I friended the three artists, asked the artist who is a member if they would mind removing the collage and submit photos of single peices of art (which serves us both better) and asked the two non-members if they would join.  I turned the whole thing into Canopy Gallery and tweeted my some 800+ art followers on Twitter that the gallery was open if they wanted to load art and made the group my website link on Twitter.

And the glorious result has been nada, nothing, zip.  This is going to be more challenging than I thought.  Any ideas?

Cool? Check. Inclusive? You bet. Good music? Hell, yes.

Last Sunday, I was wandering the downtown looking for something, anything, to do, when it suddenly dawned on me. Riverside, rocks. I don’t need to run to the O.C. or L.A. in order to be part of an innovative art scene. It’s happening here.

I wander into Darren’s establishment, he’s the tall, hip guy behind the bar who’ll chat you up, if you give him a second. I’m thinking I’ll just go get a tea when I realize this guy is bobbing up and down between tables, swaying and then he does a back bend. Really? Yeah, it’s modern dance at 4:00pm on a Sunday afternoon and the place is packed and grooving on the dancers performing around them.  And on the saxophone player.  And on the espresso brownies, (good grief - mouthgasm).

P.L.A.C.E. stands for Possibility, Location, Artistry, Collaboration, and Evolving and there is a Summer Workshop being planned, so check them out.

A few months back, an old friend from high school visited and since it was the first Thursday of the month, I called up as many of our old classmates as I could get hold of and we made the plan to meet downtown at Riverside Arts Walk. Not only did the art gallery crawl stimulate conversation and allow us the chance to catch up, but the excellent restaurant and bar, Mario’s Place, was having a retro 80’s night on the back patio, which was great, since we knew all the words!

Riverside Arts Walk in April began with a look in at Division 9 Gallery, featuring artist Jesus Cruz, Jr.’s linocut prints. Bold black-and-white graphics draw from Dia de los Muertos as well as seventies graphics. Cruz was on hand to explain his process and share tips, which was much appreciated. Jumping over to the Life Arts Center provided a peek in at my favorite local artist, Patricia Sablak Korzec. Sablak paints landscapes primarily, beautiful jewel toned tapestries on black backgrounds, which she frames in gold. Her impressionistic style is irresistible and you really have to see them in person to get the full impact.

It was a cooler evening than usual and on my way to my favorite coffee shop, Back to the Grind for a tea, I stopped to chat with friendly sidewalk artist, Justin Deines, a leather worker who enjoy bringing in vintage style to modern pieces. Justin is currently apprenticing, following in his artisan father’s footsteps. Deines has a line of accessories and accommodates custom orders.

The Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts thrives on innovation and enjoys engaging with its audience. Featured were several artists who provided interaction via electronic devices, like Thumbafōn by Christopher Lavender, whose program connected to “smart” phones allowing the audience to jam musically with him as he played guitar by pressing color-blocks on their screenpads. No smart phone? No problem, Lavender had spare phones on hand.

On 9th Street is the Healthy Heritage Cultural and Wellness Center, which provides screenings, workshops and talks on many health issues, with special focus on diabetes and empowering the black community. Phyllis Clark spoke with me regarding the importance of promoting art and artists at the Healthy Heritage Cultural and Wellness Center and believes that art is itself healing. The Wellness Center currently showcases the works of two artists, Charles Bibbs and Maurice Howard. Bibbs figurative paintings are vibrant and powerful, filled with color and motion. Howard’s work featured folk art palm bark masks and highly decorative portraits.

The next Riverside Arts Walk will be on Thursday, May 5th, 2011. What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

diver, photograph taken by Reinis Traidas

I recently decided to pay a visit to Long Beach’s Aquarium of The Pacific and I was so grateful to have chosen to go on Sunday, as it was the 6th Annual Moompetam: Gathering of the Salt Water People, inclusive with regular admission.

