF Open Studios

ArtSpan Members: $35 in advance / $40 at the door

Non-members: $50 in advance / $60 at the door

Open Studios: 

Weekend 1

October 1 & 2, 11am to 6pm

Mission, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights, Castro, Excelsior

Weekend 2

October 8 & 9, 11am to 6pm

Ocean Beach, Sunset, Richmond, Duboce, Eureka Valley, Hayes Valley, Haight, Upper Market, Diamond Heights, Buena Vista, Mount Davidson, Twin Peaks, West Portal, Glen Park

Weekend 3

October 15 & 16, 11am to 6pm

SOMA, Tenderloin, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Bayview

Weekend 4

October 22 & 23, 11am to 6pm

Fort Mason, Marina, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, North Beach, Financial District

Weekend 5

October 29 & 30, 11am to 6pm

Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios

Building Blocks of Color

                                         Untitled                                                                                            Elie Tahari

                                         c. 1950-1952                                                                                 Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

A fashion trend that has been picking up speed, and which I personally love when done right, is color blocking. Pairing pieces of two different colors (or to really challenge yourself, using different shades of the same color) can be an art in itself. It takes just the right colors, cuts and accessories to make it work and looking over images from NY Fashion Week, I saw it done right all over the place. From numerous runway collections to some of my favorite bloggers, this style has hit hard in all sorts of colors, and I got to thinking about art…

Diane von Furstenberg

Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

I knew the color blocking style resonated in me for some reason and not just because I think it looks great, but there was an artistic inclination pulling at me, and I had to figure out where I had seen this before. It dawned on me that this trend of color blocking is a real-life form of abstract art and my mind then immediately clicked to Mark Rothko.

Although not labeling himself as an abstract expressionist, Mark Rothko found his place in the art world in New York among other Modern artists in the early 20^th century. Although his work continued to evolve and developed overtime, (he was also well noted for his Surreal art), Rothko finally found his niche after releasing himself from the constraints of form, symbol and formal titles.

Rodarte 

Spring 2010 Ready To Wear

      Marc by Marc Jacobs

        Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

Rothko began his mature work, called “multiform” paintings in 1946 and continued with them until his death in 1970. These pieces he felt were more organic, self contained and far surpassed figurative painting in expression and meaning, as they “possessed their own life force”. Although the underlying influences, feelings and experiences behind his pieces have nothing to do with fashion, a direct correlation between Mark Rothko’s color blocking can be made to the runway and streets of today. 

Due to the nature of labeling and copyrighting of Mark Rothko's 

works I was unable to label each piece. With continued research

and your feedback I hope to attribute titleshipto each work. 

Until then, enjoy for your viewing pleasure. 

First Thursday

My sister and I visited the galleries at 49 Geary yesterday for their First Thursday open house. Numerous galleries throughout San Francisco participate (all members of the SF Art Dealers Association) but I hadn't been to 49 Geary in at least six months, so I thought it would be fun and a great introduction for my sister. 


Although we went to a number of galleries, my favorite show was at Scott Nicols Gallery. 


Photographs from Philipp Scholz Rittermann's collection, The Emperor's River, which he photographed on a trip along China's Grand Canal in 2009, took up the walls with their impressive size, color and fine detailing, showing the industrial development as well as the natural beauty of the canal and those who live an work there. 


As stated in the press release: 

The Grand Canal, [is] the world's oldest and longest man-made canal. Over 2000 years old, the canal runs more than 1000 miles connecting Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in  the sout...The photographs take you down the canal contrasting the rural terrain and growing urbanization; uninhabited skyscrapers tower over village markets, coal towers dominate relaxing evening views and young men in modern attire pose before ancient statues. These large-scale high resolution panoramic images have been described as visual poetry.

Philipp Scholz Rittermann's exhibition will be up through October 29th. 

High Rise Apartment Blocks Under Construction

Wuxi, Jiangsu Provice, China, 2010

 Stone Bridge and Lumber Barge Seen from Moxie Rd.

Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, 2009

Moored Barges at Yuejin Port

Grand Canal, Jining, Shandong Province, China, 2010

Salon of Modern Art

The Girl with Green Eyes

Henri Matisse

1908

Oil on canvas

Copyright SFMOMA

I had the pleasure of spending Sunday with my family at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art viewing The Steins Collect. This exhibition, from the collection of three siblings Gertrude, Leo, Michael and his wife Sarah Stein, highlights the avant-garde and modern works of the 20^th century, a time when their initial popularity was low compared to the Realist and Romantic art of the late 19^th century.

Bathers

Paul Cézanne

1898-1900

Oil on canvas

Copyright The Baltimore Museum of Art: The Cone Collection

Gertrude, Leo and Michael Stein were born in Pennsylvania and moved to California at a young age. Settling in Oakland in 1878, they attended school locally, Michael choosing to stay and run the family business, and Gertrude and Leo eventually went back east for college. In 1903 Gertrude and Leo moved to Paris, later followed by Michael, and their life-long love affair with modern art and literature began.

Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat)

Henri Matisse

1905

Oil on canvas

Copyright SFMOMA

Gertrude and Leo began hosting Saturday night viewing parties at the home they shared at 27 Rue Fleurus, turning it into a modern art salon with acquaintances and friends, including artists Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, stopping by to visit, chat and view their ever-expanding collection. Michael and his wife Sarah also opened their home at 58 rue Madame, for friends and visitors as they too began collecting avant-garde modern works with their keen eyes.

Tea

Henri Matisse

1919

Oil on canvas

Copryright Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Stein's Salon at 27 Rue Fleurus, Paris

source unknown

The exhibition at the SFMOMA gave a thorough overview of their extensive collection, highlighting important pieces and giving interesting historical background information on the family, specific artists, and the feeling of modern art in the 20^th century. As with most exhibitions, the real showstoppers: Picasso, Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse etc. attracted the most attention from visitors, but the museum also included family photographs and letters, sculpture and a number of pieces from Surreal artists that I loved. I also greatly enjoyed the large screen prints hanging on the walls, giving an inside view of what these paintings looking like hanging in Stein’s homes, a far cry from hanging in a museum.