The Mendo Voice

Mendocino Art Center Announces Member Artist Awards

Mike — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:17:00 -0800

Catherine Evans' acrylic/multi-media work, "Ancestors," was
awarded first prize out of over 170 entries in the Mendocino Art
Center's "Members' Juried Exhibit."

The Mendocino Art Center has announced awards for the current "Members' Juried Exhibit," which will remain on display through February 23, in the Main Gallery. The Art Center's contributing members submitted over 170 pieces of artwork for consideration, with 60 selected for exhibition.

First prize was bestowed on Catherine Evans for her acrylic/multi-media work, "Ancestors." Second prize was awarded to Milo Needles for his acrylic painting, "Exposing Her Salmon." Nan Noeau was honored with third prize for her clay work, "The Earth Our Mother."

In addition, five honorable mentions were awarded: Karen Bowers, "Family Outing at Navarro Beach," watercolor/watercolor pencil; Nancy Collins, "Parasole," watercolor; Janis Gavin, "Woman with a Cocked Foot," stoneware figure; Eleanor Harvey, "My Favorite Road," colored pencil; and Suzi Marquess Long, "Small Craft Warning," pastel. A People's Choice Award was presented to Jim Vickery, "Au Pear," oil on board.

Each year the competitive juried selection process leads to an exceptionally creative, high quality, and much-anticipated gallery showing, featuring the finest works created by the Art Center's contributors over the last year, including paintings, ceramics, sculpture, collage, wearable art and photography. Mendocino area artists and Mendocino Art Center instructors Dale Moyer and Susan Louise Moyer juried the show.

Other current Art Center exhibits include photography by Allan Droyan and Peter Dobbins of the Rural Murals Project in the Abramson Gallery; "Water Towers of Mendocino," with multi-media artwork, in Gallery Ten; and a multi-media Artists in Residence Exhibit, "Come and Get It," featuring ceramic guerillas, sushi vessels, bronze goddesses, and more, in the Nichols Gallery.

2nd Saturday Artists Reception
The next 2nd Saturday Artists Reception will be held Saturday, February 9, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the Mendocino Art Center. The free reception offers guests the opportunity to meet and mingle with the featured gallery artists, while enjoying food, wine, fabulous artwork and live music.

The galleries and gift shop are open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

"The Artists of the Mendocino Coast" Book Signing at the Mendocino Art Center

Mike — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:30:00 -0800

In a gathering constituting a veritable who's who of Mendocino area artists, the Mendocino Art Center will host the artists featured in local photographer Larry Wagner's beautiful photography book, "The Artists of the Mendocino Coast," for a group signing and party, Sunday, January 20, at 5:00 p.m. Many of the 77 distinguished artists will be on hand to sign copies of the recently released book for a small donation to the Mendocino Art Center. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will also be available.

Those who already own a book may have their books signed for a $5 per copy donation to the Mendocino Art Center. The books are available for purchase at the Mendocino Art Center and those buying a book the day of the event will be able to have their copies signed at no charge.

Larry Wagner describes photographing the area's finest artists "to be one of the most enjoyable projects of my career. The artists' openness, creativity and willingness to work with me in capturing an important aspect of each of their personas made every session unique and rewarding. This book is intended to communicate the richness and diversity of the talent of our painters, jewelers, ceramicists, sculptors, photographers and weavers who thrive in the stimulating environment of the beautiful Mendocino coast."

Visit Wagner's web site to see a preview of "The Artists of the Mendocino Coast." For more information on the book signing event, please call 707-937-5818. The Mendocino Art Center is located at 45200 Little Lake Street (at Kasten Street) in Mendocino Village.

MAC Seeking Entries for Marine Wildlife Exhibit

Mike — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:08:00 -0800

The Mendocino Art Center is now accepting applications from marine wildlife artists for the Fifth Annual Marine Wildlife Exhibit. The multi-media juried gallery showing is scheduled for February 27 through March 29, 2008, and will be juried by Christiaan "Dutch" Mostert, an internationally recognized marine watercolor artist.

Mendocino Art Center is seeking original artwork from local, national and international artists in a variety of media, including oil, acrylic, pastel, water media, drawings, three-dimensional works and limited edition photography. A $500 cash prize will be awarded for the "Best in Show," and first place winners in each category will be awarded limited edition bronze marine wildlife-themed medals.

The deadline for submitting a completed entry form and color slides, photographs or digital images of artwork is Friday, February 1. There is a $10 jury fee per entry and applicants may submit up to three pieces of original artwork. Accepted artwork must be shipped to the Mendocino Art Center by Friday, February 22, or hand delivered on Sunday, February 24.

Coos Bay, OR, area resident Christiaan “Dutch” Mostert, a member of the prestigious American Society of Marine Artists, has enjoyed a successful career as a professional artist. Painting with transparent watercolor, his work reflects, with striking realism, the everyday scenes of life around the waterways of the Northwest United States. Born in Holland, the son of an artist father, the young painter’s early visual impressions were influenced by ships and barges working the canals and waterways in his European hometown.

For an application form, please call the Mendocino Art Center at 707-937-5818 (toll free 1-800-653-3328) or download a printable PDF.

John Fisher Update

Molly — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:06:00 -0800

For those of you tracking John Fisher, after completing the Three Ages of Woman for the Art Center, John traveled to Yucca Valley, California to create a marble sculpture for the local arts council. He was given the theme, people helping people, and titled the sculpture, Together We Can.

"I had a great time," he writes, "I was hosted by Eric Mueller and the Water Canyon, the local coffee shop where there was live music every night of the week. The township and the local Arts Council were thrilled with the sculpture which is being temporarily kept in the county library."