After a hilarious scenic tour of the downtown area courtesy of whatever bicycle race kept us driving in circles like escapees from Autopia, we arrived at the Aquarium—in third place! All told we were at the Aquarium for five hours and thought we had seen at least a cursory viewing of everything (we hadn’t), but there is so much to do and see here you could easily spend the entire day. Beautifully designed exhibits entertain and educate, while live shows and hands-on tidal pools create once-in-a-lifetime memories to be treasured.

I’ll share two of my favorite moments. The first stand-out experience involved watching divers in huge coral reef tanks hand-feed flurries of exotic fishes, sharks and sea turtles. Note: fishes eat their broccoli — which may by itself justify the expense of bringing your family. Fish are also keen on nibbles of lettuce, bits of other fish and exposed fingers and ears, so the volunteer divers keep covered up. Interestingly, they train different species to eat from specific places in the tank, which involves some clever fake outs of freeloaders who try to double dip. There was a surprising amount of interaction between the staff, divers and audience and I’m grateful for the Aquarium representative who appeared to speak with the audience and answer questions one-on-one.

The second spell-binding event we witnessed was the beautiful Tongva Singing featuring Gabrielino Tongva Tribal Chairwoman, Virginia Carmelo, and her family, who blended chanting with complex harmonies as they danced and played percussive instruments in full tribal gear and face-paint. (Baskets seriously make great hats.) Drums weren’t used by southern coastal native peoples, who instead used split-reed clackers, struck against the palm, to keep the beat. This special event was part of Moompetam (meaning “People of the Ocean” in Tongva), which celebrated using “traditional music, storytelling, dance, cultural demonstrations, and festival cuisine…in this one-of-a-kind intertribal maritime cultural event.” I highly recommend visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website prior to visiting, since they frequently feature special events.

Visit their website: Long Beach’s Aquarium of The Pacific

Joella March - Chandolier, LIT

At 1431 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California, lives a Siamese-twin gallery known as Hamilton Galleries and Bleicher/Golightly. One entrance serves all. And what are they serving? Incandescence. On September 25, 2010, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Bleicher/Golightly will be holding a reception for LIT, a group exhibition curated by Joella March. Lit “will display a variety of artwork from formal to conceptual including: neon, found objects, L.E.D. text, video, light projection, interactive video and installation, fiber optics, microprocessors and machines.” Many of the artists, including March, were on hand for their last exhibit, TURNED ON, and it was a pleasure to discuss processes and politics with the group while noshing. LIT will spark your appetite for something even bigger and brighter and you will not be disappointed.

Santa Monica’s biannual GLOW is being held the same evening, beginning at 7:00 p.m., so when you leave the gallery, cross the street and enter optic nirvana, where you will be bathed in extravagant displays of light on the beach.

“Glow is an all-night cultural experience featuring original commissions by artists that re-imagine Santa Monica Beach as a playground for thoughtful and participatory temporary artworks.”

As an example, artist Christopher O’Leary describes his piece, ALTER EGOS, as “a video-based time machine,” which measures the flow of traffic and turns that information into a video that references science fiction and comic book characters.

If you are a hoarder trapped beneath your collection of Baywatch memorabilia, do not despair, the complete soundscape can be downloaded online thanks to KCRW and its music director, Jason Bentley. The Glow Festival features brilliant innovation, dancing, music, and although I personally can’t vouch for unicorns or rainbows, it will be magic — so wands to the ready!

Links:
Santa Monica’s GLOW
KCRW
Bleicher Golightly Gallery: Santa Monica
Glow Festival Santa Monica Pier ’08 – YouTube video by irvbuzz57,
music by Lettuce

Hamilton Galleries is currently featuring artist Warren Long who lavishes as much attention on his frames as his paintings. This attention to detail, captured in vivid colors, pays off in wonderful, light-hearted impressionistic dreams of life near the ocean. Not only do his works feature angels, I need to say thanks for the angelic assistance that came in the guise of a woman named Dolly, who lives above the gallery and somehow wrangled the headlining artist to graciously show me the work tucked away in the back (you see we admired the same painting and apparently Dolly decided I was okay, right then and there).

