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...

OK, My Turn Now...

Myrna and David have become famous overnight, having one of their incredible pieces in a museum. Always learning from the best, I decided to follow that path of fame.

Looking good, I dare say. I only wish people would stop taking photos of artwork in museums. It's truly and absolutely annoying, especially when one of them is facing the wrong way...

Wanna get your painting in a museum too? It's as easy as can be! Just go to this fun site, and you're in. No nasty jurors, no competition - you get the limelight all to yourself and bask in the glow. Nothing cures a wounded ego like self delusion.

Why wounded?

Oh, this painting of mine is hanging in our Annual Show (which is an incredible show this year!). It's one in a series, and some of you may recall its older brother, "Dust to Dust". But, this one is titled ""Lost Edges". Also, this one did not get an award.

What I did get is many, many encouraging comments from visitors to the show, fellow artists and - ah, tears are choking my throat - The JohnnyB voted for it as his favorite piece in the show! By now you know very well that The JohnnyB is never ever lying about this kind of stuff. In fact, he is the first to tell me when he does not appreciate an artwork of mine, no matter how proud I am of it.

Oh, and . . . one person, apparently, liked it so much that she kept going to the show to look at it.

She went and looked.

- - - And went and looked.

- - - - - - And went and looked.

- - - - - - - - - And went and looked.

And at the reception (held on Sunday), she bought it. She is a fellow artist, CookieA, a fun person, a wonderful artist (and - needless to say - has an exquisite taste in art ;-) and it is a huge compliment to know that my painting has touched her enough to want to have it in her house.

I am still thrilled.

I have entered this painting (together with two others) to the 2008 Statewide Watercolor Competition and Exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art. And, based on the good karma this visualization thingy seems to have brought Myrna, I decided to give it a try.

You never know...

Show's Over

Had the big show last weekend.

Amazing, how much work is put into a show that is on display for less than two days!

You go through the process of selecting the artwork to submit, a process garnished with extreme self-criticism over the quality and its chances to make it in. (being a juried show).

You send in the photos, pay the entry fee and then spend days sweating blood and biting your fingernails over whether it will be accepted or not.

Then you get the answers, and you mat and frame your art. (not an easy task sans fingernails).

Theeeeeen you deliver it for the receiving process.

Theeeeeeeeeeeeeen you hang the show ('cause you forget what a tough job it was last year, 'cause LimaB is in charge of the hanging and you want to help her, and 'cause you secretly admit to yourself that there's an immense satisfaction in that labor once it's all done). It takes 6 hours, you go home all scratched from metal frames and un-taped wire ends, swearing you'll never ever do it again.

Four hours later, you put on something presentable and try your best to look refreshed for the reception - scratches and all.

The day after, you get up early to do gallery sitting ('cause you volunteered....). Your romantic vision of spending the time chattign to art appreciators turns into a nightmarish policing due to little kids who insist on plucking seashells off a certain artwork and playing catch amongst the panels. Their parents, needless to say, don't bother to keep an eye on their unleashed offsrpings, as they are too busy themselves caressing other textural pieces or sneaking forbidden photos. You transform into a reprimanding monster, repeating the mantra "Please DO NOT touch the art". Soon enough, the word "Please" is omitted from your vocabulary. After an eternity (OK - four hours) of that kind of fun, you go home, swearing you'll never ever...

The day after, you go to pick up your artwork. Of course nothing sold - why would it? and you have a nice chocolaty handprint on your painting. you go home, swearing you'll never...

The day after, you go to drop your winning painting at the community center, where it will be on display for the next 2 months along with the other winners.

Oh yeah... I got an Honorable Mention on my "Dust to Dust" piece.


You think "hmm... maybe, after all, I will do it again next time".

Upcoming Show - Addendum

Some of you asked if I would post what I wrote about my pieces in the "Earth Expressions" show.

As I stated, we were asked to write a short statement that relates the artwork to the theme of the show. Many of the artists chose to skip it, which I can relate to, as I personally don't like to explain my art. I'd rather let my art speak for itself. One reason is that my art doesn't have the accent that I do when I speak English. But moreover, I think that giving a very explicit title to your work or saying too much about it, prevents the viewers from interpreting it in their own ways, which are always fascinating to follow.

Imagine 'The Mona Lisa' was titled 'The Mona Lisa smiles because she has such bad teeth'. Now, wouldn't that take away all the mystery and reduce it to be yet-another-portrait?