Together We Can

For a larger image visit our fisher webpages

Holiday Shopping at the Mendocino Art Center

Mike — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:10:00 -0800

THANKSGIVING ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR
Saturday & Sunday, November 23 & 24, 10 am - 5 pm

In what has become a north coast tradition, over Thanksgiving weekend the Mendocino Art Center transforms its galleries and workshop studios into a two-day holiday marketplace, providing a pleasant alternative to hectic and stressful mall shopping. Over 40 Northern California juried artists and craftspeople will showcase a wide array of quality, handmade original artwork, including glass works, jewelry, paintings, photography, ceramics, sculptural work, wearable fiber art, local art books and more.

The fair will also include a food court serving an assortment of yummy items, a selection of Mendocino County beer and wine, a special recipe mulled wine, and Jennie Zacha's traditional blackberry sundaes.

And, after Thanksgiving weekend, the Art Center's Gallery Shop will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 am - 5 pm. The Gallery Shop features locally handcrafted inventory and consignment art from dozens of accomplished Northern California artists. Visit our Gallery Shop page for a sampling of great gift ideas.

A Literary Moment

Molly — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:30:00 -0800

Please come out next Wednesday, November 14th at 6 pm and hear the Good Words of the Mendocino Coast Writers community. We'll be at the Fort Bragg Library.

I'm taking advantage of my position as the webmistress and blogger-in-chief to invite friends and supporters of the Mendocino Art Center to come out in support of the literary arts this coming Wednesday. The literary arts are one of the few forms of artistic expression that have little representation at the Art Center, but being a writer, I hope that will change in the not too distant future. The Mendocino Arts magazine, of course, reflects the power of a well-turned phrase, but I'm hoping that eventually the Art Center will engage the literary arts with the same professional intensity they do the visual arts.

The Mendocino Coast is remarkable for many reasons, one of which is the great number of truly talented artists who make this region their home, and that's as true for writers as well. There's a well-established community that hosts the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference every summer and meets regularly throughout the rest of the year to sharpen their craft. This merry band of authors is led by the intrepid and brilliant novelist Charlotte Gullick, the Director of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference. We are the folks who will be reading at Good Words this coming Wednesday—I say "we," because I will be there. I'll be reading a very brief excerpt from my soon to be published, first novel, Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein. A lot of other charming, funny, brilliant and entertaining writers will be there too. So we hope you'll come out and lend your support. The venue is small, the evening informal and the words.... well, they're Good.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mendocino Coast poet, Barbara MacKay, who just had a poem accepted into the Look of Love literary exhibit being sponsored by the Northwest Cultural Council of Bloomington, Illinois. Barbara will be reading at Good Words. Her winning poem was called, If I Could.

If I Could

I would choose to be a stowaway
on a tramp steamer going anywhere.
I would travel everywhere around the globe
stopping at this or that port, here and there.

My horizon would be unlimited, as vast
as the universe, and I would visit each star,
the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn,
to you I would never return.

But oh my love you hold me tight and fast.
I am becalmed as is the fly in a spiders nest.
You are my universe, my sun, my moon,
so I hug the shore and give up all the rest.

—Barbara MacKay

Hope to see you there: Wednesday, November 14, 6-8pm,
The Fort Bragg Library, 499 Laurel Street, Fort Bragg.

Escape the Winter Doldrums with an Art Workshop

Mike — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:31:00 -0800

As the temperatures cool and the skies turn gray on the Mendocino Coast, the Mendocino Art Center has scheduled 20 fun-filled, creative workshops and open studios to warm up any blustery winter weekend or brighten any dark, foggy evening. One-day, two-day and weekly courses in ceramics, digital arts, fine art, jewelry and textiles, as well as young artist activities, begin December 1 and run through mid-March.

Adult workshops include clay throwing on the wheel, hand built ceramics, Internet basics, Photoshop, painting in soft pastels, Valentine book arts, jewelry stone setting, weaving, dyeing and paper sculpture with mushrooms, and silk painting, as well as many other activities. Seven on-going, low cost open studies will continue through the winter months on a drop-in basis. Learn or sharpen your skills in digital camera and basic photoshop, watercolor, figure drawing, surface design, jewelry fabrication, sculpture and figurative sculpture.

Girls, five to 11, and any mothers who would like to join, will enjoy "The Magical Tea Party," Sunday, January 20, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Participants will set up a tearoom and dress up in costumes, masks, painted faces and fancy hats for a magical tea party.

Discount Program for Mendocino County Residents
All Mendocino County residents who are also Art Center members are eligible for the local stand-by enrollment program. A $25 deposit on any workshop will reserve space on a stand-by basis. If space is available two weeks before the workshop begins, registration will be confirmed at 50 percent of the regular rate. The deposit is refundable if the class fills.

Visit the winter workshops page for a complete schedule and course descriptions or call 707-937-5818 (toll free 1-800-653-3328) to request a free winter workshop catalog.

Emergency Funds Needed

Molly — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 12:27:00 -0700

ECONOMIC REALITIES – Emergency Funds Needed
A Word from Executive Director Peggy Templer

Please help us ride out these trying times. The economy is not healthy, and the Mendocino Art Center has certainly felt the fallout from the fact that we live in financially discouraging times. WE NEED YOU, MORE THAN EVER. People are not traveling as much, not spending as much money on recreational and luxury items. They don’t have the same amounts of discretionary time and money that they have had in years past. The result, for the Mendocino Art Center and many comparable organizations, is less revenue from tuition, from art sales, and from lodging. People are also behaving differently: not making long range plans, deciding things on the spur of the moment, signing up and then dropping out in record numbers. All of this makes life very challenging for us.

