Artful Weekend

ArtSpan artists dropping off their work for stARTup Art Fair weekend - before the room is transformed into a gallery.

stARTup Art Fair Taking Off

Eighteen artists were selected to be in ArtSpan's room at Hotel Del Sol for stARTup Art Fair. I was one of them, with my soft sculpture. Rhiannon MacFaden has been involved since it started and she thinks this fair is really taking off now. It is San Francisco's contemporary art fair for independent artists, which takes place annually during Art Market SF. http://sf.startupartfair.com

Joen (L) and Allison (R) of ArtSpan as we wait for the crowds to show up.

Art Market SF is a Hit This Year

Speaking of bold strokes at the Art Market, here's a gorgeous ultramarine blue piece that caught my eye.

Along with the bold there is the delicate and beautifully crafted work.

Legion of Honor - Always Inspiring

This sculpture is much larger than life and totally natural. It contains a candle wick that was lit upon installation. Fischer's work is interspersed throughout the museum in surprising ways! 

https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions/urs-fischer

Me and my sculpture surrounded by selected ArtSpan artists work. 

Set-up day in the courtyard of Hotel del Sol.

One of the larger works on display at Art Market SF reminds me of my recent trip to Burma! It's a blow-up version of a reclining Buddha.

The gala was packed but fun. Lots of VIP tickets were circulated. I had to go back again to get a better look at the work with less of a crowd.

Here's another piece of meticulous sculpture that caught my eye. Both the dog (above) and the porcelain (left) were at the Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis.

After two art fairs I went back to see Monet's early work at the Legion. This museum is a fantastic place to go on a beautiful day! The views are spectacular. And this is a show to see again and again. This time we wondered around the upstairs galleries and caught the quirky sculptures of Urs Fischer (left).

What a jam-packed art weekend! It was filled with friends, feasts, art fairs, and art museums. It was bathed in sunshine and fair weather.

Sunday night wrapped up with my book group and a lively discussion of an unusual novel called The Vegetarian. My favorite parts of the book were about the art video that describes the protagonist turning into a plant.

Post, Post, Post Mortem

Getting ready 1: The shadow of one of my "helpers" for the shows. Making packets of gift wrap.

Getting ready 2: Cutting, sewing, and stuffing. The process of making my soft sculpture at SEW. 

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The last show and sale of 2016. I'm with my work on display at The Blueberry Farm in Sebastopol, CA. 12/16

My pop-up storefront in the heart of Hayes Valley in SF, CA. October 2016

I'm wearing one of my art dresses next to one of my color block silk scrolls at the Maker & Moss pop-up.

Our Opening Reception Brunchette at The Laundry. November 2016

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My soft sculpture installed. November 2016

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Newest fabric design made into long, 2-sided silk scarves, a tribute to Warhol (a fellow Pittsburgher). I have two left  in my online shop.

IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR!

My three art shows are wrapped up and I'm taking off for an exotic travel adventure! After this last blog post please check back next year. I promise an awesome slide show from a very photogenic trip.

I'm still thinking about what I learned from my 2016 shows and how that will affect what I do next year as I plan. The October, November, and December art events were the culmination of several years of creating multiple bodies of work. The emphasis for each show was unique.  

My first show was a one-day Pop-Up at Maker & Moss (see my blog post). Held at my friend's artistic retail housewares shop in Hayes Valley, I was asked to make a lot of art merchandise for this show. I  went into production for many months - designing, sewing, finding helpers, making new editions of prints, figuring out my product lines, packaging them all up.

This was a lot of work for one day. It's unlikely that I'll book another one-day only pop-up, but it was a healthy deadline and test run.

The second show started out with SF Open Studios and a shared rental gallery at The Laundry in the Mission. Talented artist friend Lisa Lightman shared the space with me. Our art paired beautifully. 

This was my first opportunity to show all seven pieces in my new series of life-sized silk scrolls and the beginning of a another new series, large soft sculpture. With a fan creating a gentle breeze, my scrolls fluttered slightly, producing an experience for the viewer of being in a roomful of nude women in conversation. 

One of my corners of the gallery showing a color block silk scroll (left), two of my white silk scrolls (right), three of my prints and a drawing (center) Plus the fan. November 2016

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This is my friend who stopped by during her Thanksgiving visit. She felt an affinity for the red-haired subjects in these scrolls. November 2016

I also showed (and sold) silkscreens, etchings, fine art digital prints, and pre-digital life drawings at The Laundry. 

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Another corner of the gallery shows a large silkscreen (top left), Backs, a set of four fine art digital prints (below), and a gouache painting (right). More redheads!

We were asked to stay on in the gallery through November - a wonderful chance to get more exposure. We had opening and closing events with Spanish champagne and snacks, an art talk, and more. I sold prints and drawings met some interesting people. I got some exposure to curators and galleries and photos of my scrolls as a group.

The Laundry is a new hotspot in the Mission. It's a shared workspace and artspace focussed on building a creative community. This is a place to watch! I plan to stay involved with The Laundry and show my work there again.

I've just wrapped up my last art event, at The Blueberry Farm in Sebastopol, an annual group holiday show and sale with five artists (jewelry, sculpture, photography, painting, and montages). I sold prints, drawings, art cards, tea towels, silk scarves, cherry pit filled hot/cold pads, gift wrap, art leggings, and more.  

Even the weather was on our side. It was a gorgeous, crisp late fall weekend. This farm is utterly charming...even the mint-filled ground cover smells great. We served tiny blueberry muffins and home-baked goodies. It was nice to be out of The City and I met lots of cool locals and was impressed by my SF and East Bay friends who made the 1.5 hour trek to see and buy. I'd do it again next year!

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Hosts and artists Alivea and Gayle Cole at The Blueberry Farm. Thanks! December 2016