Still, being the highly obedient me (for the readers who know me - please do not choke on that last statement...), I decided to give it a go, and found it to be a fun experience: putting in words what I've put with my brush (or printer) on the paper.

As I said, The JohnnyB was a tremendous help (both finding tittles and what to write) - he even expanded his services to gallantly come to the rescue of a lovely maiden who was also fighting with this kind of writing. Hmm... dare I think he was also enjoying it?

Thing is, once I got into it, I became unstoppable, so the 2-sentence-only limitaton was actually an even better exercise at being succinct. Kinda like writing a haiku.

And so, there we go.

Uhm... ah... (just clearing my throat here)

(To Bill of On Painting blog, the title for this one is 100% courtesy of The JohnnyB, and I do thoroughly apologize if the following shatters your bloody vision of me killing my models...).

Title: "Dust to Dust"

"This portrait was painted with walnut ink (a natural product) on Tyvek (a manmade product that lasts forever). The more the painting materialized, it became about the fleetingness of life versus the permanency of some of our creations."

Title: "Open Spaces Blues"

"I took this photo while hiking in an overcrowded park. With all the effort put into preserving open spaces, so that everyone enjoys the same little spot, are we really protecting nature?"

The next one was tricky, as I did not want to reveal WHAT is in the photo. I have quite a few photographs where I wanted the viewer to concentrate on the shapes and textures and bits of color, plus it is so much fun to see people trying to guess what it is. So, I had to keep it very vague. Did I mention I don't like to give away too much? This, by the way, is perhpas my current favorite photo. Perhaps because I just cannot paint non-objective paintings (I always have to toss a figure in...), so taking abstract photos answers that need of mine.

Title: "Found Textures #4"

"So many times I stop in my tracks when I see yet another proof that Mother Nature is the best artist of us all. This is one in a series of photographs on textures found in nature."

That's it. Now I get my act together, frame the painting (the photos are already framed, phew!), update my Bio, go help hang the show (if my Plantar Fasciitis ridden foot allows me - yeah, it still hurts but getting better, thank you for asking!), and attend the reception next Friday.

Now, what does one wear to an "Earth Expressions" themed reception?

Upcoming Show

Still not really painting, but I hope for a change soon.

One of the big shows of the year is coming up. This year it's going to be a bit different, as - in addition to the usual show and reception, we'll be having an auction, with the sales profits going to the Shelter Box Project.

And, with the judge and auctioneer being Stefan Baumann from The Grand View TV show. Should be a very interesting reception.

Anyway - as I said in the previous post, we could each submit up to 3 artworks for this show for them to be juried.

Last week we got the verdict of who got in, with how many pieces.

All my 3 pieces made it, plus this one, a photograph that I am donating for the auction:


Since the passing year was a very non-painting one for me, I entered one painting (the serious dude shown at the top of this post - sorry, there was simply no way to photograph this painting in a way that will do him justice!), with the others being photographs.

Hey - photography is art, too!


The theme of the show is Earth Expressions, and we were asked to write something that connects the piece to the theme. With a great help for The JohnnyB, some cool titles and blurbs were created.

Hanging and reception is next Friday, as well as the awards announcements.

In my pre-Plantar Fasciitis days, I have volunteered to help hang the show. Need to see if my foot will back me up on that task.

Stay tuned.

Decisions, Decisions...

Still not feeling up to it, still keeping at those little bozzettos.

I'm slacking from the one-bozzetto-a-day promise I made to myself, but hey - tough. Happens. When the spirit is low, the energy is not always available.

Plus, I'm now trying to decide on three pieces to enter to the upcoming show at one of the art organizations I belong to, the one whose last year's annual show bestowed two awards upon me. Yeah, I know it's silly to expect a recurring success, but I am only human...

So, decisions, decisions... it's a juried show, and we can each submit up to three entries. Those who enter 3 pieces are guaranteed that at least one of them is accepted, so of course most people go for 3. My problem is not to come up with three - it's more to limit what I want to 3 only. I have 2 definite pieces, and I need to select one more out of a couple that I'd love to have in the show. Ah well, Monday is the deadline, so by Tuesday morning that will be behind me.

In the meantime - let me introduce you to Al.

Hard to tell what he is thinking of, what he is contemplating (maybe he, too, is trying to choose entries for a show), what plans run through his mind, almost materializing into action in the background that surrounds him.

