Ventura ArtWalk Spring 2009...

Last weekend was the bi-annual ArtWalk in downtown Ventura.  I spent the first day browsing around with a couple good friends, and then returned on my own on the second day.  Below are some of the newest and latest that I found quite intriguing.  Just click on each image to get a larger view of the works of art.

First, Gerardo Segismundo (one of my favorite local artists) is stretching his art into a larger, expressionistic, oil-based realm with works like "Mirrored Moves":

Next is Sarah Kalvin with her watercolors and oils, such as "The Yellow Umbrellas":

Jim Martin continues to wow with his stunning photography, such as "Sunset Behind Two Trees" and "Pelicans, Ventura":

Sherron Sheppard's fine art photography also captures haunting moods, such as "Caddo Sunset" and "Strawberry Field in B&W":

Michael Zelcer has a wide range of artistic talents, such as architectural art glass and painting, as well as sculpture:

One gallery was filled with works by young local art students from Cal State University - Channel Islands (CSUCI).  One impressive artist was Leah McMahan with her "Gateways II":

And then... there's the amazing 24-year old Christine M. Brand, a graduate of CSUCI's art program.  Her two oil paintings - "November Leaves in Merced River" and "Vintage Abalone Shell" - were shockingly gorgeous, especially from someone who's only been painting for just a handful of years. This young lady will leave an amazing artistic legacy, if these early examples are any indication:

Bi-annual ArtWalk...

This past weekend was the bi-annual ArtWalk in downtown Ventura, and like I always do I took a few hours in the afternoon and walked around the area to check out the latest that the local artists from the region had to display.

Gretchen Anne Martin and her fiance do modeling and sculpture work in the toy industry, but Gretchen is also an accomplished sculptor. Although nothing is on display on-line, I had the opportunity to see a few pieces at her studio and was blown away by the unquestionable talent and her sharp eye for detail and beauty in classical busts and figuratives.

Elizabeth Cawelti is another artist who is stationed at the Bell Arts Factory. The following piece ("Silent" - 2005) is a fine example of her work:


Irena Jablonski had her installation - Human Adventure - on display at the Buenaventura Gallery. The following piece ("Sisters at a Doorway") is absolutely stunning in person:


Virginia Beale was also on display at the BVG, as was Christine Beirne. Below is an example of Virginia Beale's work ("Mountain Trail Sulpher Mt. Rd"):


Jim Martin had his large scale photographs on display at the Red Brick Gallery. Just click here to view all of his vibrant photographs. Davey Miller is a large-scale painter who does some abstracts in the vein of Jackson Pollock. One piece that was on display outside on Main Street was his "12-Foot Wave" piece that is mighty impressive:


Finally, I happened to meet up again with Gerardo Segimundo who is always smiling and laughing whenever you see him. I was totally shocked and stunned when Gerard said that he had a little something for me, and he pulled out a small, original watercolor from his dancers series and gave it to me as a gift for "always being so supportive" of his work and coming down to these ArtWalks. Below is an example of some of his work ("Symphonic Movement"):


What always drew me into his paintings was an intuitive sense of lyricism and melody. It wasn't until afterwards that I found this descriptive from his website's "Artist Statement":

There are moments when music carries you to a scenery that you visualize in your mind. There are moments when a painting subconsciously evokes a melody from your heart. As a visual artist and a pianist, I strive for viewers to experience music within my art, and for listeners to perceive art within my music- that's my aspiration.

Thank you, Gerry! I'm humbled and honored by your gesture, and I will cherish the gift.

Now, to get it framed!

Lame attempts at being artistic #5...

Jen's post about art (which I referenced in the previous post) made me realize that it's been awhile since I've posted some art pix of my own. They're simple shots; nothing fancy. Hope you enjoy 'em.

CROSS BEAM


SAND FINGERS


LADYBUG SERIES 2 (purple)


LADYBUG SERIES 5 (yellow w/ bee)


LIQUID GROOVES 1


LIQUID GROOVES 2

The Definition of Art...

