LACDA 12th Annual Snap to Grid Exhibit

Los Angeles Center for Digital Art

12th Annual Snap to Grid Exhibit

December 10, 2015 - January 2, 2016

Opening Reception: Sat. December 12, 7-9pm

Art Walk Preview: Thursday December 10

LACDA   104 East Fourth Street   L.A.   90013

Installation shot, Snap to Grid 2013

I'm pleased to have work in this unusual exhibit which will feature digital art and photography printed by the gallery on 8.5"x11" heavyweight paper and shown arranged in a grid. LACDA explains: "The show represents a snapshot of a current moment in art history when digital imaging has reached the hands of the many, an age where culture belongs to the 'mobblogers' around the globe. From Thailand to Texas, amateur to academic, beautiful to banal and beyond, the monumental quantity and variety of 'Snap to Grid' becomes an aesthetic experience where each individual piece adds to an agglomerative effect that has a life of its own." There will be no sales, but there will be plenty of opportunity to discover the work of many talented digital artists! 

I won't be able to attend the reception, but I will stop by on the 10th for the DTLA Art Walk Preview.

BOTART at WestEDGE 2015

BOTART at WestEDGE

October 22 - 25, 2015

The Barker Hangar

Santa Monica, CA

The BOTART (painted wine barrel) weekend exhibition opened on October 22nd at WestEDGE Design Fair. I was delighted to have participated in last year's event, as well as the recent WestEDGE San Francisco. This year at The Barker Hangar, there were about twenty barrels with accompanying wall art by the BOTARTists. Along with my wine barrel, "Tipitina," I showed an original color pencil drawing entitled, "Summer Samba." Below is a detail.

"Summer Samba" - detail

Take a look at the BOTART website to get an idea of the wide variety of styles BOTARTists apply to our wine barrels.

Although I wasn't able to spend much time at WestEDGE, I was glad that I did have a chance to hang out with my studiomate, Yvonne Beatty.

In this WestEDGE promotional video, you can get a very quick look at the BOTART display at 1:17, as well as a glimpse of some of the BOTARTists waving to camera at 1:35. Although a few more artists showed work this year, the display was much smaller and more compact; last year's exhibit was expansive and elegant. See my photo album on my Facebook Page.

Fall Brewery Artwalk is October 3rd and 4th

This exciting event is coming up in just three weeks! The Brewery Artwalk is a twice-a-year open studio weekend at the world's largest artists colony. With over 100 participating resident artists, visitors will have the opportunity to discover new works, speak with the artists, and purchase artwork directly from the artists' studios. Admission is free and so is parking. Or take the free shuttle from the Lincoln Heights/Cypress Park Gold Line metro station! You'll get a map to all of the artists' studios when you arrive, but you can find one to my studio here on my website.

Here's a sneak preview of some of my new art that you'll be able to see at Artwalk: a series of 6"x9" paintings on handmade cotton fiber molded paper. Yes, it's metallic and glitter paint! I'm calling this series, "Jazz Mandalas." These little beauties are $200 each. Because the shiny paint surface is so important to the work, I won't be making prints. The first one is already spoken for, but the other two - and many more - are available, in case you'd like to snap one up before Artwalk. Thanks, as always, for your support of my art!

Come join the fun at The Brewery: where art lives!

Open Studios Thank You

Yvonne Beatty, Kristine Schomaker, Veronica de Jesus, Cynthia Friedlob

Thanks to all of you who visited during our Open Studios last Sunday. We had a wonderful time and hope you did, too. Special thanks to those who purchased art. And special thanks to my Mom for her tasty candy and smash hit fudge! If you weren't able to stop by, we hope to see you at the next Brewery Art Walk on October 3rd and 4th. You're also welcome to schedule an appointment to visit the studio at a time that's convenient for you. Just send me a message via Facebook or my website to set things up.

BOTART Travels to San Francisco + Save the Date for Open Studios

BOTART Travels to San Francisco

From WestEDGE at the Barket Hangar in October of 2014.
"Tipitina" - named after the classic song by Professor Longhair.
Above it is my painting, "Hot Fun in the Summertime," inspired
by the popular song by Sly and the Family Stone.

BOTART at WestEDGE SAN FRANCISCO
Pier 27
San Francisco, CA
June 4-5

Last October, I was one of only fifteen artists whose work was featured at the preview show of BOTART III, the first transcontinental BOTART exhibition. Each artist displayed a painted wine barrel and a wall-hung work of art at WestEDGE in Santa Monica, CA, a four-day curated design fair showcasing the best in modern design for architects, the design trade, and discerning design aficionados. You can see photos from that show on my Facebook Page. Now, the collection of barrels is traveling to San Francisco where it will be a prominent feature at this exciting event. Click here for more information.

