Preparation

Along with spending time with my parents who are visiting this week, I also have been working to get ready to install Textiles x Two: Art by Kathleen Probst and Lisa Flowers Ross, which we will do tomorrow at the Initial Point Gallery in Meridian.

I've been making sure every piece has a label, sleeve and hanging rod.  Wall labels are ready, as well as an artist biography and separate price list.  I'm packing up tools needed to hang the artwork.  It doesn't sound like much but does take a lot of time and preparation.

I'll be glad when everything is up.  Then, we can concentrate on what food and other items we will bring for the opening reception next Tuesday, Dec. 4, from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.  You are invited to stop by and see how it all turns out.

Architecture in San Francisco

Some more pictures from our trip.

Art in San Francisco

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving day and weekend.  We did.  And the only shopping I did on Black Friday was at the grocery store (it's a good time to go).

Now, I would like to share some of my pictures from our trip to San Francisco.  While there, we went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  Here are a few of the things we saw.

This is a Keith Haring sculpture outside near the museum.

I have been thinking about creating some pieces with only neutral colors.  Here are some good examples for inspiration.  The first is Violin and Candlestick by Georges Braque.

This one is Constructivisit Painting No. 8 by Joaquin Torres-Garcia.

A small lithograph print called Acrobats by Paul Klee.

The Girl with the Green Eyes by Henri Matisse.

This is an installation and I didn't get the artist's name.  The lights on the ceiling must have motion detectors because they swiveled around when you walked through the room.

This piece reminded me of a quilt and I think the idea was very interesting.  You can try to read the label below. 

Sculpture by Alexander Calder on the roof.

Winter Windows #2

Yesterday, we returned from a quick trip to San Francisco.  Today, Anna and I painted my second set of Winter Windows. They are at Idaho Trust Bank.  I paid Anna to help me and with both of us, it only took five hours.  That was pretty good considering how many windows there are.

This was the first time that I have painted the windows from the inside.  It was nice to not have to be out in the elements, especially since today has been cold, rainy and windy.  However, it makes it harder to see and photograph the windows from the outside.

I decided to keep this one simple and created lots of stamps to make things go faster.  I did a forest of winter trees with some berries.  I like to call them "snowball trees."  Then, we did lots of snowflakes all over.

Anna was not excited about having to get up early so we could be there 

to start painting around 8 a.m.

"Snowball tree" from the inside looking out.

From the outside.

Some of the completed front windows.

 The entire front side with 12 sections of windows painted.

 The completed side windows with 6 sections.

It was very hard to get a good picture with the cloudy weather and reflections.

Inside View

Last night was the opening reception for the Treasure Valley Artists' Alliance's Inside View exhibition.  It is at the Boise State Public Radio offices on Park Center Blvd.

Both Kathleen and I have a piece in the exhibition.  It was nice to see some new artist names in the show.  There were also a few more 3D pieces than usual.

One especially interesting piece was made by Marilyn Cosho.  She created a miniature replica of some of the rooms in Frida Kahlo's house.  The details are amazing and she has pictures of the real room to compare with the rooms she created.  If you are into Frida, it's worth checking out.

The food area was also cleverly done with blueprints used for a tablecloth and decoration.

This nice watercolor is by Melissa Chambers and the guy sitting in the chair, Mike Chambers, happens to be the president of the Treasure Valley Artists' Alliance.

Winter Window #1

This is the third year in a row that I have signed up to do Winter Windows.  The Downtown Business Association pairs artists up with businesses to paint their windows for the holiday season.  It makes downtown festive and seems to be popular.

I think last year there were 30 businesses that participated. I don't know how many artists participated because some do more than one business, like I did last year and this year.

Yesterday, I spent from 8:30 - 4 p.m. (no break) painting the windows for Caffé Capri on Capitol Blvd.  The previous two days I spent drawing sketches, planning the design, making templates, stencils, stamps and getting supplies ready.  The design may be simple, but a lot of work has gone into it.

Here are my painting supplies on site.

I decided to create a winter garden of candy flowers.  Here is the completed side facing Capitol Blvd.

Some of the windows on the front.

 The entire front.

And what garden would be complete without a gnome?  I decided to add him the day before. 

Eventually, the Downtown Business Association will put pictures of all the windows on their Facebook page and people can vote for their favorite.

On Campus

When I was walking on the campus of the College of Idaho looking for the Rosenthal Art Gallery, it reminded me of my small liberal arts college, Hope College.

Here is an image on campus that caught my eye.  It is interesting how the sidewalk curves.  It probably went around a tree that use to be growing there.

In Formation

Last Saturday, I met my friend, Linda from Weiser, in Caldwell.  We went to an opening reception for another friend of mine, Cassandra Schiffler, at the Rosenthal Art Gallery at the College of Idaho.  I had never been there and it gave me a good excuse to go and check out the place.

The gallery is in the building that used to be the president's house.  Over the years, it has been utilized in several different ways.  At one point, it was used as a theatre and now that space is the gallery.  It is a very nice space.

Cassandra's exhibition is entitled In Formation: Painting, Printmaking and Other Objects by Cassandra Schiffler.  And that is exactly what it is.  She has some of her oil paintings, mezzotint and monotype prints along with a few three dimensional objects.

Her works are mostly abstract and somewhat minimal.  Her color palette is subdued and makes use of  neutral colors.  Many of her prints are black and white.  The overall impression is subtle but her use of layers of paint and ink create a richness and depth that invites examination.

It is a wonderful exhibition and a worthwhile drive to Caldwell.  In Formation will be up through Feb. 1st.  Gallery hours are  Mon. - Fri. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or by appointment.  The gallery is right on the campus of the College of Idaho.

Guatemalan Kites

In addition to having altars and Dia de los Muertos decorations at the Idaho Historical Museum when I visited, they also had a room with Guatemalan-inspired kites.

You can read about the tradition on the information card that accompanied the exhibit.  The kites on display were made by local schools and people in town.

There were several kites that looked like quilt patterns.  It is a wonderful display.  I wonder if the museum will burn these after they take them down?

Dia de los Muertos

Saturday was the last day for the Idaho Historical Museum's Dia de los Muertos celebration.  For the past few years they have had the museum "transformed by local artists and schoolchildren who create elaborate traditional and contemporary altars and art throughout the building."

Since I was downtown Friday for some other business, I stopped by the museum.  They were also having a display of Guatemalan-inspired kites that I wanted to see.

Here are some of the altars that were created.

Maybe this one was to honor Steve Jobs, or just the ghosts of computers past.

 This was a cute one done by elementary students and there are pictures of them with skull masks.

This one was made in honor of Surel Mitchell, a local artist who died last year.

Here are some of the decorations that were interspersed with the museum exhibits.

I'll show you the Guatemalan kites tomorrow.