There are other challenges as well. There has been a real proliferation of non-profit organizations on the Mendocino Coast, all competing for the same donor dollars. Grants have become very difficult to get; we are “outside the geographical funding area” for many grantors, and foundations that formerly gave grants to small organizations are now opting to grant to larger umbrella organizations instead, such as the Community Foundation. Finally, as an arts organization we have an especially difficult task. There is a very high “feel good quotient” when giving to organizations that help the needy (Habitat for Humanity), help the sick (Hospital Foundation), help animals (the Humane Society), help the environment (Mendocino Land Trust), help children (Mendocino Children’s Fund); there seems to be less of that feel good sensation when donating to arts organizations. If any of you are feeling that way, I suggest you come by and watch any of the 1,000+ schoolchildren who come here for free art instruction, or watch what goes on in our workshops for adults, as students experience inspiration and find their creative passions. It quickly becomes obvious how important “art” is to the overall well being of young, old, and everyone in between.

A rule of thumb for non-profits is that 50% of budgeted revenue should come from donations. As of the end of August, donations and memberships accounted for just 5% of our revenue (straight donations were only 1.9%). The Art Center cannot sustain itself with those types of figures. WE NEED YOU, MORE THAN EVER. Please consider a donation or a membership. If you have donated before, or are a current member, please consider giving at a higher level. Please help us ride out these trying times. We appreciate in advance your recognition of the importance of the arts to our children, and to our society, culture, and community.

Click here to make an online donation

Thanks to all who supported the Fisher Sculpture Project

Mike — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:56:00 -0700

With the recent unveiling of world-renowned sculptor John Fisher's exquisite public sculpture, "The Three Ages of Woman," we would like to thank the many people who contributed to the success of this monumental project.

We are immensely grateful to John Fisher, who over an 11-week period worked tirelessly, six to seven days each week, sculpting and carving, while enriching our lives and sharing his creative gifts with all who came to watch, including nearly 300 captivated Mendocino County school children he hosted for question and answer sessions.

The project would not have been possible without the dedication of a number of volunteers who "sat the rock" greeting visitors, including Project Manager Liliana Cunha, Volunteer Coordinator Marty Roderick and docent mainstays Molly Dwyer, Dale Gaynor, Sandy Oppenheimer, and Pat and Richard Jones. We also would like to express our appreciation for support received from our sponsors River Rock Casino, Coppola Vineyards, Goldeneye Winery, and Jeff and Joan Stanford; Gala Dinner and Dance performers, the Brown Brothers Blues Band; wine donations from Whaler Vineyards and Charlie Tomka; and food donations from Harvest Market.

And, finally, we would like to thank you, the Mendocino Coast community. Many of you came out and watched John work – some of you returning again and again – inspired by this unique opportunity to witness the creative process first hand. We appreciate your donations to the sculpture project, which has served as a fundraising catalyst for the Art Center's Building Renovation Project to rebuild campus structures.

— The Mendocino Art Center Board of Directors and Staff

Congratulations to John Fisher for Art Champion Award

Molly — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:33:00 -0700

Last week the Arts Council of Mendocino County announced the winners of the 5th Annual Art Champion Awards as part of the local observance of National Arts and Humanities Month.

The recipients of the 2007 Mendocino County Art Champion Awards were: John Fisher in the category of Artist; Robert Rhoades in the category of Individual Patron; The Willits Nickel and Dime in the category of Business; and the Tree of Life Charter School in the category of Education. Nominations for the Art Champion awards were received from members of the community and the winners were selected by the Board of Directors of the Arts Council of Mendocino County.

They said the following about John Fisher:

Fort Bragg artist John Fisher is being honored for his artistic excellence and commitment to community. During the Summer of 2007, Fisher worked nearly every day in full view of the public on the grounds of the Mendocino Art Center creating a monumental sculpture from a ten-ton block of limestone. By carving on-site, Fisher provided the public with a rare chance to see the creative process at play. He greeted everyone who stopped by the work site with a friendly hello, and regularly engaged in educational and philosophical discussions about carving, marble, art history, and Italy (where he lived for 20 years) and its quarries. A community member who nominated Fisher for this award described her experience as “truly inspired and grateful for not only the beautiful sculpture and John’s artistic vision, but his generosity of spirit.” Fisher will donate one half of the proceeds of the sale of his sculpture to the Mendocino Art Center’s Building Renovation Project.

John Stewart Weighs in on the Authentic Art Controversy

Molly — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:10:00 -0700

If you're wondering where John Stewart is coming from in this bit, a number of paintings surfaced last year that might or might not be previously unknown works by Jackson Pollock.

The question of whether they are authentic and just how to determine their authenticity has been a hot topic in the art world, inspiring among other things a documentary called, Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? which is getting coverage in the latest issue of the New Yorker. Here's an excerpt:

The art world, we keep hearing, is in a fine mess, awash in money and bereft of direction, and a recent documentary, “Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?,” seems to prove the point. In it, a retired truck driver in California named Teri Horton buys what she considers to be an ugly painting as a gag gift for five dollars at a thrift store, is later told that it looks like a Jackson Pollock (the title refers to her initial reaction), and then struggles to convince anyone who matters that it could be the real thing. The film pits old-fashioned art authenticators (Thomas Hoving, the former Met director, runs his fingers over the painting before declaring, “It’s dead on arrival”) against a forensic scientist in Montreal, Peter Paul Biro, who finds what he believes to be Pollock’s paint-stained fingerprints on the back of the canvas.