Save the Date for Open Studios!

Plenty of free parking in the lots right by our studios!

OPEN STUDIOS
July 19
660 S. Avenue 21, Studio 3
Time TBA

Studiomates Yvonne Beatty, Kristine Schomaker, and I will open our studios to collectors and supporters for a special Sunday afternoon of fun and art. Visitors will get to see new work by each artist. There will be plenty of time for conversation, too. Details soon. Hope to see you there!

Spring Brewery Artwalk Thank-You!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the studio during the Brewery Artwalk, and special thanks to those who purchased my art! It was an exciting and exhausting weekend. I enjoyed showing a selection of drawings made using both pen and ink, and color pencil, as well as my newer digital drawings. I was so pleased with the response from visitors!

I also got to introduce my latest drawing series, the Songbook. Each 6" x 6" drawing is inspired by a specific song that I enjoy. On the back of each image are the dates, songwriter credits, and the name of the performer who made the song popular (if different from the songwriter). I must like a gazillion songs, so I won't run out of inspiration for this series! The prints are laminated on poster board, so they have a satiny shine. You can frame them or display them on a small easel. A lot of people thought they'd make great tiles, so I'll investigate having some made. I think they'd make very cool throw pillows, too. Below are three samples: "Candy," "Cloudburst," and "The Joint Is Jumpin'."

I also accept commissions, so if you have a favorite song you'd like me to use as inspiration for a drawing, just let me know. Because they're small, the cost is only $20 plus shipping/handling!

Candy
Music: Alex Kramer
Lyrics: Mack David/Joan Whitney
1944 (Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers with Jo Stafford;
1975 - Manhattan Transfer)

Cloudburst
Music: Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks
Lyrics: Jon Hendricks
1959 (Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross)

The Joint Is Jumpin'
Music: Fats Waller
Lyrics: J.C. Jones / Andy Razaf
1937

If you didn't get to the Spring Artwalk, I hope to see you in the Fall!

Spring Brewery Artwalk Is This Weekend!

Spring Brewery Artwalk
Saturday and Sunday

April 25th and 26th

11 AM to 6 PM

The semi-annual Brewery Artwalk features the largest contingent of pioneering artists in the Los Angeles area! Over 100 Brewery studios will be open to the public for this exciting semi-annual event. Meet the artists, enjoy tasty food and drink, and take home some excellent art! The Brewery is just off the I-5 Freeway at Main in downtown Los Angeles. There's free parking across Moulton Avenue at the UPS lot and there are shuttles from other locations (see below).

I'll be showing drawings at this Artwalk, including digital prints on metal as well as pen-and-ink and color pencil works on paper. Above is "Geometrix 156," a new digital print on metal. The print in my studio is 15-3/4"x16" but it's available to order from my Fine Art America gallery in many more sizes and finishes.

New transportation options!

You can also take a free shuttle provided by El Arca, thanks to a generous grant from the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council. There will be hourly stops from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at :

The Cypress Park Metro Station

Lincoln Park (Mission Rd and Lincoln Park Ave)

Abraham Lincoln High School (Lincoln Park Ave and Broadway)

And there's another alternative: try Lyft! First-time Lyft users, get your first ride free up to $20. Simply download the app, create an account, and enter the code BREWERYARTWALK in the ‘Payment’ section.

Learn more about Artwalk at www.breweryartwalk.com.  You'll get a map of the campus and a list of open studios when you arrive. You'll find me at 660 South Ave. 21, #3. See you there!

Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center Show Photos

I was sorry not to be there in person to enjoy the reception and see all the art, but these photos provide a nice glimpse of the show! (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

The Las Vegas CAC posted the excellent panoramic shot below on Facebook today. My "Structure 103" print on metal is just right of center, below a photo that won the "People's Choice" award.

Thanks for the photo above go to my friend, Merelyn, who happened
to be in Las Vegas last week and stopped by to see the show.

The Las Vegas Weekly wrote a favorable review of the 45-piece exhibition:

"Command and control. Craftsmanship. A unique voice. Those were the guiding requisites of Contemporary Arts Center’s 26th annual juried show, curated by sculptor Rebekah Bogard and [Los Angeles] painter Max Presneill. . . . 'There’s a little some-thing for everybody,' says CAC VP Erin Stellmon. 'There’s wildly abstract gigantic pieces, and there are more realistic, intimate pieces and figurative works. There are headscratchers that make you think, "I’m not sure if I like this, but I kinda like that I’m not sure.'"

