Category Archives: Inspiration

Hands down, one of my favorite painters of all time is Boston aritst Leah Giberson. I had the privilege of meeting Leah and showing her work when I ran a small gallery in San Francisco several years ago. Leah’s work depicts mostly suburban scenes — houses, motor homes, pools, poolsides, yard furniture — and she is known for her crisp and detailed renderings based on actual photographs. She strips the imagery down to its most essential elements, eliminating much of the background noise but keeping that which is the most interesting (reflections and shadows, for example). Leah’s ability to render the metallic sheen & reflections on vintage motor homes is insanely good.

In 2010, I bought the piece below from Leah and it sits in my living room. It is part of a series she did (which you can see by scrolling through this set) in which she painted many of the iconic mid-century homes of the Westlake neighborhood of Daly City, California (which is right outside San Francisco). It is one of my favorite series that Leah has ever painted, though I am also smitten with her lawn chairs.

If you enjoy Leah’s work as much as I do and would like updates on new paintings, you can follow her on Facebook.

Happy Friday, friends. See you Monday.

{INDUSTRIAL 30X30, oil on canvas by Jenny Gray}

It’s funny sometimes how you discover the work of another artist. Last night Clay and I were watching the latest episode of Mad Men, and during one of the scenes Clay interrupted, “That painting there, on the wall behind Ken Cosgrove, that’s by Jim’s the sister-in-law!” I used the controls on my computer to back up the scene slightly, and sure enough, there was a beautiful abstract painting on the wall. Jim, who is a dear friend and coworker of Clay’s, had posted about his sister-in-law’s painting on Mad Men (and a link to her website) earlier yesterday on Facebook. I thought the painting was beautiful, so after the show was over, I went to the website of Jenny Gray and took a gander.

I very quickly fell in love with her shapes, color combinations & layers. I love graphic elements,  the way she plays with hard and soft, and the obscured references to architecture and landscape. And the colors? Did I mention the colors? If I were an abstract painter, this is the kind of painter I’d like to be.

{PART OF THE STORY 20″X24″” Oil on Canvas}

{DETAIL NO. 2 48×48, oil on canvas}

{THE ADDITION 30X30, oil on canvas}

Lucky for us, Jenny also sells originals and prints of her work on Etsy. I’m now saving my pennies for one of her paintings.

Happy Wednesday, friends.

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I have become recently captivated by the work of Leise Dich Abrahamsen, who I discovered last September when I was visiting Stilleben, the most perfect shop in all of Copenhagen. Abrahamsen is a Danish artist who also appears to have a shop in Copenhagen (which I appear to have missed on my trip! Note to self: must go back!).

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On her blog fraleise, she posts nearly everyday images of her work, her life, her inspirations and her travels about. About the blog, written in English, she says it “is about everything in life that amazes, excites and inspires me. welcome inside.” It is, indeed, a feast for the eyes.

{All images courtesy Leise Dich Abrahamsen}

Happy, happy Tuesday.

{Day 5: a wheel of brie}

You all know I love a good 365 day personal challenge and that I particularly love challenges that have interesting constraints. Photographer Jon Rendell began a project on January 1 of this year in which he photographs something every day within the constraints of the 25′ radius of his apartment. It is simply called 25′ Radius. Further constraining Jon are the fact that he shoots only in black and white and uses only natural light. Jon is interested in pushing himself “to find inspiration in unexplored compositions and natural light.” Each day Jon posts one photograph taken that day on his blog.

{Day  108: a dead daffodil}

Jon happens to be a friend of mine. We met back in 1999 where we worked together at the same non-profit organization for the next 8 years. Jon has always been exceptionally creative –  the kind of person who sees beauty or complexity in things that the average person would not.

{Day 95: Jon’s legs against the shadow of the his balcony}

Jon’s passion for photography has been lifelong. In the mid 60s Jon’s father gave him the family Box Brownie (Kodak). He was 8. In the 70s, 80s and 90s he progressed through a series of 35mm film cameras along with the associated traditional darkroom techniques. The year we met in 1999 he got his first digital camera. Since then I’ve watched his passion and skill flourish. Jon also has a great sense of humor.  I love this project Jon did a few years back called On the Level in which he photographed San Francisco homes built on steep hills, and then adjusted them in Photoshop so that they appear as though they are tilted.

{Day 72: “guacamole”}

I am always anxious to see what Jon posts each day as part of his project. What will he find that he has not shot before? What new angle will he take? Will it be literal or abstract? Will he see a new quality of light as the seasons change?

{Day 54: wet chair on the balcony}

Jon reminds us through this project  that if we look at the same thing for long enough and with an open enough mind, we can actually see one thousand other things — that even seemingly inanimate objects change and fade over time, sit in light differently, shine differently on different days. In some ways, Jon’s project is an exercise in contemplation.

You can visit Jon’s project here, and view his website portfolio here.  Follow him on Facebook daily updates.

Happy Wednesday!

I go through periodic obsessions with the work of other artists. My current obsession is with the work of Anne Siems. Siems is originally from Berlin, and moved to Seattle in 1991. She has been making fantastic ethereal paintings and drawings on a variety of surfaces ever since. Her portfolio is vast, and I recommend looking at it from the beginning so you can witness the evolution of her work over the last decade.

Siems paints her portraits with rich and bold colors and often overlays many of them with ghostly, delicate, white details, giving many of her painting a distinct other-worldly feel. The delicate line work and fantastical imagery also makes her work brilliantly narrative and visually modern. I would love to be a fly on the wall in her studio as she works!

