Open Studio + The LA MAG 2016 Open

Join us for "3 at Studio 3!"

Details of work by Cynthia Friedlob, Yvonne Beatty, and Baha Danesh.

Please join me and my studiomates, Yvonne Beatty and Baha Danesh, at our Open Studio event on Sunday, August 7th from 2 to 5 p.m. We have invited a select group of friends and collectors, so there will be plenty of time to chat with us about our colorful art. My drawings and prints are inspired by music, mostly jazz. Yvonne's paintings and prints reflect dynamic intercultural influences. Baha's multi-disciplinary art affirms her feminist commitment. All of us have exhibited extensively. Visit us online at www.ArtByCynthia.com, www.YvonneBeattyArt.com, and www.BahaArt.com.  Come share cookies and air conditioning!T
he Brewery is just off the I-5 Freeway at the Main exit right by downtown Los Angeles. The map below shows the location of our studio at 660 S. Avenue 21, L.A., 90031. I hope to see you there!

2016 LA Municipal Gallery Open Call

A massive group show of which I'm happy to be a part. The theme of the show is "play." I submitted a small (12" x 12") digital print on canvas from my "Notes" series. I explained in my entry statement that it was inspired by jazz, the most playful of musical forms.
Thanks, as always, for your support of my art!

2016 Open Call

Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery

Barnsdall Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

August 14 – September 18

Opening Reception:

Sunday, August 14th,  2-5 p.m

I'm sorry that I won't be able to attend!

My 25 Year Art Retrospective!

In lieu of LACMA or MOCA offering a solo show, I've decided to celebrate this special event on my Facebook Page by posting some of my art made over the past 25 years. Here's the backstory:

In 1991, I had an epiphany. I mean a real moment of clarity when I was hit by an idea that was like the proverbial bolt out of the blue -- the kind of thing you've probably heard about, but can't fully appreciate unless you've experienced it. "Make art." Okay . . .

Way back when I was an 8-year-old kid, I decided to find out if I could draw, so I copied the picture of Lady from "Lady & the Tramp" that was in a matchbook cover advertisement for a mail-order "Learn to Draw" class (yes, children, those things really existed back then). When I showed the finished picture to my parents, they thought I'd copied it from a comic book. I was appropriately insulted, but had proven to myself that I could draw. Other people confirmed the assessment, even the neighborhood kids who were not easily impressed. I sent the drawing to my grandparents where it was published in their hometown newspaper along with a story about me. My first press!

But, the twists and turns of fate led me in another direction and, rather than studying art, I learned to play the piano and developed my love of music. Then, by the time I got to college, I knew I could write a solid essay, an effective opinion piece, a credible news story. I thought I'd use that talent to save the world, which was what many of us wanted to do in those troubled days of the late '60s.

Over the years, I've had a varied creative career: grantwriter for the War on Poverty, kids' TV and family feature film writer (Hanna-Barbera, Marvel, NBC, Jim Henson, Warner Bros.), now social media manager for a non-profit devoted to "artful aging" (EngAGE) and a radio show producer/host (Experience Talks). In between, I was also an occasional songwriter and a vocalist with a jazz trio. And there was that "make art" moment that resulted in my first juried show a year later, all these years of experimenting with art, and now, my creative focus today.

Most of my beginning art-making efforts were devoted to hand-coloring photographs. After working on some lovely old family photos, I asked a friend to pose so I could work on original, contemporary shots. This led to my first art sale to another friend. When she saw "Communion," she said, without hesitation, "I'll give you $200 for that, unframed!" I was stunned and delighted. I ended up making about a half-dozen original hand-colored "Communion" photos. I think there's one left.

I'm looking forward to sharing images of art I've made over the past 25 years. If I'm really organized, you'll see something added to My 25 Year Art Retrospective Facebook photo album every week on Throwback Thursday. Thanks for celebrating with me! (Pretend there's champagne!)

Here's "Communion" and a bit more info about it:

I love the delicate colors, the ethereal effects of hand-colored photographs. I made about a half-dozen original hand-colored versions of this piece, and years later enhanced the color further on the computer. I was most pleased when it was part of a group show in the early '90s at what is now Providence/St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, CA. Each participant in the group show (about a dozen of us) then had a solo show in some part of the hospital. My selection of various hand-colored photos were placed in the reception area and examining rooms of the oncology department. I hope they offered a respite for the patients.

World Art Day at The Brewery: Photos

During World Art Day at The Brewery, a steady stream of visitors to the Atrium were treated to the 30+ barrel BOTART exhibit. It was a perfect venue for their display. I snapped a few photos early on, then kicked back in the chair by "Tipitina" and chatted with fellow artists and everyone else who strolled by. Prior to the closing, two very large tour groups came to the studio as part of the special event. Appropriately, there were many people from other countries on both tours. And what an enthusiastic bunch they were! Lots of interesting conversation, and lots of wonderful comments about the art. It was a very rewarding experience. Thanks to Dale Youngman (tours), Shawn Barrett (BOTART), and Andre Miripolsky (head instigator for all that happened), as well as everyone else involved in the day. And special thanks to those of you who stopped by!