Looks like a fine show in a lovely exhibition space. I'm happy to be a part of it!

Closing date is May 1st. Alios is located at 1217 S. Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104.

Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center 26th Annual Juried Show

Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center

26th Annual Juried Show

April 6 - 30

Alios Gallery
1217 S Main St

Las Vegas, NV

Opening reception: Friday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m.

Jurors Rebekah Bogard (studio artist and Associate Professor in Ceramics, UN-Reno) and Max Presneill (painter/curator, Director/Curator of the Torrance Art Museum and the Curatorial Director of ARTRA Curatorial) selected the exhibiting artists. I'll be showing one of my new digital prints on metal. "The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 art organization that was established to develop and provide a central venue for artists and the general community to learn, network, share, and experience all varieties of artistic and cultural expression."

“Structure 103” © 2015, digital print on metal, 22.75"x30"

Save the Dates: 2015 Spring Brewery Artwalk and Open Studios April 25th and 26th

2015 SPRING BREWERY ARTWALK

AND OPEN STUDIOS

Explore, Inspire, Experience, Innovate

FREE and open to the public!

The Brewery, now going on 33 years as the world’s largest art community, is once again opening its studios to the public. This is not your average Artwalk! It features the largest contingent of pioneering artists in the Los Angeles area. There are painters, photographers, printmakers and sculptors, as well artists who experiment with immersive 3D environments, LED light sculpture, high tech and high class furniture design, contemporary fashion and environmental design, new media and digital art. The artists of the Brewery are often on the leading edge of the Los Angeles art scene. 

Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, off the 5 Freeway’s Main Street exit, The Brewery sits on 16 acres packed with creative energy. During Artwalk, you can look forward to talking with the artists about their work, sampling the fare of the food trucks, and enjoying a beer garden hosted by our very own Barbara’s restaurant, all in a peaceful, engaging environment. There is free parking in the UPS lot right across the street, and -- new this year! -- a free shuttle from the Lincoln Heights/Cypress Park Gold Line metro station!

This is THE go-to art event in Los Angeles, so join us at The Brewery, where art lives!

More info: https://www.facebook.com/BreweryArtLA and www.breweryartwalk.com

My studio: 660 S. Avenue 21, #3, L.A. 90031 

Photos from the Fine Arts Federation Membership Exhibition Reception

It was a brief, but very enjoyable, visit to the reception for this annual event at the Creative Arts Center Gallery. Visitors were greeted at the door and given Mardi Gras beads and masks. The mixed-media exhibit, representing more than 60 artists, included painting, sculpture, pottery, collage and photography. The Fine Arts Federation, founded in 1976, is an avid supporter of the Creative Arts Center. I've been a member since 1992. The show is up until March 26th. ~ Special thanks to the friends who stopped by!

The Creative Arts Center, Burbank, CA

Not every community is lucky enough to have such a gorgeous
building in which to display art! The CAC offers many kinds of
art classes and has a full pottery studio in the back.
(This is a promotional photo of the space, not taken at the show.)

With my painting, "Hot Fun in the Summertime"
(inspired by the Sly & the Family Stone song).

The reception had a Mardi Gras theme, perfect for the
painting, which had been a companion piece to my
Mardi Gras-themed BOTART entitled, "Tipitina!"

That beaded necklace at left was beautiful.

There was a large crowd throughout the gallery.

Good entertainment from this guitarist
(whose name I unfortunately neglected to get)!

The gallery always offers a tasty buffet at receptions.
(This area is usually used as a classroom.)

Fine Arts Federation Membership Exhibit: Reception March 6th

I'm pleased to be a part of the Fine Arts Federation Annual Membership Show, a mixed-media exhibit representing more than 60 artists. It will include painting, sculpture, pottery, collage, and photography. The Fine Arts Federation, founded in 1976, is an avid supporter of the Creative Arts Center, the location of the show. I've been a member since 1992.

I'll be showing "Hot Fun in the Summertime," a large painting that was the companion piece to my recent BOTART wine barrel, "Tipitina," in the WestEDGE exhibit at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica last October. If you missed that show, this is an opportunity to see the painting in an exceptionally beautiful gallery setting.

FINE ARTS FEDERATION MEMBERSHIP EXHIBIT 2015

Creative Art Center Gallery

George Izay Park

1100 W. Clark Avenue

Burbank, CA 

Exhibit Dates: March 6 through March 26

Opening Reception: March 6th from 7 to 9 p.m.

