When Asaf, came to me three months ago and asked me if I would paint the electric boxes that circled his newly aquired building, I was honored.  It would have been a lot of work to paint the boxes myself but it was the idea of leaving out the multitude of artists in the building. So we decided to create a committee. Yamia Benhaim, co-founder, myself, Chrystal, Micah and Bastian (whom, come to think of it, has yet to make it to a meeting) and Gwen Robinson. Ryan Saucerman, local, genius was never officially on the committee but he has spent nearly as many late night hours here, as me.

‘Lettuce Eat’
Take your vertical garden horizontal and grow from the (dinner-party) table.

There’s nothing quite like an outdoor garden party; made special by sprucing up an otherwise casual backyard garden with real silverware, elegant tablecloths and, of course, oversized flower centerpieces for splashes of bright, vivid color.

In this sweet simplification of a salad, a variety of lettuce is the star of the centerpieces and later the center of the plates. Cheryl Holmes crafted this refreshing deconstruction of the salad bar: adding simple to simple, creating elegance with ease. Designer foods are typically over-complicated, overpriced and tend to under satisfy. In this contrary instance, Holmes has taken chic vertical gardening (home grown), horizontal. The “green” salad pictured here was designed by Holmes to not only impress guests, but to impress upon their consciousness and is sure to generate delighted discussion about the “Designer Food without the spin” or salad spinner.

Lettuce, pre-washed, left growing in small clay pots centered among its bright friends: carrots, peppers, chicken, mushrooms, beets, traditional oil and vinegar and crusty French bread will bring together the lines of couples who will, as needed, tear off crisp pieces to make their own fresh, scrumptious salad. Talk about a salad bar. It’s truly incredible how delicious just-picked homegrown lettuce can be. And of course, the nutritional value of just-picked lettuce is much higher than lettuce that’s been sitting around for days quite possibly wilting in pesticides.

Small clay pots housing a variety of organic leafy greens placed on any dinner party table adds new freshness to alfresco. Lettuces, so understatedly ornamental, provide a design so simple and yet complex: green eating, in color and conservation. This utilitarian idea not only provides a relaxing bouquet of color, the bed for the main course and endless hours of conversation of creative conservation, it provides pure eating. The elimination of pesticides on the lettuce, which, if it were store bought, would have sat for more than a week, are likely to contain more pesticides than flavor. Store-bought lettuces are optimized for ease of growth and taste is given little consideration. In contrast, fresh “local” lettuce offers much more to both palettes: taste and hue.

It’s Elementary
Let your inner designer come out as you emulate this elementary Holmes discovery. Lettuce is as easy to grow as grass, and with little effort, you can have delicious and nutritious greens at your back door, or in this case, at your table. Full sun is best under 80F. San Diegans: choose the most heat tolerant kinds of lettuce: the open-leafed varieties (looseleaf) which also happen to be the prettiest and best suited for our pictured salad soiree.

Forget the idea of lettuce as the bland canvas to be colored by other vegetables, it’s an essential palette pleaser. You will never settle for shop lettuce again after you’ve tasted a truly fresh garden lettuce and your dinner party guests will never forget your Holmes-inspired salad-sational table.

Concept and table design: Cheryl Holmes Staging
Clay Pots: Weidner’s Gardens
Photography: Josh McMurtrie
Lettuce: Weidners Gardens (Encinitas)
Cardiff home courtesy of: Bob and Ellen Rief

Being a printmaker (an artist that uses wood blocks, litho stones and intaglio plates to create original art on presses) made going to the Lautrec exhibition on my birthday truly special. You can imagine my excitement walking around with my good friend Melissa, a fellow art
enthusiast whom had never heard of the print-making process. I was ecstatic to be with another person whom I could communicate my passion with. One element I wasn’t passionate about was the docent. “Please leave your umbrella at the front, please speak softly, please leave 3 feet between you and the art, please do not have a phone out”…out? It was a rainy, stormy day, and by evening we were the only ones at the museum. The woman, despite repeated attempts, could not drain my excitement for the art, but I was reminded of interruptions this past weekend when I discovered Google’s art project: http://www.googleartproject.com/ 

Google is working with museums to create virtual tours of their exhibits in the same way that Google earth gives you a 360 degree view of a
specific geographic location. I love it! The zoom on this program is amazing! This cannot replace the feeling of walking through a museum
and experiencing these works of art first-hand, but it does have its perks! This isn’t as simple as just seeing an image of a painting that
you could run a search for in Google Images, Flickr, or one of the other photo search engines.

Google Art Project actually takes you to the floor of a museum, offering high-resolution close-ups of approximately 1,000 works of art and tours of at least 17 museums. Right now these museums include the Tate Modern in London, the MoMA in New York City and Louis XIV’s
magnificent Palace of Versailles in France.

In observance of my one year anniversary at the 10th Avenue Arts Center, I want to try and explain the place where I work. The 10th Avenue Arts Center is a building older than most downtown. It was formerly a church. When you walk in the building you can hear a faint buzz. That would be the original elevator. I have only traveled in that time machine on three occasions and they were some of the most anxiety stricken moments of my life. Once, the elevator stopped mid floor and I literally had to Indiana Jones my way out of there. The ground floor is a smaller experimental theatre.

If you walk to the back of the stage, behind the curtain there is a long dressing room with an ageless feel. The back room is lined with mirrors that are iced with marque lights. The second floor has a gallery that is beautiful, clean and simple. The lighting is perfect. The third floor is where the magic happens. When you walk into the large open room you will notice lights lining the back wall and the very good beggingings of a homage to Jackson Polluck on the floor.

This is the home of the studio floor for the resident artists. The three resident artists are currently myself, Theresa Wear, Gerald Montoya and Adam Lewis Smith.The roof is a wonderful place to work and allows for even larger projects. Recently, Mohelo, a non-profit theatre moved into the building, a great addition to the artistic hub in downtown’s East Village. There are 2 open studio spaces available. We are now reviewing portfolios to fill those spots. Here’s some of the work that was created there.

The Cedros District is known for it’s heart of hip and treasure trove of cool. It’s no surprise to find, Alexis K, nestled in the middle of it all, celebrating their win last night. It is a surprise, that after being in the area for a mere 7 months, they have already won Best Waxing in San Diego.

In little over half a year, Alexis Koravos Ayala, local San Diegan, has transitioned from a smaller Del Mar stake to opening an entire shop that has a niche in one of the worst economies this city, state and country has seen. In a time when companies are diversifying their business, raising prices, closing doors and laying off workers, a little company, Alexis K, is opening doors, hiring an additional four workers and employing 6 woman to do what they love and further honing in on a niche in an industry that is drowning more than most.

Every one of her six shop employees gets a monthly education budget. When you talk to her, she is focused on training them with her rare technique that brings focus back to the basics, that aren’t basic: niche focus, precision technique, treating and feeling as though customers are friends, using the highest level of products, providing a beautiful atmosphere that is both calming and clean.

“I’m here everyday so I want to make it the best environment possible for my clients and my employees” said Alexis.

It gets better when you realize that the cups they use to pass out free coffee, to those who can no longer afford their Starbucks craving, are biodegradable. Their printed collateral, including mini recipe books handmade by the crew there, are printed with soy-based inks.

Alexis K. focuses on brow artistry, high-end skin care and waxing. She doesn’t cut hair and doesn’t cut back or cut corners. I took a break during the soiree of young, successful business women and stood outside in the cool air and looked in, the scene was that of a Hopper painting.  The neighbors in the cul-de-sac on South Cedros had packed up for the night. No one was at the cafe and the previous art gallery was vacant.

A stark contrast to the warm, well lit room of vibrant woman sipping provided wine from a local company: La Costa Wine Co; eating cupcakes from a new business owner: Cupcake Gal, posing for pictures taken by a mother to be / business owner: photos by Kerris; in a room filled with custom designed promotions by Yokibug; printed on soy inks by: Blast Printing and L+L. Inside the beautiful woman who work for this local San Diego economy booster were wearing brown and pink poka-dot aprons embroidered in Poway. The whole room was bustling with happiness and success. People want to be in good places and once you “be” here you can see why Alexis K won by a brow, the very best waxing in San Diego.

 
view my portfolio:
coroflot.com/TheresaWear

The first time I met Gerald, he saw me arrive to an art show to do some live painting. It was at the 10th Avenue Arts Center. The show was themed “Green” I had started a painting specifically for the show and I based the piece on my current obsession with the waste of single use plastic. Despite the very late notice to participate, I wasn’t that late. Carly and Alexis were already there. Gerald laughs when he recalls seeing me walk in with all my stuff. His initial impression of me was not good. He gave me four chances to change that.

