Acrylics Alert! - Addendum

Just had to share this!

After posting this painting, I went to visit some of my favorite blogs to see what's been going on there while I was out of the blogosphere.

And - lo and behold, I was astonished to find the soul mate of my cheery guy, in a wonderfully powerful painting done by Bonnie Luria of the St. Croix-nicity blog.

You have to see it to believe it.

I am still speechless.

Virtually Awarded

In the midst of my diligent and dedicated procrastination (see previous post), I got a comment from Rhonda Carpenter, who's blog Watercolors and Words I visit frequently. Rhonda is one of those fellow artist bloggers who, at times of my not-in-the-painting-mood, kicks my butt via email and comments till I get back into my studio.

Funny, but before I started blogging, I've never met anyone named Rhonda, and now I know two Rhondas (OK, I guess they've never knew someone named Nava either), and I'd love to meet them some day for real, as their warm caring personality shines through their blogs.

Rhonda is one of those artists who will try anything, a trait that appeals to me a lot as her work is always a surprise and a feast to the eyes.

A-n-y-w-a-y...

When I went to visit her blog, I found this fun surprise awaiting me patiently. There's a blog award going around, and as it happens, Rhonda has decided that I am amongst those who deserve it.

Which is absolutely cool and encouraging and flattering and a great compliment and exciting and such a vote of confidence, and.... it also forces me to abide by its name and show that my passion for painting exceeds my inherent passion for procrastinating.

Told ya she's kicking my butt!

THANK YOU, RHONDA!!!

As all blog awards, this award requires that I write down seven things I am passionate about, and then choose seven artists to pass it along to.

OK then...

1. Art (now that was a surprise...)

2. Writing.

3. People. (from family and friends to total strangers that I photograph and/or paint).

4. Justice and fairness. It's naive, it set me up for a lot of disappointments,and yet...

5. Food. Yup. I love food. There, I said it.

6. Sights and smells of the seasons.

7. Everything purple.


Now, seven artist bloggers - and that is tricky, as I've already gotten a virtual award which I passed on, so I am going to avoid using the same pool of artists.

So here they are, in a complete random order, a mix of virtual and in-the-flesh fellow artists:

Bonnie Luria of St. Croix-nicity
Bonnie is an artist living in the beautiful island of Saint Croix. She paints mostly figures, portraying the island life, and I love her use of color, her loose style and the energy that's bursting through her canvases.

Jen Norton of Jen Norton Art Studio
It was said on Jen that English is her second language, 'cause color is her first. Jen has the Midas touch when it comes to color and shapes and fun, which goes well with her personality.

Lisa Towers and W. R. Jones of On Painting
Lisa and Bill share a blog that not only has great paintings and drawings, but is one of the funniest and most outrageous out there, as each of them has a unique writing and painting style.

Ketra Oberlander of Art of Possibility Studios
Ketra began painting at 40 after losing her sight to a rare genetic condition. What she does with color makes me turn green with envy, and I don't look good in green. Ketra is a fellow artist, a friend, and also the founder of Art of Possibility Studios, the only art licensing agency exclusively representing physically disabled artists.

Holly Van Hart of Latest Paintings by Holly Van Hart
Holly is an artist whose productivity puts me to shame. I got to know her through our watercolor society. She quickly transformed to oils, and is one of those artists who can take pretty much any subject and any medium and do their magic, be it a landscape, an abstract or a figure. She is a master in using limited palettes and unique color combinations, and - I get to see her work face to face once a month. Yay!

Dar Presto of Presto
Dar's theme is mostly still lifes in oil (is it still lifes or still lives? I never know!). I personally am not big on still lifes (or lives!), but Dar has a way to put so much personality into what she paints, that her paintings look like portraits of the daily objects. She can tell a fascinating story with three Hershey kisses or with one lonesome pineapple.

Pat Coakley of Single for a Reason
OK, Pat is actually a photographer, but wait!! her photographs are so incredibly lyrical, that she literally paints with her camera.

Whew. That wasn't easy.

And - ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention for one more moment: note that I haven't procrastinated on this task. I can feel those endorphies flowing!

Nationally Exposed

The Palette Magazine is my favorite art magazine. Written by two wonderful artists, Skip Lawrence and Christopher Schink, it is aimed at helping fellow artists push the envelope . As opposed to many art magazines out there, reading it does not entail getting attacked by countless renewal leaflets, and it has zero ads. (Yup. Zero).