(I'll be there for the first hour.)
Directions and more here.

"Hot Fun in the Summertime"
above "Tipitina" BOTART

"Hot Fun in the Summertime" is a colorful array of dots!
And, yes, it was inspired by the "Sly & the Family Stone"
hit record from 1969. Video here!

Reception Photos from "The Right Angle" at Art Share L.A.

What a great night! Thanks to everyone involved in the show, especially curator Shana Nys Dambrot and Art Share L.A. Executive Director Cheyanne Sauter. And thanks to everyone who stopped by. If you missed the reception, you can still see the show through February 28th. It's worth the trip to DTLA! Here are a few photos from the event. See more on my Art by Cynthia Facebook Page.

Entrance to Art Share L.A.

Come on in!

Sign at the left of the steps.
(That's one of Sinziana Velicescu's wonderful photos.)

Three of my colorful, small digital prints on metal
welcome visitors at the entrance to the gallery.
I'm delighted that the white one, "Improv 103," sold today!

A selection of my digital prints on metal.

Two of my prints flank beautiful photos by Sinziana.

With Cheyanne Sauter, Executive Director of Art Share L.A.

Artists Jovan and Yvonne (my studiomate at
The Brewery) take in the show.

With my partner, John Semper Jr.

"The Right Angle" ~ Opening Reception on Valentine's Day

Here's another sneak peek at one of my digital drawings that will be in "The Right Angle" show in downtown LA. I saw the show today and it looks great! You'll see a selection of my shiny, new digital drawings, plus some wonderful work by four more artists: Alan Yung-en Chien, David Hollen, Johnny Cubert White, and Sinziana Velicescu. Opening Reception: Valentine's Day, 7 - 10 p.m. Bring your valentine and join the fun!

Notes 103

Art Share L.A., 801 E 4th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Shows: "The Right Angle" and "Pain"

"The Right Angle"

I'm pleased to be invited to return to Art Share L.A. for an exhibition next month. I'll have about a half-dozen geometric prints on metal in a small group show entitled, "The Right Angle," February 11th through 28th. The opening reception will be Saturday, February 14th, from 7 - 10 p.m. The show is devoted to work with clean lines, so my new digital prints fit the bill perfectly. Here are recent digital drawings from two new series, "Structures" and "Messages" (in addition to the "Geometrix" and "Improv" series, both still in progress):

Structure 101

Messages 101

"Pain"

Ted Meyer is in Maine at the University of New England to talk to the School of Social Work’s Applied Arts and Social Justice students on Thursday, the 22nd, in an open-to-the-public artist's reception and presentation of his show of monoprints of human scars from his current work, “Scarred for Life.” The monoprints are powerful and sometimes disturbing images; participating subjects include wounded veterans.

He is also showing postcards from all over the world that depict many creative perspectives on pain. My postcard, "What Not to Say to a Person in Pain" (below) is included in the group. The postcards were on display at UCLA's LRC Gallery, David Geffen School of Medicine, in the show Ted curated last summer, then they traveled to the University of New England for a show there. More about Ted's presentation here; visit his website here.

Art Share L.A. Show Will Feature My Digital Art

I'm pleased to have been notified by Art Share L.A. that I'm one of seventy artists whose work will be featured in their gallery shows during 2015. The dates have not yet been determined, but my digital art printed on metal is the work that was selected. Art Share L.A. is a wonderful exhibition space in downtown Los Angeles. I had work there in the "Cut/Paste" show this past September.

I'm still enjoying making the digital drawings. It's a very meditative process and I love the colorful results. But I'm just about ready to go back to paper and pencil, too, for some subtler work.

Here are samples of my latest digital drawings. You can see more at my Fine Art America print gallery, where I'll be adding and retiring drawings periodically. The current print sizes are limited, but larger prints are available by request on paper, canvas, and metal. If you're not familiar with prints on metal, here's what you'll receive: the image gets printed directly onto a sheet of 1/16" thick aluminum. The aluminum sheet is offset from the wall by a 3/4" thick wooden frame which is attached to the back. The wooden frame includes a hanging wire for easy mounting on your wall, just as you'd hang work on canvas. Prints on metal are very glossy and the colors are vibrant. I particularly like them for the digital art because they seem appropriately high-tech, but they don't work in every environment. The prints on paper and canvas are also beautiful in their own right!

Geometrix 156

Geometrix 159

Structure 101