The controversy has also been covered in The New York Times

Mind Over Splatter
... Richard Taylor, a physics professor retained by the Krasner Foundation to subject six of the paintings to computer-assisted analysis, discovered that the paintings may well be fakes — at least, the drips lack Pollock's characteristic geometric pattern. The collection's owner disputes that this finding is conclusive.

At the heart of the controversy lie critical questions about artistic meaning and value that have vexed literary scholars no less than art historians...

"What matter who's speaking?" asked Michel Foucault, quoting Samuel Beckett.

What matter whose painting? The implied answer — no matter at all — takes for granted that cultural artifacts are symptomatic of the society that produced them.
The critic's job, then, is to assess the product on its own merits, quite apart from the artist's name or reputation. If "Hamlet" had been written by Christopher Marlowe or Edward de Vere, not by William Shakespeare, would the text therefore be less great? Perhaps not, but we would think of it in a different way...

At stake in such attributional debates is a question of methodology: how can experts tell the difference between the real thing and an imitation? If the qualitative judgment of Pollock or Shakespeare scholars differs from quantitative analysis of a computer-assisted study, whose verdict will carry the day? That Richard Taylor's analysis can inform us of patterns generated by Pollock much of the time provides no guarantee that Pollock reproduced those patterns all of the time.

And here's an excerpt from a recently posted article on the Blog, Raise the Hammer that seems to adds to the question of whether a computer is better than a human at analyzing artistic ownership. (The whole post is worth a read.) This bit comes close to the end:

Stan Brakhage, the experimental filmmaker, tells a story of being in Pollock's studio in the late 40s with a bunch of composers who were discussing the use of "chance elements" in their music and how Pollock was doing something similar in painting.

Pollock, not the most articulate man, was getting visibly angry at this talk and finally said: "Do you see that doorknob?"

According to Brakhage the door was between 20 and 30 feet away. He dipped his stick in an open pot of paint, hurled it across the room and it hit smack in the middle of the doorknob and then he said: "That's what I think of chance. Now use it!"

Whether you like the paintings or not, Pollock knew where the paint was going and what it would look like when it got there.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about seeing Ed Harris play Jackson Pollock in the film Pollock, which Harris spent close to ten years researching. He not only studied Pollock, he learned to paint, and ultimately directed the film. Harris created a striking portrait of a man whose ghost is most likely enjoying all the hubbub over whether it's a "real" Jackson Pollock. Again from the NY Times:

Meanwhile, Jackson Pollock may be chuckling in his grave: if the object of Abstract Expressionist work is to embody the rebellious, the anarchic, the highly idiosyncratic — if we embrace Pollock's work for its anti-figurative aesthetic — may faux-Pollock not be quintessential Pollock? May not a Pollock forgery that passes for authentic be the best Pollock of all?

Right Brain? Left Brain? Perception Changes

Molly — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:46:00 -0700

Is the dancer turning clockwise or counter-clockwise?

When I first looked at this, I couldn't believe that it was possible for the image to move in both directions, but it does. I was finally able, by focusing on the shadow of the dancer's foot, to get the rotation to shift to its opposite.

If you're seeing the dancer rotate clockwise, your right brain is dominate. If the dancer is turning counter-clockwise, your left brain is dominate. According to the Australia's Herald Sun, where the image comes from, "most of us" will see the dancer spinning counter-clockwise. My suspicion is that most of the people who visit this blog will actually see the dancer spinning clockwise, because artists and art lovers tend to use their right brain more fully than "average."

The Herald Sun lists the difference in brain function as follows:

LEFT BRAIN
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Perhaps the key is to be able to shift between both perceptions, to let each hemisphere have its day. A couple of other bits worth noting, when you drive, you're dependent on right brain functions, that's what allows you to essentially multi-task, watching behind you, in front of you and all around you while you operate a vehicle that's flying along at 60 or 70 miles per hour. Another thing worth noting is that Western culture, and particularly contemporary American culture tend to give value to left brain functions over right brain functions, when, in fact, the universe, creativity and sustainability, value both equally.

Guest Editorial by Art Center Director, Peggy Templer

Molly — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:30:00 -0700

IS IT ART OR IS IT A STRUCTURE?

The Mendocino Art Center recently ran afoul of the Mendocino Historical Review Board over the issue of a ceramic mosaic sculpture installed on the Art Center grounds as a portal, inviting visitors to come onto the grounds. The sculpture includes the words “Mendocino Art Center” in the arched part of the portal.

The sculpture was created by Art Center students under the supervision of world renowned sculptor Donna Billick, whose special field is large, public artwork. Ms. Billick and her students set out to create a sculpture, not a sign or a structure. Once the sculpture was installed, it was red tagged because it lacked the proper permits required for a structure or a sign.

A handful of very vocal opponents of the portal accused the Art Center of being elitist – of not “playing by the rules” that everyone else in the village is required to play by. This is unfair. There was never any attempt on the part of the Art Center to circumvent or ignore existing laws. We found nothing in the Mendocino town plan, or in the county or MHRB guidelines, which addressed the issue of artwork, which seems a serious oversight in a community whose very existence today is based on art. Lacking any such terminology, the MHRB was forced to make the portal sculpture fit a category which WAS identified in their guidelines: i.e., it had to be either a sign or a structure, since the category “artwork” did not exist. Our view is that the lack of specific guidelines for artwork could be construed to mean that the government has no jurisdiction over art. Certainly this is a conclusion that has been reached in other communities, in which the display of artwork on private property is not regulated by local ordinances.