The second time I met Gerald was when he arrived to the 3rd floor of 10th Ave. Art Center where I was renting a work studio room. I had been working there alone in the huge 4 story building for 2 months. Gerald had convinced the landlord to give him the larger room and was planning on teaching children painting lessons…

The third time I met Gerald, I walked into the 3rd floor to a lesson. I love kids, but I couldn’t let the students know that. I had been looking forward to my haunted sanctuary all week. I had braved the hunt for parking, witnessing an attack on a woman and the 3 flights of stairs. When I walked into the pop music and children filled room, the old man hermit in me was not pleased. I actually love children, some might call it an addiction, but I couldn’t let these kids know that. I wanted to focus and work so I made sure not to make eye contact. Later one of his students asked: “Why does the ladybug lady close the door” – A very good question.

The fourth time I met Gerald was this summer and it’s been over hours of hard work. I have been painting there everyday. I have finally mastered the parking game. I actually enjoy the mile walk to and from the studio. I am still jealous of his fridge and shelves but I am in awe of his spirit, outlook on life, frankness and laughter. His partner Ricky (full name) comes by along with some of his friends but mostly its Gerald and I. (Me and Gerald) Gerald has turned a ghostly huge common space into a speak-easy Jerome’s. Our floor is covered with work, furniture and lights. He has convinced me to paint in the common space and I have to say my work continues to improve. I am more of an illustrator than an abstract artist and watching Gerald work has given me a respect and taste for Abstract art that would arose an appetite.

Gerald is cuorating a show of the 3 resident artists in the building. He has choreographed it alongside a play that will be running in our building in October. It’s Answers from the Universe and frankly, I think he has some.

view my portfolio:
coroflot.com/TheresaWear

Submitted Comps / These are 12 inch “sketches” submitted to pass the second interview for the bid. I sketch in watercolor. =)

July 16
I am starting a mural project at Trader Joe’s in Escondido. One step at a time, one mural at a time.

To be continued…

to be continued…

view my portfolio:
coroflot.com/TheresaWear

You have to know when to stop; often and never.

My oil painting teacher at UCSC, Hanna Hannah

{a woman whose name was interesting enough for me to take all of her painting classes} once said: The most important rule to remember [when painting] is to know when to stop. Just like any good piece of advice, it’s not until you have experienced life from all sorts of angles does that advice flutter back into your brain and spread a smile across your face.

I have been painting, maybe not well, but painting none the less, for around 20 years. A wonderful friend once pushed me by saying, “you possess raw talent that, with work, will grow.” I constantly struggle to find ways to become a better painter. The problem with that is, and this is half metaphor, I hyper focus on one painting.  Overworking it, “making it muddy” and what I am realizing is: You do have to know when to stop. Often, and never.

For example: When you are painting an oil painting ( a paint that takes forever to dry) you need to stop often to let the painting simmer, settle and dry, move on to creating the background on another, then you can go back to that painting, weeks, sometimes years later and add more. So in a sense, painting although flat and 2 dimensional can be alive. It has a beginging that occurs in many places, minutes to years before it’s even a fresh unused canvas. It has a life in a studio or on a kitchen table and long after it’s finished, it can be found on the grass at a garage sale and be reborn in someone else’s heart. So I guess the advice that really holds true is to know when to stop saying “I’m not the creative type, know when to stop doubting, know when to stop stopping but when actually painting you have to know when to pause, even if it’s for what seems like a really, really long time.

view my portfolio:
coroflot.com/TheresaWear

As I write this I am struck again by the awkward humor of this segway. As we were laughing my friend posed the question; “Wouldn’t it be cool if your name was your virtue?” I fired back; “My name is my virtue” My name is Theresa K. Wear. And my name is embeaded with three very significant words to me.

HERE, because I am working on BEING where I am. THERE, because, I am a bit past obsessed and EVERY”Wear”. Because I like to be a little unpredictable. This lifestyle was a bit more appropriate in Santa Cruz, where I went to school and really came into my own as a person. But 6 years ago, I moved home to pursue some dreams and goals that I thought I had in the bag, always wanted and were easy; like getting married and having an office job that made some REAL money.

They turned out to be steps along a journey and not exactly the landing spots I thought they would be.

