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JULY/AUG 2010 M E M B E R S H I P N E W S

VOL. 7/8-10

SAN DIEGOART INSTITUTESINCE 1941

Museum HoursTuesday - Saturday: 10am - 4pmSunday - Noon - 4pmClosed Monday

website: sandiego-art.org

Financial Support for the San Diego Art Institute (OSP 2009) is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, QUALCOMM Incorporated, and the Chris and Lorraine Wolfe Fund.

Letter from the desk of Timothy Field

Dear Members,

We have all seen the economy slide, and in some fashion or another we have seen its effect. However, this situation, that the entire country feels, we as the living artist community have felt as reality: “the starving artist.” I wonder, does this make us more diligent and fortified? Are we able to transcend the situation and better our direction?

My focus in this communication is one of solidarity and goals. My job and my passion is to see

• SDAI a leader in elevating San Diego to the status of an exceptional art community, and• SDAI’s artist members raised to their deserved level of recognition and afforded an opportunity to make a living and continue producing quality artwork.

We can only grow and achieve these goals if we are structured and focused on increasing our revenues to finance core activities and also fund new initiatives like North Park for the Arts. It is essential now that all members aid us in raising funds. This drive for funding will be two-fold. First, assuring a healthy budget, which currently means raising funds specific to maintaining our core activities. For this we need approximately $60,000.

The second phase will be a bricks-and-mortar campaign to raise funds to install our San Diego Art Department in a larger facility. I will address this phase in greater detail in upcoming Journals and letters. My desire is that each member, as is comfortable, donate a minimum of $100. Some members may not be able to do so; we ask those members to donate some time toward our programs. Some members may be able to donate considerably more. Please focus this year on SDAI. The arts in San Diego do not grow just because it is a good thing. They grow like this: dedicated and hardworking people with a vision of growth, which is based in reality, slowly creating a foundation for a needed component that adds quality of life to the area. This is essential to the survival of the arts and the establishment of a community where the artist may live and work in an integrated way.

Sincerely,Timothy FieldExecutive Director

Photo by Richard Powers

Poetry & Art Series: 3 for $300 Poetry & Art Slam at Museum of the Living Artist quarterly eventSan Diego, CA – Wednesday, July 28 at 7:00 p.m. is the next Poetry & Art Three for $300 Slam at the Museum of the Living Artist, featuring San Diego poet, host and promoter Eber Lambert – American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert’s father! Eber Lambert will read before and between bouts of the slam.

3 for $300 Slam a poetry/prose/visual art combination slam for writers, artists and performers, is a poetry/prose competition with a slight twist:

Performers who bring and show visual art connected in some way to their poetry/prose will earn extra points. Performers may also (and are encouraged to) use artwork hanging in the museum’s current exhibit. Simply pick a painting, and it will be displayed front and center for the audience while you read. Each written piece performed or read must be under three minutes and ten seconds. Winners take home $150 (1st Place), $100 (2nd Place) and $50 (3rd Place).

Sat. June 5 SDAI Paint Out at Mission Trails

Continued on page 2

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SAN DIEGO ART INSTITUTEMuseum of the Living Artist

House of Charm, Balboa Park, 1439 El PradoSan Diego, CA 92101-1617

(619) 236-0011 • Fax (619) 236-1974website: sandiego-art.org

email: krobers@mola-sdai.org

San Diego Art DepartmentEducational Facility: 3830 Ray St.,

San Diego, CA 92104(619) 299-4278

email: info@sdartdept.comwebsite: www.sdad-sdai.org

Board of GovernorsBill Hawkins, Schuyler Hoffman, Susan Leonard

Ted Mintz, Ginger Wallace, Chris & Lorraine Wolfe

Board of DirectorsChair: Elaine Ellis

Vice Chair: Claire Slattery (past COVA Board Member)

Secretary: Kathyrn KramerTreasurer: Ruth Hoffman

(on leave)

Jean McKeeJoe Nalven

Larry Poteet (Attorney)

Educational & Outreach CommitteeAndrea Chamberlin

Elene RamirezElizabeth Morton

SDAI Advisory BoardVincent Andrunas

(Social Editor: Décor/ Style Magazine)

