Kathleen Ballard, September 2012 Featured Artist

Being a Southern California native, I have resided in this area all my life.  I have been painting in watercolor since the mid 1980's and attended many workshop with well known watercolorists whom I admired.  In the summer of 2005, I left my position at Paramount Pictures to concentrate on painting full time after working in the Motion Picture Studios for twenty years as a signwriter and previously as a partner with my husband in our own Pasadena based sign company for twelve years.  I am now able to paint nearly every day and pursue my career as an artist which is a wonderful dream come true.

My paintings are done in a realist and traditional style of transparent watercolor leaving the paper for the whites.  Painting in series is a great way for me to explore a subject in depth.  In my still life paintings, "Wrapper Series" and the "Foil Series", I find the reflective and transparent surfaces of the objects compelling as in my " Pond Reflection" series.  I also can't resist floral subjects, especially cactus flowers in their contrast of beauty and severity. 

As an artist who loves the beauty of nature, I feel fortunate to have beautiful botanical gardens close by in my area such as The Huntington Library, Descanso Gardens and The Los Angeles County Arboretum for inspiration and to use as wonderful subject matter for many of my paintings which depict nature.

BEATRICE TAGGART

FEATURED ARTIST

AUGUST 2012

Artist Reception: Sunday August 19, 2012

4:30 – 6:30 PM

The Coffee Gallery

2029 N. Lake Ave.

Altadena, CA  91001

626 398-7917

Diane Destiny July 2012 Featured Artist

Encaustic

Artists Statement / Visionary Poetry

Diane Destiny 

Visionary Poetry is a give and take process where the artist, Diane Destiny, creates the vision based on a poem written by Joyce Stein OR the artist creates the vision and the poet responds by writing a poem based on the art piece. The images are created on the computer, printed on canvas, presented on brushed aluminum and finished as an encaustic painting. Encaustic is an archaic medium that literally means “to burn.” My work is a contemporary expression executing the Ancient use of Pigmented Wax. The medium of encaustic is the master of layer after layer of intrigue resulting in multiple surprises.

Poetry makes the reader experience through the verse and its rhythm the thoughts and feelings of the poet. The words chosen are based on the poet’s reaction to the visual impact of the art piece. Words have their own color and shape and the artist reacts to them with her individual vision of their meaning.

The art piece and the poem are designed to complement each other. Each Painting is accompanied by an audio recording for the viewer to listen to the Poem while viewing the Painting.  Some viewers and readers may find their own interpretation of a specific combination and that adds even more to the viewing.

Biography 

Diane Destiny received her MFA Degree from California State University, Los Angeles.  Since graduation she has taught at Mission College, CSU Northridge, Polytechnic, Pomona and CSU Los Angeles to name a few. 

She has had eight one-person exhibits, the last in Bergamot Station, Santa Monica.  Ms. Destiny has also exhibited her work in competitive and invitational Annuals and group exhibitions far too many to list. 

She received the Annual Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Purchase Award, Brand Library Art Galleries and the Annual Westwood Art Association 1^st place cash award.  In addition she has won other prizes and awards.  She was also awarded a Sculpture Commission for Southern Colorado State University, Pueblo, Colorado. 

Her work can be found in the following publications:  “Feminists Who Changed America 1963 – 1975”, The International Library of Photography, Priceless Treasures, 1999; “Visions Art Quarterly,” 1993/94; and Guide to Artists in Southern California Art Resource Publication, Cambridge Who’s Who www.cambridgewhoswho.com, L. A. Rising So Cal Artists Before 1980 by Lyn Kienholz, Visionary Poetry self published.

Her work is in permanent collections at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC and the Brand Library, Glendale, CA


e-mail ddestny@charter.net

Website www.dianedestiny.com

For an audio presentation go to: www.dianedestiny.com

Patrick Gothard Featured Artist March 2012

A self-taught artist from the age of 13, Patrick has become a prolific painter.  Once he has a vision on his mind, he cannot stop painting until the whole concept has been explored.  His current medium is acrylic enamel paint on canvas.  However, he has been known to paint on other surfaces such as old window frames and other found objects.  Experimental thinking is always at hand with Patrick.  This current exhibit is a series of trees explored into the surreal.  The range of tree images begins with an artistic vision of realism and carries through to the artist’s vision of digital imagery.  Patrick is looking forward to speaking with all who come to see the first public exhibit of this series.

Artist Reception: Sunday, March 4, 2012 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Frank Hartley - 2012 January Featured Artist

Artist Statement


With world-renowned artist Tommaso Durante, Hartley co-produced a commissioned art book titled Chaos and Cosmos, where art and science meld “the order of beauty and the perfection of symmetries” through interaction and conflict.

Through further study and his own explorations in oil on canvas, Hartley has applied his artistic bent to interpreting images from our orbiting “time machines,” deep-space telescopes. His portfolio of cosmic art interprets an inspirational, gigantic, magnificent universe, seemingly floating benignly in space belying the tumultuous alchemy of matter. Hartley then takes his original paintings and creates variations by applying secondary techniques and treatments in a variety of other media.

Jeffry Jensen - November 2011 featured artist

                                              A Child's Moon - photograph  24 x 18"

Biography:

Since 1991, I’ve been a member of the Pasadena Society of Artists. Over the years, my paintings, mixed media works, and digital photographs have been shown in many one-person and group shows, winning awards on several occasions. In addition, I’ve worked as a research editor, reference librarian, and college instructor. I’m also the author of several poetry chapbooks, nonfiction books, and many hundreds of essays and book reviews.

Artist statement:
As a self-taught artist, I approach every painting, mixed media work, and digital photograph with a sense of discovery. Through vivid abstract images and vibrant color combinations, I hope to shed light on how my subconscious mind translates the visible world around me.

Murphy Armitage - October 2011 featured Artist

Corry Drawing, 2011 4 x 5 B&W photo

Murphy Armitage: Artist Bio

Murphy is going to school for Graphic Design. He defines himself as a Screen Printer, Photographer and Graphic Artist. While awaiting admission results from Art Center College of Design and Cal Poly Pomona he has taken more interest in Photography. He prefers to shoot large format 4x5, but he also shoots a lot of 120mm, 35mm and digital formats. He has spent most of his time in photography shooting black and white, but has recently started shooting color film as he has learned to develop and enlarge color film. Murphy develops all his own film and enlarges them as well with the use of black and white or color photographic papers. Murphy would place his body of work mostly within the style of Photojournalism, but he is still testing the waters in all types of photography.