Sketchpad, July-August – Part 2

Sketchpad regularly reports on exhibits in our own Topanga Canyon Gallery, but our artists frequently display their work in other venues as well. We have several to report this time.

Hadiya Finley Hits Jackpot! – Hadiya is not only our gallery’s Shows/Calendar scheduler, but she also is good at scheduling her work into other venues. She currently has examples of her art in exhibits now open or coming soon in three locations. The first is Howell-Green, conveniently located next door to Topanga Canyon Gallery. Hours are Noon-5, Tuesday-Saturday.

She also has work in two prestigious juried shows: Palos Verdes Art Center Galleries 2008 All Media Juried Exhibition and L.A. Municipal Art Gallery Juried Exhibition. The former opened July 25, runs through September 8. The L.A. show is at Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. (near Vermont), open Thursday-Sunday, noon-5 pm (9 pm on first Fridays of each month. The exhibit opens July 31, ends September 7; reception is Sunday, August 3, 2-5 pm.

Barbara Kolo Invades Glendale – Well perhaps “invade” is too strong a word, but Barbara Kolo returns to the Brand Library Art Center as part of a 5-person “Circle in the Square” exhibit. She had a successful show in 1998 at this venue, which is located at 1601 West Mountain St., Glendale, California 91201-1200, tel: 818-548-2051. The exhibit runs from August 2 to September 5, 2008. Opening Reception: Saturday, August 2, 5-8 p.m. The other artists included in the show are Yesung Kim, Susan Sironi, Luke Van Hook and Cheryl Walker.

The “unifying motif for these diverse Southern California artists is the circle, or to be precise, the circle in the square,” report the organizers. “Kolo paints huge canvases that depict the forms and shapes of the natural world using the tiniest of colorful, round stipples of acrylic paint,” as those of us have noted in Barbara’s exhibits at Topanga Canyon Gallery

Sophie Pegrum Film Displayed – A 30-minute version of Sophie’s Antarctica was part of the Los Angeles Art Association and The Japanese American National Museum presentation: Lita Albuquerque’s Stellar Axis Project.  An expansion of LAAA’s ongoing ArtSpeak programming, this special evening featured presentation of Albuquerque’s powerful site-specific art installation Stellar Axis: Antarctica. Lita Albuquerque, you may recall, was the juror for our TCG January 2008 Juried Show. 

Another Mexico Show for Your Editor – The show that featured my work and that of Gabriel Rodriguez de Alba in the Guadalajara area last November, “Dos Maestros del Arte Contemporaneo,” was so successful that it appears we will have a new and larger one again this fall – and it will include photos and paintings from my wife Liz, as well.

The venue this time will be the National Museum of Tequila, Jalisco, MX. Founded in 2000, the relatively new museum is part of a growing emphasis on the city’s cultural and historical features. The Mexican government has declared the town one of the country's 'magic villages' or pueblos magicos, indicating the place has significant historical and architectural value. In July 2006, UNESCO announced that the agave region of western Mexico along with the historic tequila producing factories have become the first Mexican site selected for their World Heritage List in the Cultural Landscape category.

Death of Fellow Artist Inspires Special Efforts For Memorial Exhibit at Topanga Canyon Gallery

We Topanga Canyon Gallery artist like to think that all our exhibits are special, that they present fresh, quality art for the community and our patrons to enjoy.  Occasionally, however, a very special show inspires us to dig deeper, to go above and beyond the norm in our creative efforts. The effect is like the way “Win one for the Gipper!” inspired Notre Dame football teams to great heights many decades ago. Our upcoming exhibit, dedicated to the memory of Mimma Salinas is just such an occasion. Here’s why…

Some people, when they’re gone, remain frozen in time in the memories of those who knew and loved them. The images may differ, but they are like snapshots of the one who has passed on in a familiar pose or situation.

Not so for Mimma Salinas! Our memories of Mimma resemble video clips, not still photos. “Mobility or motion were Mimma trademarks,” says Robyn Feeley, organizer of a special gallery exhibit to honor Mimma’s memory. “That was true in her life and in much of the art she created.”