Elizabeth Basinet (Barrett Resource Group)

Liliana Garcia (Host / Univis)

Pamela HartwellGeorge Lofland (Founder/Art Dept.,Ray Street)

Debra A. Morse – AttorneyPeter B. Rutman (AdminEstate Corporation)

Vaughn Woods, CFP

Co-SponsorsCity of San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture

Friends of the Institute

San Diego Art Department/Ray StreetDirector – Andrea Chamberlin

Studio Assistant – Jack Harmanian

Staff of SDAIExecutive Director – Timothy J. Field

Executive Administrator – Kerstin RobersGallery Assistant/Public Relations – Marc Pickett

Graphic Designer/Production Coordinator - Jack WadePoet Program Coordinator – Michael KlamAccounting/PR Associate - Debora Wells

Educational Programs – Andrea Chamberlin& Elene Ramirez

Clerical /Accounting Assistant – Paul Stolte

Journal StaffTim Field, Kerstin Robers, Jack Wade,

Debora Wells, Richard ChauDavis Photos – Richard Messenger

Website DesignMichael Hanes, Roark Dority

What is Poetry Slam? Here is the official word from Poetry Slam, Inc.: “A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer selects the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poets’ content and performance.”

Eber Lambert was born in Outer Mongolia before being sublimated and reissued in Hinesburg, Vermont in the mid 1960s. He began writing disturbed poetry and prose, much to the chagrin of his writing teachers. So he has written strictly as a creative outlet for 25 years while working in high tech and raising a family. Lambert records, processes and posts the DimeStories for San Diego Open Mic and the Showcases. He is also a contributor, ad hoc judge and curator.

The Poetry & Art Series (established in the summer of 2001) at the Museum of the Living Artist is itself both a unique show and a unique venue. Poets and audiences gather amongst the paintings to witness a live collaboration between writers and visual artists.

Poetry & Art, the San Diego Art Institute’s quarterly museum series, gives regional artists an opportunity to express themselves in a variety of forms and styles. Audiences hear poetry and prose in dialogue with painting, photography, sculpture, music and dance. Any featured guests serve not only as entertainment but also as inspiration for developing artists. The free speech event reveals the diversity and importance of the region’s artists.

Our resident Poetry & Art DJ, Gill S.O.T.U., will provide R&B, funk, and soul, and there is a new art exhibit on display at every show.

So bring poems and paintings on Wednesday, July 28, and step up to the mic. Or simply come to enjoy the performances. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Michael Klam at (619) 957-3264 or call the Museum directly, Kerstin Robers at (619) 236-0011. E-mail: .

Poetry & Art Series since 2001 -- Poetry & Art takes place in SDAI’s 10,000-square-foot Museum of the Living Artist in Balboa Park and includes music and snacks. The event is open to the public and audience members can participate or simply enjoy the show. Cost is $5. Open mic signups start at 6 p.m., and the event runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

For press photos, to set up interviews or more information, contact Michael Klam, (619) 957-3264 cell, (619) 236-0011 office or mkklam@gmail.com.

WHAT: Poetry & Art 3 for $300 SlamDATE: Wednesday, July 28, 2010TIME: 6-9:30 p.m.; slam signups at 6 p.m.LOCATION: The Museum of the Living Artist 1439 El Prado, Balboa ParkCOST: $5, members free, wine and snacks

Help SDAD raise $2,500 for a new kiln!The kiln is a very important part of the San Diego Art Department. We teach glass fusing classes and workshops that are some of the few glass fusing classes offered in the San Diego area. We also offer our students and the public the opportunity to fire their works of art for a fee, which is an important source of income for SDAD. We also use the kiln to “flatten”/recycle wine bottles which are sold as cheese trays.

A little can go a long way! To make a contribution please contact SDAD at 619-299-4278 or stop by our studio in North Park (3830 Ray Street)!