By the time this editorial is in print, the issue of the Art Center portal will probably have been determined. But the bigger issues remain: how much jurisdiction should local government have over the creation, display and installation of artwork on private property? In particular, how much, if any, jurisdiction should a local agency such as the historical review board have over the creation and display of artwork on the grounds of an institution which was formed for that sole purpose? These are questions which the Art Center has the right to ask. A non-profit Art Center is not a shoe store or a real estate office – it IS something very different, and questions regarding how local ordinances apply are relevant.

—Peggy Templer

Update on John Fisher Project

Molly — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:51:00 -0700

Ms. Mertle's First Graders from Redwood Elementry School, Fort Bragg

Check out the final Fisher Project slide show

Last Wednesday was busy day for the John Fisher Project. John was visited by three different grade school classes. Now that school is back in session, Mendocino Art Center's Youth Artist Program is in full gear. The kids were wonderful, so wide-eyed and full of questions, so curious about how art happens.

John was also instructing a figurative sculpture workshop last week. There are ten or eleven adults onsite now, next to the sculpture—students of art, working with small blocks of stone, engaged in a serious effort to learn more about the art of figurative sculpture. You can check out the slide show on the class here.

If you haven't been by lately, or even if you have, it's really an exciting time for a visit. The energy is high, the workshop students are fully engaged and you're likely to hear John providing instruction. And the kids, who will be coming by throughout the rest of September, are charming and eager and fun to watch.

We'd also like to invite everyone to join us for the final gala unveiling of the sculpture next weekend.

JOHN FISHER SCULPTURE PROJECT GALA DINNER & DANCE
Saturday, September 29, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, $37.50 per person
Featuring Brown Brothers Blues Band

500 Years of Women in Western Art

Molly — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:28:00 -0700

I found this video on YouTube and thought it was well done and quite interesting. It was created by Philip Scott Johnson of St. Louis. The only website I find for him is this MySpace site. Make sure you have your sound turned on when you watch it. The music is Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 performed by Yo-Yo Ma. And for a complete listing of all the original art, go to this website.

Decoding da Vinci Again

Molly — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 18:41:00 -0700

FLORENCE, Italy. The decoding of Leonardo da Vinci’s art is in the news again. Real life researchers at the University of Florence have been pouring over one of da Vinci’s paintings, not in search of hidden esoteric messages, but rather to learn more about his technique.

Using a nuclear accelerator device that launches particles at high speed, da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder—one of his oil masterpieces—was bombarded with a narrow beam of ions that identified virtually every stroke the Renaissance master made.

"For the first time we have managed to reconstruct his work step by step, as if watching him while he painted," explains Cecilia Frosinini, an art historian at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure restoration lab in Florence. "We were able to examine as never before the layers of color, their thickness and how they were placed on the canvas."

The high tech analysis revealed that Leonardo did not mix colors on a painter's palette like his contemporaries, but rather mixed his colors directly on the canvas, applying thin layers of differently colored paint one on top of the other, creating a rich texture and an almost three dimensional effect.

According to Alessandro Vezzosi, director of the Museo Ideale in the Tuscan town of Vinci, where da Vinci was born, the research did little more than confirm, “from a scientific point of view, what scholars had already long known."

In his notes, da Vinci identified his painting technique as sfumato—from fumo, Italian for smoke. "Light and shade should blend without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke," he wrote.

"Color dilution was very important for Leonardo,” Vezzosi notes. “He put a lot of effort in preparing the colors, so he did not have to mix them on the palette. Often, he did not use the brush either. He applied the thin layer of colors using his thumb. He used this technique often in his later work, especially on the Mona Lisa."

da Vinci’s Madonna of the Yarnwinder

John Fisher Project: Getting Gorgeous

Molly — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:40:00 -0700

The Three Ages of Woman

Last week, as John Fisher began to carve the finer detail of his mother maiden figure, he talked excitedly about the nature of his relationship to the beautiful woman he was calling out of the stone. Listening, it was clear that for John, it was a moment of intimacy and charm, as if he were meeting a new love, beginning a relationship every bit as real and alive as those he cultivates with his human companions. Everyone who happened by that day seemed to feel the excitement: life was coming into focus. An enduring character, who would outlive us all, was emerging from the stone as if she'd been there for thousands of years, waiting patiently to be coaxed into being. The moment felt mythic. We were seeing the capacity of a human being to create rather than destroy, to bring forth beauty. John Fisher was embodying that remarkable, ancient dimension of human nature that is truly noble. John has spoken often of how humbling it is to be able to create in the way he does. I believe those of us who had the privilege of watching him in action that morning, understood that John isn't being falsely modest when he speaks this way. He is speaking truth, acknowledging his own awe, his respect for the dimension of creativity that connects us to something bigger than ourselves, to every artist who has gone before, and to Spirit and the Divine. There is always mystery in the conception and expression of life, and life can take many forms, including those that emerge and endure as art, becoming part of the collective experience of our species.

John will be sculpting through September 29th and everyday the images are getting more distinct, more detailed, more beautiful. If you haven't been by in awhile, you owe it to yourself to make the journey, and rumor has it, by the way, that Sunday they'll be another free BBQ starting at noon, an opportunity to join the community and share in the pleasure of watching John work.

In Nichols Gallery: Ernesto Hernandez Olmos

Molly — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:42:00 -0700

Anyone who happened by the Art Center on Sunday not only got to partake of free BBQ and the pleasure of watching John Fisher carve, they also had the exceptional treat of experiencing Ernesto Hernandez Olmos and company in performance. Traditional instruments, ethnic costumes, magnificent headdresses that Olmos designed, dance and drums: it was a sumptuous feast for all the senses.

