Color Night for Content Magazine's ContentLAB

Sometimes you only see the surface of things. A book's cover or the shiny objects. When you look at Content Magazine, you see beautiful images and great interviews with South Bay locals and businesses. Their photography is gorgeous, as is the layout and typography. What you don't see is the incredible team behind the magazine. It is run by some of the nicest, most talented folks around here. 

I think you don't realize how much the South Bay needed Content until you remember that we once didn't have this resource. If you look over their blog, follow Content on Instagram, follow Daniel Garcia on Instagram. The magazine highlights all things in the South Bay or up the Peninsula (aka NOT San Francisco). They also run events like ContentLAB, evenings where they combine food and drink, chefs, floral designers, artists and more. 

The setup before guests arrived

That being said, ContentLAB's Color Night turned out to be a super fun and amazing night! I was really impressed with Content's setup from the lighting to the fancy food and drinks. 

Guests starting to arrive. Isn't that red hair gorgeous?

Juan Sanchez from Baunfire marketing agency talking about color theory.

The palms surrounding the patio

Reena Williams, of Kwench juice in Campbell, led a really entertaining juicing demo. This woman had so much charisma, I wanted to march myself down to her shop and make myself a regular customer immediately. 

Photo by Daniel Garcia

Once day turned to night, it was my time to lead the watercolor demo. The folks at Content made a mirror to hang above me so everyone could watch me work. I wore a Janet Jackson microphone headset so that everyone could hear me:)

Discussing watercolor techniques with watercolor examples in the mirror above. Photo credit: Scott MacDonald

Showing examples of my work. Photo credit: Scott MacDonald

Photo credit: Arabela Espinoza

Before I share the gorgeous work everyone made, I thought I'd share the materials we used. You can see I prepared some cards with textures and color theory ahead of time for class. This really helped demonstrate the work. The orb in the upper left corner is an example of what I wanted everyone to make: a world, an orb, a moon. 

Here are the materials to make one: 

• 5x7 watercolor paper (we used Canson paper)
• Winsor and Newton watercolors (Ultramarine Blue, Winsor Blue Green Shade, Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson)
• Brushes (Artist Loft brand combined with my personal collection)
• And to create textures: rubbing alcohol (applied with q-tips), salt, paper towel blotting
• Cups for water and plates for paint palettes (and you can trace the cups to make the circle shape)

Talking with a lovely and happy painter. Photo credit: Scott MacDonald

An artist at work doing a great job blending colors.

Psychedelic worlds. This artist let the colors blend in a controlled way, keeping it bright. 

A gorgeous pink moon. This artist used the rubbing alcohol texture in a really beautiful way.

This one, by Pen and Paper Addict, really blew me away! The control and flow were done so beautifully, as well as the textures with salt and rubbing alcohol. It makes sense of course since she is an amazing calligrapher. 

I wish I could credit all the artists for their beautiful work. If you or someone you know made one of the uncredited images, please let me know who the artist is. 

And I must give a huge shoutout to Kristen and Daniel of the Content team. Working together was amazing! 

Weekend 5/27/16

Art

I'm really excited to see this show. It's been awhile since I've been to an art show with such a strong political statement and this one looks right up my alley. It satirizes capitalism and consumerism in ink. The show opens tonight at Seeing Things Gallery. 

Eating

When I'm not making art I love playing chef. This salad consists of arugula with lots of lemon, cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, canned salmon (with 1/2 an avocado as mayo, champagne vinegar, dill, salt and pepper) and topped with sunflower seeds, fresh parsley, Parmesan and a soft boiled egg. It was insanely good. And of course, olives and cheese.

Growing

Look at this crazy plant. I have had this one for awhile now, but it wasn't until I put it in the ground that it started growing so huge and bloomed this yellow "flower". My garden is blooming all over the place these last couple months.