Mimma’s work often portrayed female forms posed as graceful dancers. The inherent fluidity of these sculptures was accentuated because she built motion into the figures; they could actually pirouette on axles incorporated into the pieces.

“Her work seemed to exist between the real world in which she lived and the surreal world in which she created,” her niece Ariella Fiore explains. “Her artistic goal was that observers of her work would move between these two realms and imagine a world where this division is blurred.

Mimma found and created art all around her.  Her mind was always working on new projects, ways to incorporate her visions into reality.  Her sudden and brief battle with pancreatic cancer took everyone by surprise.  How someone so vibrant, full of life, and full of creation, could leave so very quickly is still shocking to those of us who knew and loved her. Mimma loved creating and sharing her art, and in recent years had found a wonderful partner in the Topanga Canyon Gallery." 

 Born in Nicaragua, she studied art, primarily sculpture, in her home country, England and Belgium, eventually earning a BFA from Pratt Institute in New York. Her work is displayed in our local gallery and worldwide in places such as Amsterdam, Nicaragua, the World Sculpture Park in Changchun, China, and in galleries all over the United States. But the Topanga gallery was her artistic home base in recent years. “She enjoyed her time there and loved the camaraderie with the artists and patrons,” Ariella notes.

“It is only fitting therefore that the gallery will mount an exhibit to honor a friend and fellow artist who left us far too early, just 48 days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” said Debbi Green, TCG president, in announcing the , Immortal Soul: A Tribute to Mimma Salinas. It will run from July 28 to August 22. TCG members have invited guest artists who knew or worked with Mimma to participate. Artist entry fees will be donated to a fund the Salinas family created to support pancreatic cancer research.

 “The emphasis will be on work inspired by Mimma’s life and work,” explains Ms Feeley. One artist, who admired her pieces that suggested dancing, will enter two original prints that portray abstract female dancers. At least one has created work that has a windows motif, motivated by the giant 17.7-foot ‘Windows’ sculpture Mimma fashioned in China. Others promise work in varied media that reflect her vibrant, upbeat nature. 

“We invite the public to attend the reception for this very special exhibit from 5 to 8 pm on Saturday, August 9. The event will give guests an opportunity to meet the artists and discuss their work. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.” 

(Topanga Canyon Gallery is located at 120 N. Topanga, #9 in the Pine Tree Circle shopping center, Topanga, CA 90290. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm Wednesday-Friday, 11 am to 5 pm Sunday. For more information, call 310-455-7909, visit www.topangacanyongallery.com or send e-mail to info@topangacanyongallery.com.)

 Mimma’s family is joining with the Hirschberg Foundation to help raise money to fight this most deadly strain of cancer.   Money raised goes to benefit research grants, fund ongoing research, and help families stricken with this dreadful disease, with financial aid should they need it.  Mimma's legacy will not be of her death, it will be of her art and how her art will bring change to the world. 

For more information on the Hirschberg foundation, please visit www.pancreatic.org. For more information on Mimma Salinas, please visit www.mimmasalinas.com or www.salinasgallery.com

To make a donation to honor Mimma, please go to www.pancreatic.org/memorial/mimmasalinas

Sketchpad Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 2 / July, 2008

Photography Invitational Opening – Gallery member John Smith has invited seven excellent photographers to join him in this exhibit, titled “The Emerging Landscape.” They are Neil France, Corina Gama. Craig Havens, Ann Mitchell, Tom Paiva, Peter Smith and Vinny Walsh.   Their combined work presents varied views of the urban landscape. Visit our website for more information on these artists.  The show runs from July 1-27 and the gallery will host an opening reception on July 12 from 4 -8 pm.

