OC Art Blog

Sneak Peak at new artwork- OC Blog visit's artist Laurie Hassold

 

Last week I zipped over to Orange Coast College (OCC) to see what local artist and professor Laurie Hassold was preparing for the upcoming show at the Laguna Art Museum entitled Art Shak.  The exhibition will run from June 13th to October 3rd, 2010 - opening night festivities will be Saturday June 12th, see the website for tickets.

the 'bone cave' in progress

above:  Laurie Hassold and student, OCC sculpture Lab 

Laurie teaches Beginning and Advanced Sculpture at OCC.  Her students were preparing for a group show held on campus in the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, now run by Andrea Harris - previously director extraodinaire of the Grand Central Art Center.  

If you have never taken a class from Laurie, you are missing out. Back in grad school I was lucky enough to have her for a 'Studio Expanded' class which explored performative and installation aspects of fine art.  It changed the way I see, create, and relate to art even today.  Thanks Laurie! You can catch her at Orange Coast College, Santa Ana College, and Irvine Valley College next semester.  

 

Student Artworks - OCC Beg. & Adv. Sculpture w/prof Laurie Hassold

Now lets get on to Laurie's newest and in progress artwork.  She gave us a sneak preview of what is affectionately being called the bone cave.  It is a re-appropriation of artworks or carcasses from her Strange Attractor series, coupled with found objects.  

Although there is a veil of mystery around this piece, I did manage to discover that the underlying concept for the bone cave reads more like a science fiction novel than a seductive interlude of mediums.   

Implications of global warming, post consumerism, and the predatory nature of evolution resonate as one's eye meanders through this "dwelling, constructed of remains and human detritus of post-human extinction," states Hassold.  References to the structures made of mammoth fossils in the Ukraine thousands of years ago are present, and she states "the cave seems to be turning into some sort of altar, which may contain an item preserved from the former culture that hints at the appearance of the new occupants." (Laurie Hassold).  

 
 
  

To see more artworks by Laurie Hassold drop in to one of these upcoming shows:

Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach CA   June 13th - Oct 3rd, 2010

Bert Green Fine Art, Los Angeles CA    Nov 10th - Dec 24th, 2010

Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester University, Rochester NY 2011, stay tuned
 

Weapons of Mass Delusions at Grand Central Art Center

In the 1960’s a woman was stabbed to death in front of an apartment building in Queens.  The crime was witnessed by tenants of the building, none of whom helped the woman.  It is this story that inspired Laurie Lipton to draw her triptych Watching.

Two days after hearing Laurie Lipton repeat this story in conjunction with her artwork, I read about a homeless man, in Queens, was stabbed to death trying to help a woman attacked by her male companion: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_dying_and_ignored . Surveillance cameras revealed at least seven people walked past the collapsed, bleeding man on the sidewalk without helping him.  It is this kind of apathy, and indifference that inspired Laurie Lipton’s exhibition Weapons of Mass Delusions at Grand Central Art Center. 

Grand Central Art Center will be exhibiting seventeen works of art by Lipton, as well as hosting the London-based artist as the next artist-in-residence.  On May 1, at 6:00 P.M. GCAC will hold a book signing for Lipton followed by the opening reception of her solo exhibit.  On May 8, Lipton will give a gallery talk about her work.  Here are some of Lipton’s thoughts about what inspired the works of art on display:

I was watching the Iraq war on CNN while eating my dinner. I chewed contentedly as peoples' homes and limbs were being blown apart. There was a commercial break about washing powder and new cars, then I was transported back to the bombing, the screaming women, the blood. The whole scenario suddenly struck me as obscene. How is this possible? I am comfortably eating a meal in my own home while watching horrible suffering. This is "normal" TV viewing. I am not even being put off my food. --Laurie Lipton

For more information about Weapons of Mass Delusions at GCAC visit: http://www.grandcentralartcenter.com/ArtGallery_gcartgallery.php

 

--Krystal

my bulb finally bloomed, spring has officially sprung!

I Missed It

 image from the OCRegister.com  http://www.ocregister.com/news/shirt-244809-shirts-sexual.html

While I was reading this article from the OC Register I put my sandals on and made up my mind to walk to school to see this.  It was too late.  The 700 t-shirts, emblazoned with messages of horror, anger and hope from survivors of sexual violence had been taken down.