Olmos, whose artwork is on display in Nichols Gallery through September, was born in Oaxaca, Mexico and has degree from La Escuela de Bellas Artes, University of Oaxaca, Benito Juarez. He studied sculpture at the Rufino Tamayo School of Art in Oaxaca. He has shown his work in collective and one-man exhibits all across the country, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Inspired by the tlacuilos (the creators of ancient codex), Olmos' work depicts pre-Colombian oral legends and stories. He links past and present, incorporating images of traditional dance, masks, and costumes.

Ernesto Hernandez Olmos will be on hand Saturday evening, September 8th, 5-8 pm for Second Saturday, so please come by. You'll be glad you did!

International Reach: Mendocino Artists in China

Molly — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 07:34:00 -0700

Yangshou, China

Louis and Inrae Vinceguerra are local Mendocino residents who have shown their work at the Art Center. They are in China this month, their art featured in an exhibition at the Guilin Art Museum near Yangshou. Louis sent some pictures and had this to say about their experience:

Our art exhibition at the Guilin Art Museum was an exciting experience for both Inrae and I. It was also pure theater. There was a large crowd in attendance opening day, including members of the Guilin Artists Association, art professors from Guangxi University, and Guilin Museum staff members. It all began with a ribbon cutting ceremoy, introductions of the artists - myself, Inrae, Jang - our Korean artist friend, a speech by the head of the Guilin Artists Association, a speech by me on the common spirit in art- East and West, which was also the title and theme of the exhibition.

A two hour forum followed a short while later, attended by Guilin artists, art professors, Museum staff, and Inrae, myself, and Jang. The discussions centered on our art work and Western creativity and its relationship to Chinese art and Chinese creativity. And it was very rewarding to hear again and again that the Chinese in attendance thought that our art was very imaginative and unique and spiritually inspired and that they too believed a common spirit links us all.

Louis is posing with art by Inrae (left), his own (right)

Later that day a banquet took place and oh, what food, what camaraderie. There was enough toasting going on to get an elephant drunk. And because our art show was more a museum exhibition rather than a commerical art gallery show, coverage of the event was broadcast on Guilin TV and was written up in the Guilin Evening Newspaper. One art work from each of us will also become part of the permanent art collection of the Guilin Art Museum.

Inrea is posing with art by Louis (left) and her own (right)

What a wonderful trip it has been for us here in the Land of the Li River, and on and on it flows.

Call for Artists: Wearable Art Competition

Molly — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:50:00 -0700

Call for Artists: Uncommon Thread Wearable Art Show
Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge, LA
thread.br@gmail.com

“Merging fashion design and visual art,” Uncommon Thread is a juried competition encouraging entries from all disciplines. Uncommon Thread is “interested in the fusion between fine art and fashion.”

The competition will award “sound craftsmanship, but focuses on innovative design, dramatic detail and use of alternative materials in the creation of a full-bodied piece of art.” First, second and third places will receive cash prizes; all accepted entries will be part of a choreographed stage performance on October 12, in Baton Rouge.

Uncommon Thread is looking for artists from all across the country. Interested artists should visit their website www.uncommonthreadbr.com for entry forms and further detail. Submission deadline is September 17, 2007.

Sculpture is Growing in the Art Center's Garden

Molly — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:58:00 -0700

There are two new slide shows up on the John Fisher Sculpture project page. Visitors to the Art Center "chipped in" last Saturday and Sunday, during the Art Center's 48th annual Summer Art Fair, and Monday, John Fisher began to carve. Stop by the Art Center and see what's growing!

(ps: if you have any trouble viewing the slide shows, make sure your browser is set to allow pop-up windows.)

One Volunteer CAN Make a Difference

Liliana — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:00:00 -0700

If you are reading this blog, you are already familiar with the work of this week's Creative Action Hero - Molly Dwyer, our webmistress. About a year ago, before I was a member of the Board of Directors, I attended a board meeting. Leona Walden, vice president of the board asked if anyone had any ideas about how we could market the Art Center's workshops without spending a lot of money we didn't have. Being a devout butinsky, I had to put in my two cents. Our web site was state of the art when it was constructed, but that was ten years before and it seemed to me that we should do something new. It turns out the board had already thought of this, but found the hefty $16,000 price tag to be out of our reach. I was asked if I knew anyone who would create something new for a fraction of that cost for the Art Center. I did.

I called my friend, Molly Dwyer, PhD; writer, teacher, workshop leader, graphic artist, actress/director, web designer, a Renaissance Woman and fan of the Art Center. Molly first got involved in the Art center in 1974. She worked with our founder, Bill Zacha. The story goes that Bill wanted Molly to direct the play, "Barefoot in the Park". It was not a play that Molly had any particular interest in, but she struck a deal with Bill - she would direct "Barefoot in the Park", and if it was a success she could then direct a second play of her choice. "The 7th Seal" was the play Molly chose - and then she talked Bill into playing the part of the Knight and Louis Vinciguerra into co-directing with her, and the rest was history.

Since then, Molly has moved back and forth from the coast several times. Her most recent and, I hope, permanent return was last summer - just in time to help the Art Center. She asked me what my goals were for the website. I told her improved workshop sales, color, art, visibility for member artists and the Art Center. "My ultimate goal is to come up on the first page when anyone googles 'art center'". She then met with Mike McDonald, director of marketing, and got his approval and input and toured the facility. Based on our signage and the environment we live in, she chose the colors for our new website. I hope you have all noticed that wherever possible Molly has used art work from member artists to illustrate the beauty of our location. All have attributions and wherever possible direct links to the artist's own website.

