OC Art Blog

Opening This Weekend: Redefining the Line

             What a great summer to be a commercial artist.  Entertainment Arts have been featured at the Laguna Art Museum since June.  Orange County Museum of Art continues celebrating design with their 2009 Cinema Orange film series (This Thursday highlights graphic designer Milton Glaser of I “heart” NY fame).  Finally, eleven international artists-graphic designers, interior designers, illustrators, art directors, animators, and textile designers-have been invited to participate in Redefining the Line: Art Nouveau and the Female Figure at the Main Art Gallery at Cal State Fullerton.  Redefining the Line focuses on key elements inspiring commercial artists today: the organic shapes and curvilinear lines of art nouveau referenced by the participating artists as well as the female form, fashion, and bold embellishments.  While similar styles and inspirations carry through each artwork, the media explored by each artist ranges from traditional painting and drawing methods to digital illustration and vinyl installation.  It is the diversity in media, and unified presentation that successfully blurs any boundaries between fine art and commercial art.  In fact, art nouveau is a topic in both modern art history classes and in the history of graphic design.  Redefining the Line recognizes its impact in both genres.  -Krystal

   

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 29, 5-8 pm.

www.redefiningtheline.com

      

            Thank you ISM and the Hibbleton Gallery for organizing the Polaroid Party in Fullerton last Friday.  To further celebrate this twentieth century icon I offer my brief list of obvious reasons why Polaroid instant film is so cool: the process of watching the picture develop is an experience, it comes with a white frame and a blank label, you can embed your thumbprint in it, it works like magic, every picture looks retro and old, the sound, one size fits all, and of course Instant Gratification.

            Sadly this exhibit opened as the era of Polaroid Instant Film closes.  With all 600 series film expected to expire by the end of this year this occasion is bittersweet for artists and enthusiasts saddened by the end of Polaroid’s Instant Film.  Rumors are growing, or maybe just hope, that Fujifilm or Ilford will produce a product identical to the one discontinued by Polaroid.  Until then, digital cameras can replace the immediacy of Polaroid, unfortunately not the magic.

-Krystal

Now Showing! Land Sea Air at Huntington Beach Art Center

            Beginning in third grade I attended school in the Inland Empire, east of Orange County.  There, the trucks are big, the weather is hot, and the air is dirty.  In fact, the air gets so dirty some days kids are not allowed to play outside; recess and physical education are relocated to gyms and multi-purpose rooms.  I cannot say I was ever disappointed about missing P.E. in junior high school, but the idea of needing protection from the air outside makes me sad.

            After two years of substitute teaching in Orange County I cannot recall one day of house arrest caused by hazardous air.  This fresher, cleaner atmosphere is further monitored, documented and even celebrated by Prana, a large, inflatable pterodactyl at the Huntington Beach Art Center.  As part of the exhibition Land Sea Air, Prana is equipped with an electronic system that monitors the air outside, and an internal light that changes color with changes in the air quality: green is best, dark red is worst, and 4 hues in between.  She was designed by students at Cypress College.  On the day I saw Prana she was glowing green, the air was clean, and I was safe to wander down to the pier and breath deep.

Land Sea Air runs until September 6, and also includes a beautiful, sand installation by Robert Wysocki (Land), and an intriguing proximity-based sound piece by Peter Segerstrom (Sea).

Cinema Orange 2009

 

I forgot how clever the “got milk?” advertising campaign was until I saw Art & Copy at the Orange County Museum of Art.  “Got milk?” began in 1993 when the designers at Goodby Silverstein & Partners were presented with the challenge of selling more milk.  To paraphrase their initial concerns: milk is as old as time itself, unlike Snapple or Gatorade there are no new flavors, the labels have not changed in over twenty years, and there are no favorite brands of milk (2% is not a brand).  Their solution was to remind people how much it sucks to pour a bowl of cereal, chop up the fruit to mix in, and have an incomplete, unsatisfying breakfast because there is not enough milk left in the carton.  Scenarios similar to this involving cookies, peanut butter, and disgruntled cats made “got milk?” a success and launched countless imitations and parodies.

This is just one of several segments in Art & Copy documenting the personalities behind popular advertising.  Other featured brands include: Volkswagen, Nike, Budweiser, Macintosh Computers and the ipod.  Art & Copy premiered in OC this year at the Newport Beach Film Festival and is part of OCMA’s film series highlighting art architecture and design.  Future films include: Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight, August 27, celebrating the graphic designer behind I “heart” NY; Visual Acoustics, September 24, about the architectural photographer Julius Shulman; and Infinite Space, October 29, featuring the architecture of John Lautner.

Art & Copy will be released in select theatres this fall.

Edward Cella Art + Architecture, Transforming Photography & Joni Sternbach clip

Last time I was up in LA I checked out the Miracle Mile gallery openings and caught the 'Transforming Photography' group show at the Edward Cella Art + Architecture Gallery. It was excellent.

Gallery Director Edward Cella was kind enough to give us some insight into artist Joni Sternbach's amazing tin type photographs.  Unfortunately you are too late to catch the show, but if you go to the gallery website www.edwardcella.com you can view all of the artist's work from the exhibition.

Better late than never. . .

Edward Cella Art + Architecture

6018 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90036

tel. 323.525.0053

Right across the street from Lacma on Wilshire.

Joni Sternbach, her artwork is featured in the video clip.

there is a catalogue too!

This digital work by artist George Legrady titled Blink, 2007 was mesmerizing.

Ethan Turpin installation

Joan Tanner - Connected Jugs for White Room, 2005 

Isidro Blasco - Shanghai Planet, 2008

Mary Heebner - Khmer Faces, #6 2006-8