Each issue is dedicated to a different subject, written in a fun cynical humor of the two authors, focusing on design, color, expressiveness and everything good about art.

So, the previous issue called for artists to send their self portraits. Several of us submitted our self portraits, and awaited the verdict with bated breath. The other submitters I know got an acceptance reply very fast, while I became an obsessive compulsive clicker of the "Send/Receive" button, checking my email every day, every hour. . .

. . . after two weeks, I've had it. with trembling fingers, I typed a polite question to one of the editors, asking him whatever happened to the four images I've submitted. He replied promptly, saying he is so glad I wrote, as somehow the portraits I submitted got misdirected. He then added "I've found your 4 images and captions—exactly what I need. Good paintings. At least one of them will be in Issue #28, due out around the end of December or the first of January.".

Good news, right?

And yet - due to my natural skepticism on such matters, I thought to myself "Ah, he must be saying that to all the girls", and kept my expectations on a cautious level. You live, you get rejected, you learn.

The busy holidays season came and went. A new year has cometh, and no magazine.

Last week, WackieM told me with excitement that her well-known painting has made the cover of the magazine (I am highly amused that she is still surprised by its success; what part of 'this is a very unique painting' is not clear?). I kept waiting. And waiting. And watching in disbelief as the postman was passing our house without approaching.

And suddenly, on Monday night, I see a message from a friend on my Facebook page, telling me how excited she was to see my painting in that magazine.

The next day, LimaB emailed me happily, informing me that mine indeed made it. A similar email followed from MembieK.

Cool, so I'm in.

But which of my four images made it? I called her for a thorough investigation, and was ecstatic to hear that it's my collage, which is one of my favorite pieces and definitely my favorite self-portrait.

Needless to say, the magazine hasn't arrived yet to our humble premises, so it was still all a hearsay - until MembieK brought the magazine to class today (thank you Thank You THANK YOU!) and I finally got to see it with my own eyes - and document it with LumiB's lens. This is the time to mention that MembieK also has a wonderfully expressive self-portrait in this issue.

Still no sign of the magazine. I am starting to suspect that the postman is boycotting our house (no mail whatsoever for 2 days now!). So I am still waiting. Who knows, one of these days the magazine may actually appear on our doorstep (or, more likely, in the mailbox). Hope springs eternal.

Oh, for the record: the quote underneath my self-portrait (the one at the top-left), stating "I loathe my face" is not mine. It's by Francis Bacon. I happen to live with my face quite peacefully, thankyouverymuch. Don't know why they decided to juxtapose it the way they did. Better check what quote they posted under MembieK's face...

Marveling at Marbling

In between preparations for our next upcoming watercolor show (opens this Saturday!), I went to a demo on Monday, at the other organization I belong to. Not the watercolor-only, but one that's open for all media (and whose shows have been quite good to me :-)

They hold a montlhy meeting with a demonstrator (usually) or a speaker (rarely, as the attention span of artists is a bit... um... hey, look! blue car!).

This month, it was a talented and truly sweet artist, named Yoju . She was showing us the art of Suminagashi, translates to 'Spilled Ink', and is a Japanese the Italian marbling technique. Her English wasn't the best - but it didn't matter. At all. She started creating some cool patterns by dripping ink into water mixed with a gelling agent, played the inks with brushes and tooth picks and then laid a sheet of rice paper on top of the water, cleaned around the edges, pulled it up - and we all WOWed appreciatively at the result. The outcome was incredibly beautiful: a flowing pattern of blacks and white, sensuous lines, curvaceous shapes - we all chanted harmoniously with the known "Ohh, if I could do that!".

And as we were standing around with sheer admiration, she took that stuning masterpiece, crumpled the paper and tossed it to the garbage can, as nonchalant as can be.

A gasp passed across the room.

"Ah, this? this no good enough. This just demo" she said joyously and proceeded to create another not-good-enough pattern. Only this time, well prepared protests from a couple of women have prevented her from destroying that second piece. She gave us a "whatever" look and agreed to put it on the table rather that get rid of it.

And then came the best part of the evening!

See, Yoju didn't just show us what she can do. She came bearing a lot materials for us to play with, set four little bathtubs filled with the magic solution, and motioned that it's time for us to have a go at it. Inks, brushes, rice paper - it was all ours to experiment with.

And experiment we did! Ever seen a bunch of kindergarten kids doing finger painting?

Well, that's not as half the fun that went on there...