(Hat-tip to Paragraph Farmer):

Jennifer of Et Tu? (a former atheist who is now a Catholic, and has been chronicling her journey on her blog), has an interesting post about poetry and art:

"At some point after my conversion, I heard about the concept that true art is beautiful, in some form or another, and that in order to be beautiful it must convey truth. I didn't get it. How can art be true?..."

She goes on to discover:

"Art is the secret handshake of the children of God, the inside joke among those with souls. The spark that is ignited within us when we are touched by a work of art is a spark of recognition: the artist has brought us a souvenir from our homeland beyond the material world, the place that none of us should know about, but all of us do. To connect with a piece of art is to connect with the artist as a fellow traveler, to realize that you are both walking the same rocky road, and that he is homesick too. And it matters because true art, art that seeks a connection of souls, makes it harder to devalue and dehumanize one another. It reminds us what it means to be human."

Read the entire post here.

On a related note, it's time again for the Ventura ArtWalk - what was originally a tri-annual event on Saturdays in downtown Ventura has now become a bi-annual event that covers the entire weekend. This weekend is the Spring event, and the Autumn event will be in mid-October. For more information, click here.

Lame attempts at being artistic #4...

ORANGED SENTINELS
A particularly windy day on the coast.


MOONRISE OVER SANTA BARBARA
Taken while at an outdoor concert.


RUSTED WHEEL
Partially buried in the sand by the water's edge, among the cobblestones.


FOAMY


P.S. Click on each pic to enlarge.

Lame attempts at being artistic #3...

JAG!

Taken when I attended the annual British Car Show at Channel Islands Harbor.

GOT AN APPLE?

Taken at the annual Ventura County Fair. I could just tell by the way he was looking at me that he was just begging for an apple.

ODD MAN IN

Kinda speaks for itself. A little out of focus, though.

SNAKE EYE

Part of an old iron, tile & concrete serpent at the playground of my old neighborhood. Plenty-a-skinned-knee crawling through this monstrosity as a kid.

Lame attempts at being artistic #2...

...DRIFTING...

Round Two of my fledgling attempts at being artistic with a simple digital point-n-click camera.

WEATHERED & WORN
BUT
FIRM & STRONG


These are obvious close-ups of some items just laying around on the coast. They both had some intriguing details.



PI

I came across this little display that was propped up by someone and then just left there. The incoming tide eventually knocked it down.



FOAMY

Cropping is everything. This was the best of only three similar pictures I took that day. I just cropped it with a simple computer program, and "Wah-LAH!"... a perfect poster for framing (yeah, right).

Lame attempts at being artistic #1...

FOUNTAIN OF FIRE

Okay.

So, every once in awhile I'll take my Canon PowerShot A530 point-&-shoot digital camera with me somewhere, and I'll attempt to take some artistic pictures. Some come out okay, while others end up blurry, pedestrian, or even downright lame.



LIQUID GOLD 2

Anyway, from time to time I'll post a few of the better ones. This post being the first. Just click on each pic to see a larger image.

You are certainly not required to comment (unless you feel strongly compelled to do so - either in praise or in derision).


FLAMING WATERFALL

The four pics in this post are of a fountain in downtown Ventura, across the street from the San Buenaventura Mission. Someone dumped a bottle of dish soap in it, and the bubbles were all over the place. But it gave a beautiful glow with the lights. I tried various settings on my camera, and these four came out the best.

AMBER CURTAIN 1

This last one is intended to be abstract (at least, that's what I tell myself).

ArtWalk Summer 2007...

It was that time again. Last Saturday was the second of three ArtWalk events regularly scheduled throughout the year in downtown Ventura. Various shops, restaurants, businesses, galleries and studios open up their doors to the general public to display the latest works by local artists. I spent the better part of three hours that evening walking around with my cup of decaf and checking out some of my choice locations for viewing some great paintings and sculptures.

