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UUSM - Newsletters - Gallery Wall
Gallery Wall
December, 2008
Henry Fukuhara and
Helen Fukuhara
Henry Fukuhara is a watercolor
artist and educator. He was born in Los Angeles,
on April 25, 1913. He was married to Fujiko
Yasutake in 1938 and they are the parents of four children,
Joyce, Grace, Rackham, and Helen.
Mr. Fukuhara
lived and worked on Long Island, New York, from 1944 to
1987. He now lives in Yorba Linda, California.
Mr. Fukuhara is known for organizing the Henry
Fukuhara Watercolor Workshops in Manzanar, California.
He and his family were interned in Manzanar from
1942 to 1944. In 1998 he organized the first Manzanar
workshop with a number of other painters. Now the
workshop attracts about 80 artists who spend three days
learning, sketching, painting, and being critiqued in
Manzanar, Keeler, and the Alabama Hills. After the
workshop is completed, the artists have an opportunity
to show their work in a gallery.
His work has been published in Watercolor Magic,
Artist’s Magazine, International Artist’s Magazine and
most recently an article in Watercolor Artist, October 2008.
He is listed in “Who’s Who in America.” In 2004 the
National Watercolor Society honored him with the Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Helen Fukuhara is totally and congenitally blind.
She obtained a BA in music and speech arts from Hofstra
University in New York. She studied art at the Braille
Institute in Los Angeles, taking classes in ceramics,
mosaic tile, mixed media, printmaking, and fiber arts.
Although naturally suited to work three dimensionally
in pottery and soft sculpture, she learned to conceptualize
and talk about two-dimensional art with her father,
who is an abstract painter.
Ms. Fukuhara’s experience of
creation is limited to touch, but her tactile impressions
are transferred onto a flat picture plane in collaboration
with an assistant.
Ms. Fukuhara’s art has been shown extensively, in
group and solo exhibits.
A reception for the artists will be held Sunday,
December 14, at 2 p.m.
November, 2008
Catherine Tirr
Catherine Tirr was born in
England and studied fine art at
Chelsea School of Art in London.
One of her first group exhibitions
was at the Royal Academy of Art,
London, in 1979, where she was
awarded the Stowells Trophy.
Since her move to Los Angeles her work has been
included in exhibitions at the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Armand Hammer
Museum. In Los Angeles, she is represented by Howell
Greene Gallery, where she has been exhibiting since
2000. She is currently an instructor in painting, drawing,
and survey of the arts at Emeritus College, a
department of Santa Monica College. Of this exhibit,
called “Suspension,” she says,
“The figures in this body of work are captured in
moments of inactivity and suspended motion.
“The work focuses on those times in life when
one’s reality seems to have no connection with the
reality of other people, moments when the natural
flow of everyday life is interrupted or even arrested,
when we as humans seem to step out of the physical
world while the rest of existence continues on
its regular pulse. These sudden unseen shifts in
perception can bring on dreamlike tranquility and
what appears on the surface to be a state of inertia.
However, the external inertia often belies great
moments of internal chaos and activity.
“When the surface tension of existence is broken
and external circumstances beyond our control set
our bodies and minds afloat in a limbo state — in
these moments it is as if we are awaiting a change,
a new pulse or even a new worldview.”
A reception for the artist will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday,
November 9, in Forbes Hall.
October, 2008
Renata Zerner
Renata is a painter and printmaker
whose work has been exhibited
in the United States and
internationally. She works in
oils, watercolors, and various
print media. This exhibition
shows her monoprints,
etchings, and
non-representational collages. Born and
educated in Berlin, Renata left Germany after
World War II and came to Los Angeles in 1951.
She studied art at the UCLA Extension Program and with
the Los Angeles artist Keith Finch. She first exhibited her
work in a two-man show at Keith Finch’s studio in 1968.
More group and solo shows followed in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Seattle, Switzerland, and Germany. She
recently completed her autobiography, “Bound to Witness,”
about her life in Nazi Germany.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
“Mystery, mood, and atmosphere are the common
threads that run through my work. I play: I work without
preconceived ideas and build on accidents, allowing the
process to set the rules. It’s a game, a spontaneously
invented jigsaw puzzle — stimulus and response, and
always the interaction of shape, color, space, and line, of
dark and light in endless variations.
“I change back and forth between surrealism and
non-representational, one relieves the other. In the end,
however, the two come together — experience and imagination
merge, resulting in subjective expressions. The
time I spend working is a time of meditation.
“In contrast to realism,which explains, here viewers
can allow the images, both surreal and non-representative,
to have an effect, letting their own fantasies come
into play and through this process find their own relationships
to the work.”
Artist’s reception is at 2 p.m. on October 12.
August, 2008
Eli Lippert
Eli Lippert was born and raised
in San Francisco. He was first
inspired by the graffiti art
throughout the city while growing
up, which eventually brought
him into the art world. Starting
off strictly as a graffiti artist
opened Eli’s mind and brought
him to the realization that anything
is possible, in art and in
life. Now nearing a decade as an artist, Eli is working
towards a degree in painting and is heavily involved in
a community-based organization, Precita Eyes Muralists,
painting community murals around the Bay Area
and teaching youth art classes to help kids find their
inspiration and talent in arts as he has.
July, 2008
Setsuko
Setsuko was born in
Tokyo, Japan. She came to
Los Angeles as a pianist and
singer for a restaurant in
1972. She continued in the
music business as she
developed an art career in
watercolor, acrylic, oil, and
mixed media.
She has studied watercolor with Tom Fong;
she studied with Robert Hallet and Cris Van Winkle at
Citrus College, and was strongly influenced by Henry
Fukuhara. She studied design with Elaine Moore.
