What To Love

Kalkirk 2012 Juried Show Reception March 23

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:21:00 +0000

Charles Burns - Fabulous Off-Kilter Cartoonist

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:41:00 +0000

I confess I love Charles Burns' weird comic art. The piece above is a B&W version of the cover from "Black Hole" comic magazine No. 4 posted on the blog Accidental Mysteries. I have most, if not all, of Burns' comics still (there aren't very many). And, I loved the work he did in 1991 for the ballet "The Hard Nut," commissioned by choreographer Mark Morris (a funny take on Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker"). Burns has worked with some of my favorite comic book publishers: Kitchen Sink Press and Fantagraphics Books. I met Charles Burns once at one of San Diego's Comic Conventions. He was nice and seemed much more normal than one would expect from his art.

Robert Ryman - artist

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Recent artist discovery via my art class. The more technique I learn, the more I'm impressed by art I wouldn't have looked at twice before. Robert Ryman's fabulous paintings are a prime example of a new appreciation for art that looks simple but isn't. Artwork from MoMA

Matt Taylor Architect/Designer

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Cool Lego Swirl Lamp available at Etsy. Of course I might be biased. Full disclosure: Matt is my very talented son-in-law!

Elizabeth Strout - Writer Extraordinaire

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:03:00 +0000

Just read Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge. Highly recommended! I'm always amazed and delighted when an author captures a fictional character's thoughts in such a way as to describe exactly what I might think. Discovering another person plugged into the same wave length as I, and reflecting it back through color or word pictures, certainly makes the world a much less lonely place.

Here's a more complete review from Louisa Thomas at the The New York Times

Chris Van Allsburg

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Just heard Chris talk at Book Passage in Corte Madera. What a treat! I'll use 17 adjectives to describe the man who has written and illustrated 17 wonderful books + more with other collaborators: Talented, humorous, original, smart, funny, interesting, wise, gifted, different, unique, nice, caring, hard-working, skillful, proficient, prolific, worthy. Plus, he has a great website here:
One of my favorite books of his is his first. I'm happy it is now autographed!

Visit Venice with Donna Leon

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:11:00 +0000

If you can't physically travel to Venice, try reading one of Donna Leon's fabulous books instead. One of my favorite new mystery writers with all the flavor of the great city of Venice thrown in.

Roz Chast, Genius

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:20:00 +0000

One of my new favorite cartoonists - a regular Vanity Fair contributor. This one got me - so true!

Marisol Sculpture in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:27:00 +0000

I had no idea when I took this photo in San Francisco in August, 2009 who created it or what it was about. I just liked it. I was taking the ferry into the city from Marin to help take care of my new Taylor twin grandsons and would walk through Sydney G. Walton Square on my way to Mason and Taylor. Now, more than two years later, I discover the object of my admiration is a sculpture of Georgia O'Keefe by the Venezuelan artist Maria Sol Escobar, otherwise known as Marisol. Well worth a visit! More information from Wikipedia on the artist is here.

90+ Year Olds Who Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:32:00 +0000

My 92 year old mother and 91 year old father still paint. Yesterday, after a Sunday lunch at my house, my mother painted the roses from my garden which were in a vase on the table. A lovely memory of a nice day. The best thing about art is that it is something wonderful you can do your whole life and share and enjoy.

The Autry Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Another exhibit I'd like to see: The Autry presentsThe Mexican-American Generation of artists. More info at ArtNews and at Autry National Center. So happy to see my distant relative Gene (5th cousin once removed) Autrey's legacy living on in the arts!

De Kooning in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:57:00 +0000

I wish I was in New York so I could go see this exhibit! More info at MOMA NY

Sausalito Art Festival 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:09:00 +0000

My favorite artists from the festival this year:
More Traditional
1. Andrea Tucker-Hody (gold leaf paintings on handmade paper) - San Anselmo, CA
2. Taman VanScoy (watercolor paintings) - Long Beach, CA
3. Patty Mulligan (Polaroids on gold) - Berkeley, CA
4. E. Michael Wommack (pastels & prints) - Bucks County, PA

A Little Wackier
1. Cathy Rose (porcelain, metal sculpture) - New Orleans, LA
2. Chris Roberts-Antieau (fabric sewn paintings) - New Orleans, LA
3. Chris Vance (painting - a bit in the style of Gary Baseman, who was NOT at the art festival) - Des Moines, Iowa
4. Brian McGuffey (paintings) - Seattle, WA

Creative Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:56:00 +0000

What a treat to find some of my art selected and posted, out of the blue, on Judy Felker's Creative Wonder blog, especially given the high quality of the other art Judy features on a regular basis. I have no doubt the world would be a better place if more people were to answer Judy's question with some positive action: "What if we spent our time creating beautiful things, looking at all of the beautiful things created by others, and helping other to find creativity in their lives . . ."

