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Over the weekend, my girlfriend surprised me by reserving the “Nature” room at the Andiron Inn in Little River, CA. It was an amazing couple of days at the Inn. The overall ambiance and decor of the cabins was reminiscent of 1950s/early 1960s in New York’s Andirondacks (that I’ve ever been but I’ve seen pictures thanks to the vintage Viewmaster in the room). I posted the picture above because I didn’t want to be so critical with these few posts…
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Are we to paint what’s on the face, what’s inside the face, or what’s behind it? ~Pablo Picasso Although art, technology and conceptual art are deep seeded passions, I’m a sucker for a great painting. Illustrative and figurative work often straddles between commercial and fine art. Then again, it depends on what the artist is trying to achieve with highly representational and figurative works. Kenney Mencher’s exhibition, Renovated Reputations, currently showing at ArtHaus showcases what a skilled draftsman can create with…
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arthaus / bay area / bay area artist / kenney mencher / narrative / painting / postaday2011 / story telling / vintage¶¶¶¶¶
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fallen Angel, 1981 Genius Child This is a song for the genius child. Sing it softly, for the song is wild. Sing it softly as ever you can – Lest the song get out of hand. Nobody loves a genius child. Can you love an eagle, Tame or wild? Can you love an eagle, Wild or tame? Can you love a monster Of frightening name? Nobody loves a genius child. Kill him – and let his soul run wild.…
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What is the best way to understand artists? For me, it’s, actually, going through the art making process. To experience what the artist experiences. Everyone is unique and completely different but the commonality is the struggle all artists have to create something and be heard, seen, and understood. The above slide show includes pictures I took of my work currently at the UC Berkeley Extension Art and Design campus in Downtown San Francisco. I did a series of drawings for my ‘Working in Series’ class.…
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With touch screen technology, social media, and high definition television, the traditional artist must find ways to captivate an audience in a digital age. Kenney Mencher‘s, Renovated Reputations: Paintings and Fiction inspired by Vintage Portrait Photographs, forthcoming exhibition at the ArtHaus gallery is, certainly, a show that piques my interest. In reviewing his work, there is definitely a progression in both style and content. The Renovated Reputations should be a treat to individuals not familiar with his work and impressive to those…
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Ah, the day of heart shaped chocolates, conversation hearts, disdainful people that despise Valentine’s day, and an exchange of love notes… Truthfully, I absolutely love the day (YES, EVEN when I was single). I just never (ever) really thought of it as a day for couples. The history itself and all the believed legends of what makes Valentine’s Day, well, Valentine’s day has very little to do with romantic love between two people (but I can see and understand where…
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An incredible weekend to do an urban hike through the San Francisco streets! Today was one of the best days and our hiking group worked up a sweat walking up and down the hills surrounding Koit Tower. Fortunately, we didn’t ascend the stairs that would bring us to the landmark but we were able to catch glimpses of the urban landscape walking along the downtown San Francisco streets. Now, since it is Valentine’s day weekend, I wanted to focus on yet another aspect of…
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Writing letters, drawing, doodling, and even your handwriting can become art. The documentary 1000 Journals includes interviews with individuals who have received and/or given away blank journals. The creator of the project, Someguy (yes, this is the name he goes by) is based in San Francisco thus tugging a bit at my heart-strings since I call this great city home. The distribution and circulation of the journals has been ongoing since 2000 and it has expanded to 1001 Journals! The…
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1000 Journals / community art / doodling / drawing / journaling / painting / participatory art / postaday2011 / thoughts / writing¶¶¶¶¶
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The Working in Series studio class with artist Pamela Lanza at the UC Berkeley Extension through the Art and Design program was one of the most wonderful experiences in 2010. It was a difficult year, to say the least. Yet, through the class, I learned so much about why I create art and why it is a huge part of my life. More to follow…
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writer | artist | scholar
Dorothy R. Santos, Ph.D. 