This exhibit/installation called The Clothesline Project is organized by Community Service Programs Inc. Orange County to bring attention to victims of sexually violent crimes and coincides with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.  Color-coded t-shirts represent one person affected by sexual violence, revealing anger, hope, confusion, and betrayal.   Participants are uncensored, anonymous and provided with a medium this culture pays attention to-a graphic t-shirt. 

Since the first Clothesline Project in 1990, an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 shirts worldwide have been pinned up.  This project came to Orange in 2003 and will be at Chapman College next: Tuesday, April 27, 2010.  I think it will be worth seeing. -Krystal

Studio Visit with painter Dick Marconi - Santa Ana, CA

This is the first of a series of studio visits with OC artists, and occasionally non-OC artists. . .  but we won't hold it against them.

In my constant quest to sniff-out art in the OC, I came across Mr. Dick Marconi.  Yup, that's right. . . the same guy from the Marconi Automotive Museum, which by the way has some amazing drool-worthy cars and if you have not gotten up to Tustin to check them out. . . put it on your calendar! (www.marconimuseum.org)

 

When I heard that Mr. Marconi was a 76 year old prolific artist, and quite the character, my interest was piqued. As luck would have it, he agred to meet with me yesterday in Santa Ana. 

  Galleria Marconi resides in one of the those stellar live-work spaces on Main St in Santa Ana, the City Place (that is the center where Mother's is for all you veggies out there).  The rumors were all true.  Marconi produces artwork with a vitality that is astounding, and his mixed media abstractions utilize color and form to hold the viewers attention.  

 

Before meeting him I decided to do some homework and discovered that he works with a technique he calls "color fusion,"  which is somewhere between action painting and lyrical abstraction. Like Jackson Pollock ( famous for his drip, pour, and gesture paintings- late 1940s to mid 1950s), Marconi works on a horizontal surface manipulating the paint and abandoning traditional uses of brushes for a more physical approach.  Marconi negotiates with liquid surfaces of color and medium (I like to call 

the 'secret sauce'), making chance an integral part in the color fusion recipe.  

He also extends the invitation for audiences to go ahead and touch the paintings.  Marconi says that those luscious surfaces are not only durable, but an integral part of the viewing experience.

   

The first Friday of every month ( 4-9pm) the City Place offers a gallery walk where you can experience these paintings for yourself, not to mention meet the man behind the color fusion technique.

Thanks Dick for opening up your gallery to us!

Dick Marconi in the Galleria Marconi

For information regarding Dick Marconi or the Galleria Marconi please contact Midge Herbst, Executive Director  midgeiam@aol.com, (714) 550-1003

Galleria Marconi

105 City Place

Santa Ana, CA 92704

Next week sculptor Laurie Hassold is giving us a sneak-peak of the work she is making for the upcoming exhibition Art Shack at the Laguna Art Museum.

stay tuned. . .

What's in a Name?

In grad school I curated an exhibition with a woman who got married three weeks before the opening.   I remember a conversation we had in her car, on our way to a studio visit, where she told me her father asked if she was taking her husband’s name.  He was versed enough in the art business to know keeping maiden names, or hyphenating surnames, was a common professional practice for women; this helps to establish and maintain continuity throughout one’s career, linking previous successes with future ones.

What happens when an institution embraces a new name?  The California State University, Fullerton Main Art Gallery is now the Begovich Gallery, in honor of two philanthropists who have provided the CSUF Art Department with endless support.  Despite a low profile among other Orange County Museums, the CSUF Main Art Gallery Fullerton has a history of presenting exceptional exhibitions. Past shows have included such notable contemporary artists as Judy Chicago, Kara Walker, Enrique Chagoya, Shag and Chris Jordan. 

Will the Begovich need to build a new reputation from scratch?  The inaugural exhibition, compromised of first generation art faculty from CSUF, is more than an homage to a pre-Begovich era.  Art Department Faculty: The First Generation is a celebration of the legacy the Nicholas and Lee Begovich invested in and a reminder of how much change has occurred in the last forty years.  After new directors, new staff, countless guest curators, hundreds of artists, the CSUF Main Art Gallery has grown in terms of exhibitions, education and publications.  The name has nothing to do with the progress that will be made; it is just the beginning of a new chapter and a reminder that this institution has earned support for all its accomplishments, past and future.-Krystal

 Art Department Faculty: The First Generation on display until May 14. http://www.fullerton.edu/arts/events/#art

Upcoming Exhibitions in the Begovich Gallery: Metadataphile: The Collapse of Visual Information

 

 

Jeff Gillette @ CoproGallery in Santa Monica

Longtime OC local Jeff Gillette's (aka Laurie Hassold's other half) show 'Dismayland' will be opening this Saturday at the CoproGallery in Santa Monica.  If you're in LA-LA land this weekend go check it out. Congrats Jeff!

