Make a Mistake Every Day

Lea Feinstein recently counseled me: "If you don't make a mistake EVERY day you're not trying hard enough."  I adore Lea.

Several years ago Lea began painting on Tyvek, in MONUMENTAL scale on gigantic, ENDLESS roles of Tyvek. Her works are richly atmospheric with moods all over the spectrum. She's now doing wall sculptures as well as soft pieces and mounted works.  One of my personal favorites: she permanently mounted her her work on a client's CEILING--art as wallpaper--killer!

Lea is also a born teacher. Every Sunday she hosts a gathering in her studio to discuss art, work, and life over wine and entertaining conversation.
She inspires me to reach further, work harder, take more RISKS--make more mistakes.

Here's one mistake you should NOT make:
don't miss the chance to visit Lea's Sunday salon.
Click here to contact Lea for a Sunday visit

Lea rolls out a large work in progress

Art by Lea Feinstein; architecture by Dumican & Mosey

Lea with mounted painting on left; painting on unmounted Tyvek on right

Studies for new work above, inspiration images below

Lea's fabulous studio space

A Great Evening

Guest communing with kinetic sculpture by Nemo Gould

What a SHOW!
What a CROWD!
What a PARTY!

The artists of Oakland's Lost & Foundry Studios hosted an EXCELLENT gathering on Saturday evening, filled with art appreciators and even more artists from around the Bay Area.

Artists of the Foundry create engineered art using some righteous power tools and heavy equipment.  They generously opened up their studios with LOADS of wild & wonderful art to see, lots of LIVELY discourse, and plenty of COLD beer after a hot day.
The crew did a beautiful job setting up the space for viewing and socializing.

If you were not lucky enough to join in the merry-making, you should kick yourself.
(I told you to go.)
Below are a few pictures of the action you missed.
Contact any of the Foundry artists to purchase or learn more about their work:
click here for the Lost & Foundry Studios Facebook Page

You could've been having fun with this crowd at the Open Studio Party

Wall Sculpture, left, by Sean Orlando; Sconce, right, by Peter Kropf

Artist Daniel Yasmin explains 9000 year-old direct gating process to absorbed young guests

Guests enjoying some hands-on time with the art

detail of work by Nemo Gould

Studio workspace at Lost & Foundry 

Beware VACATION Art

A few lucky folks are gearing up for a spring trip soon.
Exercise CAUTION when buying art on your travels.
Avoid the hotel art gallery.
Avoid potentially pilfered relics, bad juju to bring home.
Skip those galleries lined up along the main drag that exist to cater to tourists.

Step away from your vacation euphoria and THINK about how the piece will look "back home"
--sometimes, away from its native context, a piece looks lame.

Stick to "souvenirs" that are small objects; handcrafts, even small sculptures are often a better choice than wall art when traveling.
If you collect a few small, endearing items you won't even care they were possibly made in a country other than the one you are visiting...

Tiny Persian Enamel Vases, sweet & easy to pack in your carry-on bag.

Ceramic Cactus from Italy, weird and amusing.

Sturdy carved Camel, also easy to pack & take home.

Carved Gourd, super easy to transport.

You can't go wrong bringing home SHELLS
(just make sure the creature has vacated FIRST-- I learned the hard way as a child coming home from Florida with a RIPE suitcase).

A Must See Show at Creativity Explored

Opening this Thur Mar 6 is Animal Menagerie -- a show at one of my FAVORITE places to buy art: Creativity Explored.
Personally I don't know another studio with as many artists working under ONE roof.  
Creativity Explored has wall art, paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, textile art -- a HUGE array of something for EVERY buyer, from the diverse talents of over 150 artists! The price points are mostly under $50-- you can go home with your arms LOADED, no kidding.  There is some extraordinary work there.

I could claim I buy art there because Creativity Explored has a wonderful mission, providing studio space & support to artists who happen to be developmentally disabled.
But the truth is: I go because there's wicked good art.

Great art helps you see your world differently. Creativity Explored is BRIMMING with that art.

The show is on til April 16.
Go EARLY, go OFTEN, and buy a LOT!