Mimma Salinas Memorial -  “My work is a collection of intangible dreams and fantasies made into a hard and durable material – bronze.  I make my dreams become reality and attempt to represent the past, present and future of my most primitive instincts.  By doing so I bring to the rest of the world what I feel to be the very essence of my mortal soul.”  So reads the artist statement of sculptress Mimma Salinas, our gallery sister who lost her battle against pancreatic cancer this March.  Please join us on Saturday August 9 for the opening reception of “Immortal Soul: A Tribute to Mimma Salinas.”  This show, which will raise money for The Mimma Salinas Foundation, will feature gallery artists as well as artists outside the gallery that knew and loved Mimma, and will celebrate her life and spirit.  The show opens on Wednesday July 30 and runs through Sunday August 24.

Gallery to Have New President - Robyn Feeley has agreed to take over the gallery from current president Debbi Green on October 1. “Robyn is one of our hardest working members,” said Ms Green in announcing the change, “She not only has fresh ideas for our group, but wonderful capabilities to do the job with integrity and class.”

Susan Lomino in Art Directors Show - We are proud of our Susan Lomino, who has had four of her paintings accepted in the upcoming Art Directors Guild show. The exhibit is being held in conjunction with Ghettogloss Gallery, and consists of small works by Guild members. “I was able to get 4 pieces into the show, when they asked for only three submissions,” Susan reports. The exhibit runs through July 18 at the Ghettogloss Gallery, 2380 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles. Phone 323-912-0003 or visit www.ghettogloss.com for details.

Gallery Plans Digital Photography Seminar -“Digital Photography for Non-Nerds” will be the title of a seminar to be sponsored later this summer by Topanga Canyon Gallery. The seminar will be open to gallery members and non-members.  “As the name suggests, it will be aimed at novices, not experienced photographers, and will cover tips on camera selection and use, necessary accessories, editing and organizing photos and digital terminology, with a free glossary hand-out for each attendee” notes instructor Ken Fermoyle, veteran photographer and Sketchpad editor.  Date, location, cost and other details will be announced as plans are finalized.

Do we have your e-mail address? If not, please visit our website and click on the sign up link. Keep informed of all of the upcoming gallery news and activities and save a tree!

Artists Should Not Be Old Dogs Unwilling to Learn New Tricks

Many people express great surprise when they learn that someone my age (I’m 81) has taken to digital photography and cutting-edge digital art so rapidly and enthusiastically. After all, you might expect a guy who got his first camera at age 11 by earning Brownie Points for selling magazines to be a die-hard film camera holdout.  By the same token, how does this guy, without any academic art background, become a successful digital artist at such an advanced age?

It’s simple. I’ve always been anxious to learn, always willing to accept new ways of doing things. That doesn’t mean I ignore the past or discard lessons it has provided. Take printing, for example, which I regard as an art form in itself. 

  

When I got my first newspaper job on a small weekly in October 1947, most small-circulation papers were printed on flatbed presses. Body text was set on Linotype machines, display type (for headlines & ads) was set by hand. Each page was composed separately, with type and engraved plates (photos, other illustrations) assembled in a form called a “chase.” I loved the whole process: clatter of Linotypes, thump-thump of presses, smell of the ink. 

(Some of the old shops still had fonts of large wood display type. These were a joy to the eye, sensuous to the touch, each alphanumeric character carefully hand-crafted, then polished to a satiny finish by years of use. I knew an editor once who scavenged some wood type and created a great coffee table, placing the type in no particular order under a glass top. Made a very artful piece.)  

 

As I progressed through my career, printing technology evolved rapidly. My second newspaper job was on a large urban weekly with a big job shop and a battery of rotary presses. Then came the “cold type” era in which we pasted up pages using “repro” copy  pulled from galleys of machine-set type galleys and half-tone or line art. Setting type electronically followed – and then we entered the computer printing revolution. 

There were large, expensive systems designed for very large publications. And as PC and Mac microcomputers improved, primitive individual publishing became a possibility. I was in at the beginning, attempting to do “desktop publishing” before Paul Brainerd, creator of PageMaker, coined the term about 1984. By now, I had well over three decades of experience writing, editing, designing pages and even doing paste-up for everything from small newsletters to national magazines. The lure of being able to create and produce a printed document or publication by myself was a temptation I could not resist. 