I did one piece, then waited garciouly for the lines to dwindle and went for a second. VallieM just kept going - I think she stopped at three just because Yoju had to go home... "It's fun!" she announced to LimaB and me who were thoroughly enjoying watching her.

I returned home extatic, burst through the door and showed The JohnnyB my breathtakingly straight-to-The-New-York-MOMA pieces of art.

"Amazing, no?", I hinted the need for feedback.

"Nope", was the answer.

Did I mention the Minnesotan ultra-honest breed he's coming from?

Eye Art

Yesterday was the time for my annual eye doctor appointment, which last year sent me into a frenzy of profound contemplation.

It's not a bad appointment really. You venture through a variety of machines and tests, from the one air puff tonometer that rudely spits air in your eye, through the poetic chanting of letters and numbers, to the spatial vision test which is pretty much a computer game in which I always score high.

Among all that joy, I opted for the eye scan that replaces the dilation. You pay more, but at least you do not become a squinting owl for hours after the visit to the doctor's office.

While the doctor was examining my eyes, in between deep discussion whether I can see the HZJUYT better now - or now, I mentioned to her how scary the results of the eye scan always look.

She smiled [JIHUTES], claiming that some people actually ask her to email them the images, as they are so cool.

"Oh, they are cool, [JKYTZW]", I clarified, "they just seem, um, [POHTREU], y'know, scary".

And within the next minute, I had mine in my inbox.

It's not an up-to-date one, as this time I kept blinking and my eyelashes were commemorated all over the place.

So, that's how my left eye looked like 2 years ago, when I wasn't such a blinker.

Makes a nice abstract, don't you think?

Chihuly (or - He Who Lives in a Glass House...)

Sometimes, it's best to leave your expectations at home. Just air them out, leave them behind.

That's what I did yesterday, when I went to see the so-much-spoken-of Chihuly exhibition at the De Young museum of art in San Francisco.

Y'see, at the risk of losing all my readers at once, I'll go ahead and admit that I never really liked Chihuly's art. I know, I know - he is considered to be a highly-superlativized genius, and who am I to object, but, well, I always perceived his work as too colorful, too screaming, too showy, too - you name it.

And yet - everyone who went to this exhibit came back utterly impressed. Plus, Katherine Chang-Liu (who's workshop I took a coupe of years ago) said something that really stuck with me: "go see art that annoys you - and try figuring out why is it art and not crap. It will open and expand your horizons you more than you can imagine!". Alas, The JohnnyB does not abide by that principle, and he refused to come with me, as he shares my opinion about the work, but - do not despair: a couple of months ago, DiploK ((whom you may remember from this post, and who is also blessed with a husband who's sick and tired of going to every art show), has proposed to me to become her 'Art Wife'.

Choked with emotions, I accepted.

And so, we went to the city.

Luckily, I'm a member of the De Young, which paid off for this exhibit, as apparently this exhibit is considered to be a special one, which means you pay to see it (Aha! but not if you're a member!). Plus, it's timed! Like, you get a little sticker that entitles you to go in, and it has a time stamp that tells you you have to get in there by 1pm (in our case).

So, you go to the end of the v-e--r---y l----o-------n--------g line of anticipating people, and wait to be let in. I personally hated this, and got more agitated once got close to the entrance and realized that if we wish to have the headset that enlightens you about the exhibit, you need to take out more dollars and give them to the nice ladies there (a total rip-off, if you ask me). Sicne I did all the driivng up and back, DiploK treated me to a headset and in we went, with me muttering all kinds of things that were as far as can be from positive attitude. Yup, you betcha I was cranky by all this hype.

...until we got to the first room.

The exhibit is spread over 11 rooms (galleries, as they call it), each has a separate body of work, a different feel and mood. The rooms are dark and only the glasswork is lit, which adds a very impressive effect. Yes, there was a lot of the ultra-colorful stuff that I was expecting and am not crazy about, but some of the galleries have just left me speechless with awe. Like the absolutely stunning glass pieces inspired by Navajo blankets and baskets, or the snowy feel of Finland, so elegantly done with countless tall thin bluish-purple glass thingies installed on top of trees with peeling bark, looking like a Hannukia on steroids. Or the huge water-lily-like sculptures. Or the immense bowls.

I was impressed beyond words. What a misjudgment it was to think Chihuly was just about gaudy flashy art. Apparently, he has another side, perhaps less-known, and I loved his more limited-palette works, especially the Navajo-inspired ones.

For reasons I cannot fathom, it was actually allowed to take photos (I still cannot believe it!), so I can shared some of it.

WackieM mentioned to me today that if you've never tried glass-blowing, you cannot quite appreciate the mastery that Chihuly has achieved in his work. So, novices like me just look at some of his work and go "Oh, that's big. OK". But - it's not that obvious, so it seems. Thinking of it, I realized it's a bit like how you look at a painting. So many times I heard the comment "Ohhh, look at that painting - look at all those details!", which is likely to be said by most people who do not paint or draw. But those of us who do, tend to stop at their tracks at the sight of a very minimal artwork with very few details, admire it forever and sigh "Ah, if I could only do that! Just suggest rather than feed all the information to the viewer with a silver spoon".

And maybe that's why I lean more towards his clean-lined work, rather than all the spiky thorny swirly multicolored look-at-me pieces.

As DiploK and I were having lunch, trying to digest all the wonders that we've seen, we mentioned the pieces that were for sale at the gift shop. There were a couple of glorious bowls by Chihuly, for the symbolic price of several thousands dollars (well, the dollar did go down, so if you think if foreign currency, maybe it's not so pricy...). I was drooling about those, when DiploK's imagination started to get into the fast-forward mode.

"You think we could load one of those big pieces from the exhibit into your Beetle?", she pondered.

"Sure!", I joined her little fantasy game, "my Beetle has a sun-roof, we can open it. And leave the windows open too, for the spikes to stick out".

She grinned at me, about to continue, but then I stopped her thread of thought.

"There is one problem", I said sadly. "I am not sure they are microwave safe. Y'see, those huge bowls would be perfect for baking a casserole in them".

But a person like DiploK would not let such triviality stop her.

"Ah, we can go back to the exhibit hall and turn them over, check if it is microwave safe", she solved my problem.

At this point, the woman eavesdropping from the table next to ours almost choked on her food.

Some people just don't have any sense of humor.

He's Done It Again!

My birthday is coming up.

Next Sunday.

The dreaded 45.

Two days ago, a big package arrived at our house, and The JohnnyB hid it in the den, saying it's for my birthday. Despite my inquisitiveness, I got over my tendency to try and peek, until yesterday he mentioned that since we'll be going on a trip on Friday, and it's too big to take it with us, it might make sense that I open it now.

Long debate - and I decided to give in to my curiosity.

And that's what was inside:

The box said "Picture Frame", which made me pause with a questioning look (like, why would a frame come in such a huge box, and what kind of gift is it anyway!?).

But then I saw the word digital - and gave a huge cry of delight. For a long time, I've been saying how wonderful it would be to have a computer in my studio, so when I need to look close at a reference photo when I paint, I won't have to rely on just a print or run to the den to look at it. Of course, I can bring the laptop in while I paint, but, well, it's likely to get splashed by paint and stuff. Not a good idea.

This little wonder (made by Smart Parts Products) can display photos and is the perfect solution. It's not as precious as a laptop, so I don't need to be afraid of ruining it, plus has exactly the functionality I need. (It actually has more than that, as it can also play music and videos). I wonder if they ever thought of its value and use to painters.

This is so very cool!!!

The JohnnyB:

thank you,

Thank You,

THANK YOU!!!

Braggin'

Those of you who are seriously into watercolors do not need an explanation of what AWS is. The mere mentioning of this acronym is always accompanied by awe and wistful eyes, and the thought of "some day, I wanna make it into that show!".

For those of you who do not belong to that crowd, AWS stands for American Watercolor Society, whose annual show is probably the most distinguished one to be accepted to. Hundreds of entries (if not more) are sent every year, which makes it extremely difficult to get in. Many artists try again and again, getting rejected, and keep on trying. And then, one day, they make it in.

This year, 96 paintings were selected. Both Mike Bailey and WackieM made it into this prestigious show for the first time, each with an incredible painting

And - WackieM (who goes by Myrna Wacknov in the non Nava-blog realm) got an award on her painting "Reflections on Turning 65".

This is so incredibly cool!!!

"So, what are you bragging about!?", you ask. "It's not like you won an award or even got accepted!".

True, very true. I am still wading in shallow water and muck with the unwashed masses, making my first steps in the art world, one tiny step at a time.

And yet - I am lucky to have both Mike and WackieM as great teachers and mentors, which kinda has some braggin' value. I can bask in their glory, I can hope that - along with their teaching - some of their mastery rubbed off on me, and I can just be very happy for them, 'cause they both deserve to be recognized.