Click here to see more art at Creativity Explored.
245 16th Street (at Guerrero St), San Francisco
Some of the Artists working at Creativity Explored:

Doris Yen

wall art by Sara O'Sullivan (from my Portfolio/San Francisco images)

John Patrick McKenzie

Miriam Mungia, detail of large textile hanging

Walter Kresnik

Studio at Creativity Explored

The Journey Should Be Fun, Too

The art of Jason deCaires Taylor is an ADVENTURE just getting to see it!
His works are beautiful, haunting, and life-affirming ALL AT ONCE.
They are also about 8 meters UNDER the ocean's surface.

Time is a key feature of his art: As marine life takes hold the work constantly evolves.
It will never stay the same, ever.  Each piece will become adorned by sea creatures until it is engulfed by them, nurturing nature itself, providing impetus for growth rather than destruction.

Forbes calls Taylor's Cancun, Mexico, installation:
"One of the world's most unique travel destinations."
I'll give Forbes a pass on the wordy use of "most," because I think it's an understatement.

Art you buy for yourself might not require a snorkel--though you gotta admit that's cool.
But you can have adventures buying art if you attend OPEN STUDIO events, also very cool.
You meet the artists, talk to them about their work, meet other interesting people, see some wild stuff. And maybe go home with a treasure (scuba gear optional).

In the Bay Area, coming up soon:
Lost & Foundry Art Studios, Open House March 15, 4-8pm, 305 Center Street, Oakland.
I hope to see you there!

click here to see more underwater sculpture of Jason deCaires Taylor
(Thank you Howie.)

The Silent Evolution

The Silent Evolution

The Dream Collector (over time)

Reclamation

Inertia

Un-Still Life (over time)

Consider RENTING Art

RENTING art has been a breakthrough strategy for more than one client. 

Recently a client couple rented a fantastic spectrum of art, from edgy to simply beautiful works--things they would never have "committed to" by buying, but they were very willing to "date" by renting.  They are having a blast on round two now, swapping out some of the first pieces for new ones, and extending time on some of round one pieces, to try them a bit longer.

Renting can be so LIBERATING.
And educational-- you will learn LOADS about what you like, what you want to live with, what you enjoy seeing every day.

At the end of the rental period, you might decide to purchase some of the art (usually a portion of the rental fee is applied to purchase) -- you might even SURPRISE YOURSELF by what you decide to keep!

Many galleries will lease art, even if they don't advertise this it never hurts to ask. 
In San Francisco we have the SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason-- a HUGE array of California art, by both emerging and established artists, all available for purchase or for RENT.
Check it out:  click here for more about SFMOMA Artists Gallery

Here are a FEW of the Artists carried at the Artists Gallery:

Inez Storer

John King

Andrea Voinot

Alejandro Rubio

Mark Ashworth

John Yoyogi Fortes

Local Art is just more FUN

What an EXCELLENT day--I visited Jeremy Mayer and Howie Katz, two hugely talented Oakland-based artists, in their respective studios. Aside from enjoying some audaciously great artwork, the best part was spending TIME with these fascinating fellows. Jeremy I've known & admired for several years, I got to catch up on & revel in his latest developments. Howie is an exciting new artist to me, currently doing cool work in software multi-media, large scale installations.

You, too, can have this kind of fun, rummaging around small parts, asking blunt questions--"why did you do that?," debating the value of constraints, playing bocce ball inside a renovated warehouse... This is the BEAUTY of going LOCAL for your artwork. You can have a rich experience that DEEPENS your understanding and appreciation. What a blast!

Jeremy creates sculptures ENTIRELY out of typewriter parts. Every single piece is taken from his collection of decommissioned typewriters. His meticulous method and attention to detail are just mind blowing.

Ram's Head in progress

Jeremy discussing a piece of a rib cage in progress

Raw materials for Jeremy's work

Bust of Old Man

Howie's "Gas Mask" series. Howie's work runs a gamut from sculpture to interactive installations that involve software, projections, solar energy, glass... all exploring point of view. 

Howie at far left, describing "Cerberus," 3-headed dog climbing down the wall

"Cancer Floor," floor tiles created with actual films of cancer cells

"Political Reality" -- this one is just plain funny, a reminder to always keep a sense of humor

Jeremy and Howie work in the Norton Factory Studios, 3094 10th Street, Oakland, a beautifully refurbished bucket factory that is TEEMING with artists' studios.
They will be part of the East Bay Open Studio Tour June 7-8 and 15-16
click here for more info on East Bay Open Studios in June 2014.

Plan an outing, you'll have a ball!