Listening

This week I listened to the #Girlboss podcast with Miki Agrawal. Damn. This woman is inspiring. If you aren't familiar with #Girlboss, it was a book and is now a movement created by Sophia Amoruso. I think Sophia is a pretty amazing person. Her story starts with being a rebellious young woman (ahem, sounds familiar) who sells vintage clothes on Ebay and moves on to start a fashion empire with Nasty Gal clothing (this is sort of the edited version). You should read the book. Miki Agrawal's interview displays a woman who is unstoppable. Her ideas and passions drive her and she just makes things happen. Also, her desire for social change for women gave me goosebumps. There is some banter in the beginning that you could skip if you just want to go straight to the interview. I guarantee you'll love it. Makes me want to do more with my life.

It isn't for everyone, but I love the Poundcast podcast. It's super funny, like feeling like a teenager again funny. Recent episodes were recorded in a car while on the road and around the campfire. It was really cool to hear them have a conversation with the sound of bugs in the background. The one with Rock and Roll Gary is hilarious. He tells his old band stories around the campfire.

Seeing

I caught this glimpse of my cat on the fence behind the bamboo screen:)

Sketching

This week's SoFA Sketch was so much fun! We were really feeding off each other and plan to meet down in Monterey this summer to sketch. It feels good to help build the local art community. After being on hiatus for 3 months, I am so glad to have SoFA Sketch back. 

Sketching always consists of a combo of me trying to push myself and then drawing my usual old things. Adding the yellow lines behind the plant as well as the dramatic line of the blue tabletop felt a little more exciting, but I do want to push my sketches more and not be so safe. 

Watching

Created for Amadeus Magazine, this short documentary profiles Jen Stark, an LA-based visual artist known for her complex paper sculptures and color drip aesthetic. In the video, Jen highlights some of her recent work, including her collaboration with Miley Cyrus for the MTV Video Music Awards. direction, shooting & editing \\ Matthew Kaundart producing \\ Alex Khatchadourian & Nicki Wong music \\ "Kill Switch" by White Rainbow amadeusmag.com

This is a really great video on Jen Stark. Her playful and cool personality really shows through. I love the toys she shows in her studio. It really proves that your art inspirations start early and stay with you. Last year I assisted Jen with her mural at Facebook, so I like to keep up with her work.

Happy Memorial Day weekend all! I know I'll be working through the long weekend preparing for the SubZero Festival next weekend. 

Future = Present & Signs

It's been awhile since I have rambled on the blog so I thought this cloudy Friday was as good a day as any to do so. This post is a peek into thoughts on the past, present and future of my art. 

A sneak peek at new San Jose totes that will debut at the SubZero Festival

The Present

These last few weeks have been really busy and productive. I have a commission in the queue, I just finished three new tote bag designs, I'm getting ready for May's SoFA Sketch, for June's SubZero Festival (framing, printing) and finishing art for upcoming group shows. Whew. That sounds like a lot when you say it out loud.

A basket of strawberries painted on a postcard for a friend

I also snuck in a strawberry swap with a friend. This entails making a postcard with a strawberry theme and exchanging by mail. By posting it on Instagram, it led to an out-of-state friend messaging me to ask if I would do one with her and of course I said yes. I find it necessary to mix in fun stuff like this with paid work.

The Recent Past

What prompted me to write this post is all the overthinking I've been doing this year. I'll start with how the year has gone so far. I had a couple of art shows in January, then adopted a dog in February and visited Costa Rica for a couple weeks in March. The art shows overwhelmed me (due to the post-Christmas rush), as did the rescue dog who needed time to adjust and get training. The time in Costa Rica, on the other hand, was incredible. I only get to visit that side of my family every four or so years. Spending time with them, exploring achingly beautiful beaches and jungles, along with a marriage proposal made me feel elated for weeks. Still, it left me questioning all things art when I got home. Travel does that to you. You are reminded that the world is bigger than what you know, wonder about your purpose and all sorts of existential thoughts. 

I felt off track during the months of February and March. And it wasn't until maybe early to mid-April that I started feeling momentum again. I was thinking about how making paintings didn't feel "big enough" or "maybe painting isn't relevant" or I have "been there, done that" or "shouldn't I be challenging myself more?" or "should I continue doing portraits?" or "maybe I need a new medium". These kinds of questions ultimately led me to wonder about where I am going with my art. By April, I started realizing all I was doing was giving myself a headache and not getting anything done. I got back to work and have been working better than ever lately. I'm productive, not stressed, prolific and full of ideas. Sometimes you need those blackout periods to get back on track. 