Poetry & Art continued from page 1

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Michele GuieuSolo Show SDAI June 18 – July 18, 2010

“Correspondences and Elevation”

Brenda YorkSolo Show SDAI July 23, 2010 to August 22, 2010

“Long Story Short” My newest body of work was inspired by the book, “Six-Word Memoirs By Writers Famous And Obscure.” The book is a collection of hundreds of memoirs each reduced to a mere six words by their authors. Having long been a painter of narrative art, I decided to apply the same challenges of the abbreviated life story to a collection of autobiographical paintings. Each piece represents a chapter in my life reduced to one image that tells the “long story short.” The paintings were first conceptualized in my sketchbooks through many drawings based on various game-changing life events. I then attempted to string together six carefully chosen words to capture the occasion (easier said than done!). The process of writing helped crystallize the images and, similarly, the sketches often sparked the beginnings of each six-word story. This synergistic method of working proved to be a challenge. And a whole lotta fun. In the end stages of each painting, I used a scratching technique to draw symbols and words into the paint. The symbolism, both personal and universal, allows a deeper exploration of each story and adds another layer of visual interest. Each painting was given both a title and a six-word story. Finally, in a more literal interpretation of this project, I chose to work in a format that reinforces “long story short”: my canvases are both long and short.

Susan J. OsbornSolo Show SDAI June 18 – July 18, 2010

“Crosses, Shrines and Tributes”

Drawings and paintings byTherese Cipiti Herron

Solo Show SDAI July 23, 2010 to August 22, 2010

“HULA” “It’s summer. Relax. Flip flops. Hang loose and Hula! I became hardwired to the beat of the Epu (gourd drum) under the direction of Kumu Hula Leinaala Olsen Cibulka in 2007. This Hula Series began by asking myself two questions: What is it that makes me want to do it? Answer: To get past certain associations with it, i.e., Kitsch or Hawaiiana you see everywhere. How do I make a painting that addresses that? Answer: Movement with use of curves and flats, protrusions and recessions, crudeness and delicacy, repetition and patterns, lines and forms that seduce the eye without being too literal. The hula sister/brotherhood is happiness without cost. Hang loose and slip into the hula dancers mind. Mahalo.” Therese’s Nursing Series from her last Solo show “Uniformed” has been published in Patricia Donahue’s 2010 publication “Nursing The Finest Art” as well as included in International Juried Exhibitions at SDAI, William D. Cannon Biennials, Athenaeum’s Annuals, Boehm Gallery, and National Magazine publications. She is also a juried member of West Coast Drawing at Therese also plays ukulele with the Hawaiian organization Hui O Hawaii.

Featured Artists:Louis Beatty, Jr.

Show runs from August 27, 2010 to September 26, 2010Title: “The Goddess: Her Cycles and Emanations”

andClaire-Lise Matthey Anderegg

Show runs from August 27, 2010 to September 26, 2010Title: TBA

Drew Hubbell - Guest Juror: July 18, 2010 - Architect, Hubbell & Hubbell Architects LLCDrew’s education includes the architectural program at the Dan-ish Institute of Study, Copenhagen, Denmark. His extensive travel throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States allowed for an architectural survey of historic material and building tech-niques, providing him with a rich design vocabulary. Drew is a member of Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization of informed citizens who are interested in local and regional planning issues. He is a mem-ber of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)-Committee on the Environment, the Newschool Arts Foundation Board, Ilan-Lael Foundation Board, and has been a member of the California Straw Bale Association (CASBA) since 1997.

Drew Hubbell’s diverse background ranges from historic resto-ration to adaptive reuse of existing structures to custom resi-dential design. His firm specializes in sustainable architecture, green building materials and the use of alternative building materials such as straw bales, insulated concrete forms, adobe, and sprayed concrete construction. He leads the firm Hubbell & Hubbell Architects LLC, and collaborates with his father—re-nowned artist James T. Hubbell—merging art and architecture in ecologically and aesthetically mindful ways.

Locally, Drew helped pioneer the use of alternative building materials in San Diego County, and has been a key figure in educating public agencies about their benefits, in order to gain acceptance and permits for these materials. Globally, Hubbell & Hubbell Architects is currently working on the design of a Gorilla Research Station in Uganda, Africa.

