L.A. Listings

Here's some more for you to go see!
** With some NEW additions as of 3/7 **

La Luz de Jesus - Hollywood Blvd http://www.laluzdejesus.com/
Everything but the Kitsch 'N Sync' 14th Annual Juried Group Exhibition
Showing March 4 - 28


Robert Berman Gallery C2 - Santa Monica http://www.subliminalprojects.com/
http://www.robertbermangallery.com/robertbermangallery/intro.htm
Revolutions: The Album Cover Art of Shephard Fairey
Opening March 12 8 - 11 pm
Showing Mar 12 - April 23


Thinkspace Gallery - Culver City http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/
Torn and Tattered: feat. Craig "Skibs" Barker, Liz Brizzi and Derek Gores
Place to Place: feat. Reuben Rude
Opening March 12 6 - 8 pm
Showing Mar. 12 - Mar. 26


Corey Helford Gallery - Culver City http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/#/home/
Henry Lewis (paintings) and Adam Wallacavage (chandeliers)
Opening Sat. March 19


LA Louvre Gallery - Venice Beach http://www.lalouver.com/
Romancing the Apocalypse: Rebecca Campbell
Opening Thurs. March 10 6 - 8 pm
Showing Mar 10 - April 16


COPRO Gallery - Santa Monica http://www.copronason.com/
Dystopia: Group Exhibition
Opening Mar. 19 8 - 11:30 pm
Showing Mar. 19 - April 9


William Griffin Gallery - Santa Monica http://www.griffinla.com/Exhibitions/Current/tabid/63/Default.aspx
Filmmaker David Lynch: New Painting and Sculpture
Opening March 19 6 - 8 pm
Showing Mar 19 - May 28


The Brewery Artwalk - The World's Largest Artists' Complex http://breweryartwalk.com/
April 16 & 17 11 am - 6 pm


The Hive Gallery - http://hivegallery.com/2010/
Alice in Wonderland: Group Show
Showing Mar. 5 - 26


Grand Central Art Center - Santa Ana http://www.grandcentralartcenter.com/ArtGallery_gcartgallery.php
Suggestivism: Group Exhibition ** Audrey Kawasaki, Mars-1, Tara McPherson, to name a few!!
Showing Feb. 5 - April 17

Art Openings...looong overdue

Hi all,

I haven't made time to do this lately, so thought that now that I'm sitting with a bum back I'd use the time wisely :) Here's some stuff to go see in SD - L.A. will follow soon (I have to do more research)

SAN DIEGO
Project X Gallery - Solana Beach http://www.projectxart.com/shows/current-show.php
Right now, the gallery owner has his stuff up and it's good! Plus, some neat wall-mounted glass sculpture.
Migration (Where To Next?) C. Martino + Lea de Wit
Jan. 22 - Mar. 18
Next:
Ocean Size: C.Martino + John Culqui; Opening Sat. Mar, 26 6 - 10 pm



Thumbprint Gallery - Univ. Ave. http://thumbprintgallerysd.weebly.com/current-show.html
Provoke/Evoke : Group show with Scarecrowoven, Steven Suiter, Jack Stricker, Eric Wixon, Kevin Peterson, E. Vil, and Keemo
Opening TOMORROW, Fri. Mar. 4 7:30 pm - 12
Runs Mar. 4 - April 4
Next:
Bits N Pieces, Artistic Eye Candy: A Bite Sized Art Show
Group show: March 8, 7 pm - 12 at Bar Basic - 410 tenth ave downtown



Alexander Salazar Gallery - Broadway Ave., Downtown http://www.alexandersalazarfineart.com/exhibitions.html
Alison Rash: Opening SATURDAY, Mar. 5 6 - 9 pm
http://thepigments.com/?p=1781 (examples of her art)



Subtext Gallery - Kettner Blvd. http://subtextgallery.com/blog/
Primavera : New works by Martin Hsu and Andrew Brandou
Opening TOMORROW, Fri. Mar. 4 6 - 10 pm
Runs Mar. 4 - April 3
Next:
New Works by Mark Murphy
Opens Friday, April 15, 6- 10 pm
Runs April 15 - May 15



Distinction Gallery - Escondido *** GREAT PLACE!
http://www.distinctionart.com/upcoming.html
The Pillars of the Earth: A Tribute to the Masters : Group show
Opening Sat. Mar. 12 6 - 10 pm
Runs Mar. 12 - April 2
** THIS SHOW HAS WORK BY AN LCAD FACULTY MEMBER, PAMELA WILSON - EXCELLENT PAINTINGS!!!!!

SOLD!

Exciting news...sold my first drawing of my graduate/artist career at the Irvine group faculty/student exhibit!!! Holy cow - was NOT expecting that! It's such an awesome way to start off the semester...now I just have to keep entering art shows, haha!

Here are some other examples of pieces that were there... (from top to bottom)

* Jo's Hands - Rachel Edwards
* detail
* Travis Peterson - grad student
* Robin Johnson - grad student
* Mike Miller - grad student
* Jon Swihart - LCAD faculty and renown Gerome scholar
* DJ Hall - LCAD faculty and professional artist

I never thought I'd say this but...

I am uber inspired by Robert Rauschenberg, and although it's 12:30 am, I came home from art history class, got on the computer, and am typing this.

I love school. I love learning. I love being in a class where you think you kinda have general ideas about things (and I NEVER have claimed to know a lot about art history, but I have, as all art majors have, taken the canonical art history classes) and still have your eyes opened.

I never have liked, or actually, understood much modern art, especially Modernist and PostModernist art. Tonight, we talked about Rauschenberg and how he worked so hard to completely incorporate the viewer into his art and I was amazed. I have fallen in love with so many artists that I never thought twice about in the past, starting with Manet and the brazenness (word??) of Olympia...and now, Rauschenberg's flatbeds.

I am heading to my sketchbook....
xo

Encinitas 101 Banner

I just finished the banner that I am turning in to DEMA to be hung along the Cst Hwy 101 in downtown Encinitas...I wasn't sure what to do and wanted to make something that was in keeping with the style I've been working in. This is what I came up with....pretty girl with some tattoos. :) If you look, the tattoos are Encinitas-based. An "Encinitas" tat across her back and a Hwy 101 tat on her arm. I called it "How much do YOU love Encinitas?" Cheesy, I know, but it was fun. I drew on it too, instead of painting. I just used charcoal and some serious latex finishing sealant. We'll see if it holds up to the weather!!

Every year, dozens of artists complete these banners to spruce up our streets! There is even an auction at the end, when the banners come down. It's called the Arts Alive Banner Project, and was originally started here. Since then, towns across the country have picked up the idea, and you can see banners everywhere. People can bid on and purchase these original pieces of art and all proceeds go to help Encinitas.

If you'd like more information, you can visit their website:
http://www.encinitas101.com/events/arts-alive-banner-project/

Naked is the New Black

I was lucky enough to be a part of the Katharine Story Boutique's Annual Erotica Show that coincided with Laguna Beach's monthly Art Walk....and wow, was it quite the event. Here is a link to Katharine's Facebook page....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=366000&id=94560730897&ref=mf

There were scantily clad VERY young men in the Calvins shimmying around to DJ music, cookies shaped like girlie and boy parts, plenty of free condoms, and (I hear) strippers at some point. We were out at other galleries, so I guess we missed that part (!).

ANYways....my piece "Lola" was part of a select group of artists on display in the store, and it was FUN...some good friends and, as always, my lovah Peter, the awesome supporter that he is, came up to see me from SD, and I got to hang out with my MCAD MFA friends too! Here are some cell phone pics..sorry about the quality! And the 1st pic is thru the storefront window when it was closed...that's why it looks so empty!

xo

Out of my comfort zone

This is one of the pieces that I did for a class this past semester; we went in search of an area of south central LA (!!) that would make a good panorama..and had to incorporate a miniumum of 2 photos together to make the picture. This one is 2 separate pieces of paper put together.

Mine was in back of this Mexican section of town where they had all these pinatas up - this is the parking lot behind one of the buildings. There was a super cool old Caddy parked there, with lots of other cars, but I just really liked that Caddy. I ignored everything else when drawing it....it's totally out of the norm for me - there are no figures! BUT the car stands in, at least for me, as the 'character' or figure. I think of old Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry movies when I look at this now!

Sorry, the color/contrast on this pic isn't so great....

New year..and one semester done!

I was stressing a lot that I hadn't accomplished that much this 1st semester of grad school, and at my final critique for the semester I totally surprised myself. I hung everything that I had created (that is taking a more finished form; there were plenty of experiments that are still tucked away) on the wall and stood back - it was more art than I have made in 10 years!! And I did it all in 3 MONTHS!!

So, I decided to use the end of the year to take inventory of all I DID do - I met some really amazing people in my new program, I have a lot more knowledge of the 'how's' associated with making panels due to weeks of experimenting with it :) , I got to see some incredible art and go to more art shows and galleries than I have in a looooong time, I made some art that I am really proud of and am finding my way into a final body of work (not totally there yet, but almost!), and I have taken some big life steps that I am scared of but still moving forward with.

Working as a waitress has been hard - but it's necessary to get to do the other funner (word?) stuff. I still get to see my ladies from CCA, and the kids/students that helped inspire me to even go to school in the 1st place, which has kept me feeling SO supported and happy. I have an amazing fiance who holds down the homefront and makes me feel loved like I never have before, and some friends who have been super helpful and supportive in this 'art process'. Who could ask for more?

I plan on trying to keep up with communications and friendships a bit better this year, work on some new collaborations and ideas, MAKE MORE ART, not be so hard on myself, and get as much out of all of this as I humanly, physically and emotionally can.

SO, thanks to you all out there whom I love, and please keep coming back... I will do better putting things on here, promise! haha!

Here's a pic of my final critique with everything hanging - not all of it is 100% done, but it'll get there!

xoxo
Happy New Year!!!!

Rachel

Only 2?

So, "what the heck??", you may be asking. What have you been DOING while you are in school..you only posted 2 pieces? Well, I have spent the last 3 weeks learning how to make panels. It's really expensive to buy them, and art stores don't even make them as big as I want, so I've had the input of like 20 people and have been through some serious experimentation to figure this stuff out. I have done it about 4 or 5 different ways as of now, and I THINK that I've got it. I'm trying different surfaces (spatula-ed gesso, sprayed- on gesso, paper on the board, etc) and different supports, and have had some serious I-wanna-punch-the-wall moments, but all in all, I think that this is good for me as a student who, as an ARTIST, needs to be making her own stuff! Plus, it saves LOTS o' money :)

#2

Here is a different piece that I have been working on for a while now...it just hasn't been happening for me, so I am trying layering up a bunch of figures to confuse the positive/negative space and to get some of the darks from the different figures to blend together. It's still reaaalllly unfinished. I need to get much darker, and the far right figure is literally just started....she's lookin' like she had a little plastic surgery so I need to fix that face! There may even be another figure, or parts of, in the empty spaces too. (it's not that yellow either haha)

Thoughts???