Artist Spotlights

‘ “I Just Want to Focus on My Salad” Martha Stewart’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:00:00 GMT

See It
“Elite Deviance” runs March 2 through May 12 at Grand Central Art Center, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, 714-567-7233, grandcentralartcenter.com.

Background
Kuhl and Leyton met at Design and Architecture Senior High School in Miami. They attended Cornell University and began collaborating while studying in Rome, which is where they discovered acrylic tape as an artistic medium; the vibrant colors reminded them of Miami. Their recent work has focused on the relationship between crime and fame.

Creation
They get ideas from the news, and research potential topics. Once they have a concept, they combine downloaded images to create a composite picture. From that, they make a drawing and project it onto paper that’s more than 5 by 9 feet, completing the piece by layering on tape—acrylic tape for color, and bookbinding tape for opacity. “The development of our work is always as a team,” Leyton says.

Inspiration
The Stewart piece, inspired by her remarks on “The Early Show” when facing securities fraud charges, is in the first U.S. exhibition of “Elite Deviance,” the artists’ white-collar crime series, which includes Enron, Jack Abramoff, and Bernie Madoff. “We were inspired by the question of why a wealthy and often upstanding citizen would commit such a crime. How do you punish a crime of this nature and of this scale?”

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Browse a gallery of Allison Brad Kuhl and Monique Leyton's art here

This article originally appeared in the March 2013 issue.

‘Flower Mound’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:00:00 GMT

See It
Her solo show runs Feb. 24 through April 28 at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive Laguna Beach, 949-494-8971, lagunaartmuseum.org

Background
Schulnik comes from a family of painters, architects, and draftsmen, and she works in a variety of disciplines: painting, sculpture, animation. She studied at California Institute of the Arts, and her work is in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and others.

Inspiration
“I had been working a lot with the mound image—big bundles of things all lumped together, swelling and weaving.” She created a similar scene in her animated film, “Mound,” which will be screened at her show. “Someone told me [the painting] looked like a giant gravestone covered in flowers and cats.”

Creation
“Flower Mound” is an oil painting on two linen panels that together measure more than 8 by 12 feet. Schulnik started by creating multiple drawings; the figure at top right was modeled after her. She also scattered cats throughout the painting; the felines and flowers “just felt natural,” she says.

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Browse a gallery of Allison Schulnik's art here

This article originally appeared in the February 2013 issue.

‘Mi Salon’

Anastacia Grenda — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:05:00 GMT

See It
Michael Ward’s work can be seen at Studio Gallery through Jan. 31, 18001 Skypark Circle, Suite R, Irvine, 949-851-9181, studiogallery.net. In February, his work will be at Mesa Art, 789 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, 949-548-3570. Visit Ward’s studio by appointment, 714-966-3008.

Background
Ward is self-taught, and began working in gouache in 1980; he now uses acrylics. Nearly all of his paintings are based on his own photographs. “What I’m after is bearing witness, and making people stop what they’re doing and pay attention to something they may have never seen before, but makes them feel, ‘I know this.’”

Inspiration
“I have a series of paintings I call the ‘Walkabout’ series, based on photos taken on my journeys around Southern California. My emphasis is on ordinary, often-overlooked places. I’ve done several beauty shops, all in Santa Ana. I’m taken with the aspirational aspect of such places.”

Creation
Ward prints out digitally enhanced photos to guide him while he paints. “The girl was added from another photo [also] taken on Broadway in Santa Ana. She would have passed the salon at some point, and no doubt the guy inside would have checked her out, just as he was checking me out when I took this photo.”

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Browse a gallery of Michael Ward's art here

This article originally appeared in the January 2013 issue.

‘War in the Heavens’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:00:00 GMT

See It
Burke’s work is displayed through Dec. 31 at JoAnne Artman Gallery, 326 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, 949-510-5481, joanneartmangallery.com

Background
Describing himself as “a recovering advertising photographer and commercial director with 20 years of digital imaging skills,” Burke fuses photos with painterly techniques to create works with influences as varied as Hieronymus Bosch and Dr. Seuss. This is part of a series in which Burke uses images of vintage costume jewelry to create art that explores spirituality and the afterlife.

