Wednesday, December 2, 2009

"Drawn From Life" - Artwork by The Getty Group


The Coffee Gallery is pleased to announce the December art exhibit featuring a group show by

The Getty Group

"Drawn from Life"

 Offering a wonderful selection of artwork focusing on the human form.


Participating Artists:

Dexter Cannon, Aude Degrasssat, Elliott Kai-Kee, Anne Martens, Nancy Pau, Melissa Piper, Ron Schmidtling, Ellen South, Lee Tirce

The exhibit opens on December 1st and closes on December 31st.


Please join us for an artist reception on Saturday, December 12th
from
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm


About The Getty Group


Nine years ago, J. Paul Getty Center employees Elliot Kai-Kee and Ellen South discussed the fact that so many staff memebers at the hilltop campus are practicing artists.  It made sense, they thought, to share their passion for art-making by starting an after-work drawing group.  Since then, they've met with other staffers once a week for three hours at a time, to sketch from a nude model - a centuries-old tradition that many contemporary artists continue to practice.

For those involved, it's a nice change of pace from the large institution's exciting yet often hectic work atmosphere.  "It's theraputic at the end of the day to simply walk downstairs to the studio and shift from our professional capacities to making art," says South, who works by day as staff assistant to the Museum's Department of Sculpture and Decorative Arts.  Artists sit around a central stand, on which a model holds a single pose for two to twenty minutes at a time.  Music and conversation enliven the atmosphere.

The life drawing group is open to all Getty staff, including docents, volunteers and interns.  Although the institution generously provides studio space, the group is entirely self supported and administered.  "There are times when we've been able to employ two models simultaneously," says Melissa Piper, a staff assistant at the Getty Research Institute.  "And other times we worry about whether we will have enough to pay one!  But over the years we've had a core group of about eight of us."

Piper, South and Kai-Kee - who oversees gallery teaching in the Museum's Education Department - certainly count as that core group, as does Ron Schmidtling, a scientist for the Getty Conservation Institute and Anne Martens, a Museum media writer.  Other artists include volunteers Nancy Pau and Lee Tirce, graduate intern Aude Degrassat, and Museum associate Dexter Cannon.  Once a year, the group also generously donates to the Getty Community Service Teams' Annual Silent Auction to help raise funds for Los Angeles community charities.

Ron Schmidtling curated this exhibit, with the generous support of The Coffee Gallery.  The works on view were all made within the last year.  The drawing group is neither sponsored nor supported by the J. Paul Getty Trust.





Monday, October 26, 2009

November Artist - Sinclair Stratton



The Coffee Gallery is pleased to present

San Diego artist

Sinclair Stratton.

Her artwork will be on exhibit at The Coffee Gallery

from November 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009

in the main room.

There will be an
artist reception on

Saturday, November 14

from

4:00 pm until 7:00 pm

Please come by, meet the artist and enjoy her wonderful artwork!


ARTIST PROFILE

When Sinclair Stratton channels her deep love for animals onto the paper, what emerge are vibrantly colorful images that capture the essence of her subjects and the admiration of her human audience, as well.

Sinclair's captivating portraits of wild and domestic life, created with watercolor in a deep-saturation technique that brings an unusual intensity to the medium, brought unexpected fame to a self-taught artist when Forbes Magazine named her "Best Emerging Artist" in a 2002 article on the world's leading pet portrait artists.

No longer a secret, Sinclair has been commissioned to immortalize the beloved pets of patrons from well beyond the borders of her native San Diego. Her paintings grace walls from Los Angeles to Miami's South Beach, and recent commissions have brought her work to London and Belgium.

Sinclair's creativity and passion for her artistry are rooted in her fondness for the creatures that share our world, and this devotion extends beyond the brush. Sinclair has actively supported non-profit organizations in San Diego County. Her donated paintings are integral to the interior decor of the new San Diego Humane Society & SPCA facility, and she dedicates a percentage of the proceeds from her new line of yoga mats to animal related nonprofit organizations.

For more information and to browse her online gallery, visit
www.sinclairstratton.com


Friday, September 25, 2009

October Exhibit

October Art Exhibit

Featuring the artwork of

Jessica Ostrander

"A LA MODE"

A series of paintings that explores the diverse beauty of fashion, style and the feminine mystique.

Show runs from October 2nd through October 31st.

ARTIST PROFILE

Jessica Ostrander creates in a wide range of styles. Traditionally trained as a muralist and fine artist, she studied art at ORU and CSUB. She has gained further artistic experience working with Mural Makers, a company who paints murals for Disney and Scarborough Designs, specializing in custom faux finishes and decorative painting.

She works in several styles and mediums, however, this current series of artwork is acrylic on stretched cotton canvas.

Jessica says that the reason she paints is because she enjoys expressing the creativity that God has placed inside of her. It gives her great joy to know that through her painting she can express her experiences and personal truths in every piece of artwork.

If you are interested in commissioning a custom or personalized work for your children, family members or friends, Jessica can be reached via email at visitmyartgallery@yahoo.com.