Pursuing her passion for art, Setsuko has traveled
throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and
Japan. Her work has been shown throughout Southern
California at museums, art galleries, public buildings,
and juried exhibitions.
A reception for the artist will be held Saturday, July
12, at 3 p.m.
June, 2008
Loraine Veeck
LoraineVeeck is a native
Californian, currently living
in the Los Angeles area. She
studied art first at Pierce
College in Los Angeles, and
then at California State University
in Northridge. Her
mentor was Alice Beamish,
who studied extensively
with Hans Hoffman at Berkeley. She learned from Alice
the importance of spatial concepts, movement, color,
and allowing the intuitive flow of creativity.
Loraine’s home town, San Bernardino, is a valley
surrounded by spectacular mountains. Because of her
exposure to this landscape, the continuing theme of all
her work has been our connectedness with the Earth.
Veeck is drawn to the Southwest, which is unencumbered
by heavy foliage and exposes a landscape that is
powerful in its movement — the rise of the mountains,
the etched-out canyons, and the thrust of the land’s
rocks and boulders. Her works, often featuring uninhabited,
moody high desert landscapes or isolated
creeks and streams, have a photographic quality.
Lorraine has been given 19 exhibitions in galleries
throughout the Los Angeles area. She has exhibited in
invitational and juried shows for several years and has
won many awards. She is included in such public collections
as Amgen Corporation, Allstate Insurance
Corporation, City of Thousand Oaks, and McDonald’s
Corporation.
A reception for the artist will be held June 8 at 2 p.m.
May, 2008
Darlene Mellein
Darlene Mellein is
an intuitive artist,
painting in various
media, often including
elements of collage.
She approaches a
blank canvas with an
abandon and boldness
that convey humor, freedom, and
imagination. Her graduate work in literature
at UCLA focused on Women’s, African
American, and Chicano literature — the literarily disenfranchised.
Today, she traces the roots of her paintings
to that earlier work, her inspiration coming from the
underlying stories of various cultures, their triumphs as
well as alienation, along with their colors and symbols.
Darlene was a founding member of the Abbot Kinney
Art Gallery in Venice, CA, and is currently actively
involved with The Collage Association of America,
Women’s Caucus for the Arts, and Women Painters West,
for which she is 2nd Vice President and Program Chair.
Darlene transforms the real into symbol, both
archetypal and personal. Her figures are non-specific,
idiosyncratic, and simple — suggesting Everyman,
sometimes hinting at the mystical. She flirts with the
dark side and has a fleeting affection for it. Essential
symbols occur and repeat, coming like the doodlings of
a private and primal dream. Both concrete and abstract,
they have become her vocabulary, allowing her to tell
her stories. There is a narrative quality to her work, as
well as an underlying urban/primitive theme. Her work
is infused with the humor and irony that is the lens
through which she sees life. For a preview of Darlene’s
work, visit her website: darlenemellein.com
There will be a reception for the artist on May 4, at 4
p.m., in Forbes Hall.
April, 2008
Chris Hero - "Places of Worship"
Chris Hero’s paintings and
drawings are figurative,
exprssionistic, and often
political. His “Places of
Worship” project depicts
Santa Monica’s religious and
secular temples: Catholic,
Mormon, Protestant, Jewish,
and Buddhist; caffeinated,
financial, and retail.
Hero holds a BA in History from Loyola University,
New Orleans; an MFA from California State University,
Long Beach; an expired paramedic license from
Tulane University; and a handshake from the New
Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. He has worked as a
paramedic, file clerk, stagehand, art teacher, and
policeman; has washed out as a U.S. Navy midshipman;
and has always been an artist.
A reception for the artist will be held Sunday,
April 13, 4 to 6 p.m.
March, 2008
Howard Marshall
For over 20 years,
Howard has produced
unique works of art
while also performing
as a spiritual baritone
singer. Howard’s work
as a dollmaker,
maskmaker, and
painter utilizes vibrant
color to explore themes from African-
American and Native American cultures.
Howard now concentrates most of his time,
when he is not creating new art or preparing for exhibitions,
in transferring his love of art to future artists. He
has taught at the Watts Towers Arts Center, the Museum
of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, and for the Los Angeles School District.
February, 2008
Marilyn Hoeck Neal
Marilyn Hoeck Neal received a BFA from
Cal State Los Angeles, and has done graduate
work at UCLA and USC. She also studied at Atelier
of London, Vladimar Tretchikoff School of
Painting in South Africa, and La Escuela de Artes
Plasticas of Mexico City. She continues to study
with well-known American artists.
As a professional artist, Marilyn has had over
thirty one-woman shows in the United
States and abroad including invitational
shows at the National
Gallery of Taipei and
the Centre International
d’Art Contemporain, Le
Salon des Nations,
Paris, France. Additional
showings include
representing the United
States in the official
watercolor show of the Olympic games.
She has shown in Seoul, Korea, Japan, Hong
Kong, Canada, Malaysia and a showing and
painting demonstration for the Sultan of
Brunei’s art staff, two solos shows in Berlin and
Karlsruhe, Germany.
Marilyn also has been Artist-in-Residence at
Yosemite National Park, had a one woman show
for Mayor Tom Bradley’s Art Satellite Program,
and has participated in a one-woman show at
the Karl May Museum Radebeul (Dresden) Germany
dealing with American Indian/American
West Art.
There will be a reception for the artist on
February 3, at 1:30 p.m. in Forbes Hall.