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The Professional Artist Lecture Series presented by the San Diego Art Institute is geared to educate artists in running a successful busi-ness, as well as expanding their knowledge of art techniques.

Upcoming Professional Artist Lectures

“ARE YOU GOING TO PASSIONATELY PURSUE YOUR ART OR – JUST LEAVE IT TO CHANCE?”

Facilitated by Earl Storm, Creativity Coach – Artist’s Way Facilitator - Political Cartoonist

Wednesday, July 14th from 6:00 – 8:00pm

Please RSVP for the lectures by emailing Andrea Chamberlin, eduprogramSDAI@gmail.com

Join us for this imaginative, insightful and interactive work-shop that asks you that BURNING and ON-GOING ques-tion that keeps your ART LIVE and MOVING FORWARD.

Tapping into the tools and insights of the ARTIST’S WAY (the quintessential book on creativity by Julia Cameron) and SOULCOLLAGE ® (a Personal Tarot for your Creative Soul) you will be playfully and artfully guided into the inner realms of your talents and passions. Prepare your-self to explore your art from a whole new perspective and dimension – what you discover will ASTOUND and AMAZE YOU!!!

“THE ART OF ALCHEMY”Facilitated by Earl Storm, Creativity Coach – Artist’s Way Facilitator - Political Cartoonist

Wednesday, August 25th from 6:00 – 8:00pm

ARTISTS are ALCHEMIZERS….we take the raw experi-ence of life/emotions and transform them into CREATIVE FUEL. We either do this consciously or unconsciously…doing your art from the point of awareness transforms the artist along with your art.

Tapping into the tools and insights of the ARTIST’S WAY you are offered the artful ingredients of LAUGHTER, MAGIC and IMAGINATION to ignite your art into new directions and dimensions.

All lectures are held at SDAI: Museum of the Living Artist 1439 El Prado, The House of Charm, Balboa ParkAdmission: $5 SDAI/SDAD members / $10 non-members

For more information about the lecture series please contact, Andrea Chamberlin at: eduprogramSDAI@gmail.com.

Welcome SDAI New Members!

Mehdi NafissiKevin R. Winger

Iris Delaney Vincent S. Quaranta John C. Zimmerman

Elly Dotseth John M. Noel

William Joiner and Meilin Wu

Ed Fosmire - Guest Juror: August 22, 2010Executive Director, Oceanside Museum of Art

Ed Fosmire was born in Los Angeles and has lived his entire life in southern California. In 1978, at the age of twelve, he visited the original King Tut exhibition when it was exhibited at LACMA. The exhibition had such an impact on him that he decided that he wanted to make museum work his career. As an undergradu-ate he became enamored with contemporary art, Asian art, and comparative religion. As a graduate student he taught classes in cultural anthropology and western art history while continu-ing his interest in Asian culture. In the early 1990s he spent time in India and Singapore developing his thesis topic on Central Asian Buddhist painting.

After graduate school, Ed became a part-time instructor teach-ing Art Concepts and Asian Art History at community colleges in Orange County while working in the Education Department of the Irvine Fine Arts Center. From there Ed has held positions in museum education, fundraising and marketing at various muse-ums and arts institutions in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. At the Orange County Museum of Art he coordinated the educa-tion and film program. While at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County he oversaw the school visits program that served 250,000 students annually and wrote Standards-based curricula for K-12 school groups. At the Long Beach Museum of Art Ed managed fundraising and marketing, helping to ensure the fiscal health of the museum’s $3.5 million annual budget. For the last several years Ed has also been an adjunct faculty mem-ber at Chapman University, teaching classes in Asian art. He began his job as Executive Director of the Oceanside Museum of Art in April 2010.

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SDAI Paint-outs will be held on the first Saturday of each month.Locations will be at various places in San Diego County or Southern Orange County.• Two or three of these may be in Balboa Park.• Locations will be announced in the bi-monthly SDAI Journal

with the e-mail address of the host of each event. The host for each event is to be contacted by e-mail for sign-up and detailed information and directions on where to meet, etc.