Yoga Chill Out Music

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:13:00 +0000

There is Ibiza chill out music (see previous post) and, it turns out, there is also Yoga chill out music. Given the economy, this is a good time to sit back and chill out with whatever music you like. Jeanne, at my favorite Yoga studio in Fairfax, TheYogaLab.com, recently sent me a list of some new music played in class that I liked. I never knew there was an entire subsection of yoga music. Even if you're not doing yoga, it can be very relaxing. One local San Anselmo resident, Ben Leinbach, has some samples of his yoga soundtracks here: Ben Leinbach Music

Here's the list Jeanne sent me:

Song Title; Artist(s); Album:

Gopala; Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach; Music for Yoga & Other Joys
Om; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Lotus; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Chakra Rythm; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Dancing Buddha; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Devakinandana Gopala; Jai Uttal & Ben Leinback; Bhakti Bazaar
Mantra; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Shyama Bolo; Jai Uttal & Ben Leinbach; Bhakti Bazaar
Nrvana; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove
Bliss; DJ Free & Brent Lewis; Yoga Groove

See you soon at the yoga party! Come for the yoga, stay for the music.

Ibiza Jazz Guitarist Norberto Rodriguez

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Rafa Peletey and Norberto Rodriguez performed some great music at a party I attended in Ibiza. There is nothing like hanging in a hammock, looking at the ocean in the distance lit up by a full moon, with live music playing in the background. Highly recommended! Two of Norberto's mp3 cuts can be downloaded free by clicking on the "musica" tab on his website here

Ibiza Chill-Out Disco Music

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Wish you could be in a disco in Ibiza instead of listening to U.S. debt ceiling debates? Listen to DJ Phonique - he'll take you there.

Great Jazz Album

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:14:00 +0000

This fabulous jazz album brings back good memories. Sitting in Ibiza at night at Renata's house with friends. The full moon is reflecting off of the garden and the pool. It's still warm from the bright sunny day. Cool jazz is flouting from within the house to the outside, wrapping itself around our dinner table, while Renata serves her famous Bouillabaisse and we drink good Spanish wine. More on Renata's pianist and artist friend Joachim Kuhn and on sax player Archie Shepp can be found at http://www.allaboutjazz.com/

Artist Caspar David Friedrich

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:14:00 +0000

So much art today is ugly, I needed a beauty fix. This painting, by the 19th century German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich, makes me feel happy to be alive. I'm not sure what the objective is of much of the stuff labelled "art" one sees daily on the web. If it is to make you more depressed than you already are/were then it does accomplish that - but who wants to feel that way?

This image is from the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, an incredible art museum I wish I could get to more often.

Artist Kim Ford Kitz

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Walking home from the San Anselmo library today I passed a window display with some great art by a local artist. Between people's beautiful gardens, the local birds, and a few nice window displays it was a beautiful walk despite the grey weather. For more of Kim Ford Kitz's art look no further. Her website is here

Novelist Jennifer Egan

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 27 May 2011 23:51:00 +0000

After reading "The Invisible Circus," I needed another Jennifer Egan fix so picked up "The Keep," at the San Anselmo library. Wow! Sadly (because it's now over) I just finished the book in a state of suspended reality after following its various twists and turns through three separate sets of eyes. I hope Egan is working on another novel. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next. Highly recommended!

Thomas Wood Prints

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Sat, 21 May 2011 22:39:00 +0000

At the SF Fine Art Fair at Fort Mason today, I discovered a new Pacific Northwest artist who does really interesting etchings. More of his work can be seen at the Lucia Douglas Gallery, located in Bellingham, Washington and at the Lisa Harris Gallery in Seattle.

Jamie Baldridge - Kooky, Weird and Interesting

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:55:00 +0000

For more see my new favorite website Bloodyloud! or Baldridge's own site jamiebaldridge.com. Kind of in the artist Ray Caesar's camp.

Raimonds Staprans The One That Got Away

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Sat, 07 May 2011 00:13:00 +0000

As part of Chester Arnold's art class S.F. Gallery tour last night we were supposed to see Raimonds Staprans artwork but the gallery was closed. Crumb! Now that I've checked Staprans work out on-line I might have to take another trip to S.F. to see these paintings in person. The exhibit is at the Hackett/Mill Gallery at 201 Post St. from April 8 to July 1.

Suhas Bhujbal and Alex MacLean Worth a Look See in S.F.

noreply@blogger.com (Lucy Autrey Wilson) — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:49:00 +0000

The Dolby Chadwick Gallery's exhibit of artist Suhas Bhujbal's citiscape paintings from Pune to San Francisco is worth a visit. The exhibit is on from May 5 - May 28. Born in India, Bhujbal received his MFA in Fine Art from The Academy of Art in San Francisco. His use of layers of thick paint and brilliant color to render some of India's dense housing can only be fully appreciated by viewing the original large oil paintings.

The Dolby Chadwick Gallery is at 210 Post Street, Suite 205 near Grant. After you're done there just walk one block away to 49 Geary and take a trip to the 5th floor to see the Alex MacLean photography exhibit at the Robert Koch Gallery. MacLean is a pilot, architect and photographer who puts this interesting combination together in unforgettable ways. The MacLean exhibit is on from 5/5 - 7/2.