I went for a drippy-spotty-splotchy kind of style that I am growing to like. The smooth Bristol paper on which I am working is showing every brush stroke, thus preventing me from doing perfect washes and forces texture - and I like it a lot.

Funny - on one hand I yearn to paint with those perfectly smooth washes, as I know a couple of painters who create magic with them. But whenever I myself resist the urge to texturize and go for those washes, they seem flat and boring to me, and I reach for anything that will ruin the perfection and bring some life into them.

Also, color-wise, I keep realizing that I work much better with limited palettes. At some point I dipped my brush in blue, and was amazed how much it all suddenly tied together and popped.

I'm learning a lot from these bozzettos - time to start utilizing all that wisdom on a bigger sheet of paper, eh?

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.

97 Degrees In The Shade...

...That's where the temperatures were aiming at on Saturday, totally ignoring the dozens of artists who assembled on the grounds of the Triton Museum in Santa Clara to display their art.

97 degrees (36 Celsius) before the end of June - as if the weather decided to justify the name of the event "Midsummer Art Celebration".

I was showing with two organizations - watercolors with one of them, photography with the other. It took A LOT of preparation and work, from choosing what to display, to printing it (photography) or adding last-minute touches (paintings), to matting and framing and creating labels and deciding on pricing and designing myself two business cards (one for each display) - throughout the whole time, The JohnnyB provided moral support and helped me choose, price, frame, assemble, arrange, stay sane...

...After a night of troubled sleep, I woke up early Saturday. We loaded our two cars - and off we went, to the fair. A frantic email from one of the organizers has sent The JohnnyB off to buy loads of ice and bottled water, to make sure his lovely wife and her artist friends (well, at least the ones in both groups she was showing with) would not go into a domino-effect of fainting. While he was away, I hung my paintings in one place, ran to hang the photography in another, ran back to the paintings site to arrange and rearrange, back to the photography display - it was damn hot!

But at 10am, as the place opened to the public, we were a all smiling and calm, (I wish I could say 'cool', but that would be a lie - we were all flushed and sweaty by then), awaiting potential collectors.

It was my very first time to be in an art fair as one of the displaying artists. I never thought I would, as I always felt there's something sad about sitting around waiting for people to come see your art. I mean, you put your soul on the display panels, you wait for appreciative eyes, and sometimes all you meet is a bored indifferent look - - -

- - - ah, wait, but that happens anyway, even with people who come to our house and look (or don't) at the art hung on the wall with no comment.

So, I decided to go for it, with both organizations.

It was a hot, hot day. One booth (with the watercolors) was underneath some nice shady trees, the other in what seemed to be the hottest spot on the planet - no shade, save for a couple of clouds who came by to visit around noon, and then decided to pull a joke and rain on us all for 2 minutes. It was short, but enough to send some artists flying in panic to save their art from the conniving drops. I just enjoyed the much needed shower, and then it got a bit more bearable, with some breeze.

All in all, it was a fun day.

Lots of mingling with fellow artists, not so much - alas - with visitors to the event, as, well, not many have come. Lack of publicity, plus a tucked away location, topped by the heat, kept people indoors and away from our art.

As the more experienced amongst us exclaimed, it was the worst sales event ever. I wouldn't know, as it was my very first time at that. Yes, I hoped to sell something; I have never showed such a body of work at one time (6 paintings plus 6 photographs plus 5 matted pieces) - but once I saw that most people came looking for small inexpensive things, with very few exceptions, I managed to reset my expectations, and prevented myself from being disappointed. All the artists got into this sarcastic mode, in which a sale of a $4 card was celebrated with cheers and cold water. I didn't have time to print cards, so I wasn't amongst the celebrated ones.

It was a huge learning experience, an intoxicating feeling of getting very positive feedback on my photography (which was a novelty to those who know me mainly as a painter), and an initiation by fire (well, it was hot enough!) to the world of art fairs.

And now, we rest.

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!!

Juried

Since I've started to show my art, I only went for safe shows. The ones that are member shows, to which you get automatically accepted, as there is no jurying process. Actually, this show was kinda juried, as if you entered 3 artworks you were guaranteed one in, but the others could be rejected.

WackieM keeps telling me, "It's about time you added some rejections to your resume!", but I keep stalling.

I think I still carry the scars from that first time I tried entering a juried show,. It was about 5 years ago, with a collage I created - and it was rejected. It was supposed to be my very first show as a painter, and I got so discouraged, that I went home and threw away that piece as well as all the other canvases I painted (I used to paint acrylics back then). Not only that, I also deleted the photos I took of them. Went for the scorched earth method, big time. I was new into art, and I thought the rejection was a clear message that I am not good enough. Luckily, I took Mike's incredible class, and that got back to painting, big time.

