Wandering Artist's Journal

    The first Oddist’s “Art on the iPad” class was a success and there will be more (details will be posted here and there in a few weeks.) The Oddist’s atelier (Richard Perri’s studio in the SF Odd Fellow’s Building) is an inspiring location for almost any kind of art adventure. It’s big and it’s chockablock with paintings, costumes, still life props, funky furniture, easels, lights, music, refreshments and interesting artists & models. I’ve always loved teaching how-to-do-it art classes to adults, at any level. And the iPad has been a favorite medium for me since it was released 4 years ago. David Hockney and the other New Yorker cover artists have sparked an interest this kind of digital paint. It’s significantly more user-friendly than the desktop setups that professional graphic artists use. But most of these apps don’t come with manuals, so a lot of people need a guided tour to get them started. This was a beginner’s class and luckily for me, all of the stu...

I recently made a studio visit to Sandra Yagi , in her South Beach studio. Sounds almost tropical, doesn't it? It's an old CalTrans building nestled up against the Bay Bridge on-ramp. The last time I visited this building it was to see Tina Vietmeier . Sandy just moved to this studio from her old place on Belcher Street. ( I interviewed her there five years ago .) The same rolling cart and easels were here in "South Beach" (Rincon Hill), but this studio seemed a lot brighter, with huge windows along one wall. Sandy said it could get a little too bright, and she just got some curtains to cut down the mid-morning glare. If you're not familiar with her work, Sandra paints with classic old-world methods, using familiar symbols and iconography to convey timeless and contemporary concerns. Lots of skeletons, animals, imagined landscapes, and darkly funny situations. Sandra works out her ideas in sketchbooks before going to paint. She often uses 3D models to work out ...