It's not everyday that you get to spiff up a shack. Let alone an earthquake shack. That's the story. From smalltime shack to dynamite dwelling with a little help from Meg Morrison of Red Chair Interiors and my "Speak Easy" painting way back there behind the couch.
Curating space is an awesome enterprise. Together with architect Mike Hilliard, I installed my show "Meditations on Silk" at Hilliard Architects and Gallery this weekend. No matter the uncertainty we felt at 11:00 am about which paintings and hangings would best live where, by 2:00 pm we noted that somehow all our questions had been answered. At each turn the art and the building decided what was best for, well, the art and the building. It seems that if you are willing to hold the question, keep experimenting, be willing to move the pieces around, trust your gut, and be open to collaborating, then the process of curating can flow. Just like life.
Where better to meditate on color, form, space and movement than an architect's office? Well you can do just that. I'm excited to announce my upcoming show at Hilliard Architects Gallery in San Francisco, March 1-May 3. The show i called Meditations on Silk. It's an exhibition that pays homage to my approach to art making, which is done in a very meditative way. It's not about thought. It's not about concept. It's about, well, getting out of the way. Maybe its what it means to be in the moment and letting it flow. It's a truly enlightening experience:) 251 Post Street, Suite 620, San Francisco Join us for a Cake and Champagne Reception: Thurs, March 6, 5 pm - 7 pm; Hilliard will be celebrating its 25 anniversary too!
I'm no philosopher. Nor academic. But I say enough! It's time to recognize that art and fashion are not separate. Indeed they are co-conspirators. Art inspires fashion. Fashion and design professionals use their art to create and evoke poetry in cotton, prose on silk, and soliloquys on linen. In my world, I create art and sometimes it lands on a wall. Other times, it becomes that wearable piece 'you gotta have'. Yes, there are differences in the type of silk I choose, or the extent and type of design I formulate. Some of my garments are essentially my art re-shuffled into multiple pieces before being sewn together again in a new shape with a new purpose. For sure there are differences. But fundamentally they are both coming from the same hand, attached to the same mind and the same heart.
Who knew? I went through the car wash yesterday and then I couldn't drive my car. Seems water must have gotten 'up in there' somewhere. The good news is that a guy who lived in an RV next to the gas station came to my rescue. Got the car out of the driveway blocking gas station customers from coming and going. Figured out what might be going on. My neighbor picked me up. By the time I got back this morning the RV guy named Dewey had talked to his brother - a long time chevrolet mechanic - who pinpointed what was going on, gave Dewey some advice, and voila. Fixed. Safe. And on schedule. Sometimes you get inspiration from the strangest places. Makes me think of my painting "Weightless" where the burdens of life are lightened...
What's with the circle? Whether it's a donut, a bagel or a full-on pizza pie, the circle has a certain cache. I can't seem to get enough of them. And food isn't the only sacred circle space. In making art, they just seem to show up, demanding my attention, as if they were always there and my only job is to free them to be their true circle selves. Not a bad job. Not at all.
And I'm not just saying this because I've noticed a few grey hairs. I've fallen in love with grey! And the thing is there are SO many greys. I met with color analyst Mary Lou Manlove of Color Insight (www.colorinsight.biz). She showed me an unbelievable number of grey swatches. We're going to work together to address how beautiful grey can be in one's wardrobe. Brown grey, blue grey, cold grey, warm grey. My heart leapt. One of my favorite combinations - at least for an interior space- is a charcoal blue grey with yellow-green and brown. Share with me your greys! Here's one. "Unturned Stone"
This piece, 'Coming to the Fore IV" is now hanging in the showcase bathroom at Cupertino's Granite Rock Design Center. At first I wondered about the bathroom-in-situ location, but it turns out that it works incredibly beautifully with the color of the stone and the black modern sinks. I even received feedback from a guest at the opening reception that seeing it was a "religious experience" so you never know! The painting is wrap-stretched and is 30w x 58h
Is it a drink? A fantasy? A new Crayola crayon ad? It's neither! It's my new show - now up in Cupertino CA. Called Color on the Rocks, Bold Works by Ellen Brook and Gail Ragains. We thought it would be fun to play off the word 'rocks' since our work is now hanging at GraniteRock Design Showroom in Cupertino. It's an amazing space, with beautiful kitchen islands, wood fired pizza ovens and massive stone walls showcasing just about anything you'd want to do with stone. Anyway color just pops there. We are happy that color rocks!
Whenever I do a 'trunk' show, I typically have someone ask me, "what is a trunk show"? I usually say, well, it refers to a temporary pop-up show where the artist or designer brings her trunk full of wares to show and sell, and then pack up your trunk and go home. I figured it had to do with the way people packed and traveled in the olden days - with big trunks (like suitcases) only bigger, and sometimes fancier - with built-in shelves and beautiful wallpaper-like linings. But then it got me wondering so I looked it up. Here's what Wikipedia says" "trunk show" is a special sale in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or select customers at a retail location or another unique venue. In many cases it allows store personnel to preview and/or purchase merchandise before it is made available to the public. There you go. I think there's more to it so I'll let you know if I find out.