Me? Emotional? no................. How can you say that?

I thought jurors and judges of art shows are the ultimate authority, and their choice can be a significant input on my artistic skills. Little did I know... Since then I have seen many shows, been in some, got a couple of awards, and above all - learned that selecting paintings in a juried show or selecting the award winners is a subjective matter that has a lot to do with personal taste. unless you type the criteria into a computer and let it do the choosing, personal taste will always be a significant of the choice. Can't escape that.

Now that I am wiser, I can only kick myself for responding so strongly (and oh so stupidly) to that rejection. Looking back after all I know about color and design, I now know the collage that was rejected was a good one. I did it right after the first Cirque Du Soleil show I went to (the unforgettable Varekai), so it was fresh and personal and expressive - well, damn good! And I don't even have the photo, as I deleted that as well. But I'll always have it burnt in my mind.

So - our organization is now having a juried show, for the first time in 20 years or so. Why juried? 'cause in our quest to find better venues for our members (as in not just a library, a cafe or an abandoned building...), we managed to get into Gallery Saratoga, a place that has a lot of foot traffic, in the quaint downtown of Saratoga. We were given one long wall in the gallery (and then granted another small space), that can only hold about 25 pieces - even after limiting the size of the paintings. We had 50 entries, which meant that 50% will be rejected. Artists could enter one or two pieces, and since I handled the registration, I was blessed with headaches galore due to the constant repeating of the rules and size limits to people over and over again, as sooooooooooo many artists do not bother to read and follow instructions. So, that was a joyous fortnight full of hair-tearing and a lot of cussing.

I also volunteered to help hang the show. I love hanging shows! While exhausting, is so very satisfying to start with a bunch of paintings scattered around and end up with a nice colorful jigsaw puzzle where all the pieces fit harmoniously together.

Between these, I was very aware of the fact my paintings might not make it in, in which case it means I am doing all the work for a show in which I have none of my work.

Tough call, eh?

Going to the gallery on Monday morning, my fears increased, as there were so many good paintings there! We all seemed nervous, including our exhibits co-chairs who organized the show - nobody knew who's gonna be in and who will end up carrying the paintings back to the car. So we all registered our paintings, leaning them against the bare wall of the gallery, and those of us who were in the hanging team went to have lunch, leaving the 3 jurors to do their job. The jurors were former presidents of our organization (which means some day I may be asked to do this too), and they are very sweet women, but when they were doing the jurying, boy did they seem tough! Examining each and every painting with scrutinizing eyes, critiquing it and deciding which will stay and which will go. I wish I were a fly on the wall, so I could see how they did it. By the time were allowed back into the gallery, I was just curious to see which paintings made it in. I was also glad I did not need to do the jurying - as far as I saw, all the paintings were good, and selection must have been tough.

Well, to my surprise and delight, both my paintings made it. The show is named "Let It Shine", to celebrate the approaching spring, and it's looking good!

A Thousand Words - And Then Some #13...

I'm back from the insanely-busy state of being, just raising my head above the water to get a quick gulp of air, so I can dive back in and on to the next thing!

Our Annual Show Reception took place on Sunday. A gorgeous, sunny day, which I dreaded, as I was supposed to hold a speech to the nation (well, to the part of the nation that came to the reception).

Like, on the stage!

- - - With a microphone!!

- - - - - - - - - - - In English!!!

So many people told me I did very well, and that I did not look nervous at all.

Well, that's why they invented cameras... The JohnnyB commemorated the event with LumiB, using the continuous/burst mode.

These photos are from right after I was done, and handed off to LambieL. They were taken within a time frame of 10 seconds or so... Can you hear the roar of relief?

After that, came the award announcement, which was pure fun.

And the First Place Award (out of 100 incredible paintings!) went to

-

- -

- - -

WackieM!!!!!

previous 1000 Words... ...next 1000 words

The Hanging at the Museum's Backyard

...there we were again, almost the same team, hanging a show, Again.

This time, it's the show of the art organization of which I am president, so it's much more thrilling.

Just under 100 artworks were entered, all in watermedia. which made the hanging process easier, as it did not require a mix 'n match of oils with sculptures, canvases with framed watercolors, apples with oranges.