Creation
Burke collects jewelry at swap meets and estate sales, and photographs each piece individually on a white background for his digital database. To create his work, he selects a few images and manipulates them to create the composition and color scheme. Works take between two weeks and three months to complete, and he often has two to four in progress simultaneously.

Inspiration
This interprets Revelations 12:7-9, in which the devil, as a serpent, is cast out of heaven. “Great stuff, that Bible—awesome imagery and storytelling, regardless of one’s religion. I’m ambivalent about religion generally, and more interested in spirituality and human desires.” Creating this image led Burke to read “Paradise Lost,” which inspired another piece, “The Mind Is Its Own Place.”

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Browse a gallery of J.T. Burke here

This article originally appeared in the December 2012 issue.

‘The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:00:00 GMT

See It
Cummings will be at the Nov. 3 Festa dell’Autunno street festival at The Resort at Pelican Hill, 22701 Pelican Hill Road S., Newport Coast, 800-315-8214,pelicanhill.com/festa. See more of his work at mcoriginals.com, and chalkpainting.com.

Background
A painter who honed his classical technique at the Angel Academy in Florence, Italy, Cummings often re-creates Old World masterpieces as chalk street paintings. He also teaches art at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano and shows his paintings at The Bluebird Gallery in Laguna Beach. Cummings says his Christian faith is a great influence: “Art is a form of worship for me.”

Creation
Cummings is drawn to Baroque and religious paintings. Once he finds an image to replicate, he tweaks the piece’s perspective for viewers who will look down at it on the street, rather than view it on a wall. He draws a grid on the pavement, and then outlines the image in chalk pastel. He layers and blends colors to create shadows, contrast, and depth.

Inspiration
Cummings, who took up street painting at a friend’s suggestion, loves its temporary nature. “Creating a chalk painting takes many hours, sometimes days, only to be washed away by a hose or street cleaner, or tramped on by pedestrians. So many people ask me, ‘Doesn’t this bum you out?’ It’s a performance art, much like a concert. Just a lot slower.”

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Browse a gallery of Mark Cummings here

This article originally appeared in the November 2012 issue.

‘1968’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:00:00 GMT

See It
“OC Collects” runs Oct. 7 through Dec. 30 at the Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, 949-759-1122, ocma.net

Background
Aitken’s sculpture made of foam, wood, and mirrors is one of two Kamgar pieces included in “OC Collects,” an exhibit of modern and contemporary art gleaned from the holdings of more than a dozen local collectors. The show is part of OCMA’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Inspiration
The Kamgars purchased the piece last year at Art Basel Miami. Moira was drawn to the autobiographical nature of “1968”—the year the artist, who works primarily in video, was born—and because it marks a time of political and cultural evolution. And, she adds: “I’m a sucker for twinkly and sparkly media of every sort.”

Creation
Moira doesn’t think of herself as a collector: “That just sounds so much like a compulsion instead of a passion and a joy. When I do buy things, I try to buy only substantial contemporary works that represent a major current in that artist’s career.”

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Browse a gallery of Doug Aitken, from the collection of Fred and Moira Kamgar

This article originally appeared in the October 2012 issue.

‘Happy When It Rains’

Anastacia Grenda — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:04:00 GMT

See It
Woodward’s residency runs weekends through Oct. 28 at the Great Park, at Marine Way and Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine, 866-829-3829, ocgp.org

Background
As the artist in residence at the Orange County Great Park, Woodward creates sculptures that explore the relationship between nature and manmade environments. He earned his bachelor’s in studio art from UC Irvine, and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Cal State Long Beach.