In case you were wondering - some days when I google "art center" we are on the first page, but typically we range between pages 1 and 4. However, we aren't done yet. As we continue to add more features to our site the more interesting we become to Google. Look for upcoming features such as: on-line feed from the John Fisher sculpture project; starting on July 10, On-line Instructor Art Auction; new MendoArt magazine pages; shopping cart sales for our Gift Shop; and more on-line galleries.

Molly has volunteered about 50% of the time it took to develop the site and charged us a pittance for the other 50% which translates to about 25% of the $16,000.00 price tag quoted by another web designer. Donations from the community have paid for the time Molly has charged us for. Net cost to the Art Center for our new website - $00,000.00. Thank you to all our donors. Our budget for ongoing maintenance of the site has not increased, so if there are any Art Center Citizens out there who appreciate what we are doing on-line, and would like to help defray the costs of website maintenance and continuing development, please consider making a donation to the Art Center for that purpose.

We owe a huge THANK YOU to Molly. She is one of the people who works behind the scenes and rarely gets recognition from anyone other than those who work at the Art Center. You can let her know how much we appreciate what she has done for us by blogging here or going to the contact page (button on home page) and sending her an e-mail.

Hello Out There

Molly — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:03:00 -0700

During this last month, the Mendocino Art Center has had visitors from all over the world. These are visitors to the website, approximately 3500 last month and they came from Europe, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, South and Central America, Canada, and all but two US states.

We had visitors from Florence, Athens, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, London, Dublin, Zurich and Amsterdam; from Delhi, Bangkok, Pretoria, Montreal, Sydney, Seoul, Shanghai, and Santiago. From the UK, from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Germany; from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal; from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Croatia. We had visitors from Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Israel; from Nigeria, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, South Africa, and the island of Mauritius. We had visitors from India and Nepal, from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Mongolia. We had visitors from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Mexico.

Of course most of our visitors are from the United States, and most of those are from California. But we also have a large contingency from Texas. We’re getting respectable numbers from Washington, Oregon, New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Nevada, Virginia and Georgia. And we’re getting a smattering of visitors from every other state in the country, with the exceptions of North and South Dakota.

We had visitors from Fairbanks and Anchorage, from Honolulu and the Big Island of Hawaii. We seem to have a following in New York City, in Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland. We had nearly as many visitors from the Bay Area as we did from the Mendocino area, and Southern California, from Santa Barbara to San Diego is well represented. In fact, the whole California coast seems to know about the Mendocino Art Center.

So, if you're wondering who cares about art these days, and who’s checking in to see what's happening at the Mendocino Art Center, know that we're attracting a growing, international community of artists and art appreciators. And, if you’re reading this, know you’re part of that community and we’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment. Say hello; tell us where you’re from and what brought you to the website. We’d like to start a two-way conversation. That’s why we built this blog! We hope The Mendo Voice will become a gathering place, and that means we're hoping to hear from you. (Yes you!)

It’s easy to leave a comment, simply click on the comment button below and follow the very simple directions.

molly

The Rock Arrived!

Molly — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:51:00 -0700

Lots of excitement this morning when the rock arrived. There's a slide show of it on the Fisher Project Page, check it out.

One Volunteer CAN Make a Difference

Liliana — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:06:00 -0700

You may have noticed that the Art Center is undergoing a physical transformation. A few months ago, Bob Treaster, a volunteer at the Art Center, decided that our buildings needed a face lift. He came to a Board meeting armed with color chips and asked for permission to repaint the place. He wanted to pay for the permits, do all the work, and he wanted to pay for the paint. He made us an offer we couldn't refuse. He went through two meetings with the Art center Board, Peggy Templer and Michael McDonald to approve the colors. Once the decision was made, Bob and I went to the Historical Review Board together, and were thrilled that they approved our permit application. Then, he purchased the paint, and with very little outside help has painted the Main Gallery Building. There is some cleanup, repair and preparation to be done on the computer lab and Apartment #4. When that is completed Bob will continue the painting. His goal is to repaint all the currently painted buildings. This can only be a labor of love. Bob is a true Creative Action Hero and we can't thank him enough for all he is doing for us. If you would like to volunteer some time to help him, you can find him at the Art Center almost every day.

You know, I just love these warm, fuzzy stories. Luckily I have a few of them to tell. So stay tuned for next week's volunteer making a difference.

The John Fisher Project. Reconstruction thru Deconstruction

Liliana — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:04:00 -0700

THE ROCK IS COMING. If you have been following the information on the website (on the "Special Events" page) about the John Fisher Project, you may have been wondering where the rock is. Well, wonder no more. Thanks to our intrepid Executive Director, Peggy Templer and Texas Quarries representative, Mike Prokop the rock will arrive at the Mendocino Art Center at 8:00a.m. on Thursday, July 5. Weighing in at a stunning 20,000 lbs, this baby needs some special handling so Bill Daniels will be on hand with his heavy load equipment that we will need to unload the rock and set it in place. John Fisher, the sculptor and David Russell, the coordinator of the sculpture department will be there to make sure it is placed in just the right spot and I plan to be there to shoot a few pics and just generally be part of the excitement. Join us if you can. If you would like to spend some time speaking with the artist, plan to attend our "Meet and Greet" on Friday, July 13 from 5:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. We might also get Peggy to tell the tale of the traveling rock. Much laughter to be had there. Goldeneye, a sponsor of the event, will be pouring their wonderful wines and we will have hors d'oeuvres. The cost is $10.00 and the money will go to the Art Center's Reconstruction fund.