The last year of my life has been really neat and humbling and I think this re-revaluation has / is leading to the type of innovation that feel like “strong medicine” I have continued my continued education, expanding my design with web, video and sound. But more importantly, I am using this time to go back to the artist inside me. To the woman who, instead of journaling through Italy, quickly painted scenes as we ate lunch or waited for a train.

I  would prefer to communicate through sketching, drawing, painting and design than the loud, bloated word invested, run-on sentences I am known for.

My first ever commission wasn’t really a commission. It seemed like a pity bid, especially when the blue, acrylic “copy” was done. It was my grandma trying to help me visit the nations capitol. I raised the $2,000 to go selling a bunch of frozen pizzas with Jenelle Davis, drawing WWF wrestlers for “Jeff Williams and friends” and I copied a Wyland painting of a mama whale help it’s baby take it’s first breath. It just occurred to me that, that’s exactly what my grandma was doing. She was at that time, helping me take my first breath. Not just giving me the $150.00 towards the trip, she was encouraging me to use my talents to be successful and hopefully, that’s what I am going to be doing again.

This is a work in progress but the ultimate goal is to start a full-fledged creative firm, finally become an artist…not just a girl who has painted since she was 5 (thanks to Pam Schmidt’s supply of art supplies). To me that means, consistently selling work and having shows. In the meantime, I would like to share some of my past, present and future artwork with you as I explore the budding artistic community in San Diego and hopefully the world. (written Fall 2009)

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coroflot.com/Yokibug

It’s worth blogging about if the artist wears an eye patch.

One of the benefits to being a painter for let’s say… 20 years; gaggles of unexpected invites to art exhibits, gallery openings and shows come your way. Recently a friend called me the day of: “You’re into Art Right? Well, now, no matter what it is, I have to go! When an Art category is featured on Jeopardy or some thoughtful friend (last minute) invites me to something as exquisite as Dale Chiluly at the Salk, I get a little down on myself for not being previously aprised to the information.

• As unfortunate as it is to be addictied to event planning,  it’s always a thrill to relish in the uncalendared. Those inncidents that you had no intention of ending up in or places you didn’t know you were missing. Those make the best stories.

  

In the case of the Chihuly Exhibit: I would say this “story” lacks humor and climax but the back story and outcome are perfectly breathtaking. You know it’s worth blogging about when the artist wears an eye patch!

Dale Chihuly – has been blowing glass for over 25 years. He blows all around the world and really only exhibits in renound locations ( Venice, Jerusalem etc. ) This is why it was such an amazing treat for this sleepy art lover to be treated to an installation of this size at the Salk.

The Salk – You may know is over by UCSD, by the glider port. It’s a simple, yet huge, state of the art scientific breeding ground, even though was way back in 1959 when Dr. Jonas Salk and architect, Louis I. Kahn began it’s design. Salk, the man who gave us the polio vaccine, didn’t make a cent off of his discovery. In exchange for his huge contribution he was given the reins to build the Salk on gifted land. His goal was to create an institute that would serve as a “crucible for creativity” (“So…Science is art, hmmm, yes, totally” I agreed with myself.)

( Future Jeopoardy Answers:
– Five scientists trained at the Institute have won Nobel prizes, and three current resident faculty members are Nobel Laureates.)

Chihuly’s outlook on art creation and production is actually very similar to the concept behind the Salk Institute. The Salk has an internal skeleton that is literally wall-less. All machinary needed for various tests or projects, extrudes from the ceilings. Any wall that is set up is temporary and completely maluable. Salk’s intention was to promote communication and interaction. It’s a revolutionary way of doing science that has been emulated across the globe. Such is true within Dale’s style of production and creation. Chihuly’s “Warhol” factory style of creating is glass installations is very similar.

He’s actually an art director.  There is an entire blowing team and a separate installation team. The installations are always different and Chihuly actully uses tubes of paint to design his sculptures and commissions his team to create and install them. His belief in collaboration is an inherent part of the uniqiness of the artwork and the possibliites that have been surpassed within the glass blowing world.

The Salk installation is temporary but you can see his famous ceiling at the Bellagio next time you are in Vegas.

Overall a great venue and spectacular work. We viewed the exhibit during a cloudy sunset. There were a great deal of people there and I have to say the most amazing art anything I have seen to date.

view my portfolio:
coroflot.com/TheresaWear