An e-mail list of interested participants will be maintained by Richard Powers and announcements will be sent to all on the list prior to each event in addition to being in the SDAI Journal. • The events will be open to anyone desiring to participate

whether members of SDAI or not. • There will be at least one juried show at the SDAI Gallery per

year for about 20 paintings running simultaneously with one of the Regional Shows.

All painting canvases or watercolor papers are to be stamped and dated at each event to prove they were done in the program. Only paintings done within the program can be submitted for the show.Paintings are limited to a maximum size of 12” x 16” and should be framed in appropriate plein-air frames with wire hangers. Up to 2 paintings can be submitted by each artist for the show. Non-members of SDAI will pay an entry fee of $20. There is no fee for SDAI members.All paintings must be hand-delivered and picked up at the end of the show at SDAI.The co-hosts for these SDAI Paint-outs are Richard Powers and Mark Slusser with occasional assistance from Mark Fehlman. Dates and times: July 3rd – Sunset Cliffs. Meet @ 8:30 am.DIRECTIONS: From I-5 north or south take I-8 westbound (Ocean Beach Fwy), continue on Sunset Cliffs Blvd to forced left onto Ladera St., then right on dirt road into Sunset Cliffs Park. Meet in the parking lot to get your canvases or papers stamped. Then pick your spot! (Windswept Eucalyptus, Cliffs and Surf/Sea Views)

August 7th – Rancho Peñasquitos Regional Park. Meet @ 8:30 am.DIRECTIONS: From I-15 north or south take the 56 Ted Williams Pkwy westbound to Black Mountain Road, go left (South) on Black Mountain Road, turn right at signal onto Canyonside Park Driveway, continue on Canyonside past the developed sports areas all the way to the Rancho Peñasquitos Adobe. Meet there to get your canvases or papers stamped. Then pick your spot! (Barns, Outbuildings, Adobe Ranch House, Sycamore and Willow trees and trails.)

September 4 – In Balboa Park at the Reflecting Pool in front of the Botanical Building. Arrival time is promptly at 8:30 am. Remember to get your canvases and watercolor/drawing papers stamped to be eligible for entering the juried show at the end of the year. October 2 – Tuna Harbor – Directions: I-5, exit Sassafras St., go straight from the off ramp and continue to Laurel St., turn right on Laurel St. continuing to the end which is Harbor Drive. Go past the Maritime Museum (tall ships and aircraft carrier) on the right. Turn right into the parking lot for the Fish Market Restaurant. Parking is metered at 5 quarters per hour so be sure to bring quarters. Arrival time is promptly at 8:30 am. November 6 – Old Town San Diego – Park in the State Park parking lot nearest the Transportation Center. For directions you can Google from your address to Old Town San Diego on Google Maps. Arrival time is promptly at 8:30 am. Things to Remember: Be sure to get your canvases and watercolor/drawing papers stamped to be eligible for entering the juried show at the end of the year. Prompt arrival time is important since these events are on a Saturday and the later you arrive the less parking will be available, as these are all tourist venues. www.RichardTPowers.com

The San Diego Art Institute’s Educational Facility, the San Diego Art Department, provides an inclusive, col-laborative environment that fosters artistic expression, for all ages and proficiencies,

using art to contribute value and diversity to the community with educational programs, exhibitions and workspace.

June/July exhibition featuring “Chaos in Pieces” artwork by Jason Gould.Opening reception on June 19th from 6-9pm and the closing reception will be held on July 10th from 6-9pm.

July/Aug exhibition featuring, “SDAD Student Awards Show” Opening reception on July 17th from 6-9pm and the closing reception will be held on Aug 14th from 6-9pm (during Ray at Night)

Also on exhibit will be artwork by students, members, and instructors.

SDAD is located on 3830 Ray Street in North Park. For a detailed schedule of our classes please visit the website: www.sdad-sdai.org or call: 619-299-4ART.

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Lenore Simon has just learned that The National Gallery in Wash-ington’s Curator of Modern Drawings & Prints recently made inquiries about the artist after acquiring one of her early etchings dated 1951.

Lenore also recently received an inquiry from a collector who purchased a Simon print at an Art Auction in Texas. This was good news for the art-ist, who would like to divest herself of some of her inventory. Anyone who reads this is welcome to purchase works from her portfolio with a generous portion to be donated to The San Diego Art Institute. Lenore became a lifetime member when the Institute’s future was in question. She encourages others who are able to do so as well as the rewards are ten-fold.