I was at Hughes Aircraft Co. during this period, having been hired in 1977 as a supervisor of special projects in the Art Department. By 1983, I was turning out multicolumn newsletters on CP/M and early DOS PCs, albeit not always with the greatest of ease. (In some future Blog I will regale you with the story of how I did my very first 2-column page.)

  

Sketchpad Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 1 / Spring, 2008

Welcome to the first issue of our new Topanga Canyon Gallery (TCG) newsletter, Sketchpad. 

It is something new we started to improve communications with our valued patrons. We 

want you all to know how much we appreciate your past support and hope it will continue in

the future. This first issue is coming to you via U.S. Postal Service, as have our show announcement postcards in the past. Henceforth, however, our postcards and newsletters 

will be sent out via e-mail - for several reasons. With postage & our mailing list both rising, 

cost of mailings strains our limited budget. Also, it fits into our plan to become even more environmentally conscious by reducing the the paper & other consumables we 

use to an absolute minimum.

Do we have your e-mail address? If not, please send an e-mail to (insert address of 

member responsible for e-mail list). Just insert “Subscribe TCG e-mail” in the subject line. 

Be assured that this will not flood your Inbox with spam!  We will send out e-cards 

announcing new exhibits no more than once per month, probably as part of the newsletter.

Studio Tour on the horizon. It’s not too early to make plans for the 2008 version our TCG annual art safari through the Canyon and surrounding mountains. This is the Big Kahuna 

of the local art year, and it draws an increasing number of art aficionados every year - 

from within and outside Topanga. Dates are Sat., June 7, 10-6. Sun., June 8, 11 to 5; 

Gala Reception, Sat., 5 to 8. Advance tickets = $15, at door, $20.

Some 40 TCG members & guest artists — including some new to the Tour - are 

putting in long hours creating new work for this special event. Mark your calendars 

now so you don’t miss it. This is a true community event, bringing together the cream 

of local artists, who can exhibit a more extensive display of their work than gallery 

space allows, and members of the community who appreciate and support the arts. 

We will notify you when tickets are ready.

Brewery Spring ArtWalk a smash hit! Crowds were huge. Our venue was gorgeous. 

Sales were excellent. (Note: we can fill in # & amt later). Our greeters at the door, who 

handed out Studio Tour cards, report they got many compliments about the TCG display. 

Carol Spence reports: “Repeated comments to me at the front door on Sunday were 

about how people thought ours was the best venue, that we had the best art and prices, and 

that people felt welcome.” Couldn’t ask for a better reaction. And as a first-timer at the

event, your editor echoes those sentiments.

We owe the Carlson’s big-time. Our success at the Brewery would not have happened 

without the generous support of Steve & Leslie Carlson, who own Pine Tree Circle and 

our gallery space therein. We couldn’t ask for finer landlords. They provided the spacious 

area in a prime location in which we set up our Art-Walk display at the Brewery, the world’s largest live/work art colony, which is also owned & operated by the Carlson family. 

Steve & Leslie, we salute you, and thank you in advance for allowing us to use the same 

space in October for the Brewery’s Fall ArtWalk. (So, readers, if you missed the Spring event, you get another chance in October.  Don’t pass it up.

Curremt & Upcoming:  Alisa Gabrielle’s Sirens, Maidens & Nymphs exhibit that celebrate 

the female form runs through May 4 followed by Silent Witness, May 6– June 1. For more 

on both shows, visit Events at our website: www.topangacanyongallery.com. Our annual 

Invitational Show will showcase photography. Ace photographer John Smith is honcho 

for that one. Stay tuned for more details.

Farewell to Mimma. We lost one our most active & beloved TCG members to pancreatic 

cancer in March. Mimma Salinas handled part of TCG’s publicity chores and was an accomplished sculptor. “My work is a collection of intangible dreams and fantasies made 

into a hard and durable material – bronze.” she said of her truly imaginative creations. 

She will be sorely missed by her family and friends, which includes all of the fellow 

gallery artists who knew her.