Cervini Haas Fine Art

Trace Evidence Review

2011-06-24T12:49:00.000-04:00

Be sure to read the blog posting on the recent Trace Evidence Symposium at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design, North Carolina State University Raleigh and the Traces exhibit, curated by Barbara Lee Smith, and Smith's adjacent solo exhibition, Pull of the Moon.

Symposium Review: “Trace Evidence” @NCSU/Raleigh
by Surface Design Journal Editor Patricia Malarcher on May 31, 2011

"...The Traces exhibition featured nine artists whose skills and visions have been honed over decades. It will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue of the Surface Design Journal. Here it’s enough to mention its validation of process as a pathway to art. That could also be said of Pull of the Moon, a companion exhibition of Barbara Lee Smith’s recent pieced and sewn landscapes in an adjacent space..."

Installation view of Traces. Notice the large work by Marian Bijlenga, Palimpsest #1. We were honored to exhibit this piece at SOFA Chicago, too!

Installation view of Pull of the Moon.

Selected text and images courtesy of Surface Design Association.

Jane Kenyon at SDA Conference

2011-06-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

Jane Kenyon sent me two photos of her exhibit "Transformation" at the Surface Design Association's 2011 conference, Confluence. I wish I were there for so many reasons! I would love to see Jane's pieces in person, they're magical.

Lanny Bergner also gave a presentation on his studio process. I'll be sure to post a recap of that here at some point. I would also love to have heard Barbara Lee Smith's closing address, Open to Interpretation. Here's an image of her work:

Marian Bijlenga continues to amaze me...

2011-05-28T12:43:00.001-04:00

Marian Bijlenga's contemporary textiles will be included in the exhibition 'Woven World' at the Museum of Fine Arts and Tapestry, Tournai, Belgium. There are also five amazing additional sites for fiber works: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the 17th C Halle-aux-Draps, the 18th C Church of the Episcopal Seminary, the 19th C Tapestry Museum, 20th C Musée des Beaux-Arts, and the Town Hall Crypt, Belfry. Wow!

Notre Dame

Below are some of Marian's works in the show:

Palimpsest 2

We exhibited this piece, Palimpsest 5, in the Scottsdale gallery, and it's fantastic! 98" x 98", very dramatic.

I am fantasizing about hopping on a plane to go see the installation in Notre Dame - it's one of my favorite buildings in the world and the artwork just looks stunning.

Episcopal Seminary

The show runs June 10 - August 25, 2011. Peruse the website here:
http://www.triennaletournai.be/?page_id=10

Studio visit with Jean Larson

2011-05-21T09:59:00.000-04:00

Last week I met up with Jean Larson in her Michigan studio, and she gave a quick tour of the paintings for her upcoming Florida solo exhibition. The entire show is comprised of paintings of hummingbirds - spare, delicate, with deep ethereal backgrounds - something Jean loves to paint.

Shortly after this visit, Jean was off to Iceland to meet with the curator of the National Library in Reykjavik, about an exhibition of her photographs of Iceland. Jean has fallen in love with this country and it's having a profound and wonderful affect on her artwork. I'll be posting photos of her paintings of Iceland soon. You can see some of the photographs here.

Highway Hotshop

2010-05-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

My first glass blowing lesson!

Josh Dopp invited me to my first glass blowing experience today at the mobile studio, Highway Hotshop. I've been looking forward to doing this for a while, and to having a little first-hand knowledge of what it takes to make a work in glass. What a great day! Josh and Adam, partners in HH, were both on hand to demonstrate, instruct, guide and assist. They are each talented artists individually, and a great team in sharing this mobile glass experience.

After my tour of the set-up (glory hole, furnace and annealing kiln), Josh demonstrated a couple of pulled glass flower forms. Then I got to try my hand at it, and was impressed with the strength and steadiness of hand it really takes to make even the simplest forms. The guys accurately describe it as trying to do that old trick of rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, and they're right - remembering to constantly turn the pipe, balance the molten, moving glass on the end of it, and then affect its shape with one hand holding a new-to-me tool. So I made a few lesser versions of the glass flower, and enjoyed it (once I lowered my expectations!). Eager to see them when they come out of the kiln tomorrow. Definitely not the graceful works that Josh made, but I'm pleased.

Next we spent time on blown forms. My first piece, a humble globe, survived me well enough to achieve a small spherical form, with a nice array of colors. My second work, a small glass, with provide me with many happy glasses of juice from its colorfully organic "Shmoo" shape! I'll post pics when I get the works back.

The tools used to shape the glass

I'm going back tomorrow to do some more work, and will probably forego flowers for a few more blown pieces. Maybe a second cup, or a nice ashtray.....

Here are some pics of Josh making a glass with a nice optical twist from the use of a mold:

Josh Dopp starting his glass form

Opening the mouth of the glass

Ceram-A-Rama Gala: A Really Progressive Affair

2010-03-07T12:47:00.000-05:00

Last night was the 4th gala (bi-annual) for the ASU Art Museum's CRC, or Ceramics Research Center (curator Peter Held). I always enjoy this gala; it's my favorite arts event of the year. The progressive event (a new idea this year, I thought it worked well) started with the silent auction at the CRC in Tempe. I helped stage the artworks earlier this week, so knew in general what was up for auction, but there are always pieces I didn't discover the first time around. Plus I love seeing other people's reactions to the work, seeing if my favorites are getting the bids I think they deserve!

Ran into lots of friends and caught up with people on changes in Cervini Haas Fine Art. Bidding was moderate with people still being cautious in this fragile economy. But lots of great items were snatched up, and some of the works that didn't sell last night are going to be left up at the CRC for further bidding - stop by and you'll be amazed at the great ceramic works available! You can also view the remaining pieces online at the CRC's website.

Here are some highlights:

Sandra Blain, "Urban Facade 3" (I love this piece!)

Sam Chung, "Vase" - his new works are really smart.

Farraday Newsome, "Dark Blue Bowl w/Oranges", a classic piece.

Jason Hess, "Seven Tall Bottles"

Jill Oberman, "Inhale"

Jeff Reich, "Yucca Fields". Jeff's new cube series is simply amazing!

Triesh Voelker, "Stacked Jar w/Lid"

Sherrie Zeitlin, "Bird Talk"

Patricia Sannit, "Orbit"

Maren Kloppmann, "Pillow Vessel II"

After the silent auction closed, a bus shuttled us up to Scottdale's Optima loft community, where the live auction took place (A Progressive Affair, get it?). Everyone seemed to enjoy seeing the property, which I think we've all admired from afar. Especially its stunning landscaping draped from the penthouse balconies. Cocktails, h'ors d'oevres, chatting, and perusing the live auction items....... you know the drill.

Live auction table at Optima.

(L - R) Chris Staley, Takashi Hinoda, and a print by Akio Takamori.

(L-R) Jason Walker, Richard Cleaver, Karen Karnes and Kate MacDowell.

The Kate MacDowell was definitely my personal favorite, although it was too unsettling for some. Entitled "First and Last Breath," the work showed a mother rabbit nursing her newborn babies while wearing a gas mask - preserving her own last breath. Intricate, beautiful details, elegant sadness.

The guest of honor was Jun Kaneko, who joined us, along with his lovely wife, at the auction. He generously donated both a sculpture and a drawing, both of which were outstanding. The drawing was extraordinary - I'd have taken it home in a heartbeat, but I left my cash in my sock drawer....

Some of the other exceptional works were the intricate pieces by Jason Walker and Kurt Weiser, plus a very nice grouping of Feelies by Rose Cabat and a triptych by Susan Beiner (which generated some very excited bidding early on in the event!).

Cabat's "Feelies"

Beiner's "Synthetic Stems"

The Karen Karnes vessel being circulated amongst the bidders.

Congrats Peter, you pulled it off again.

LA Visit

2010-02-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was a quick trip to Los Angeles to see painter Chiyomi Taneike Longo. She's gathering her work to be shipped down to Ensenada, for her first retrospective exhibition. Sponsored by the United States Consulate General in Tijuana and ADC Contemporary Art Gallery in Los Angeles, Japanese American artist Chiyomi Taneike Longo exhibits a retrospective (1995-2010) of her mixed media abstract paintings in the Sala International of Ensenada’s Centro Estatal de las Artes (CEARTE). This is going to be exciting!

I brought the work to ADC Gallery, and enjoyed seeing co-owner Marisa Caichiolo again. She is so vibrant and dedicated to her work - I can't believe everything she accomplishes! I got to see their new space for the first time, which is beautiful. Located on Factory Blvd, the complex has a wonderful courtyard that they use to its fullest, having special performances each opening night.

Marisa and I also talked briefly about about collaborating, so stay tuned! Am very excited by this prospect!