Still, it was exhausting.

It was my very first time to assemble the pro-panels, and while not complicated, it's just a highly annoying job. Now I know why nobody else wanted to do it. We were done around 4pm, and it looks glorious! It seems like the quality of the overall show keeps improving from one year to the other, which is truly exciting. I can't wait for my gallery-sitting shift, which will be on the first day the show opens.

My painting for this show is one of my self-portrait series. I have posted it as an ArtPact in its unfinished state. I love it, The JohnnyB really doesn't. So be it. I am done trying to please everyone with my art. That's pretty much mission impossible, and will only result in frustration and compromise.

I have to say I really lived on the edge with this painting. A day before the hanging, it still wasn't framed yet, and I knew there must be a reason, as usually I am not that bad about it.

There was.

On Friday afternoon, after hesitating to do so for 2 days, I grabbed several pencils and scribbled the words of one of my favorite songs throughout the painting. A brave - and at the same time, very stupid - thing to do a day before hanging it in a show. And yet, I just had to. Once I was done, I knew it was the right thing to do. The painting was finally finished.

I then spent a while contemplating the fact that nobody will be able to read the words. It's not a cheery song, y'see. It's quite exposed, and as long as it was just in the painting, in Hebrew, I was safe... a big coward chicken, but safe.

Eventually, I decided to take it one step further, and translated the words to English. I figured that not doing that would mean I am not really walking the extra emotional mile. It was quite amusing to have the JohnnyB help me translate a song he doesn't know from Hebrew to English, but he was incredibly helpful, and got my utter gratefulness and admiration.

So, here it is. The song was written by Nurit Glaron, a wonderful Israeli singer. It's much more beautiful and touching in Hebrew, but there's a limit to what I can do, I guess...




“Within the storms,
between breathing and suffocating
within me.
Doors closed,
latches locked.
Slowly.
Quietly.

Do not follow me
to that place.
Where the sky is foreboding,
where no children play,
where the silence oppresses -
and does not let go. “

The Hanging At Town Square

(Originally published on September 15, 2007).

This weekend is the Annual Show of an art organization I belong to, the one that exhibits all visual art media in its shows.

A group of five of us showed up at a cruely early hour on Friday morning. LimaB, FergieJ, NightieR, MembieK and yours truly. Interestingly enough, we are all very active members on my main art society (the one of which I'm president). We greeted each other with yawns, bracing ourselves towards the next several hours.

(It might worth mentioning that as soon as I arrived, I had to run back home... I promised LimaB that I will photograph the award winning artworks, and - as I was beyond tired the whole week, with our floors being installed, I forgot to bring LumiB with me).

For those of you who do not bear the scars caused by the corners of metal frames; whose hands never collected splinters from wooden frames and fingers did not get pinched by stretched wires; you without sore muscles and aching feet from carrying paintings around for hours; if you have never found yourselves sitting down on the floor and bursting into a hysterical laughter that verges on insane despair, sorrounded by dozens of unmatching paintings. For you, I should mention that hanging a show is a major undertaking.

It starts off as one big chaos, mission impossible. It then proceeds towards more chaos, characterized by countless iterations and trial-and-error. Everything needs to work together, color-wise and style-wise. Naturally, it has a lot to do with personal taste, and when 5 different artists are involved - you can imagine the clash of opinions.

All of the above is true for hanging any show. When it comes to an exhibition that involves different media, the challenge gets much, much bigger. We had over 100 artworks to hang: watercolors, photographs, oils, acrylics, collages, even one framed sculpture, with a wide spectrum of styles.

'Daunting' was an understatement for this task!

Gradually, you get exhausted from carrying framed paintings back and forth all over the place, hanging and removing and relocating and hanging again. You become snappy, and you lose any remnant of patience you ever had in you. From time to time, you stop and make a solemn oath that you will never, ever, volunteer to do that again.

And, since everyone gets into their most edgy state-of-being, it is crucial to have a good hanging team. This is not the place for touchy souls to get offended and retreat to pout.

We started in a slow pace, working non-stop for a couple of hours. After successfully reaching the fed-up stage, we made a short coffee break, and reluctantly crawled back to work, admiring the areas that started to work together, and approaching the problematic ones with refreshed energy.

At some point things started falling into place, some sections actually making sense. Eventually, even the most impossible areas got resolved. Pretty much like creating a painting - a very complicated one. Then came that glorious moment when we looked at the show as a whole - and the sense of achievement was so extreme, that we knew we'll be there to do it next time. It looked so damn good - and WE did it!