But there's another thing: The JohnnyB and I now get to wallow in the glee and piousness that comes with the good ole "Told ya so!" - which is always an undeniable fun.

Y'see, just before the annual show of our organization in October 2007, WackieM was deciding between two paintings, and I was one of those whose she asked for. Both The JohnnyB and I unanimously voted for the one that had striking novelty and uniqueness in its composition and the idea behind it, as well as a powerful emotional effect in its honesty and vulnerability. WackieM decided to go along with that painting - and indeed, as you may recall, got the First Place Award, together with an unprecedented consensus and countless comments about how much it's touched everyone who saw it. The painting also won the first place in the Popular Choice vote. (I can now say how relieved I was that it got awarded; when you give advice and it turns out sour, well, I have a sensitive conscience).

Realizing this painting has something very special about it, she decided to give it a try at AWS. . .

. . .CONGRATULATIONS, WackieM!!!

Bouquets to Art

Sometimes you live in a place without really knowing what it has to offer. In my defense, I only live here for 6 years (in fact, TODAY is the 6-year anniversary to me moving to the USA!!!).

Still, I am amazed that we never heard of this.

Apparently, every year, there is a special event called "Bouquets To Art". It used to be at the Legion of Honors and is now at the de Young museum of art in an Francisco - and it's been going on for 24 years!

What is it about?

In a nutshell, for five days in March, this event features floral arrangements by prominent Bay Area designers and garden clubs, to interpret and complement the museum’s collection of artwork.

Who knew??

I heard of it through WackieM's blog post, and so The JohnnyB and I decided that we have to see it.

That is, I decided.

I mean , I sent an excited email to The JohnnyB, but - being too busy at work - he had no time to look at the links I attached, so he thought it was yet another art show, and said "Sure". He had no idea what it's about - which contributed to his surprise and delight when he found out what it was as we stepped into the museum.

As for me, I went with very high expectations - and came out stunned! It was so beautiful, so bursting with color and creativity, and so incredibly unique. Dozens of bouquets and floral arrangements were scattered throughout the museum, each interpreting one piece of art, be it a painting, a photograph. a sculpture or even a building you see through the window.

As in any art show, some of the pieces were pretty lame, looking like someone just made a bouquet and looked for a place to put it, with no relation whatsoever to the artwork it was suppose to echo. Most of what we saw was really neat, and some were truly superb.

I can see some of you asking, "How can you interpret a work of art by using flowers?"

Ahhhhhh, let me count the ways... some bouquets echoed the colors, some imitated the shapes, some went for the mood, some went with the movement and direction - all the elements of design were used there in a spectacular demonstration of creativity. The JohnnyB commented it's a very nice way to look at art, as it suddenly makes you look at pieces you may have otherwise passed by, as you stop next to each floral and wonder how it relates to the piece of art it's doing the tribute for. With the more successful ones, it brought up elements in the artwork that you never saw before, and it made you look at it through the eyes of the floral artist, seeing what s/he saw, and appreciating their unique way of interpretation.

It wasn't easy to choose which ones to capture, as there were so many, and so many good ones!

So, I took photos of the ones which appealed to me the most.

Those that to me were less obvious, and went beyond just copying the image.

Click on each image to fully enjoy the view!

Enjoy!!

Oh, and - a HUGE THANK YOU to WackieM for sharing this event!!

Spring. ish.

February 29.

Sky's blue.

Birds a-chirpin'.

Ants a-conniving.

Garden's a-happy.

And LumiB's macro mode rocks!!!

.

(Im)mortal Creativity...

Creativity has many faces - here's one I find quite intriguing.

Now, that's what I call a series!!

(click twice to play)

The Power of a Signature

Incredible, how powerful messages can be delivered through simple drawings.

Click twice to watch.

From DaskieM.

Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth?

Not in this case.

Got this link from NancyBJ (THANK YOU for sharing!!!), and was stunned.

Click on a mosaic mural, then click on parts of them to see the paintings that make that part. (for example, choose the 'Trust' mural, and click on the horse's eye...).

Apparently, one artist, Lewis Lavoie, decides what the mural is going to be. He then has the panel painted by different artists who have no idea what the completed mural will look like. He organizes these murals, sells prints for fund-raisers, and then eventually, they auction off pieces of the mural.It's truly mind blowing.

This movie demonstrates how the United Nations mural mosaic was created.

And this explains how he is getting these incredible results.

I think I'll go explore this website for a day. Or Two.