There's Only Make

The Pasadena Museum of California Art is currently exhibiting a retrospective of Sister Corita Kent's work. She is the amazing printmaking nun whose work from the '60s and '70s melded social justice themes in a colorful visual pop art explosion. On October 3rd, the day I visited, the museum offered a free silkscreening workshop where you could design and make your own print using Corita design elements. This was an awesome experience and I wish I could have stayed there the whole day to make different design combinations. Here's my silkscreen print which includes an image of Sister Corita:

My favorite Immaculate Heart College (where Sister Corita taught) Art Department Rule:
Rule 6: Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail. There's only make.

Presidio Park, San Diego, California 9/5/15

Last Saturday I met up with the San Diego Urban Sketchers at the Presidio, a tranquil, beautiful park above Old Town in San Diego.  It felt like being in a forest at the top.  This was my first time visiting this site.  I've seen this tower many times when driving on the freeway, so it was good to finally check it out.  This building houses the Junipero Serra Museum.  Interesting timing given the Pope is coming to the States soon and will bestow saint status upon Serra, the 18th century Catholic monk who established the California missions.  A museum brochure states that the museum stands atop the hill recognized as the site of the first permanent European settlement, a presidio, in what would become the State of California.  Prior to Spanish colonization, native Kumeyaay people had lived on and around the hill for millennia.  Thank you to Lydia Velarde who organized another great USk meet-up.  It's really cool how sketchers from all over the world can meet-up with the local sketchers group of wherever they're visiting.  On this day we had visiting sketchers from the Netherlands and Australia.

Materials: Uniball Vision black pen, Gelly Roll white gel pen, Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor travel kit

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My Art at the San Diego Art Institute!

I'm thrilled and honored to be in this show at the San Diego Art Institute: "(Con)Text: Rethinking Language in Art" which opens this Saturday, July 25th. I have a 6" x 8" original linocut print in the show that I made of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 17th century Mexican nun, writer, and poet, who entered the convent as a means to pursue an education. My piece, titled "I Just Juana Learn (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz)", features a quote from one of her writings in which she defends the rights of women to study, teach, and write.

More info on the show:

The San Diego Art Institute is pleased to present “(Con)text: Rethinking Language in Art” on July 25 at 6pm in Balboa Park. 

This exhibition invited artists of all media in Southern California/Baja Norte to submit work incorporating text, language, coding, spoken word, literature, books, and other aesthetic materials into their work. The exhibition includes a special sound component by Suzanne Thorpe, an installation by SDAI’s artist-in-residence Nina Preisendorfer, and performances by Arzu Ozkal and Perry Vasquez.

In tandem with this exhibition will be a youth art component by students from San Miguel Elementary in Lemon Grove, created through SDAI’s in-school teaching artist program, a solo exhibition by Judith Parenio (Remembered Sites: Real & Imagined), as well as the unveiling of a large-scale installation by renowned artist Raul Guerrero.

Participating artists in “(Con)text: Rethinking Language in Art” are: Irene Abraham, Wick Alexander, James Anthony, Jon-Loren Bazan, Robin Bright, Colin Burns, Stefani Byrd, Kim Cruz, Kristina Bell Di Tullo, Patrick Donovan, Dani Dodge, Matt Dunn, Richard Gleaves, Marina Grize, Vijay Hingorani, Heidi Kayser, Kenny King, Alexander Kohnke, Stephanie Lindquist, Elena Lomakin, Omar Lopex, Andrew Mandinach, Chris Martino, Bhavna Mehta, Christian Michaels, Arzu Ozkal, Keith Parks, Shauna Peck, Robert Pendleton, Judy Pike, Nina Preisendorfer, Barbara Romain, Deanne Sabeck, Ned Snider, Cheryl Sorg, Vicki Teague-Cooper, Suzanne Thorpe, Bradley Tsalyuk and Corey Dunlap, Perry Vasquez, Tina Ybarra.

This exhibition is sponsored by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

Happy Sketching in the New Year

Just a few days into the new year, I was at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA.  Here's my sketch made in the Petting Kraal (corral), where goats roam around and kids can pet them or brush their hair.  The goats seem to like it and the the kids love it.  I had this multicolor pencil for years, but never used it.  Then I saw someone's sketch on the Urban Sketchers website that used it exclusively.  Before, I would've never thought to use it to sketch, but I found it does have a neat effect.

The next day I went to the coast to downtown Carlsbad, where I had previously spotted this unusual building with a gothic-style water dispenser kiosk in front.  It's the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa.  The story is that a well was discovered in 1882 by Captain John Frazier.  The water was found to have health benefits and locals decided to name the wells after the healing waters from Karlsbad, Bohemia.  The Great Depression put an end to the well.  It was rediscovered in 1955 and not until the 1990s was it revived back into use.  The spa is in the larger building, a partial replica of a 650-year-old building from Hamburg, Germany.  The water kiosk (open 24 hours/day) is partially hidden behind a tree from my vantage point.  There is a statue of the founder, Captain John Frazier, holding a refreshing glass of water, and you can see the two large holding tanks behind him.  Touting a Ph level of 8.76, which is apparently a good thing, I filled up a water bottle too. 

One of my resolutions this year is to draw everyday and improve over time.

Printmaking at the Mall

On December 14th I went to the Carlsbad mall, not to shop, but to check out the Oceanside Museum of Art's Exploring Engagement project called "Winter Wonderland" by artist Armando de la Torre .  That day they were offering a free card and wrapping paper workshop, open to anyone who stopped by.  The space was a creative workshop in action and I enjoyed every minute.  I decided to make a card and came up with a deer head design that I cut out on a sheet of foam "paper".  One of the participating artists found me a piece of wood scrap that I used to mount (peel and stick - so easy!) the foam "stamp".  I rolled brown ink on the deer stamp and went to work.  It was fun, and the artists there were enthusiastic and encouraging. 

Here's a photo of the printed cards.  I didn't think the brown would show up that well on the navy paper, but it actually it does stand out.

They had a variety of printing inks available for people to use.  The wrapping paper project is a very cool idea using cardboard mailing tubes and foam sheet cutouts to make printing rollers.  My cards are at the bottom; at right is my mounted block with deer stamp.

I chatted with the lead artist, Armando de la Torre (below), for a bit - nice guy with a great concept: get art into the community.  What better place during this time of year, than the mall?

Some Recent Sketches & Carved Stamps

In October I met up with the San Diego Urban Sketchers group at the Fiber Arts Fest at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine (outdoor) Museum in Vista, California.  If you want to go back in time to see lots of antique vehicles and farm equipment, this is the place.  There is also a building filled with looms that weavers still work on.  The festival even had the yarn suppliers - alpacas - in attendance.

 

An inexpensive and easy way to carve stamps is to use erasers.  I made one for my "logo" and another for the Day of the Dead, using a star-shaped eraser.

 

In November I met up with the San Diego Urban Sketchers again for some sketch time at the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe in Vista, California.  This is one of the historic original ranchos that predates California statehood.  This sketch was done using a black ink pen, color pencils, and watercolor pencils.

Doodle

On Sunday I went to an art show put on by the cool - and nice (it's always great to feel welcome at an art show when you don't know anyone there) - folks at Hill Street Country Club in Oceanside, California.  Art and photography by Carla Roque and JT Rhoades, respectively.  The show was held at Apotheque/Succulent Cafe in downtown Oceanside.  I didn't know how much I love succulents until I went to Succulent Cafe - this place is a gem of a little open-air coffeehouse where you're surrounded by these beautiful little cacti.  The show had a station where kids of any age could color/collage/whatever on these semi-blank cards.  While I was waiting for one of the gallery spaces to open up, I decided to sit and doodle.  Is this what is referred to as "zentangle"?  Apotheque Spa had a bowl of Mary Jane candies and I couldn't resist sampling one due to the cute packaging.  Why not glue it to my doodle?