Once we were done, dead tired and sweaty, I still had to put on my other cap and run to do some errands for "my" art organization. Had to pay HaffeyM for the workshop, and go to the hotel where he stayed to pay his bill. On the way back, I grabbed some finger-food from Trader Joe's for the reception. It was 4:30pm when I finally got home, and the reception was to start at 7pm. I managed to catnap for 15 minutes, took a long shower, put on some artsy outfit, and tried my best to look refreshed and rosy-cheeked for the event.

It was funny to see the hanging group again, all red-eyed like me. The JohnnyB even took a break from devouring the mini-samosas that were served at the reception, in order to announce to FergieJ that the fact w'all still speak to each other means we really are a good team!

Based on past experience, I had pretty much zero expectations for those I invited to attend. The only one who shows up on such occasions is DaskieM, but as her parents are visiting, I figured she won't be able to make it.

"So, why do you keep sending invitations to the others?", you wonder.
Hmm, good question. Excellent, even. I dunno, but I still do it. Call it incurable optimism.

Looking at the silver lining, the beauty in having no expectations is that you can really enjoy the moment. I hung out with The JohnnyB, mingled with the crowd, and was thrilled to meet friends from my main art society. VallieM was there, exhibiting 3 of her breathtaking paintings, and had two friends visit her, HallieH and PrevieJ, whom I adopted as my guests as well. I believe in sharing.

There I was, listening to the speeches by the mayor of the town (oh yes!) and the head of the local Rotary (whom I have almost kicked out of the exhibit hall that very morning, reprimanding him that we are hanging the show and no spectators are allowed... LimaB rushed to his rescue, and I used all my charm to apologize profusely... well, how was I to know?).

I glanced back for a second, and - - - among the many faces, I see the grin of TexieD! He came with his better 95%, and also dragged MistyP and MistyA with him, as well as their lovely daughter, MistyN.

It felt superbly great that they came; hard to explain or describe. They all live about 40 minutes drive, which made their appearance even more special. Apparently, The JohnnyB had a hunch they will show up, as TexieD mentioned the reception to him at work, but he decided to keep it to himself, so in case they do come, it'll be a surprise. And a wonderful surprise it was!!

The talking ended, and then - finally - came the awards ceremony.

I am excited to share with y'all that I got my very first ribbon!!

A nice, yellow ribbon, given to me (yes, with a cheque) as the 3rd place award in the Photography category, for this photo. I took it in Sydney, Australia. Of all the incredible places we've been to during the two months we spent in that fascinating continent three years ago, this alley (whose name is "Nurses Walk") is one of the more memorable locations for me. It was right opposite our hotel in Sydney, and to me, it was the gateway to Australia, as going down these stairs was our way to get to the main street that led to the Opera House and all the other wonders. The judge's commented that 'the descending stairs into the vacant darkness make me think of empty memories' (whaddayamean empty?!??), and that 'it's a poetic photograph'.

Y'know, The JohnnyB kept complaining about me taking so many photographs during that trip (OK, 11,000 might be a bit much, but hey - we saw so many things!!!). And yet - voila! at least one of these photos is now justified, eh?.

In addition, I received the Creative Catalyst Productions award (a company that makes the best art videos and DVDs) for my Global Warming watercolor. This is the second time I am getting an award on a painting done as part of a "Beyond The Obvious" 20-paintings series. Hmm... can it be that MikeyB was right, after all?

Funny thing, awards. I admit I had hopes for the photograph, but I thought that if any of my works would win anything, it would be my self-portrait collage. I guess we always feel this way whenever we do something new and want it to be recognized.
Still, having two artworks out of the three I have entered getting awards - you can imagine I did not need wine to be intoxicated that evening.

After some blinding moments in front of the flashing cameras (Ah, sweet fame...) and some chats with visitors and the other artists, I was dragged out by the very hungry The JohnnyB and TexieD, who have had it. There is only so much art one can handle, I suppose.

"We want to have dinner with an award winning artist", they tried to excuse their chanting bellies.

We went to a fabulous dinner at Gochi, a Japanese Fusion Tapas place, which offered exquisite service and some creative fun dishes. If they only used salt, it would have been even better.

Still, it was a perfect evening, spend with true friends.

Around 11pm, as we were hugging our goodbyes, MistyP did not seem to overcome his devastation that I insisted on paying for dinner.