Installation view of my BFA graduate show Mere Existence in 2006 (10 years ago?!). These mixed media room paintings were 6 feet by 4 feet and used graphite, charcoal and inks on a special absorbent surface I made. 

The Further Past

I have been thinking about my artistic past as I get myself into the present. I started with art shows in alternative spaces and galleries. At that time I painted with oils, screen printed and made mixed media work. I moved on to sell art on Etsy, which helped me venture into shipping my art internationally and feel more comfortable with handling commissions. There was also a downside to Etsy. It had me kind of lost and floundering for a few years as I felt I was making work I thought would sell or making small work only because it's easier to ship. Still, it was a good learning experience and taught me how to say no to work I don't want to do and yes to work I do want to do.

We Have Overcomplicated Things - sumi ink, paper, cardboard, chair, light bulb - The Citadel, San Jose, CA, 2014

By This River, Sumi ink, cardboard, color paper and canvas - Espacio de Creación Contemporánea, Cádiz, Spain, 2014

Inside/Out, acrylic on canvas, 4 feet by 6 feet, 2015

When I look back on work that has made me happiest, it is often large. I loved working on my BFA show (pictured above), I loved assisting Jen Stark with her Facebook mural in 2015, I loved assisting artist Darren Waterston with his mural installation at the SJICA in 2006. I loved making the A-Frame paper room installation at The Citadel, the installation at a museum in Spain. I am realizing that I need to continue making larger art and installations. There's a reason why some of the above work is among my favorite. 

A paper A-frame house with my studio window view in Cádiz, Spain

Not that I don't love small work. The 3-inch A-Frame house above is one of my favorite things I've ever made. Not to mention the 100 Day Project artwork, which mostly measured 6 inches or less. That project has had a huge impact on my work in terms of defining themes and colors that mean something to me.

I am also thinking about running themes in my work: interiors, mysterious or comfortable places, nature, blues, water...there's a reason why I am drawn to these things. I don't need to make myself always try new things. It's okay to revisit these.

Homer laying like my art. See below for why I included this photo

The Future = Present & Signs

It has taken me awhile to get to the mindset of the future=present. The less I focus on what is to come, the better everything goes. While it is smart to start designing another calendar for the holiday season now, there is no point in thinking about bigger, longterm goals. As long as the work is coming in, and I say yes to the right opportunities, I think I will go where I need to go.

As I sat with my fiancee over coffee this morning, he told me he had a dream I sold a huge stack of paintings. Curious, I asked him if they were canvas or otherwise. He said they were on wood. I thought this was really interesting since lately I have been wanting to get back to painting on wood and I don't think he knew that. So, I am taking that as a sign and will be painting on wood again in addition to paper.

Lately, I have been digging into old materials and tools from my studio. It's been awesome rediscovering things like my nib pen, different types of paint (gold!) and even materials that suck (I used old varnish without testing it and totally ruined a painting by putting an opaque cloud over my image). This summer I'm going to paint on wood again and use gouache, oil and even try out egg tempera. Egg tempera is something I have never tried, but after listening to a recent Art for Your Ear podcast interview with Joël Penkman it reminded me that back in 2006 an MFA student thought that I used egg tempera for my BFA show (pictured above). I also love that egg tempera is natural (you mix pigment with egg yolk). I am often thinking about how I can be more environmentally-friendly with my art materials. By paying attention, you start seeing signs point in a certain direction.

This brings me to the photo of my dog Homer above. He was laying on my sketchbook page. I had this page open on the floor because I wanted to remind myself that I like the way I sketched this couple. Then I saw that his legs were positioned very similarly to the man in the drawing. These kinds of meaningful coincidences or synchronicity are what I live for. I think when you stay present and keep your mind and senses open, you can make these connections. With the photo of Homer, it caused me to laugh (humor is equal to artistic insight in my book). With the case of egg tempera, I'll be trying a medium I have never tried before.