Exhibition of Fine Art at the Del Mar Fair: This competition judges two- and three-dimensional artworks in all media. Congratulations to our artists!Lois Adler-Roussell won 1st place in the printmaking category for “Dancing Ravens”Shant Beudjekian won 3rd place in the oil-non-representational category for “Dynanism”Connie Cannon won 2nd place in the recycled art category for “Cascade”Fran Carder won 3rd place in the acrylic/representational/still life & floral category for “Kimono on Silver”Pat Dispenziere won 2 honorable mentions in the watercolor/representational/still life & floral category for “Afternoon Light” and “Matilija Poppies”. She also won an honorable mention in the watercolor/representational/landscapes category for “Late Arrivals”D. Dodge won honorable mention in the watercolor/representational/animals category for “Scorpion on a Painter’s Palette”. She also won 3rd place in the acrylic/representational/cityscapes category for “Against Traffic”Renie Geesey won 3rd place in the other 2-D, not listed category for “Pizza Kitchen Gadget Man”Marcy Gordon won an honorable mention in the drawing/color category for “Untitled”Katherine Keeling won 1st place in the all media/Fair Theme – “Taste the Fun” category for “Home Stretch”Carol Mansfield won 3rd place in the acrylic/non-representational category for “Fight or Flight”Caroline Morse won an honorable mention in the oil/representational/people category for “ Marrakech Vendor”Sammy Pasto won 1st place in the oil/representational/people category for “Three Sisters IV”Victoria Polyak won 2nd place in the oil/representational/cityscapes category for “Wild, Wild West”Jeff Remmer won 3rd place in the oil/representational/landscapes category for “ Force and Resistance. He also won an honorable mention in the same category for “ DramaSea”Karen Sano won 2nd place in the sculptures category for “ M. Jackson- Everyone Wanted a Piece of the Pie”Mark W. Smith won a total of 3 honorable mention awards in the following categories: watercolor/representational/animals for “Rainbow Reef”; watercolor/representational/cityscapes for “Cotswold Cozy”; acrylic/representational/landscapes for “Morning Mist”. In addition, he won 3rd place in the drawing/black & white category for “Forgotten Entrance”Vita Sorrentino won an honorable mention in the collage category for “Ode to Gustav”Teresa Unger won 2nd place in the recycled art category for “Garden Gate”Peggy Weiner won 2nd place in the mixed media category for “The Silent Madonna”

Our artists are showing elsewhere:Renie Geesey has her paintings showing in Chula Vista’s City Hall in the Housing Division. The show will run indefinitely.

YOUTH SUMMER ART CAMPS Each summer, SDAD presents week-long art workshops where kids can discover and imagine new ways to try their ideas with art. FULL DAY CLASSES - Mon-Fri. (9:30am - 3:30pm) Two classes per day / $260 per week Ages 6 - 12 One TEEN WEEK 1/2 day for Ages 12-17

For a detailed description of each camp please visit our website, and click on the class schedule. Please call 619-299-4ART to register. WEEK 1: July 12 -16 Comic Creations with Instructor Billy Martinez Bring Your Comics to Life! with Instructor Alexis Archibald WEEK 2: July 19 - 23 Art Explorers: Printmaking & Screen Printing with Instructor Angela Baldridge Jewelry Design with Instructor Denise Bonaimo TEEN WEEK 3: July 26 - 30 (1/2 Day only / Fee: $175) Skateboards and Logo Design with Alexis Archibald WEEK 4: Aug 2 - 6 Mixed Media Sculpture Goes Green with Angela Baldridge Community Dance with Eveoke Dance Theatre Instructors** WEEK 5: Aug 9 - 13 Draw It All with Instructor Sally PhillipsWatercolor Painting with Instructor Thia Nevius **Week 4 students will be accompanied by an adult to the dance theatre and should be picked up at that location: Eveoke Dance Theatre 2811-A University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104

SDAI Member, Guy Lombardo, opens a new gallery and is now accepting submissions. All media can be submitted monthly. Contact Guy at guylombardo1@gmail.com.