This time around, though, I didn't come across too much that was new and different. One woman was displaying her watercolors at the StoneWorks Studio's garden. Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up her business card or to jot down her name, but her paintings were vibrant and detailed. The next time I come across her work I'll make sure to write it down and post it here.

Otherwise, I ended up just enjoying the latest works by some of my favorite local artists. So, I just recommend you click on each of the links below for you to peruse. Enjoy!

Norman Kirk

Christine Beirne

Gerardo Segismundo

Ira Meyer

Ricky Maldonado

Linda F. Peterson

David Rivas

David Blackburn

Seco

Lee Hodges

Dan Holmes

Ira Meyer - Photography

Last week, on the Fourth of July, I went downtown to the annual Independence Day festivities in my hometown. Main Street was blocked off for entertainment and various types of vendors. And I happened to bump into an old acquaintance of mine, Ira Meyer, whom I hadn't seen in a few years. He's a professional photographer, and he had his booth set up for displaying and selling his photographic prints.

His work is strikingly beautiful, and has even graced the pages of National Geographic (the Ponderosa Pines in the Mist pic). The vast majority of his work is of nature and scenic vistas, but that basic description doesn't do his art justice.

Here's a link to one of his recent prints from his travels to Antarctica. The brilliance of the translucent blue ice is breathtaking. Here's another link to Argentine Patagonia. Or, how about some wildlife. Or, a portraiture from India. I ended up buying one of his Antarctica prints (not shown on his web site) for myself - it's of a shimmering blue iceberg, back lit by the unseen rising sun, against a dark sea and charcoal sky.

I highly recommend purchasing a copy of his coffee table book, "Suddenly the Sun Emerged". It is well worth the modest $19.95.

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 6 (Rivas and Maldonado)

David Rivas peeks through his camera lens in a unique way. He calls his art abstract chromogenic photography. "Blue" was one of his first pieces, and it was selected by the City of Ventura to be used as banners throughout the Ventura Harbor area. "Prince" is another fascinating piece.

Ricky Maldonado is known for his geometrically detailed pottery, such as "Alien Mardi Gras", "Seed Jar", and "Blue Moon".

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 5 (Gerardo Segismundo)

Gerardo Segismundo is a bundle of laughter from the Philippines. I met him last autumn during the previous Artwalk (his art was displayed at several locations), and it was a joy to briefly get to know him. He was always drawing and painting as a kid, but his father wanted him to enter the medical field. He continued his creative outlet on the side, and friends & family members encouraged him to refine his artistic craft.

I love this guys work! It's at times subtle, and at other times vibrant. I'll let the artwork speak for itself: (in order) "Dancer (2)", "River's Quiet Moment", "Ventura Mission (11)", "Raptor (1)", and "Farmers (2)".

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 4 (Beirne, Zwers, Peterson and Kirk)

No, they are not a law firm. They are four artists listing among many at the "Focus on the Masters" web site.

Catherine Beirne works with various mediums, but the first item featured below (entitled "The Emperor") is oil on Canvas.

Gerald Zwers is both a painter and a sculptor. His watercolors focus on local landscapes, such as the untitled piece shown below. So far, very little of his work is listed on the web.

The third artist is Linda F. Peterson. A very engaging woman whom I had the chance to meet in person last weekend. She's a photographer, and some of her featured works are manually-manipulated prints. The item listed below (entitled "Coffee Shop") is the finished product of an intricate process. She starts with a Polaroid photo and lets it fully develop, cool and set for a few days. She then places it on a heating pad, and begins to minutely manipulate the emulsion of the photograph with various stylus'. She then lets it set & cool, then scans it and makes limited edition high-quality prints of the finished product.

Norman Kirk has been around for a long time, and is in a class all by himself. He tends to work mostly (though not exclusively) with watercolors. Last Saturday, I viewed one portrait of his entitled "Mission Padre" that was absolutely breathtaking. I'm only able to find a very small sample of his work online (none of which does him justice). The last item, below, is entitled "Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery".