FOG Design + Art Field Trip

I wanted to attend FOG Design + Art 2015 and my sister needed to be picked up from the airport in SF, so it was the perfect excuse to head up the Peninsula and kill two birds with one stone. Since art school, I have been into David Zwirner, a New York City gallery. They have shown some of my favorite artists including Mamma Andersson (currently showing), Marlene Dumas, Neo Rauch, Kerry James Marshall, Jockum Nordström, Raymond Pettibon and Luc Tuymans. How one gallery could have such taste has driven me to frequently check the site over the years and also the main reason I wanted to attend the fair. 

Fred's in Sausalito, CA

We started the day by heading out to foggy Sausalito for breakfast at Fred's. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. Here's how you know: the guy eating across from us ordered TWO BREAKFASTS! Yes, you heard that right. He ordered the deep friend french toast with millionaire's bacon along with a Benedict since he couldn't decide. I'll let you use your imagination on our breakfasts. You'll have to go to know just how good it is. Perfect after a hike on Mt. Tamalpais. 

Sausalito was a bit foggy and cold to stay too long, so we headed back over the Golden Gate Bridge to FOG Design + Art. I really felt like I was back in art school while at the fair. For one, absorbing high-end contemporary art in person has not been something I have been doing as much in these last few years. Two, there were many works of art from my art school textbooks. Three, they had a great bookshop, with the best art and design books. When I was in college, I would check out up to 80 art books at a time from my school library (we were allowed up to 100 for research). 

I instantly recognized this Molly Hatch plate installation from the entryway of the building. I love the way she is influenced by historical decorative arts and makes something of her own. I recently attended her spectacular online course Pattern Design: From Hand to Screen to Surface. 

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson (above), Mamma Andersson below

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson are a couple of my favorite artists who also happen to be a couple. This Swedish pair never cease to mesmerize me with their color palettes and narratives. I was so happy to find this wall from Crown Point Press. 

Kiki Smith from Pace Gallery

These sculptures stopped me in my tracks. The somewhat naive quality and beautiful textures were so beautiful in person and hard to capture in a photograph. When I read the label it was like, "Of course! Kiki Smith." Her creativity and inventiveness has always fascinated me. If you haven't seen her section of Our City Dreams or this episode of Art 21 with Kiki Smith, please do yourself a favor and change that. 

I've been a fan of Stefan Kurten since art school. His detailed and nostalgic works provide a world of depth and texture from another era. The gold paint in this piece added a sunsoaked vibe to the gorgeous thin layers of ink. 

Stephen Hannock, titled Paul's Rocket at First Light

I like the surprise of light in this landscape by Stephen Hannock.

Hiroshi Sugimoto photograph of a theater

The photography series of theaters by Hiroshi Sugimoto is stunning with silvery white details glowing in a dark room. These photographs almost appear as paintings. The glowing white screen, deep blackness and emptiness of the room create a mysterious setting. 

Unknown artist

This gorgeous textile made such an impact in person. Animals and trees circulate within a celestial backdrop. I searched around to find a label, but never found it. I'll update when I find out who the artist is.

Don't you love these everyday objects in ceramic by Matthias Herkel Hess?

I was immediately drawn to these objects by Matthias Herkel Hess. The milk crate and laundry basket (unseen here) were among my favorite of these usually boring everyday objects. In 2006, I created a painting installation of everyday rooms with furniture and objects, so these resonated with me. You can read more about his work in this NY Times article. 

Installation by Misha Kahn for Friedman Benda

Misha Kahn's work is fun, inventive and excessive to the point of creating a new and strange soft and textural world. Definitely a show stopper with lava rocks, inflatable sculptures, working ceiling fan and full tile floor to entice you. I love the imagination and bizarreness of this world. I thought it would be a good one to end with.

There were a lot of other great artists at FOG Design + Art: Raymond Pettibon, Paul Wackers, Lawrence Halprin and more. This field trip turned out to be awesome: breakfast, art fair, a little shopping, ice skating at Union Square, dinner and, oh yes, a pickup at the airport. The best thing about attending the fair is that I wanted to go home and make work. Lots of it. 

Until the next field trip...

SubZERO Festival Recap

Whew! This last couple of months have been busy! I worked an enormous amount of hours to put together an art show for the school I teach at. I tell you, hanging or displaying nearly 300 artworks, plus organizing their over 1,000 pieces for their individual portfolios is no easy task. It left me with a mere couple of weeks to prepare for the SubZERO Festival. I spent a few weeks making art prints, sewing up bags and figuring out how best to display my booth.

I didn't have much of a chance to leave my booth, so you should see the SubZERO Facebook page for great photos and videos of the event. I just have a few here.

Not sure if I knew this photo was being taken?! Haha. Photo by Cherri Lakey of Anno Domini

As you can see above, I had original paintings, art prints and textiles including scarves, bags and patches in my booth. I was really happy with using the lightweight canvas walls and all the 'furniture' was things that I had: wooden ladder, crate, easel. I thought I would have a chance to paint in my booth, but I felt busy much of the time. I also talked about preparing goods for SubZERO in my last post if you would like to read more.

Talking with visitors of my booth. Photo by Cherri Lakey.

I loved interacting with customers and visitors of my booth. You can see the banner above made from scraps of my bags and patches. They had sweetest things to say about my art and my booth itself. Some things I heard: "Your booth is so homey and welcoming", "your work really speaks to me" and more. It was a great experience and I was glad I finally displayed my work at the festival, after attending for many years.

Cellist Freya Seeburger

Okay, enough about me! Although I didn't get photos of anyone else, except for Freya Seeburger since I was glued to my booth, I was incredibly lucky to be across from her. I could watch her performances throughout the nights. When I watched her and her friends set up, I knew it would be something exquisite. I can tell you that San Jose really came through these two nights. Gorgeous costumes, wild performers and innovative art installations ruled the streets. Elaborate displays showed locals the kind of art, music and creativity that often hides below the surface in San Jose. With my art, I interact with people online much of the time, so it was really nice to be involved locally again. Be sure to check my events page for upcoming fairs and shows. Again, be sure to check the SubZERO Facebook page for great pics and videos.

A BIG thanks to everyone who came out! It was great to see familiar and new faces. Can't wait til next year!

Art, Art, Art Weekend in San Jose

Whew! Last weekend was something else for art in San Jose. Despite having to spend every waking moment wrapping up my taxes, I spent a little time checking out some exciting things in San Jose. The Silicon Valley Contemporary art fair had a diverse group of work from galleries across the country and attracted many visitors. It started on Thursday night and ended Sunday. I had a chance to pop in on Friday night and had passes for the VIP room for some free wine. Although I could only make it for a one-evening visit, it was really fun and I saw works by everyone from Andy Warhol to Chris Johanson. I didn't get to photograph too many artists, but there were so many great familiar and new artists to see.

Alex Katz - one of my all-time favorite artists

Mel Kadel - another favorite

I also debuted my first full-sized art installation for the Shelter show at The Citadel Gallery. It was nice to be part of this dual exhibition at The Citadel Gallery and Works Gallery while the art fair was taking place. As you may have seen in my previous post, I have been working for the last few weeks on this piece. It was an incredible experience, to build something up and let it evolve naturally at that scale. It sort of told me where it wanted to go and the result is what you see here. No rulers were used and everything was drawn freehand. A real chair and hanging bulb are the only tangible objects. All else is ink and paper. The show closes on April 26th.

My Shelter installation at The Citadel Gallery

Empire Seven Studios had their 6 year anniversary party and boy, it was fun! Many friends came out of the woodwork to celebrate their amazing influence they have had in San Jose. They showed work from artists who had shown their before and artists they would like to see in the future. Artists included Jason Adams, Jason Arnold, Ken Davis, Jeremy Fish, Jayde Fish, Mitsy Avila Ovalles, Kyle Pellet, Jai Tanju and a whole lot more. One of my favorite pieces was a black and white pyramid that you could sit inside of. It was all drawn in black and white. You can guess why I'd like that, huh?

Seeing Things Gallery showed work by Lance Cyril Mountain, a mix of oil abstractions, mixed media and photographs by the son of Lance Mountain. Last weekend was the closing party for the show.

Just before writing this, I came across this Forbes article about Cherri and Brian from Anno Domini. It's a nice read if you want to learn more about who I consider to be hometown art heroes.

The energy around town was pretty great. San Jose has come a long way!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Chris Johanson at the Silicon Valley Contemporary art fair. He was born in San Jose.