Made the Paper!

ART REVIEW : All about the print — In its 16th annual Juried Open Show at the Faulkner Art Gallery, S.B. Printmakers presents a varied lot of work

By Josef Woodard, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
October 30, 2009 12:00 AM

SANTA BARBARA PRINTMAKERS 16TH ANNUAL JURIED OPEN SHOW
When: ends today
Where: Faulkner Gallery East, Central Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday
Information: 564-5608,
http://www.sbplibrary.org/, www.sbprintmakers.com

Printmakers need love and exposure, too. The wide and varied world of printmaking tends to get spotty public forums in the art gallery scene, in Santa Barbara and beyond, which makes at least the annual Printmakers show at the Faulkner Gallery something special. The current 16th annual affair, run by the ongoing umbrella organization Santa Barbara Printmakers, offers plenty of reasons for a look.

This year's selection, curated by juror Gordon T. Fuglie, is an especially strong and interestingly varied sampler of regional printmaking work being done. Familiar artists from around town, and from various media affiliations, include Anthony Askew, Nicole Strasburg, Siu Zimmerman, Barb Parmet and former Santa Barbara City College teacher Pamela Zwehl-Burke.
Zwehl-Burke's art has been taking some intriguing turns of late, as seen in a floral-based show at the Elverhoj Museum and with two pieces in this show, tethered to an anti-racist theme. Her solar intaglio pieces, including "There never was a 'POLAK,'" bring together vintage mug shots and other texts in a format suggesting ersatz agitprop, aimed at a positive agenda.

First prize was given to David Graves, whose work — as well as that of Askew and Zimmerman — was also seen in another recent printmaking group show at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club (a recent addition to the map of art venues in the area). With a light-spirited charm evoking design aesthetics of the '50s, Graves flings bubbly linear elements on pale color grounds, a pale green shade being the grounding hue of choice in his prize-winning "Kinfusion."

Compared to brighter, bigger and visually louder artistic avenues, printmakers are often dealing in subtle areas of expression, with understated manners and methods. From the beholder's perspective, that often translates to closer scrutiny of the work. Nina Warner's "Drift," for example, is a compact little vertical abstraction, laid out in muted gray tones, but it reveals a quiet inner life to those who care to look.
Though much larger in overall scale, Garrett Spiers' mosaic-like composite of small blossom and plant images, "Nothing Being Equal," similarly presents its case in understated, enigmatic shades of gray. Carolyn Hubbs' "Santa Monica" goes alluringly dark, as well, offering an almost film noir-flavored street corner ambience, and Monica Wiesblott's solar etching "Only the Sound of my Breath" is a foggy view down a country road, validating the title's poetic ambiguity.

Different angles on landscape — the soft-edged textures of Karyn Walsh's "Fallow Fields" and the harder-
edged, Japanese woodcut-inspired "Angel's Landing" — are placed side by side in the show, as if to present a study in contrasts. In other directions, Teresa Zepeda's silkscreen piece "Fair Lights" is a loose, impressionistic take on shimmering lights promising distant merriment in the night.

One clever creation off in its own expressive corner, compared to the rest of the exhibition, is Bob Mask's "French Bath + Landscape," a three-colored screen print, with plenty of white space — the better for the eye to breathe. A large, unclad woman's backside, post-bath, looms and floats in a pictorial space with a fragment of yonder landscape outside a cock-eyed window, in a scene fit for a post-Matisse dream.
All in all, the 16th annual exhibition comes together nicely by spreading out its vantage points, as befits a medium made up of multiple sub-mediums. The show confirms the idea that printmaking is alive, well and creatively fired in our area code.

COURTESY PHOTO
Carolyn Hubbs' "Santa Monica" joins an eclectic mix of prints at the 16th annual Printmakers show at the Faulkner Gallery.

Great Success

Artwalk Ventura 2009 was a great experience for me.
I was able to talk about my art to many people, explain the process for my work and hear what people reacted to.
I was asked several times, if I taught a class....as I do not yet, this has made me wonder if I should consider doing just that further down the road.
I use to teach, and found that I liked it very much. I learned a lot about myself, my abilites and limits.

I shared my boothspace with the very talented Lynn LeTourneau who was selling her beautiful and colorful monoprints, many of which I wished to take home!

Two very long days later and just a couple of sales and Artwalk 2009 was over. I met so many great artists and people and heard about things happening in the city and around town.

I feel so lucky to live in such a saturated art community, in fact my side of town is crawling with us creative folks!!

Michelle and Guy were wonderful hosts to all us artists and feed, cared and protected us the whole weekend. I can not thank them enough for the oppoortunity, the fun and the CHEESECAKE!!

I still have lots of great art for sale at very affordable prices and am looking forward to seeing it spread to the four directions.
If you see something email me, lets make it yours!!

All weekend long!!

Image Monica Wiesblott © 1990-2009

This image and many many others will be available for sale this weekend, prices start as low as $10 a piece!
Shuttle Stop #7 on the Artwalk map, come and join the fun

Dia De Los Muertos

I have just entered and been accepted to this years Dia De Los Muertos show at Gallery 255!
I submitted a work that is not for sale, I am trying something different and...I felt that it was too personal and that parting with it might be just too much.

"These Beloved" is the name and it honors the many that have come before me.
I created an image that wove my image with those of my family...then overlayed text with my thoughts and their names. Believing that if their names are uttered that they are remembered now.

" When I think of all the lives that have come before mine and all the memories that simply live in my breath and are remembered thru my eyes, I feel that much less lonely."

Busy Busy!!

My workspace is a wreck, I have one project after another going...

I am not complaining, don't get me wrong....I feel so lucky to have all these chances to show and have my work be seen.

I am signed up for Artwalk here in Ventura, I (along with a few others) will be representing Seabreeze Studios.

Stoneworks Studios is the background for my booth space, Michelle Chapin puts together quite a scene! Artists set up spaces in one of the COOLEST spaces along the avenue. A literal oasis in the middle of the cement, a garden of Eden. Food, music and art all day long for two whole days!

As my friend Noodle says:

" For 18 years Michelle has participated in Art Walk. She opens her space up to other artists in Ventura to display work. She loves art and has a community spirit. She likes to throw a party and have live music, delicious food. Michelle and her partner Guy are also organizing another community art installation project like their "Door Project" with chairs and bicycles, called "Park and Ride." This will also be on display.

I have a shade and a table to set up my goods and I will spend the weekend sitting and people watching and if I am really lucky, selling some small images!

I will be there from 1-9pm on Saturday October 25th and Noon -5pm Sunday October 26th!!

I have printed a bunch of small black and white images, some color images and a few artist prints. All will be ready for frames.

So back to work as I also have to get my submission ready for the Dia De Los Muertos juried show!!

those are due next week...