My BOTART, "Tipitina," with my digital drawing,
"Notes 101C," on the easel in back.

World Art Day at The Brewery: Sunday 4/17

I'm pleased to announce another great opportunity to visit my studio on Sunday, April 17th, when The Brewery Art Colony will open its doors for a special

World Art Day: Los Angeles 2016 Closing Event!

For the second consecutive year, the Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk will reprise its leadership role in World Art Day festivities, which were held for the first time ever in the United States in the city of Los Angeles in 2015. This international event, which is led by the non-profits IAA/UNESCO, celebrates international collaboration through art. In honor of this worldwide celebration, Art Walk will host projects in the form of gallery exhibitions, pop-ups, and site-specific installations in private and public spaces. World Art Day: Los Angeles will be held over a 4-day window starting with the April 14th DTLA Art Walk and ending on Sunday, April 17th, 2016, at The Brewery Artists Colony.

There are two parts to the FREE CLOSING EVENT at The Brewery, and you are invited to attend one or both of them:

(1) From 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., a special private guided tour of several studios featuring artists Andre Miripolsky, Yvonne Beatty, Guillermo Bert, Jen Moore, Jill Sykes, Kristine Schomaker, Sean Sobczak, Teale Hatheway, Ted Meyer, and me. Limited space is available; reservations are required.

(2) From 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., the World Art Day Closing Reception at the I-5 Gallery at The Brewery, which includes a special exhibit hosted by BOTART International and the Brewery Artwalk Association. Yes, my BOTART painted wine barrel will be part of a display of over thirty barrels in the Brewery Atrium where the I-5 is located. Reservations are requested for this open-to-the-public reception to make sure everyone can be accommodated.

"Tipitina" - Photo from the BOTART exhibit
at the 2014 WestEDGE Design Fair

I hope to see you on Sunday for this very special World Art Day event!

2016 Spring Brewery Artwalk

The semi-annual Brewery Artwalk on April 2nd and 3rd was great fun once again! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the studio and special thanks to those who purchased art. The weather was perfect: clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. The Brewery Art Association reports that this Artwalk had even more visitors than usual -- and we usually get many thousands coming to the whole campus over the course of the weekend. Our studio had a steady stream of art enthusiasts on Saturday, and only a few quiet moments on Sunday. Kept it interesting for studiomate, Yvonne Beatty, and me! I opted to show almost exclusively digital prints on canvas, plus a few other digital print items. Studiomate Kristine Schomaker didn't open her space this time; instead she spent the weekend visiting fellow artists and taking photos. See her album here. 

my main studio wall

countertop

Me with Yvonne

with friend Betty Birney

with friend Michelle and Ziggy

Fine Arts Federation Annual Membership Show - March 4 - 24, 2016

The Fine Arts Federation Annual Membership exhibition at the Creative Arts Center Gallery in Burbank presents the work of 80 artists, the largest number that had ever been shown. I've been participating for 24 years. At the reception, there was a Western theme, so everyone got bandanas upon arrival. The decked-out buffet tables offered burgers with all the fixin's. The placed was packed with visitors, and the art ranged from paintings to ceramics to fabric art and more. Brought my Mom to check it all out. She reminded me recently that she celebrated her 93rd-and-a-half birthday. Says that after she turns 94, she's going to start celebrating her birthdays in fourths! We had a fine old time at the roundup, pardners. Show is up 'til the 24th of March.

Photos from the Armory Art Show

The EngAGE art exhibition entitled “It’s Never Too Late to Create!” at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena opened with a lovely reception on January 16th and closed this past weekend. The show featured work by eight residents of Burbank Senior Artists Colony and North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony, plus curators Maureen Kellen-Taylor (EngAGE C.O.O.) and me (EngAGE Websites/Social Media Manager). Click here to see the complete list of artists and read their bios. I hope you had a chance to stop by!

The Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena. (Photo: Tyrone Polk)

Ready for the reception. (Photo: John Semper Jr.)

(Photo: John Semper Jr.)

(Photo: John Semper Jr.)

Artist Alvin Fels with gallery visitors. (Photo: Tyrone Polk)

Artist Alvin Fels in front of one of his paintings, along with his son and gallery
visitor Andre Miripolsky, a well-known Los Angeles artist and good friend.
(Photo: Tyrone Polk)

Artist/curator Maureen Kellen-Taylor in front of her work,
with her daughter, Samantha Vargas. (Photo: Tyrone Polk)

Me, in front of my paintings, with my partner, Experience Talks producer/host
John Semper Jr. (left), and EngAGE CFO Ken Tambe. (Photo: Tyrone Polk)