"But I wanted to do it", he protested. "How can I pay you back now?".

"Ah, buy one of my paintings", I joyfully suggested.

He didn't even blink. "I'll buy your dinner next time!".

ArtPact #27

(Originally published on August 18, 2007).

Actually, not quite an ArtPact. Just sharing what happens when you go back to what you think was a perfectly completed work, looking it again with criticizing eyes, and thinking "Uh Oh! This is sooooooo unfinished!".

This kind of sobering up usually happens when you are just about to enter the painting into a show. And, today is the deadline for entering the annual show of the smaller organization to which I belong. That one is not Watermedia-bounded, so you can enter anything - which means I can enter my very first collage, which I did about 3 months ago.

Now, this show required you to submit photos, which will be juried. If you enter 3, you are guaranteed that at least one of them will be accepted. And, that is my top choice.

I was about to take a photo, but something about the collage kept bothering me. Echoing in my head were the words of RabkieM, LimaB and WackieM (Oh yes, I hear voices!): "You should add line work in your collages!".

I kept refusing to do so, sticking to my one-medium-only purism, but last week I decided that without it, something is indeed missing. Putting the disappointed camera aside, I took a brush, dipped it in acrylic paint, and thoroughly enjoyed adding some finishing touches.

Luckily (if not miraculously), I stopped in time. Looking at what I did, totally loving the result, I was astonished by the difference that a few lines and touches of paint here and there can make. Apparently, being brave enough to take an OK painting one step further beyond safe can improve it significantly. (of course, some times it can totally ruin it... and in art, as in life, there is no undo!).

You be the judge of this slight makeover.

Before:





And after (the title is courtesy of The JohnnyB):

"Bored Meeting", Collage on matboard, 15"x19"

Wish me luck with the juror!

ArtPact #16

(Originally published on May 02, 2007).


. . . actually, not quite an ArtPact, and I am shamelessly stalling here.

But - I have just received my very first recognition on a painting of mine, so I am quite excited.

There's a wonderful company that makes instructional videos and DVDs about art. They are called Creative Catalyst Productions Inc., and have produced some of the very best art videos out there.

I never knew they also hold online art shows. WackieM informed us about it last year, when I took the first portrait class with her, and urged us to post a painting to their 'Portraits' show. I was the only who had the guts to do it, and I posted the first painting of Nitsku).

Their next show had a 'Still Life' theme. Again, on a why-not basis, I posted a painting that I created when I took Paintermon's "Watercolor Beyond The Obvious" class for the first time. The class in which we came up with 20 paintings of the very same still-life (Remember?).

Since I hardly ever do still-life as a subject, and that first series was of a setup of kitchen appliances, I chose one of my favorite paintings from it, and entered it in the show.

A week ago, I looked at their webpage, and saw that my painting, which used to humbly live in the 14th row (they order the paintings alphabetically, by the title), suddenly got upgraded to the second row!
And, it had a small text under my name saying "Honorable Mention".

HOW VERY COOL!!!

I was beyond ecstatic, sent Emails to The JohnnyB, WackieM and DaskieM and another friend (who still does not have a blogname). Three of these good people replied with cheery congratulations, while DaskieM's response took me aback, as her email said in a very lukewarm font, "I am glad you entered a painting in a show. I remember this painting".

Now, that was cold. I mean, out of all people, how can DaskieM, who is one of the more supportive people I've ever met, and always encourages me about my art (except when I use too much purple) is so indifferent to this major achievement of mine?

Trying to find consolation, I looked at the website again - and lo and behold, all the awards have disappeared!
Only the Best of Show was till there. The rest, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd awards, Juror's Choices and Honorable Mentions have evaporated, as if they never existed. So much for fame, Eh?

I was totally confused, wondering if they've changed their minds. I mean, how typical! The first time a painting of mine gets mentioned, on the verge of awarded - and it doesn't even last 24 hours?

And I kept hearing the voice of self-doubt (which sounds just like my mom's...) in my left ear, "They probably found a better painting than yours" . . .

. . . But today, I received an Email informing me that the Winter art show is announced.

And yes,the Honorable Mention is still there, quite intact.
It's not an actual award, but still, having my painting being mentioned in a show that has over 100 submissions, well, I am happy!

You can see the show here, and if you click on my painting there ("Kitchen Scape #6"), you can read my description and the juror's comment.

I guess they haven't found a better painting after all...


WackieM is telling me that I should get some fun art freebie in the mail.
I am hereby awaiting...