When I think of my favorite artists, past and present, they do a variety of creative work: book publishing, installations, fine art, design work, commissions. I love that I can make tote bags, original art for a gallery , a personal commission or a wedding invitation. I don't need to be limited by one material or type of work. I don't need to worry about being a commercial vs. fine artist. I can do it all. 

Weekend 5/13/2016

Mountains

Experimenting

Blue and gold, ah the colors of the university I graduated from, the colors of the Warriors and the color scheme I am into painting lately. The first painting is a sort of unintentional compass. I knew I wanted to use a variety of shades of blue and add gold. I started with the circle and kept adding freehand lines. The second painting started with a sky and then I decided to add gold mountains. I loved the purplish shadows over the gold. I definitely want to try that again, where the gold is the background of the gouache. 

Airplants

I also painted this little group of airplants. I love how intuitive this week's art making feels. I had this not-so-exciting sketchbook page with a little writing in the corner. I then thought I would paint over it with Payne's Gray and made several other blocks of gray. I sort of thought over what to paint, thinking that white would look good and maybe I could paint several objects. My eyes drifted over to my airplant, which I thought desperately needed to be watered and voila!, I decided to paint a page of airplants. 

Listening

I heard a great interview with Geoff McFetridge on the Occasionally Awesome podcast. I'm often really interested in artists who do design work mixed in with fine art such as Maira Kalman, Nathaniel Russell, Karen Barbour and Geoff McFetridge. I love the idea of making books, illustrating for the NY Times and making original art, all as one career. 

By listening to the Art for Your Ear podcast, I recently discovered the work of Brooks Salzwedel. He does layers of nature so well. Those misty mountains sure are pretty, aren't they?

Reading

I found this article, Why Boredom is Good for Your Creativity.  It's a good reminder that we have so little down time to let our minds wander and that could be hindering creativity. We no longer wait in line bored, but entertained by our phones. I try to not look at my phone in every spare moment. I think it's unhealthy. I think we need to stare off into space and people watch. 

In the last Weekend post, I referred to an article about the changing Bay Area. This week, I read this article, Resisting Erasure in San Jose's Silicon Valley. It's sad to see the changes and see people leave this crowded, expensive valley. I honestly don't think I could live here anymore if my fiancee didn't already own a house (bought when the market was really low). Concerning art and San Jose's reputation, I do think one thing San Jose could do is treat itself seriously and then everyone else will follow. We have so many amazing creative people here. 

Tim Lierman

Seeing

Tim Lierman's show at Seeing Things Gallery. I have to say I think Tim Lierman is one of the best artists you probably haven't heard of. He seems to keep a low-key profile around San Jose, but he is an incredible sign maker, painter and filmmaker. This show of his paintings will be up for the month. 

Watching

I'm pretty much obsessed with documentaries. Especially ones that relate to nature and this planet. This week, I watched Life After Chernobyl. Ever since I saw the first collection of The Vice Guide to Travel I have been interested in this strange place. It amazes me to see the effects of radiation destroying, yet animals are also adapting to the environment. Trees aren't decaying because of how the decomposers have been affected. You should really watch this. 

At the end of the day, I have been watching The Office. I loved the show at the time, but watching it again, it really does have so many good subtle jokes. It's a great way for me to "clock out" and stop thinking about art. 

Until next week...

Weekend 4/22/2016

It has been an interesting last few weeks (months??). Lots of changes and new things happening. Last month, I visited family in Costa Rica, visited new towns and beaches I had not been to and I only sketched once (what you see above while on the bus). I expected to sketch multiple times a day, sharing the work I made. I didn't do that. When I realized that I was not drawing much, I told myself to just absorb my surroundings and work when I get back. On the trip I also got engaged. When I returned, I felt both elated and about my personal life and somewhat unenthusiastic about my art. Prior to leaving, I had this similar dissatisfied feeling with my art. I hoped a vacation would bring on some massive inspiration, but sometimes when you travel your perspective changes so much that you don't know what to do with yourself when you come back. I know as an you need to go through these phases now and again. You should never be 100% satisfied with the work you make, you should always evolve, you shouldn't keep making the same old same old. Still, I can't wait to get through this weird phase.