Turned On is less salacious than the title infers featuring artworks by a variety of artists that include electrically powered moving parts.

A Survey of Kinetic and Light-based Art is a group exhibition of 12 artists working in a variety of mediums and genres who incorporate light and technology in their finished product.

Joella March was not only responsible for creating my favorite piece at Bleicher/Golightly titled Hope: Ode to Mnemosyne (a clever, semi-dangerous filing cabinet with liquid filled drawers and electrically operated fountains and neon signs-but elegant) she also curated the event.

I am inspired by the infinite potential of the imagination and the alchemical nature inherent in art making, where otherwise benign materials and objects transform and redefine themselves when juxtaposed. ~Joella March

Mention needs to be made of Brian Stotesbury’s Blackbird, an animated cube of light that ran off a floppy disk and Kyle Chew’s South Jump, a small television that featured a jumping man and liked to play along.

We three have been having so much fun with this venture.

Simultaneously, Kiyomi has had her work shown at the The Labcabin in Hollywood and at the Riverside Arts Council.

Kiyomi describes her work this way:

Themes have included nature, ritual, spirituality, love, energy and dreams. Regardless of the medium or series, all pieces incorporate rhythmic movement, color and organic forms. Using various types of media, I use layers of rich colors, combining lines, shapes, shadows and textures for a multi-dimensional effect.

My favorite works by Kiyomi are her multimedia pieces that involve painting on both the front and back of acrylic blocks, creating shadows as the light passes through. Her vibrant colors and swirling patterns evoke such happy feelings in me and are quickly snapped up by both patrons and gallery owners alike.

Multi-media mood plaque

The studio of Alison B. Antelman

The last eight months have been an excellent time of growth and change.  “Driving a U-haul, no longer in Oregon, and wanting to expand into a greater degree of self-expression” kind of change. As a result, I have been forced to rethink the future of Canopy Gallery.

Wednesday found me in Berkeley, California, where I happened onto to an excellent community of artists and eco-champions.  Susan Brooks is the founder of Berkeley Artisans, now a 100 member strong collection of professional artists and craftspeople that offer free, self-guided tours for the Holidays of their Open Studios, on Saturdays and Sundays through this Christmas Eve.  Susan graciously offered to let me peruse her wonderful work even though it was mid-week.   Susan is a stylized (and stylish) figurative painter and jewelry designer whose hip work pulls from ancient cultures via a saucy New Yorker aesthetic.  I wasn’t the only one who was eager to meet Susan, as she had a friend in who was a top chef, but her friend charmingly demurred to refer to herself as anything but a cook.

Susan then recommended another nearby artist and jewelry designer Alison B. Antelman.  Alison creates jewelry from powerfully sculptural, hollow “puffed” forms. Alison favors unusual stones like raw diamonds and emeralds, which have a powdered-sugar quality, similiar to druzy quartz. I marveled at her ingenious clasps. She was very excited, preparing for an upcoming speaking engagement and will be teaching at Scintillant Studios on January 23rd and 24th, 2010. I give great thanks to Susan and Alison for their graciousness and inspiration, they should sell the pants off Santa.

As for the future of Canopy Gallery, I’m considering opening this website up to bloggers in many different locations in order to better catch the artistic pulse of America.  So write a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Would you enjoy becoming a local arts writer? What do you think of this as a catch phrase?

“The Local Art Scene, Nationally”

EARTHDANCE

On September 26th, I was speaking at Unity and I am very glad that I did because it allowed me to consider joy and ways of bringing more of it into our lives. However, if I could have been in two places simultaneously I would have also chosen Earthdance, the world’s largest synchronized music and dance festival for peace. So beautiful, a weekend of sacred creativity. Enjoy their broadcast.

Light through the leaves

“The International Canopy Network (ICAN) is devoted to facilitating the continuing interaction of people concerned with forest canopies and forest ecosystems around the world.

ICAN is a non-profit organization supported by a global community of scientists, conservation advocates, canopy educators, and environmental professionals. The organization is funded by subscriber dues, donations, and grants.”