ArtPact #14

(Originally published on April 14, 2007).


Well, kinda.

As planned, I spent most of my birthday doing what I like.

My grand sleeping-in idea did not work well, as The JohnnyB felt obliged to wake me before leaving to work, and then some early birds from the holy land decided to call me and disrupt that plan of mine.
Still, one of them was my incredible niece, Lilush, whom you've kinda met through her portraits, who chatted for a while and then put the monosyllable Nitzku on the phone, for a fascinating conversation.

This cheeky kid (2 years old in May) is fluently composing full logical sentences. Only thing, he is limiting himself (and his audience) to one syllable of each word (on rare occasions, he's upgrading to two). Talking to him is serious left-brain challenge, as it's all about deciphering, and it's hysterically funny.

It was the first time for me to talk to him, and I did pretty well, despite my uncontrollable laughter.

He monosyllabled me (in Hebrew, of course) about the pigeon he saw that day, then abbreviated a Lilush-guided "Happy Birthday", then informed me that he did not give the Anguses any hay, and then, on a complete tangent which is so typical to our family, suddenly cheered: "Tafta!!!!" (his version to 'grandma' in Hebrew). His mom and myself transatlantically corrected him that it's not Grandma, but Nava, which he repeated with sheer disappointment, grunted "No Grandma, Nava?!", then assured me - yet again - that he did not give hay to the Anguses, and retired to his business (which - at the time - was dancing in front of the television while wearing a green bowl on his head. Yup, definitely belongs to our family!).

Anyway, once this fun discussion was over, and the non-Tafta-Nava was left to lick my wounded ego, I got up and spent several hours painting tissue paper.

"Why would you do that on your birthday, of all days???? ".

'cause this week, WackieM has demoed how to prepare your own collage paper, and two days later, ShinyR brought an incredible collage which she created with her self-prepared papers - and that was it.

I got hooked.

Went to the art store, spent $50 on liquid acrylics and white tissue paper, and spent 3 hours dyeing 20 sheets of that.

And so, on my birthday, I continued this obsessive quest, and dyed 20 additional sheets, with some more daring colors and some texturing.

It was so much fun, someone should illegalize it.

And, the results:

- One big stain of phthalo blue (one of the most staining pigments) on our backyard cement, which shall forever remain there

- Two shamefully dirty hands and fingernails (as I discovered, those fluid acrylics don't come off easily, despite all the scrubbing).

- Three colorful purplish drips on the carpet in my studio (I hate this carpet anyway)

- Forty sheets of some stunning papers (which this image does not even begin to show in their real glory).

And also, one very, very exhausted - but extremely ecstatic - Nava.

So, that is my ArtPact for today.

Preparing my own pallette of papers, about to start texturing and stamping some of them, and then start using them to assemble paintings.

After I was done cleaning my studio and the backyard and the trail of splashes all over the neighborhood, I did my best to look civil and neat (worked pretty well, as long as I kept my hands hidden...) and went to the reception of our show.

The JohnnyB came later, straight from work.

And - yet again - you didn't come!!

See, I sent an Email invitation to about 40 people, and the only one who bothered to come was DaskieM. She even brought her son, ToughyD, an emerging art critique, who announced the painting by ShinyR to be the best of show, and informed me that he liked one of my paintings there ("April Moon"). As I was basking in the positive feedback of a cynical 8-years old macho dude, he quickly added that he really, totally and utterly didn't like my other painting.
Y'know, I appreciate honesty, but at that moment, between him and The JohnnyB (who joyously exclaimed he doesn't like that painting either), well... I was almost longing for some phony enthusiasm :-)

To our dismay, we were mostly artists at the cafe, hanging around by the fingerfood for 2 hours, waiting for more guests to show up. At least I wasn't the only one gazing at the door with disbelief.

For those of you who did receive an invitation and didn't bother to do anything about it, what can I say (actually, I can say a lot!)... It's a great show, and - come to think of it, it's your miss. Big time. And don't worry, I won't be bothering you again with invitations.

As for DaskieM, you truly made me happy by coming!!! (even if you, too, don't like my second painting in that show :-)

And so, at 7pm, we all left the place, The JohnnyB and I had dinner at Shalimar, a restaurant that always brings tears to my eyes with its excruciatingly spicy yet amazingly tasty food, and I crashed to bed, tired beyond belief.

I did say I wasn't planning on a fancy birthday, Eh?