Wandering Artist's Journal

I was going to title this entry, “Changes” but I’ve been reading Peter Clothier ’s book, PERSIST, In Praise of the Creative Spirit In A World Gone Mad With Commerce. (2013, Toad Rampant Books, ISBN 9781482536720) and I’ve come to admire persistence over changes. Maybe I always did - some have called me stubborn. Anyway, regarding the last post : we didn’t move. Not quite. We have the same address. We did get rid of a big house-full of stuff. We could pack everything we own into a small truck and hit the road tomorrow. But life intervened and here we are, still in San Francisco, still in the Sunset District. Still dreaming of L.A., frankly. But it looks like we’re going to be here for a while longer.  So. What to do with empty rooms in a rent-controlled house on the busiest transit line in town? Well, why not open a gallery? Dave & I make visual art, most of our friends make art of all kinds. There never seem to be enough venues for getting it out there and real ...

Yes, we're moving BigCrow studios. You can help us by taking away some of the mountain of stuff we have accumulated after 27 years in the Sunset District. Or just come by and visit us - we'll tell you all about our search for art space in San Francisco. (Maybe you can distract me from those annoying people who want to tell me how crappy my one-dollar-item looks, and then they want me to give them a deal!?) Saturday, July 12th 12pm-5pm Books, LOTS of books, art, photos, frames, furniture, housewares, clothes, bicycles, camping gear, etc. (More photos below.) CHEAP! Most items (including all books) $1 each Bookshelves will be sold/given away after the books are gone. Cash or credit cards accepted. Bring your own bags, boxes, and straps to haul it away. 1426 41st Ave. San Francisco, CA (Cross street: Judah)  A fraction of the books (I wish I was kidding):   A table full of antique books. Good for repurposing as art materials:   Abou...

"Bondage" aka Taped Page 01, ©2014 Anna L. Conti Last night I dreamed that I was painting in a big studio - huge- the size of a house but it was a single room. I had several canvases going at once and the canvases were huge, too - bigger than anything I’ve ever worked on before. I was painting gesturally, with little or no pre-sketching and I was grabbing whatever was available in terms of paint. At some point I realized that some of it was oil (the rest acrylic) and I needed more paint. Waking up, I wondered what that was all about. It was a good-feeling dream, not anxious, not  nightmare. Fun, totally absorbing work. Yesterday I had a good studio day, working on a tape piece and some other projects (printmaking, handmade books.) I did a little more on the sky in the “Fat Cat” canvas. I remember right before I quit and went to bed, I put another blue on the sky and thought I was over-working it and I should just move on. The sky shouldn’t have taken this long. ...

    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...

iPad Sketch, "Porch",©2011 Anna L. Conti Do you know anybody who got a new iPad recently? Someone who maybe downloaded an art app, made a few squiggles with it, got frustrated and quit? Come on over to the Oddists Art Classes and I'll get you all jazzed up again. Only this time, you'll know what you're doing. Seriously, this little device is an art studio in your pocket/bag/hands. It's even more fun than a paper & paint studio because it's free of expectations and consequences. Throw that paint around! (No need to worry about the carpet or the curtains.) Do something crazy - didn't work out? Hit delete and start over again (unlimited paper, canvas & supplies.) Nobody sees it but you, until you're ready to share. iPad Sketch, Ferry ©2014 Anna L. Conti You may have noticed that there are a zillion art apps out there. Which one should you pick? I've tried almost all of them (I know, somebody had to do it) so you don't ha...

"Gull Patrol", 10" x 20", acrylic on canvas, ©2013 Anna L. Conti 2013 was a pretty good year for my attempt to document the marine traffic on San Francisco Bay. I finished 12 paintings, a few watercolors and a series of etchings. I expect this coming year to be even more productive. It's been a fascinating learning experience for me. I've been combing the used bookstores, looking for old military, shipping, sailing, and other maritime manuals. Today I really lucked out at the Book Bay in Ft. Mason: I found a copy of the Saga of the Delta Queen (sister to the Delta King, now berthed in Sacramento.) The Queen was once the "most lavishly appointed and expensive sternwheel passenger boats ever" built and she carried passengers between Sacramento and San Francisco. The book was written in 1951 by her captain and it is loaded with insider info!

  Weiwei-isms by Ai Weiwei, edited by Larry Warsh; published 2013 by Princeton University Press; ISBN 987-0-691-15766-5   -   Weiwei-isms could be described as meditations on Art, Life, Freedom and Power. Collected by Larry Warsh and organized into six topical chapters, the words of the artist cut to the essence of his experiences over a lifetime of speaking Truth to Power. A Printmaker's Document by Jim Dine; published 2013 by Steidl; ISBN 9783869306445 -  Jim Dine is an American artist known for his experimental, Pop and Neo-Dada works, including painting, sculpture, and prints. This volume is a retrospective of his printmaking and his life as an artist. Beautifully designed, this book is a sumptuous read.