Liliana

Global Artists Going Green

Molly — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:43:00 -0700

Now, here's an idea: a public art project called, "Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet," has been launched in the city of Chicago. Inspired by Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth, its purpose is to get artists to use their art to "inspire individuals and organizations to take action against global warning." Artists from around the world were invited to transform plain, white spheres into sculpted globes that raise awareness about global warming. The resulting art exhibit consists of 100 large globes, 5 feet in diameter, which are on display along Chicago's lakefront, and an additional 200 mini-globes that are scattered around the city.
Visitors are asked to commit to five lifestyle changes that will move them toward a more carbon neutral existence. They've got a list of 125 suggestions on their project website.

The timing of the exhibit coincides with Gore's Live Earth concert series, which is this Saturday, July 7th, and features musicians performing on all seven continents (including Antarctica) to focus attention on climate change.

Leading by example:

CoolGlobes is a carbon neutral project. To offset the carbon emitted from the energy needed to create and maintain the exhibit and related events, CoolGlobes has developed a diversified strategy that includes donated “green tags” (renewable energy certificates), investments to plant trees and foster environmentally friendly agricultural practices, and in-kind donations from alternative energy companies.

The project was underwritten by corporate and individual sponsors, including Exelon, Pepsi, Medline, Abbott, Toyota and Hyatt and features fundraising events, roundtable discussions with Chicago business leaders and a closing auction of the globes. Going green seems a natural for the Mendocino Coast, perhaps we can come up with our own version of a green art exhibit and get ourselves on NPR (which is where I came across the story).

Pictured Globes: Urban Greening, Artist: Kim C. Massey & Urban Forests, Artist: Kate Tully

Most Important Art in Last 100 Years: Picasso

Molly — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:58:00 -0700

According to the most recent edition of Newsweek, Picasso's Demoiselles, which was finished exactly 100 years ago, in the summer of 1907—is the most important work of art of the last 100 years. Its importance, according to art critic Peter Plagens, comes from

Picasso's merciless mishmash of styles: a bit of Matisse (the older guy he was trying to dethrone as king of the avant-garde), some appropriation from African masks, a dash of casual realism in one of the hands and a fruit arrangement down in front, and a whole lot of cubism 1.0.

Picasso's good friend and "loyal patron Gertrude Stein deemed the picture a veritable cataclysm." Demoiselles, which depicts five nudes in a brothel, was the first of its kind, even for Picasso. When he began painting it, he was 25 years old. When he finished it, at least one of his cohorts (André Derain) feared suicide would follow.

When Picasso began "Demoiselles" in 1906, Monet's impressionism (generally realistic landscapes translated into flecks of dappled color) and Matisse's brand of fauvism (scenes and portraits in simple shapes and bright hues expressing the artist's emotional enthusiasm) were painting's cutting edge.

One of the other finalists for most important work of the last century was Jackson Pollock's One (Number 31), which caught my attention because I just saw Ed Harris' award-winning film, Pollock a couple of nights ago. Harris spent close to ten years studying Pollock, learning to paint, and ultimately directing the film. He created a disturbing portrait of a disturbing man—a man who may well have committed suicide, or at least that's what the film implies.

Pollock's story left me with the feeling that, no matter the media, genius is ruthless and any artist who embodies genius is truly at its mercy—which often translates into a descent of self-destruction. I felt the same watching the recent release, Copying Beethoven, which coincidentally (or maybe not) also stars Ed Harris, this time as the deaf and dying Beethoven. He's composing his Ninth Symphony in 1824 with its choral section, as unheard in Beethoven's day as cubism was in Picasso's. The spectacular performance of the symphony makes an otherwise lack-luster film well worth seeing in my opinion.

In any event, I know it's an over-simplification, but I think artistic genius is an energy that the human mind/body can barely withstand, that it can literally rip a person to pieces, and most often does. Because of this, I find myself filled with great gratitude for those who can surrender to such a force and leave in their wake remarkable achievements. I think of it as an act of courage.

A Successful Garden Tour Fundraiser

Mike — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:40:00 -0700

This past Saturday, over 230 garden lovers traversed Highway 1 from Fort Bragg to Albion visiting six beautiful north coast gardens as part of the 15th Annual Mendocino Coast Garden Tour, making for a succesful fundraising event for the Mendocino Art Center. It was a beautiful, yet windy, blue sky day to check out the private gardens, listen to live music, and watch painting, mosaic and tango dancing demonstrations.

A big "thank you" goes out to the garden owners for their generosity and the dozens of volunteers that make the Tour possible each year. And, a big "congratulations" to the raffle winner, Fort Bragg's Ruth Schroeder, who won a coveted collection of garden books, including "Clematis," by Barry Fretwell; "Garden Diary: Green Thumb Guide & Personal Planner," by Maggie Malone; "Gardening From the Heart (Why Gardeners Garden)," by Carol Olwell; and "Perennials," by Rob Proctor and Rob Gray.

Welcome to The Mendo Voice

Molly — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:15:00 -0700

Hello Everyone,

We've added something new to the Mendocino Art Center website: a blog. And just what is a blog, you may wonder. Well, blog is short for "web log." A blog is an online publishing tool made up of posts or diaries that are archived for later reference. Blogs can display pictures, written content, and links to interesting references. Blogs are interactive; they allow visitors to leave comments about the posts.

We hope the Mendo Voice will provide a format for our growing Mendocino Art Center community to interact, discuss ideas, share art and information, and just have a good time together. We're hoping many of you out there will become "trusted readers" and "trusted bloggers"—that is, people who use this blog and help make it a community, either by reading and commenting or by contributing diaries yourself.

If you're interested in becoming one of our "trusted bloggers," please contact me (Molly, the web mistress—can I call myself that without blushing?) I can be reached at ariadne@well.com. It's not hard to learn the technicalities of registering and writing, and I'll be happy to assist everyone in getting started.