July, 2007
The Art of Two Sisters: Joanne Cullen & Lois Haytin
Joanne Cullen and Lois Haytin are sisters
who grew up in St. Paul, MN, and found their
individual ways to make art, which will be displayed
on the gallery wall in July.
Joanne’s art reflects her love of movement,
color, and people. Her work has changed as it
reflects different stages in her life. Some of the
paintings were inspired when she was
“married with children.” These paintings
reflect her delight
in painting children.
After a divorce and ten
years of experience as
an art therapist, a more
free expression developed.
Presently,
Joanne’s imagination
has carried her into using nude figures
(and others) in an unusual way. She
transposes her figure drawings to integrate
with the images on printed media to create a
new and then original composition. Her work
can be found in many private collections here
and in MN. A commissioned mural is at St.
Matthews Church in Pacific Palisades, CA.
Lois made her transition to California when
she transferred from the University of Minnesota
to UCLA. Her art collection reflects her interest
in art forms and dance. They consist of collages
made of materials found in unexpected places.
She refers to them as “Dreamscapes.” Many
examples of Lois’ artwork can be seen at Emeritus
College art shows.
June, 2007
Bettye Barclay
Mandalas: Second Generation
Artist’s statement: “These paintings speak to
me of the wholeness of life. They serve as a visual
expression of the cycles and changes that are part
of life. Starting with the circle form, aware of the
role of mandalas as a meditative assist, I worked
with the circle-within-a-square format drawing
on two sacred symbols as the beginning, then
worked with color and shape within this selfimposed
limit. I have long been interested in
exploring the meanings of life beyond words.
These paintings are an expression of this interest,
a way of using paint and collage to create multilayered
images that evoke the mysterious.”
Bettye Barclay is an award-winning artist who
works in acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, silk
painting, and clay. Her paintings have been
exhibited through Southern California, and her
works in clay are in collections throughout the
United States as well as Hong Kong, Australia,
and Korea.
A reception for the artist will be held Sunday,
June 10, at 2 p.m.
December, 2006
Our Own Artists
Every December, the art wall features works by our
own UUCCSM artists.
Past years’ exhibits
have included paintings,
collages, photography,
and
ceramic wall art.
Many pieces will be
offered for sale.
October, 2006
Lynn
Mikami
Lynn Mikami is an associate member
of the National Watercolor
Society whose work is frequently
shown in the Los Angeles area and at the
Annual Manzanar Exhibit.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: My family, along
with other Japanese-Americans, was
forced to leave their home and was
imprisoned for
three years
without charge
or trial during
World War II. I
was born in the
Heart Mountain
Relocation Camp,
Wyoming, in
1944. I made my first big splash in
the creative arts as a child, when I
spilled India ink on the carpet. Creating
messes, chaos, and occasionally masterpieces
is still essential to my wellbeing. I
like to play with acrylics, oils, watercolor,
collage, clay, glass — whatever works best
to bring forth images that are beyond the
ordinary, that expand our perception. I
want my art to increase awareness of that
which lies beneath the surface, what
appears to be difficult to express or
unknowable.
A reception for the artist will be held
Sunday, October 8, 2 to 6 p.m. in Forbes
Hall. Included at the reception will be
glass jewelry, cards and small original
works.
Attention UUCCSM Artists
Start thinking about one or two pieces of your
fine art/photography to hang in the “Our Own
Artists” show in December. Details in November
newsletter. Questions? Call or e-mail Nels Hanson.
September, 2006
Gilbert Johnquest
Gilbert Johnquest has a bachelor of fine arts in sculpture from the Minneapolis
College of Art and Design. He taught studio practices at Cleveland State
University. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1979, he has exhibited in numerous
galleries throughout the L.A. area.
Artist’s Statement: “Salvaging mystery: exploration of nature's relation to our
evolutionary process, spirit and magic in art and our relations, influenced by
everything—and then some.”
A reception for the artist will be held on September 10 at 3 p.m. in Forbes
Hall.
August, 2006
Carol Ring
Artist's Statement:
"Basically, I am a Photoshop junkie. I shoot anything
interesting that catches my eye. It might be a
beautiful flower, rusting sign, or bold new bit of
graffiti. Recently it was a captivating Chinese figure-
drawing model.
The next step is to download my digital “finds”
to the computer. Here I can enhance the color and
experiment with Photoshop filters; these will make
several images transparent to each other (the digital
darkroom version of double or triple exposures).
I eventually find a combination that “works” (or not
— then it’s delete and start over).
This show, called “Totally Square,” consists of a
variety of small square images that were created by
this process: some abstract, some realistic, some
ironic, some just plain weird. It will be up through
August 27."
Reception for the artist will be held on Sunday,
August 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Forbes Hall.
Note: The UUSM Art Wall Committee is requesting church
artists to submit for possible display on the church Art
Wall. Submissions must include a resume and 15 to 20
slides or electronic reproductions of the work. Send by
August 21 to the church office.
Submissions will be reviewed and artists selected for calendar
year 2007.
July, 2006
Loraine Stern
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: In “The
Undressed Art/Why We Draw,” Peter
Steinhart says: “Drawing the figure is a
kind of exploration, a search for our own
nature, our origins, our souls…we draw
the figure because it offers us the possibility
of seeing deeper into one another’s
nature, into ourselves, into human nature
in general.”
The human figure is the most complex
and most intriguing of subjects to
me. There is beauty in the sagging,
the lumpy, the fat or thin, the sad,
the pensive, the
energetic or
whatever a model
is conveying.
There is also some
of my own mood at
the time. I hope
that seeing another
person on the surface of the work
can elicit a connection with the viewer
that gives a piece life.
A word on “Legsley”...
My late husband asked what I wanted to
do with art. I said I wanted a distinctive
style, like Beardsley had. He said, “You
have great legs so I will call you Legsly.”
June, 2006
Milly St. Charles
Artist’s statement: “In 1982, at the age of 63, I took
my first art class, a course in Beginning Printmaking,
at Santa Monica College. In 1984 I was introduced to
the collograph, a form of printmaking that uses a
collage of textured materials to create an image. I
thououghly enjoyed the process of creating the collograph
which involved finding the materials to achieve
the desired patterns in the
print. The making of the collograph
became a discovery proces,
an adventure for me. I
found myself wanting to
express my feelings about the
world around me through this
medium.
“As a hiker and outdoor
enthusiast, I became more and
more aware of the changes
taking place in our magnificent forests, deserts and
beaches. I could see the degradation of some of these
once pristine wonderlands. I’ve tried to capture the
surface beauty, much of which can still be seen in the
natural world.
“I have also always been concerned about injustice
wherever it exists, and cannot close my eyes to the
suffering in our world. I want to express and share this
feeling with others through my art.
“I have shown my work in more than 30 exhibits
nationally and my works are included in private
collections in our country and abroad.”
A reception for the artist will be held on Saturday,
June 10, at 1 p.m. in Forbes Hall.
May, 2006
Ann Marie Ferreira
Ann Marie, who as a child survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, studied art
at Cal State in both Sacramento and Long Beach. She taught art for many years
at Santa Monica High School, while pursuing her own work. She has exhibited
widely and can be found in both corporate and private collections.
Artist’s statement:
“The motivation for my work has its basis in love of the act of painting
itself. It relates to many of the precepts of abstract expressionism, such
as unpremeditated selfdiscovery and intuitive experimentation, bounded by
both formal and informal considerations. Artists who have inspired me are
David Hockney, Romaire Bearden, Joan Mitchell, and Cy Twombly.My oversized
collages come from recycled calendars, seed catalogs, flower bulb packages,
magazine advertisements, and food boxes. I see them as whimsical time capsules,
luminous images that have roots in personal experience.”
—Shirlee Frank
April, 2006
Fumi Arakaki
This month’s artist is Fumi Arakaki. Fumi’s art education includes UCLA, the
Chicago Art Institute, Santa Monica College, and other institutions. She worked
commercially as a fashion illustrator and layout artist. She is a member of
the Watercolor Society and was awarded a signature life membership at Watercolor
West. She has exhibited widely in California, showing in an exhibit of Cuban
paintings in Fountain Valley and holding a solo show at the Tin Roof Gallery.
Artist’s statement: “Every period of my life in art has been
exciting, but perhaps the most satisfying has been circa 1980s, when I discovered
the beauty of the human figure using the medium of pastels. Pastels gave me
the freedom to express color, character, and emotion with immediacy. Pastels
were a prelude to my art in all media, including oils, watercolor, and prints.”
—Shirlee Frank
March, 2006
Shaee Khatapoush
Born and raised in Iran, Shaee has lived in California since 1960 and attends
our church. She holds an AA degree in apparel design, a BA in psychology, and
an MA in social work from UCLA. She has worked seriously as an artist since
1990, using textiles to design threedimensional installations. She has exhibited
at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Sales and Rental Gallery and at the
Pacific Design Center.
Artist’s statement: “My artistic evolution has moved from fashion and textile
design through representational art to abstract expressionism to mixed media
using fabric, wood, and found objects. My influences and favorite artists include
Diebenkorn, Frankenthaler, De Kooning, and Rauschenberg.”
— Shirlee Frank
February, 2006
Matt Elson’s SkiPaintings
Artist’s statement: The subject of these canvases, the winter wilderness, is
based on my mountaineering experience. They are rugged landscapes with evocative
light and brushwork. It’s also a bit of Yin and Yang: the eternity of the mountains
interplaying with ephemeral snow.
These “SkiPaintings” incorporate ideas from many schools of landscape painting
in Western art, fused with ideas and techniques from the contemporary technological
world. Old ideas and proven techniques are mixed with experimental ones. But
the emotional experience of the work supercedes the technical execution.
— Shirlee Frank
January, 2006
The Gallery Wall for
this month consists of
art donated by our
members. Because the
church will receive
100% of the proceeds,
we can afford to keep
prices low.
December, 2005
December's Gallery Wall Displays Our Own Artists
Our Gallery Wall for December displays the creative output of the artists in
our congregation. At this time we have an unusually large number of artists.
Most of these paintings are for sale. Take a close look at the exhibit, and
remember that a few words of encouragement and appreciation are always welcome.
— Shirlee Frank, Chair Gallery Wall Committee
January's Gallery Wall Will Have Donated Art
Do you have a beautiful piece of art for which you just don’t have the space?
Or are the colors all wrong for your home? Perhaps what you can’t use will become
someone else’s gem, and you will be able to get a tax deduction for donating
it. All the proceeds will go to the building fund. Contact Carol Agate.
November, 2005
"Our Own Artists" Exhibit 2005
Artists who are members of our congregation are invited to show their paintings
(oil, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media) on the Gallery Wall during the month
of December. (Sorry, no room for photographs.) Bring your painting(s) ready
to hang with screw-eyes and wire on back, to Forbes Hall on Saturday morning,
December 3, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Need more information? Call Shirlee Frank.
October, 2005
Ken Marsh
Artist's statement: “As a 1960s art-schooltaught painter, I learned about the
taking of creative actions to see where they would lead me as opposed to mastering
techniques that would help me reach a predetermined goal.
“My work still reflects a preference for process and exploration as opposed
to production and product. I paint, draw, printmake, do video, and paint with
performing musicians.
“In recent years I began to apply paint to a block — any found, bought, or
made object with a textured surface — then transfer it onto a working surface
by pressing or stamping by hand. I overlay surfaces upon surfaces until I see
a visual image appear that can no longer be worked on. For some work I use the
computer to combine real and created digital images.
“My work is a search to find a comfort zone for the order and chaos that define
creativity.”
– Shirlee Frank, Gallery Wall Committee
"Our Own Artists" Annual Exhibit
Calling all artists in our congregation to hang their paintings (oil, acrylic,
watecolor, mixed media) on the Gallery Wall during the month of december. Any
questions? Call Shirlee Frank.
September, 2005
Joan Vaupen
Joan Vaupen received a BA in art in Wisconsin and an MA from Cal State LA.
Her media include painting, sculpture, and printmaking. She studied at the Institute
Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and the Hanga Institute in Tokyo,
Japan. She has shown widely in the LA area in group and solo exhibits. Artist’s
statement: “My interests as an artist reflect multiple influences, including
social history, art history, human endeavors, satire, and the effects of light
and color on unique and translucent materials.”
— Shirlee Frank, Gallery Wall Committee
Do You Have Art to Donate?
The Gallery Wall in January will serve as a fundraiser, featuring art owned
by our members and donated to the church. If you have art that you no longer
have space for and that might be someone else's treasure, contact Carol
Agate.
August, 2005
Jeffrey Hirsch
Raised in Baltimore, Dr. Jeffrey Hirsch has lived in L.A. since 1966 and has
been a clinical psychologist in private practice since 1980. He has taught art
expression to disadvantaged children and currently uses art therapy with some
of his patients. Hirsch studied art at UCLA and Santa Monica College.
An eclectic artist, Hirsch has made a number of welded metal sculptures that
have been rented for use on television and movie sets. His exhibit on our gallery
wall includes mixed media, paintings, collage, and pen and ink drawings.
– Shirlee Frank, Gallery Wall Committee
Art Donations Accepted
In January the gallery wall will feature art works donated by members of the
congregation. That means 100% of the proceeds will go to the church. If you
have paintings or other art to donate, please contact Carol Agate.
June, 2005
Susan (Suki) Kuss
Susan (Suki) Kuss has been involved in the arts for most of her life, since
both of her parents were artists. She started painting in the late 1980s after
an early retirement from a sales and marketing career. She has studied with
many well-known artists and developed a unique style of her own.
Kuss is a member of both Women Painters West and Collage Artists of America.
Her work hangs in collections in this country and in Europe. She is involved
in a number of artistic groups but focuses on “Inseparable Wings,” a group she
founded of five women artists and close friends who are currently working on
their fourth exhibition, delving into the complexities of the mother/ daughter
relationship. The group uses both visual and written art to express its deepest
emotions and will be featured in May 2006 at the Art Corps Brewer Annex.
Kuss’ recent work, titled “Nine Phases of the Moon,” enhances the gallery wall
in June and is comprised of stained-paper collages and other pieces that are
built around writings focusing on the moon and nature. All the pieces have actual
writings worked into the composition.
— Shirlee Frank
Chair, Gallery Wall Committee
May, 2005
Tim Forcum
Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Tim Forcum received his MFA in painting
at CSU Fullerton and now teaches at CSU Northridge. Since leaving school, Forcum
has been focusing on paintings and drawings that explore his keen interest in
abstraction. He has shown in several galleries in the L.A. area as well as in
San Francisco and Barcelona, Spain. Forcum creates subtle abstractions that
relate to the scale, the space, and his personal relationship to the hills,
mountains, and deserts that make up our Los Angeles landscape.
— Shirlee Frank
Chair, Gallery Wall Committee
April, 2005
Judith Schonebaum
A native of Baltimore, Judith Schonebaum has embraced the artistic environment
of the West Coast, where the light, color, and rhythms of Southern California
have become strong influences on her work. She received her B.A. in Fine Arts
from the University of Vermont, including an intensive folk art program at the
Shelburne Museum.
She has instructed people of all ages throughout a wide range of teaching experiences
on both East and West Coasts. To fulfill her personal interpretation of “faith
in action,” a commitment of community service through art, she has facilitated
collaborative stepping stone, quilt, mural, banner, and doll-making projects.
Her lifelong passion for music and political activism plays an important part
in her life as an artist, and she is profoundly grateful to find support and
encouragement of both as a member of our congregation. While the world of art-as-business
likes to categorize genres into neat boxes, this exhibit is an unapologetic
sampling of everything she enjoys creating.
Judith will be happy to arrange “flexible payments” for all items over $200.
— Shirlee Frank
March, 2005
Sam Clayberger
Sam Clayberger has been painting for over 65 years. He taught drawing, design,
and painting at Otis Parsons for 27 years and is now teaching drawing and painting
at Chouinard School of Arts in Pasadena. This suite of small gouache paintings
represents a two-year break from his larger-scale acrylic paintings. Although
“guoache” means “opaque watercolor,” these paintings also include vinyl colors,
permanent colored inks, and a bit of egg tempera.
“These paintings were a joy to do,” said Clayberger. “They started from the
figure or landscape but then developed a life of their own during my surface
and color experimentation.”
— Shirlee Frank
February, 2005
Laura Janes
Laura Janes is the artist-in-residence at Camp de Benneville Pines. She is
a member of of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. Educated
at Southwestern College and San Diego State University, she has been earning
her living as a painter for some time. During her two years at Camp de Benneville
Pines, she has been profoundly affected by the beauty of the surroundings and
has set out to record and reflect this beauty. She has created a body of work
that represents the spirit of the forest in and around the camp.
This art exhibit celebrates many of the views that make Camp de Benneville
Pines such a special place. Painted in the months before and after the fires
of 2003, it is a visual reminder of some of the important aspects of life at
the camp. Laura’s images will be on display at churches throughout the Pacific
Southwest District over the next year. Proceeds from the sale of the work will
be shared by our church, the camp, and the artist. Also on sale will be note
cards made from reproductions of the original paintings.
A reception on Friday evening, February 4, will open the show and introduce
Laura to our members.
—Shirlee Frank
January, 2005
Bob Ruby
Bob Ruby has retired after 40 years in the medical products industry. He has
attended classes at the Tri- Community Photography Center in Covina for a number
of years. Bob’s wife, Lorraine, is a watercolorist, and most of his current
travel photographs were taken on trips with his wife’s group of painting friends
in Arizona and Utah. These bold and dramatic landscapes were taken with a 4
x 5 field camera.
– Shirlee Frank, Gallery Wall Committee
December, 2004
For the past 20 years, artists who are members of our church have been invited
to display their paintings in Forbes Hall on our Gallery Wall. Some are professionals,
most are Sunday painters, but all of them need your appreciation. Take a few
moments to look. You may see something you want to purchase and hang.
—Shirlee Frank
November, 2004
For many years the Gallery Wall in November has been
devoted to photographs and graphic art related to social
action and community service. For the last several years
the wall has been the responsibility of the Faith in
Action Commission. The commission authorized
Charles Haskell to supervise the selection of art for the
Gallery Wall last year and again this year. He has chosen
a variety of photographs and posters serving to illustrate
the wide range of witness and advocacy programs of
interest to the members and friends of our church.
Calling All Artists:
This is an invitation to the artists in our congregation to hang a painting
(oil, acrylic, watercolor, or mixed media) on our gallery wall in December.
Sorry, no room for photographs. Bring your work, framed and ready to hang with
wire on back, to Forbes Hall on Saturday, December 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. For
more information, contact Shirlee Frank.
October, 2004
Al Setton
Al Setton’s postmodern work in watercolor media captures California’s sophisticated
yet laid-back ambiance and is reminiscent of his Mediterranean roots. His ancestry
is Spanish, Greek, Turkish, and Syrian; he has lived in Egypt and Italy. His
paintings are striking: loose, bold, and colorful. His work hangs in public
and private collections, including the Arthur Ashe Center at UCLA. Setton is
the recipient of numerous awards in regional art shows and is past president
of the Valley Watercolor Society. He has also been published in Mona Brooks’
Drawing with Children. Setton will be conducting a workshop in Camarillo on
November 11, 12, and 13. His exhibit on our gallery wall features small works
on paper and canvas and has evolved from recent travels to Cuba and China, as
well as Yosemite.
– Shirlee Frank, Gallery Wall Committee
Calling All Artists:
All artists who are members of our congregation are invited to exhibit their
paintings during December on our gallery wall in Forbes Hall. (Sorry, there’s
insufficient space for photographs.) Need more information? Contact Shirlee
Frank.
September, 2004
Howard Marshall, Jr.
For over 20 years Howard Marshall, Jr. has produced sculptured figures and
works on paper and canvas...while performing as a spiritual baritone singer
in the Los Angeles community. He has exhibited his art in many galleries and
educational institutions. He teaches art at schools and art centers throughout
LA. On our gallery wall, Marshall has imaginatively taken themes and figures
from African American spirituals and given them new visual expression in line
drawings on paper.
— Shirlee Frank Chair, Gallery Wall Committee
August, 2004
Douglas Stenhouse
Retired from architecture and energy conservation management, Douglas Stenhouse
now focuses on watercolor painting. He has studied art with various internationally
known professors and has shown extensively in regional exhibitions. He is represented
in numerous private collections.
Artist’s statement:
I try to capture true colors, values, and textures in my compositions
. . . so I paint landscapes, seascapes, and house/church portraits outdoors.
Much of my subject material is derived from this area, but I also love to
paint in the Chesapeake Bay area, Delaware River Valley, New England, and
the Pacific Northwest.
Stenhouse has composed several hundred liturgical music compositions for chorus,
piano, and organ. A number of these works have been performed at churches across
the U.S. Stenhouse actively promotes the interaction of painting and music.
—Shirlee Frank
Thank You
Thanks are given to Judy Schonebaum, a working artist in our congregation.
She is involved in creating art projects for both indoor and outdoor wall commissions.
After contemplating the beige-colored, badly-stained covering on our gallery
wall, Judy decided to paint it a new color. After much mixing of colors to come
up with an interesting and subtle grey-green, she singlehandedly put three coats
of paint on the wall. Have you noticed?
July, 2004
Chris Hero
Born in New Orleans in 1957, Chris Hero has always drawn and painted. He attended
Loyola University as a history major. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1985 with his
wife, Dorothy Steinicke, he started art school, eventually earning an MFA as
a painter from Cal State, Long Beach. He maintains a studio in Culver City and
teaches art part time. He is the father of Madeline and Emily Hero, who are
active participants in our church’s youth programs.
Artist’s statement:
“The works in this exhibit reflect my interest in temporary, ephemeral memorial
shrines that are often seen around roadside LA. Those who place items at the
site of the untimely death of a loved one or of a complete stranger hope to
reclaim this ground from tragedy. “These West LA shrines attempt to memorialize
what happened and to make an effort to create a sacred space where none had
existed before. My goal is to depict these shrines as universal spaces.”
—Shirlee Frank, Chair Gallery Wall Committe
June, 2004
Marla Fields
Artist’s statement:
“I am a Southern California artist. I received both a bachelor’s and master’s
degree in art from CSUN. I have had solo shows at Orlando Gallery, Century Gallery,
Los Angeles County Art Museum—Art Rental Sales Gallery, and LA Artcore Brewery
Annex, along with participating in many juried exhibitions. "I began to express
emotions through art as a young child. I found my voice in abstract art, and
over the years the paintings have become the personal journal of all that has
happened in my life. Reflected throughout are passion, turbulence, and confusion
as well as calmness, tranquility, and hopefulness. In the process of developing
my pieces, I draw upon the colors, shapes, and textures to mirror my emotions.
The work I have selected for this exhibition contains a cross section of work
from the last few years.”
—Shirlee Frank
May, 2004
Sally Jacobs
Sally Jacobs is a botanical artist with an academic and teaching background
in biology and botany. She studied botanical art at Otis College of Art and
Design and the New York Botanical Art certification program and has taught botanical
illustration at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and at the
Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, CA.
Sally’s work was selected for several American Society of Botanical Art/Horticultural
International and juried botanical art exhibitions in New York City; the 2003
American Society of Botanical Artists Western Region juried exhibit in Denver,
CO; Brand 32 Annual juried works on paper, 2003, at Glendale, CA; Natural and
Cultural History juried illustration exhibit, New York State Museum, 2002; international
juried exhibition at Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters, NJ; and the Fifth
Annual Botanical Art Exhibit at Fioli in Woodside, CA.
The show on the Gallery Wall, “Plant Passion,” includes her recent watercolor
paintings of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. She will also have Giclee prints
and greeting cards available.
— Shirlee Frank
April, 2004
Julie Lavee
Artist’s Statement:
After graduating from Brooklyn College and Cooper Union I worked as a fashion
illustrator in ad agencies and department stores.
After marriage we decided to move to California and my husband could pursue
his work in architecture. I became active in organizations such as Women Painters
and the National Watercolor Society. LACMA represented me for a period of
time in its sales and rental gallery.
Most of my paintings are done in watercolor and acrylic, frequently with
added collage. Until recently most of them were of recognizable subjects.
I turned also to abstract form, which leaves the viewer as an interpreter.
Abstract images are not meant to be subject to verbal descriptions. But the
emotions and memories evoked on both sides make the communication possible.
— Shirlee Frank
March, 2004
Gus Harper
Gus Harper was raised in Santa Monica and received a bachelor’s degree in pre-law
and studio art from UC Santa Barbara in 1995. He has been a fulltime artist
with a studio in New York City for the past five years, and also maintains a
studio in Santa Monica. His images veer toward organic subjects like bell peppers.
He has shown extensively in the Venice and Los Angeles areas.
Artist’s statement:
“The images in my paintings are often vehicles for dynamic color and energy.
I juxtapose images in an attempt to dramatize the unpredictability and wonder
of life . . . and hope my work will be received in that context."
—Shirlee Frank
February, 2004
Paul Levine
Artist’s statement: “ ‘Music for the Eyes’ celebrates
a first solo drawing and watercolor exhibit. It contains recent art works
from the paper and film used for the media process. Art making is valued for
its effects. In time one becomes a store of images in matter and spirit.Words
and music, dreams and memories are integrated and correlated with each other.
“This exhibit celebrates an art career that began with roots in an unusual
numinous experience. It became a remarkable spiritual and material journey.
This was a very dedicated high school teacher, patient and feeling, who connected
with a very willing student. She thought about and practiced the discipline
of drawing, composition and painting that originated in 15th century Florence.
In the end, I realized it was the senses that were educated. I learned to
see! Much later, I honored the event by teaching. Life-affirming principles—e.g.,
rhythm, balance, proportion—can be learned. “Art-making continued
between assignments in my professional design work. I composed visual material
for a variety of media in publishing, advertising, and education. I graduated
from Pratt Institute as an artist-designer before earning a degree in cinema
from USC. “Art is act, the ability to carry out a design. An individual
watercolor personality asks to be spontaneous, original, and fully expressive.
Composing is cool; composing composes the composer.”
—Shirlee Frank
January, 2004
Cassie Tondro
Cassie Tondro’s paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions
in California, including the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Don O’Melveny
Gallery, David Ryan Gallery, Orlando Gallery, Spiral Gallery, Topanga Canyon
Gallery, and Whites Gallery. She has also participated in exhibitions throughout
the United States. Her work appears in “The Sourcebook of Architectural
and Interior Art,” published in 2003. She attended the Fine Arts Program
at California State University, Northridge, and the Painting Program at Otis
College of Art and Design.She holds a master of arts degree in psychology with
a concentration in career advancement for visual artists from Antioch University,
Los Angeles.
Tondro’s most recent body of work is a series of woven paintings called
“Weaving Heart and Mind.” In these, she uses color, texture, and
gesture to create unique woven pieces that convey a sense of energy and excitement.
She works on two pieces of unstretched canvas at once, cuts the two into strips
after they have been painted, and weaves them together to form a harmonious
whole. These are highly visible paintings that brighten and enliven any space.
— Shirlee Frank
December, 2003
Our Own Artists
The artists in our congregation will exhibit paintings on our Gallery Wall
from December 7 through December 28. Artists are asked to bring their paintings
(acrylic, oil, watercolor, mixed media) to Forbes Hall on Saturday, December
6, between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Paintings should be ready to hang, with screw eyes
and wire on back. Need more information? Call Shirlee Frank.
November, 2003
Faith in Action Photo Exhibit
The November Gallery Wall will feature photos from the past year's Faith in
Action activities, including our guest lecture series, February peace rally,
and many others.
October, 2003
Carol Matlow
Carol Matlow grew up in the Los Angeles area and pursued her pictorial art
studies at UCLA. A love of travel and the raising of a family delayed the completion
of her schooling. It was years later that she obtained her degree from UCLA
in art history. With this vast knowledge from an art history perspective, Carol
felt a yearning to once again hold a paintbrush and see what would emerge onto
the blank canvas. She has been painting ever since. Carol paints intuitively,
and avoids the logical functionality and organizational dictates of everyday
life. Though often there is a recognizable form or reference,
the colors are invented and the resultant work is an abstract with a sense of
the familiar . . . yet is not familiar.
In her work Carol incorporates collage in the form of pieces of dried paint
from used palettes. Besides adding physical texture, the collage imparts a personal
historical element.
— Shirlee Frank
September, 2003
Teri Tiemeyer-Garcia
Teri Tiemeyer-Garcia was born and raised in southern California and always
wanted to be an artist. Her early influences were her parents, who liked to
camp in the Sierras and to garden, and her grandmother Flo, who had a curious
and childlike interest in birds, green growing things, and bits and pieces of
“stuff” from nature.
Teri received a formal education in art from Cal State Fullerton. For several
years she worked with the U.S. Forest Service in the Los Padres. She rode horseback
with mules as a backcountry patrol, staffed the Thorne Point Fire Look-Out Tower
and lived in the backcountry for one season. After receiving a California State
Teaching Credential, she taught art in high school. During this time she received
a master’s degree in special education.
This “Meditations Exhibition” is fresh from a show in Hilo on
the big island of Hawaii. The show was part of a cultural exchange at the Wailoa
Center. Teri currently shows at Orlando Gallery in Tarzana, Aquarius Gallery
in Cambria, and Village Square Gallery in Montrose. She is past president of
Women Painters West and is currently co-chairing programs for the group. She
is also on the board of the VIVA Gallery in Northridge.
Shirlee Frank, Chair,
Gallery Wall Committee
Art Note
Calling all artists who are members of our congregation...to be part of the
Our Own Artists exhibit in December on our gallery wall in Forbes Hall.
For more information, call Shirlee Frank.
August, 2003
Ambika Talwar
Artist’s statement:
"A self-taught artist, I began to paint about 15 years ago to channel
my hopes, loves, desires, fears, angers -- my bottled emotions -- into a new
form. A particular emotion or idea evoked in my mind an image or a series
of images. I would then transfer it to canvas, attempting to remain as true
to the image as possible.
"Now the canvas has become a playground for me to express myself in
colors and gestures that reflect my inner and outer world, hence the constantly
changing styles in the marriage of color and canvas. I urge you to see these
images as mirrors for your own "symbolic unfoldment," for your sightings
of your own mystery, for the mysterious is universal.
"I have previously shown in Santa Monica, Santa Ana, Long Beach, Toronto,
and in NoHo (the arts area of North Hollywood).
"A professor of English at Cypress College, Cypress, I am also a writer
and filmmaker. In 1995 I published a book of poems, titled “Poems in
Color.” This book deals with moments in life, its joys and sorrows,
lovers, eternal and divine love, and self-identity. In 2000 I published "Songs
of the Body," "In the Folds of Your Sari," and "Words
for Hungry Tongues." I have also completed a collection based on my experience
with Polarity Therapy and Cranio-Sacral Unwinding. This collection, not yet
published, is titled "Still Point: Journeys in Unwinding."
"Finally, as a filmmaker, I can proudly say that my first short film,
"Androgyne," received the "Best Original Story" award
at the Festival du Mondial Courts de Metrages (International Short Film Festival)
in Huy, Belgium, in October 2000. The film has been shown at other festivals
and will be screened at the Palisades Theater on August 24 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets
are $5.
"A longtime resident of Los Angeles, I am originally from India. To
make contact, please check out my website at http://www.preciousheartchi.com."
-- Provided by Shirlee Frank, Chair, Gallery Wall Committee
July, 2003
Carol Ring
Carol Ring studied fine art at UC Santa Barbara and graphic
design at UCLA and Otis Art Institute. Currently she is senior graphic designer
at Santa Monica College and produces the color art for all brochures and oversees
promotions, among other responsibilities. Carol has recently joined our church
and volunteers her graphic expertise to layout design of our newsletter.
This exhibit of 11 pieces is the culmination of a year and a half of photographic
joy trips, looking for natural abstractions in the artist’s daily world.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: “I especially like the urban environment in
its areas of shabbiness, awkwardness, its display of ambitious plans gone awry
— good intentions simply overcome by time and the elements, or distraction
by other tasks. The unlawful imprint of irrepressibly energetic graffiti and
enigmatic stickers adds spice to the mixture.
“The images were scanned, brightened, paired up, and eventually grouped
into these compositions. Looking somewhat like sardines packed in a can, they
have become condensations of flickering energy, palpably vibrating with the
quirky urgency of unexpected life. My hope is that the viewer experiences this
same exciting energy.”
-- Shirlee Frank
June, 2003
Marilyn Charleston
For the past five years, Marilyn Charleston has dedicated
her time to painting the model with pastels. She experiments in a unique way
with color, line, and texture.
Charleston is originally from New York City, where she studied at the Art
Students’ League and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the
School of Visual Arts. Since that time she has explored many of the arts. Charleston
was a graphic designer for many years; she was a stand-up comedian, performance
poet, children’s book writer and illustrator, as well as a painter. She
currently teaches in the Los Angeles adult school program in both the West Hollywood
and Hollywood areas.
-- Shirlee Frank
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