Creation
About 80 percent of his sculptures include audio elements and greenery, and all are built to support plant growth. This piece incorporates bonsai trees, MP3 players, sound equipment, water pumps, grow lights, timers, and steel. The trees are planted in speakers so the sound pulses up through them.

Inspiration
Woodward’s work focuses on our immediate environment and ecosystem. He doesn’t consider his sculptures “green” or ecofriendly, but a study of how society manipulates the environment to suit its needs. “It’s important to maintain a balance between our immediate environment and the world at large.”

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Browse a gallery of Andre Woodward

This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue.

‘Social Network’

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:17:00 GMT

See It
Her works can be seen at the Festival of Arts, which runs through Aug. 31 at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 800-487-3378, foapom.com, esterroi.com.

Background
Tired of working with oil paints—and all the labor involved—Roi returned to the crayons she loved as a child in Italy. After realizing she could “paint” with them once melted, she developed a drawing board for her work, which focuses on vivid hues and the interplay of water with natural objects. This year marks her Festival of Arts debut.

Creation
Roi creates and photographs a still life, using it as the inspiration for a drawing she makes on paper. She then completes her work on what she calls her Icarus Drawing Board; the electric device, her own invention, has a cool zone for fine detail work, and a warm one that melts the wax for that painterly effect.

Inspiration
For this piece, Roi immersed pebbles she collected on a beach in Cambria in a container. “I became mesmerized by the water circling each pebble, connecting them with bright highlights. That’s when the name ‘Social Network’ came to mind.

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Browse a gallery of Ester Roi

This article originally appeared in the August 2012 issue.

Gateway

Anastacia Grenda — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:27:00 GMT

See It
Brizzi’s work is displayed July 7 through Aug. 4 at Curbside Gallery, 928 E. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana. A July 7 reception coincides with the Santiago Art District Art Walk.

Background
Until she was 16, Brizzi lived in Paris, which bred a European appreciation for buildings that show their age and history. A graduate of the Otis Institute of Art and Design, she often goes on “photo safaris” through industrial areas of Los Angeles, snapping pictures of “dirty alleys, old windows, fire escapes, and chaos” to use in her paintings.

Creation
First Brizzi digitally alters a photograph to get the desired image, prints it, and cuts out shapes with an X-Acto knife. She’ll paint a background onto wood or canvas, apply the cutout photo images, then layer on color washes and add details, such as her signature birds. She finishes the painting with a protective coat of varnish.

Inspiration
“Gateway” uses photos of a bridge behind Brizzi’s home and towers in New York and L.A. to create an “alternate reality, a place I wish existed.” She drew inspiration from her uncle, Gaetan Brizzi. “He and my father are artists who taught me to see beauty where most people wouldn’t—in a rusty ladder, a crumbling wall, a desolate and decrepit landscape.”

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Browse a gallery of Liz Brizzi

This article originally appeared in the July 2012 issue.

‘We Are All Free Now’

Anastacia Grenda — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:09:00 GMT

See It
“Combat Paper” runs June 21 through Aug. 19 at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton, 714-738-6595, themuck.org, combatpaper.org.

Background
Cameron served in Iraq in 2003 and then in the Vermont Army National Guard. After earning a forestry degree from the University of Vermont, he cofounded the Combat Paper Project in 2007. The nonprofit offers free workshops so veterans can share their stories of service by hand-making paper from their old uniforms.

Creation
This piece is made of U.S. military uniforms worn in Iraq, as well as the old Iraqi dinar currency bearing Saddam Hussein’s image. “A tradition of any military conflict is to collect artifacts,” Cameron says. “These ‘trophies’ carry the time and place, the memory and reflection, of how they were acquired.”

Inspiration
“I commemorate the act of collecting trophies of my own as well as the U.S. ideals of freedom that were the reasons for our involvement in Iraq. As a veteran, I can find no better way to interpret war than through art. As a papermaker, I can find no better way to honor it than to encourage others to practice the craft as well.”

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Browse a gallery of Drew Cameron

This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue.