Flourish

Walkin on the Moon

I tip my space helmet to the folks at The Moon, a super-secret fashion boutique that is part of Oakland's Art Murmur group. Last Saturday, I was invited by Olivia of Napa's Wandering Rose to come down to The Moon studio and play! Olivia is friends with fiber artist Cassidy Hope Wright how runs The Moon along with Cory Gunter Brown. These ladies are two very talented seamstresses who create gorgeous garments from repuporsed fabric and lace. The finished pieces are sold in the shop (see photos in The Moon album at the right) and they are also open to commissions.

Across from the shop is a nirvana for craftspeople--a huge studio with great light, two levels, and work tables filled with projects, ideas, piles of materials and a parade of creative types flowing in and out. While the Wandering Rose crew was working on some cool promotional goods (which will be featured at Napa Nest beginning in July) I was learning how fun and easy button making can be. It made me want to run right out and buy me one-a-them button machines. I also had fun in the scrap pile collaging together some funky patterns to be appliqued on a tote or skirt or something.

Behind The Moon and the studio is the Oakopolis gallery. They feature solo and group exhibitions that highlight local talent and breed experimentation. I love their guiding philosophy posted below:

Seven Creeds

No separation between art and living
Live to make art responsibly
Model responsibility in your art practice
Evoke better communication
Embrace sincerity
Invite and collaborate

Surely, words to live by! Thank you Cory and Cassidy and Olivia for inviting me on my first, but not last, trip to The Moon.

Oakopolisis and The Moon are located on 25th Street between Broadway and Telegraph in Oakland
Closest BART station is 19th Street, Oakland (click HERE for Murmur list)

Bake for Others

But wherz the Bintang?

Last night I think we actually managed to simulate some Indonesian atmosphere at Napa Nest. There was beautiful weather, a temple with offerings, color-punched images, mango ice cream, and a rockin techno gamelan group called Gamelan X. {Only thing missing was the Indonesian Bintang beer.}

The One and the Many is our last exhibition at the current Napa Nest location on Atlas Peak Rd. We wanted to throw a big party for our friends who have been so supportive and really an essential part of this experimental space. So it was perfectly fitting that the shows theme was loosley based on the idea of unity in diversity.

The photographs from Indonesia, which are up thru June 21, brought back memories for those of us who went on the trip, but it was also amazing to see the work that friends and family had made in response to images I sent them from so far away. In a way, I was able to bring my favorite people along with me, while simultaneously making new friends that I hope to keep forever. Thanks for coming Solano College photographers, Ron, Maureen, Helen, Jessica, Jacqui, Don, Kristen, Tom, and Kathleen and thanks to the participants who made offerings and those willing to perform Brett Ascarelli's foot Fluxus piece :)

On the wall I shared a quote from Miranda July that hits me in a certain spot in my chest. I don't know if people got it or not. But to me it is the most comforting thing an artist can hear.  

 “Maybe you can hear the beautiful reality of separate people feeling the same thing and expressing it at frequencies that are unique to them. You don’t have to do it alone, and in fact, you can’t.”

So come visit the Indonesian Nest before we take flight. But too bad you missed the mysterious smoking hand trick that Norma pulled off at the opening!

OH! and photos will be appearing soon at http://www.flickr.com/photos/athena_glow/sets/72157618012951987/

Trimakasi Everyone!

 

 

Feeling hopeful

Last night I spent a lovely eve with my painter pal Nancy Willis hitting some of Napa Valley's upcoming art hubs. I am happy to report that the scene is looking better than I had expected--several venues have popped up this Spring and I am still discovering some of the pioneers--like James Orlando at Brown Street Gallery. He directs a great space in downtown Napa that is connected to the Napa Valley Support Sevices for adults with disabilities. I had known about NIAD and CreativeGrowth in SF...but we also have a very cool version of it here in Napa. The exhibiting artists were Amy Le, Linda Wiltrout and Rogelio Plancarte. A nice simple display befitting any contemporary art space, but incredibly affordable. I bought an unframed piece by Roy Plancarte for $15!  I learned that Roy is only 23, he loves watercolor pencils and his favorite time of year is Halloween.

 After Brown Street, I met up with Nancy at the Napa Valley Museum's biennial juried Plein Air show. The crowd was thinning by the time I got there but I managed to see some friends and their stunning paintings. Because I loathe the tourist-favorite vineyard paintings, these landscapes were a refreshing change. Some stunning seascapes and watercolor barns. It really reminded me of why I (and a whole bunch of artists) live in this area--it so dang gorgeous!

Talk about gorgeous...Nancy and I headed over to the new Bardessono resort in Yountville after the museum. Their choice in artwork couldn't be cooler. As I sipped Limoncello and played with 2yr old guest Jake (I'll explain later) I enjoyed feeling like I was a part of something special. The Bardessono is the greenest luxury hotel in America (and their valets are hecka cute!) AHEM, sorry. I hear they have free Yoga classes for locals through May!

Finally we scurried over to Ma(i)sonry, a cool new tasting room-slash-decor shop in Yountville. All my artists friends have been telling me to go there...I obeyed. Fortunately they are open until 10pm and have an awesome firepit on the back garden. You know where to find ME this summer! They also have exquisite taste in furniture (check out the custom shelving above) and art (equestrian paintings by Matt Rogers). I recommend visiting, you'll feel like Gavin Newsom's new spoiled wife. heh

We're not worthy!

Last weekend was a dream...all our friends turning up for the opening of DECORUM: lipstick, crowns chandeliers. It felt like a mini royal wedding. Jenny Valassopoulos from Sweet Babboo made some mouth-watering cupcakes which we scarfed down will enjoying the the exhibition. Elegant glass work by Kana Tanaka was the perfect compliment to Nancy Willis' clever lipstick chandelier and beautiful prints. Silliness overtook the crowd as they donned crowns made by Mary Jane Wood and the champagne didn't hurt either! See photos in the Decorum album at the right.

Thanks to all who helped celebrate our most girlie theme ever. We expect to see you back for the Tiara/Crown Workshop in April 4 (email info@napanest.com if you are interested). Everyone is the Queen of something, right?

Also a special thanks to those supporters became Founding Feathers by contributing to the Nest Egg Fund. You gifts are still coming in, helping us keep the Nest Egg grant program warm for another year. Merci!

Anna & Mark Pope

Marsha Johnston

Roy & Janice Beaman

Rebecca Lee

Stephanie graham

Maxine Maas

Valerie Raven

Kristine Cummins

Brian Mundy

Walter & Suzanne Harrison

Cardiology Consultants of Napa Valley

Tracy Fitzgerald

Adam & Dana Freehand

Spring has sproinged

The yellow fields of mustard in Napa are a visual relief. Day after day of gray has finally broken. First chance, I flew over to the Marin Headlands to see the Project Space at Headlands Center for the Arts--an incredible artist residency situated in a campus of reclaimed military buildings in the Marin Headlands.The buildings (including the latrine) which overlook the coast and Stinson Beach were renovated by major American artists, including Ann Hamilton, David Ireland, Bruce Tomb and John Randolph. In this beautiful setting they host an array of dynamic programs for artists and the public, including residencies, lectures and performances, Open Houses, community-based projects, publications and commissions. I suggest going to the Open House coming up April 19, Noon to 5pm to get the entire picture. (See Spring oh nine album for my pics).

After scouting around HCA I headed over to the beach which was windy (as usual) but the most welcoming thing I had seen in a long time. I met a Beagle who was celebrating his 15th birthday, saw a shy starfish, lost my Oasis sunglasses, and poked some sea anenomes. Those seventh grade lessons in marine biology have stayed with me Mrs. Schenk! This time of year is amazing amongst the rocks. Beware of the tides, but be daring. You'll find some works of art beneath the rocks and waves.

Napa art in action!

What an exciting thought to have too many art openings in the Napa area to make them all! What is this new craze? Just wanted to congratulate Caetlynn Booth on her exhibition Dark Properties at Bloom. It was an interesting departure from her portraits and mixed media work--a dark side she rarely shows. Her control of paint and effective moods, made each canvas a vivid story in a library of mysteries. Stop by 1146 Main Street to have a look.

Many artists and admirers appeared at Caetlynn's opening last Sunday before (or after) running over to the di Rosa Preserve for the opening of (un)Natural [see photo album]. Artists in this well-assembled show include: Jessica Cadkin, Ross Campbell, Misako Inaoka, Carrie Lederer, Kathryn Spence, Lucrecia Troncoso and Tara Tucker. In a variety of ways each artist is responding to the blurring line between nature and technology. Ross Campbell's digital flora (trees) created an environment of uncertain reality while Carrie Lederer's installation caused you to pause and squint and then laugh at her subtle touches of humor and juxtaposition. This show will be up through June 13, so plenty of time to visit the Gatehouse Gallery or add it to your tour of the phenomenal di Rosa collection!

 

 

Pretty hangy things

Aw geez, I guess its been a while since my last post. Well its not as though I haven't been thinkin up stuff. For instance I visited Nimbus Arts last week to check out artists Nancy Willis and David Garden's Chandelier Building Workshop. The group had been working for two days with industrial and found objects and the results were, of course, illuminating! Nancy Willis has been teaching at Nimbus for a while now, along with many other talented local artists. If you've never been, please get on their mailing list for a class schedule. We are so fortunate that a place like Nimbus exists in the NV--they need our support!

Speaking of support...chandeliers have been dangling in my mind for years, ever since I saw this Burning Man piece by Rosanna Scimeca and crew. Cleavage In Space represented a celestial chandelier that fell to earth. I loved the scale, and the fact that the artist included part of the ceiling that had come down with the fixture.

 

After that I started noticing more and more artists using the chandelier form, like Al Weiwei at the  5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. His enormous sculpture (below left contained more than 300,000 crystals! And of course the Guerrilla Girls with their Tampon chandelier at the Venice Biennale 2005.(below right) Basically any material can become chandelier-esque.

   

This "Chiquita Chandelier" by Anneke Jakobs was made from dozens of discarded banana cartons found in the streets and is held together only by paper fasteners. Pretty impressive recycling! You can try it yourself by using CRAFT magazine instructions at: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/09/banana_box_chandelier.html

 
Talking about materials is only half the challenge. Nancy and I had an interesting conversation about all that chandeliers imply: luxury, extravagance, delicacy, femininity, architecture, class systems, light, labor, the soul, the ballroom, the past. There are endless strings of thought to follow. And believe me they all came up while trying to title our next show at the Nest. After some silly, some serious, brainstorming with artists and colleagues, we came up with DECORUM.

De*cor"um\, n. [L. dec[=o]rum, fr. dec[=o]rus. See Decorous.] Propriety of manner or conduct; grace arising from suitableness of speech and behavior to one's own character, or to the place and occasion; decency of conduct; seemliness; that which is seemly or suitable.

The show ill include North Bay artists Nancy Willis, Kana Tanaka, Carl Dern, Mary Jane Wood, and Nina Zaslove, plus special guest artists, create stunning objet d'art that reflect the universal appeal of those pretty hangy things. Opens March 21 with a faaaabulous party!

Tune back for more info on the artists and...the subtitle. Gotta have one of those!

Success!

Our "Meat and Potato" opening was a huge success. New faces, new ideas, new fried foods I never would have imagined. Because I didn't get to thank them at the event, I just want to toast my co-conspirator Ashley Teplin who brought all the meat elements together and spent countless hours getting our potato video looped. You Rock Ash! Also many thanks to the artists Tom Patton, Lisa Minucci, John Porter Mcmeans, and Lauren Venell for taking part in the show; to Sasha Wizansky and Amy Standen from Meatpaper mag; to our wonderful food vendors Scratch N'Sniff TV, Secret Eating Society and Fatted Calf; and our wine donors Meyer Family Cellars, Verge, and Quixote Winery.

Catch a glimpse of what you missed in the "Meaty Bits" photo album. And stay tuned for more surprises at the Nest.... 

Back into the swing of things.

Yes, Norma and I both had amazing adventures--she in Chile, me in Indonesia. Norma brought back some cool goodies (like horsehair earrings) for the Nest, and I brought back some interesting pics (that will appear in a group show at the Nest in June).

It didn't take us long to dive back into art house madness, as we deinstalled the circus show and up went the meat! Meat and Potato, co-curated with my pal Ashley, is an artistic exploration of meat culture. It opens tomorrow night!

I'm sure it seems curious (for those who know I have been a vegetarian for 18 years) for me to host a show about meat. Things actually were set in motion before I had time to ponder this...but it was actually been a worthwhile introspection for me.  

In Indonesia where I was photographing fish markets and meat counters, I started to think about meat in a new way. Talking with Ashley about the textures and colors in meat that inspire her paintings, helped me see more than dead flesh. I saw a way of life, a symbiotic culture, and a striking beauty in the objects themselves.

But this doesn't mean that I will start eating it. It is a personal choice I made based on my love of animals and hatred of waste and cruelty. The way that most animals exist in captivity for slaughter is appalling and unnecessary. If you have no idea, watch PETA's "Meet your Meat" video:

Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days!

But I'd also like to acknowledge those out there who are treating the animals they raise with respect and nurturing kindness (like my friends Clare and Brian and probably hundreds of admirable farmers). They have taken the time to examine their options and have chosen the cruelfree path. Kudos.

And the gals at meatpaper have been an inspiration. They are encouraging people to ponder the source of their meat and consider their meat a source of inspiration. I am fascinated by the intersection of art & meat. I guess that's why I've invited artist Tom Patton who puts it so well:

"To me, these images are weird and witty, simultaneously reverent and irreverent and employ the fascination/repulsion that humans have with things that we put into our bodies."

Come see the show for yourself. I am really interested to hear impressions and opinions.