 

-Joanna

Korean Art Show - NYC

Last month I made the journey to NYC to check out the Armory Show and all of the concurrent art shows, in addition to the big museum shows.  While there I visited the Independent, the Korean Art Show, Volta, Scope, Verge, Dutch Art Now and Pulse.  

My favorite South African artist William Kentridge was in town to kick off his retrospective at the MOMA - NYC and the opera "The Nose" at the Met Opera house.  Yes, I did score one ticket at the last minute to catch the opening night performance.  Kentridge is a rock-star, and if you have never heard of him. . .  start googling.  You can find him at the Marian Goodman Gallery in South Africa and New York.  He has been making stop-frame animation films from charcoal drawings and torn pieces of paper for decades (see YouTube), not to mention working with performance, puppetry, found objects and kinetic mediums; along with the traditional stuff we like to hang on our walls. 

Yeah, it has taken me weeks to recover, but all in all it was an amazing experience. The Armory Show was gargantuan and a bit up-tight, but all the art world stars were present and accounted for.  I even had a 'close encounter' spotting both Chuck Close and Glenn Close in the same day.  Does anyone know if they are related?

One of my favorite shows was the Korean Art Fair. Innovative, good looking, with a very high level of craftsmanship. . .  and a sense of humor.  Check out some of my pics.

 

 These little gems are made with led lights and each book is made of plexiglass and lights.  They are detachable (battery life about 3 hours) and you can even change the color to match your mood!  Don't get too excited, each one will set you back at least $3000

 

Who doesn't love photorealistic painting?  This oil on canvas was about 24"x60" nothing small here. . .

 

That's right, things are not always what they seem.  We love this!

 
 
 This black and white digital photograph (on left) was at least 5' x 7' and amazingly painted with tiny figures.  See the detail image (right).  There are the over 1000 dancers painted on the photo.

That's all for today.  Stay tuned for more images from the art fair bonanza.

peace, Joanna

 
 
 
 

More than Gorky's Muse - Michael (Corinne) West @ Art Resource Group

Hi everyone,  I am back from my travels (it's great to be back in the OC) and have lots to share. Some of you probably know what a huge supporter I am of female artists, so in honor of supporting my peeps I suggest you put this one in your calendar. . .   see you there!  Michael Corinne West Iguana, 1964 Painting, oil on canvas 50"x35"  Michael Corinne West: More than Gorky's Muse Art Resource Group presents premiere exhibition of Michael (Corrine) West, Gorky's fellow artist and confidante, to coincide with 'Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective' at Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles On view from June 5- September 30, 2010  Opening Reception : Friday June 4, 2010   5-8pm

A new look at the courageous innovations of one of Abstract Expressionism's unsung talents Newport Beach, CA - Art Resource Group is pleased to present Michael Corinne West: More than Gorky's Muse from June 5 through September 30, 2010.  This will be the first West Coast solo exhibition of works of art by Michael Corinne West, a mid-20th century American artist who was a participant in the onset of Abstract Expressionism, but whose contributions to art history have been largely overlooked. Art Resource Group has assembled a comprehensive selection of West's paintings, drawings and poetry to exhibit in retrospective format, accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.  The exhibition will run concurrently with Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective, a major summer art event at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Michael West (1908-1991) was an active figure in the avant-garde New York School, instrumental in the development of Abstract Expressionism. She made an exceptional contribution as one of the early proponents of Abstract Expressionism or Action Painting through her artwork, poetry, and friendships with the many other early members of the New York School.  The Abstract Expressionist movement was decidedly dominated by males. It was with Arshile Gorky's (Armenian-born American Abstract Expressionist Painter, 1904-1948) encouragement that Corinne West changed her name to Michael in 1941, hoping to find more opportunities in the art world under a masculine name, as did her contemporaries Grace (George) Hartigan and Lenore (Lee) Krasner.  West also turned down Gorky's repeated marriage proposals: she knew that such a union would mean forgoing her own artistic career, a sacrifice she could not make.  Give Miriam Smith a call if you have any questions (949) 640-1972 Arts Resource Group Newport Trade Center 20351 Irvine Avenue, Suite C-1 Newport Beach, CA 92660 t. 949 640 1972 f. 714 371 0103 msmith@artresourcegroup.com http://www.artnet.com/artresource.html -Joanna