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Reflections in a Canine Mirror Baudelaire Shepherd

It does not take many visits to the San Diego Art Institute to learn how to accurately identify the work of some artists by their highly distinct “styles.” But this simple fact raises some not so simple questions: What is “style” exactly? Where does it come from? Is it a good thing? And what should an artist do with it once they’ve got it? From today’s perspective it is easy to see the entire history of art as one gigantic stylistic feast, each dish intimately reflective of the aesthetic whims of time and place, but these same dishes available for endless appropriation by the present. But for most of art history style was not an end, but an obstacle, evidence only of our limited understanding of light and perspective, of our ignorance of anatomy, of the frustrating inadequacies of clay, marble, pigment, and smoke.One might argue that, until the mid-nineteenth century, the driving force of art was towards the scientific representation of external reality, even when that reality was thick with gods and nymphs. Typically the artists of antiquity, and of the renaissance, were equally famous as architects and engineers. Even the Impressionists appealed to theories of perception to justify their transgressions against the French Academy. But the triumph of representation has been a cold victory, and for the last hundred and fifty years we have all been rushing back to embrace the contingencies of the flesh, to outdo each other in our blindness, our stubborn passions, our primitive obsessions, our exalted ignorances, our fetishism for the geometry and the stuff of art.Now “style” has indeed become a “style,” a personal choice that is at the same time a shameful embarrassment. For though we are free, with our modern advantages, to choose what style we want, to present it as the trademark of our own personal authenticity, and to reap the commercial advantages that such a trademark supports, we must at the same time deny that any choice was involved. We must assert whenever possible our own inability, and our

weakness before the muses that ravage us; we cannot choose a style; the style must choose us. We must “be” a style, and at the same time we must rebel against our own being.The paradoxes of style are well exemplified in the work of Hank Gross. With his intensity of color, his hypnotic distortions of line, and his cartoon like renderings of the human figure, his paintings are immediately recognizable. Yet there is a capaciousness of subject that such a style allows, and the very vividness of style provides an energetic counterpoint to the traditional artistic virtues of balance, focus, and ordered proportion. Gross’ work is always interesting, though not always successful; sometimes the overall balance is muddy, and at other times a too easy satiric intent flattens the mood. But in “A Rainy Afternoon in Paris” both style and particulars support each other to wonderful effect. The painting is a cityscape of a street in Paris in early evening, and everything in it is alive with a conversation between worlds, between night and day, between sun and rain, between the people we encounter on the street and the spirits we encounter in our dreams. On one side is the bursting plenitude of city life; on the other the orderly constructions of building and of street. On one side are garish color, twisted line, and urban anxiety; on the other are the focus of falling light, the careful population of foreground, midground, and distance, the casting of shadows in muted tones, and the amusing ubiquity of the delicate forehead curl. I cannot know with what pain Gross chafes at his own eye, but I am happy that he cannot pull it out.

“A Rainy Afternoon in Paris”

This program will provide an opportunity for artist members to share work, questions and information through visual representa-tion and dialogue.

New members: this is a great opportunity to meet other members, show your work and see the work being created in the San Diego area.

Everyone else: show us your work, whether you’re getting into the juried shows or not. We want to see what you are doing and have the opportunity to talk with you.

Members: Free Nonmembers: $5.00

The next Gatherings will be: July 11, Sept 5, & Nov 7

Description and schedule:4-6pm Sunday. 4-4:30 bring artwork and check in; 4:30 doors locked. If there is a guest artist, the presentation will begin at 4:30.

Members can bring up to 3 pieces of artwork that will be displayed either leaning on the wall around the gallery, on empty pedestals or easels if available, or members may bring some.

From 4-6pm artists have the opportunity to discuss their work, ask questions of other artists, discuss general and specific artist issues and share information.

Artists are encouraged to bring books, announcements, magazines, etc., to share. Artists may also bring food and beverages to share.

Cosponsored by:

SDAI Summer C-Note, May 29, 2010 photos by Sidney Wildesmith