Puerto Viejo

When I got back, I painted the above painting for a show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. It was definitely inspired by my trip, so I felt some of the guilt go away for not drawing or painting in Costa Rica. Still, I have not been quite as productive this last month. 

The 100 Day Project from last year was really fun and I'm contemplating doing it again this year. Or maybe I shouldn't repeat something I've already done? In the last couple of years my work has been more sketchy, small and using watercolor, ink and gouache. I think I'm ready for, I don't know, important work? Bigger work?  Different media? Stronger imagery? I guess this is an incubating period where some of these stewing ideas will start to form into lucid work soon. Hopefully.

Right now I am working out ideas for the San Jose tote bags I am designing, working toward two upcoming group shows at the Scott Ellsworth Gallery in San Francisco and Empire Seven Studios in San Jose and getting ready for the SubZERO Festival in San Jose. After being minimal with art making in the last month I am excited to work toward these projects. The tote bag designs are looking awesome and I hope you all love them when I launch them later this month.

Ok, enough of this and onto the other stuff. 

Beaching

How can you not love this face?

We went to the beach in Pacifica a couple weekends ago for a good friend's birthday. It was literally the most perfect weather. About 75 degrees. As you can see, Homer loves the beach. We've had him for about 3 months now and it's amazing to see how much more comfortable he is. 

A change of scenery from the last few photos. Last weekend I went to Tahoe with my sister and mom. It magically snowed in the middle of our trip. I had not seen snow fall since, I don't know, my early 20's? It was so, so beautiful. 

Building

We put together this fire pit in the yard. I'm soooo into it. It will be perfect to sit out here and pretend I'm camping between camping trips this summer. We are working toward making this backyard feel like paradise, rather than feel like it's on a busy street with neighbors.

Growing

I swear this photo has not been edited. The flowers are that pink.

My cactus finally bloomed this week. The flowers are a pretty psychedelic pink. I think I need to make it my mission to get to the desert in the spring and see miles of this. 

Listening

The musician and visual artist John Lurie was on Marc Maron recently. There's a certain group of artists that I just love. John Lurie, Jim Jarmusch, Nick Cave, Tom Waits. Classic cool dudes. A lot of them will act, perform, make art. All around creative people growing up in the same scene. 

If you know me, you know I love a good rebel. Listening to this week's Radiolab episode was really inspiring and also a bit frustrating to listen to. The subject was Surya Bonaly the black French figure skater. I vaguely remember her skating and as a kid, did not realize the prejudice she went through in her career. Even if you don't care for figure skating, it's a must-listen.

Reading

While I have been unsubscribing to many newsletters for the sake of my sanity, I continue to subscribe to some awesome ones. One of my favorites is Sights, Sounds, Stories by Shona Sanzgiri. He's not trying to sell me anything, but tells interesting stories and takes great pictures of the places he travels to. 

This is a pretty interesting article from the perspective of a former Bay Area resident. I have seen so many changes around here that I can't keep up. Our working class neighborhood has seen many newcomers. Recently, I've even seen a $100,000 Porsche and two Ferrari's at the local coffee shop (on different days). It's surreal. There is so much money in the Bay Area right now. For some. For others, they have to move back home or struggle to pay rent. It's like the Wild West out here. 

Seeing

Last Friday I stopped by Seeing Things Gallery for a really great show called Hungry Eyes. It featured the work of Todd Bratrud, Tim Kerr, Russ Pope, Andrew Pommier and Nathaniel Russell. I love the simple directness of these artists, especially Russ Pope and Nathaniel Russell. The first two images are by Russell, the next two by Pope and the Coltrane painting is by Kerr. Keep in mind that all of these are on large pieces of paper so the scale makes a great impact. 

Visiting

I brought my friend and her daughter to visit the Jumbo Jibbles studio. Amy Brown, the owner, makes large plush vegetables and fruit amongst other really cool things. To visit her studio is to go inside her awesome brain.

Watching

I've been watching the Viceland channel since it launched. I found one of the shows, State of Undress, to be really good so far. On a side note, the host, Hailey Gates, is going to be in the new Twin Peaks series. The episode in Pakistan gave me a new perspective of the country. I'm looking forward to new episodes. 

Have a great weekend:)