Siems writes about her work: “At present, I continue with my interest in the human figure and the attributes that surround it. These attributes reflect something about the being without giving a specific narrative. Ideas about life and death, sensuality, sexuality, nature, experiences in the realm of dreams, psyche and spirit are my ongoing topic. A lot of inspiration for these pieces stem from my ongoing love for the art of the European Masters, Early American Folk Art, as well as vintage and modern photography.”

I am chomping at the bit to see Siems work in person now and am follow her exhibition schedule eagerly to find out if there might be an opportunity.

Happy Thursday.

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Some of you may remember filmmaker Faythe Levine for her 2009 documentary, Handmade Nation (also a book, published by Princeton Architectural Press). Since 2010, Levine and her filmmaking partner Sam Macon have been researching, following, interviewing and filming sign painters for their latest film: Sign Painters. Faythe Levine (incidentally a close friend of mine!) is profoundly interested in the significance and endurance of craft in our culture. This film takes a deep look at one craft — its history, its people, its techniques & its future.

The film is nothing if it’s not timely. The world of hand sign painting began to wilt with the invention of vinyl letters in 1982. And now, with the birth of new technologies, the art is under an even greater chance of extinction with even more cheaper, quicker alternatives to hand painted techniques. And, yet, to many of us, there is nothing as beautiful as a bold and colorful hand painted sign, large or small.

{Levine and Macon}

It may be this attraction to the aesthetic that drew Levine and Macon to the subject matter in the first place, and sign painting’s uncertain future (along with its cast of characters) makes for what looks like a brilliant, compelling film. Here’s the trailer:

The film is now also a book (also published by Princeton). In addition, Levine and Macon are currently booking screenings (US and abroad) for 2013. You can find out when the film is coming to your town (or a town near you) by checking the event page on their website (they’ll be adding dates and locations as they book them), or to follow them on Twitter & Facebook. The film will be released in theaters later this month.

Happy Wednesday.

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Over the past 8 years that I have been working as an artist, I have met and befriended some incredibly inspiring people. Near the top of my “I want to be like ____ when I grow up” list is artist Sarajo Frieden. Sarajo lives and works in Los Angeles, where she draws and paints and illustrates for a living. What first attracted me to Sarajo’s work is its depth: every painting or drawing or collage is layered and detailed exquisitely. Even her monochromatic line drawings are fantastically complex.

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The style of our work is very different, but Sarajo and I have a few things in common: our work is generally very narrative (evokes a “story” even when there isn’t one written), we love to work with shape & pattern, and we are both inspired by folk culture and history. For these reasons, I developed a kinship with Sarajo early on, even before I met her in person for the first time.

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I first met Sarajo in person in 2008 when she came to San Francisco to have a show in my gallery (I curated a space from 2007-2010). I was already enamored by Sarajo’s work, but I instantly fell in love with Sarajo the person. She is extremely kind and warm and wise, and I am so glad to know her. Like artist Helen Dardik (who I wrote about here), Sarajo and I are represented by the same illustration agency, so I get to see her at least once a year.

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Recently Sarajo updated her website, and you can see a full range of all of the beautiful work she has done over the past few years.

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Some of her hand lettering work is my favorite.

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You can keep up with what Sarajo up to by signing up for her lovely and always engaging email list.

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I love Margaret Kilgallen’s work. In 2005, the year her monograph Margaret Kilgallen: In the Sweet Bye & Bye was released, I got the red tree from the back cover tattooed on my left arm. Kilgallen (we would have been the same age) died of breast cancer in 2001.

{the back cover of The Sweet Bye and Bye; my tattoo}

The other day I learned that Art21 had recently released a new exclusive video: The Heroines of Margaret Kilgallen. I love hearing Kilgallen talk about her work (much of it through Art21′s footage over the years), so I was excited to hear about it. In this particular video, which was filmed in 2000, she is tagging trains with her husband, fellow artist Barry McGee. She goes on to talk about three of her heroines: banjo musician Matokie Slaughter, blues guitarist and buck dancer Algia Mae Hinton, and early 20th C. Olympic swimmer Fanny Durack.

About some of her heroines, she says: they “did small things but hit me in my heart…I wouldn’t know what they would look like at all. But I would imagine what they look like. And I would draw it,”

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MK, may you always rest in peace.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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One can’t travel through Scandinavia without noticing the Moomins, the characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. In some ways they are ubiquitous with Swedish and Finnish culture — sold as dolls in the airport gift shops alongside other traditional souvenirs. The Moomins are a family of trolls,  plump, white hippopotamus-like creatures. They live in Moominvalley, in the forests of Finland, mostly. They have many carefree adventures with friends.

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The books are written by Tove Jansson, who was born in Finland but spoke Swedish and lived in Sweden for parts of her life. Recently I discovered Jansson’s adult novels when my friend Lindsey gave me The Summer Book. I became immersed in the book, and wanted to know more about Jansson, so my research began.

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I found out that Jansson was a bit of a renaissance woman — a prolific artist, sculptor, illustrator and writer. I also discovered that she had a life partner named Tuulikki Pietilä, who was a Finnish graphic artist and professor. Pietilä was also talented, and was one of the most influential people in Finnish graphic arts. The two met during their studies and they collaborated on many works and projects, including the Moomin works.

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Here are the two on their boat on Klovharu Island, where they spent their summers for almost 30 years.

Jansson’s and Pietilä’s travels and summers on the Klovharu have been captured on several hours of film, shot by Pietilä. Several documentaries have been made of this footage and I’m determined to find them and watch them (I can imagine this island is incredibly beautiful). I’m also determined to read the rest of Jansson’s novels.

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I have a tendency to romanticize bohemian artist couples as having the perfect life (painting all day and spending summers on a remote island). These two are my latest obsession.

Have a good Thursday, friends.