There will be about 60 of Chiyomi's paintings in this exhibition. Every nook and cranny of ADC is filled with plastic-wrapped paintings, and there will be more work being driven down just in time for the opening! There are some exciting new works that will be featured:

"Resurgent #3," 2010, oil/acrylic/charcoal on canvas diptych 52"x100"

"Reflection #3," 2010, oil/acrylic/charcoal on canvas diptych 48"x108"

(And yes, these two delectable works are for sale....)

The next morning, I met Chiyomi and Al Longo in our usual spot: Marukai Pacific Market on Redondo Beach Blvd. in Gardena. The most amazing Japanese market, with a huge selection of tiny restaurant kiosks to graze from! We usually spend several hours there, starting with coffee and pastries and moving on to lunch..... very decadent.

A PS: Went to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at the beginning of February - fantastic! I only went to one bead show and the African Art Village, and that was overwhelming enough. Don't know how the diehards hit all those shows! Picked up some beautifully-colored seed beads and some unforgettable jasper, and was inspired overall. Hope the shows were profitable for all.

There was a booth that had tons of African and Afghani silver; was fascinated by this shirt. It was traditional-looking, but notice the zipper that runs along the hem! Probably caught my attention as I'm anticipating Kate Cusack's participation in March's Art Jewelry Trunk Show.

More DBG

2010-01-20T19:49:00.000-05:00

My second week of tai chi was as good as the first, and though I'd planned to leave after class and "be productive," the garden had other plans for me. Class was moved to a building deep within the garden, so I had to give in and wander along another pathway after class, enjoying the fresh air and smells of plants and dirt after yesterday's serious rain. The birds seemed particularly happy too. I've included another of Alan Houser's sculptures in this photo journal, and the stunning-against-the-blue-sky Chihuly, also.

The leaves of the cottonwoods were just dancing on the breeze - we don't get that kind of leaf-rustling in AZ very often.

Alan Houser, "Embrace"

Desert Botanical Garden, Tempe AZ

2010-01-19T00:06:00.001-05:00

A great way to start the new year has been taking a Tai Chi class held in the DBG - but the best part is that it gets me to the garden every week! As if the class wasn't relaxing and rejuvenating enough.... another hour wandering amidst the gardens is amazing. Sometimes I can find a path that hides me from view of any other humans - I get to pause in a secluded spot and watch quails, lizards, and the ever-amusing cactus wrens.

The plants in the garden are works of art - some of them even remind me of some artists that I work with! Looking forward to my next class this Weds.

A beautiful place to wait for Tai Chi class to start......

This giant yucca reminded me of CA artist Randy Strong's glass sculptures.

Artist Alan Houser has a joint exhibition of his work at DBG and The Heard Museum in Phoenix. Love how this sculpture juts skyward just like the yucca behind it.

SOFA Chicago Part 2: Closure....

2009-12-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

As I seem to have never found the time to write all the words I meant to about November 2009's SOFA Chicago, I'm going to post the pictures as that's what really matters in the end. Enjoy! I'm sorry there are no significant captions - this is driven by my need to simply move on to the new year.... I promise to do better in the future.

Feminine Mystique
I found an interesting trend of traditionally feminine works at SOFA - delicate stitches, lace-bound books, purses, dresses.... enjoyed seeing this theme amidst the bold, shiny objects that abound....

This fascinating woven glass work kept me coming back again and again - little glass bolts woven together with copper wire, threaded or crocheted through with the fuzziest purple fiber.... very unique!

FIBER.....

As always, beautiful work by Barbara Lee Smith at Snyderman-Works Gallery.

Vivid bright colors in a dramatic large textile work by Joy Saville, also at Snyderman-Works.

Gorgeous stitches by Hilde Morin at Maria Elena Kravetz Gallery. I liked these intimate little works the best.

Intriguing layers by Jeanne Raffer Beck, also at Maria Elena Kravetz.

And the glass.. the glass........

Randy Strong... the agave plants I saw recently at the Desert Botanical Gardens reminded me so much of his work...

Standards: Therman Statom and Danny Perkins...

Another stunning display of Czech glass. Always powerful.

New body of work by Jamie Harris - love the fluidity of color.

Long-time favorite artist Stephen Dam - thrilled to see his show pretty much sold out.

More beautiful work by Cassandria Blackmore...

Alex Bernstein, who also gave a wonderful lecture at SOFA....

And Phoenix favorite David Bennett!

Mmmmmmm..... clay..........

ASU Professor Susan Beiner had a fantastic, intricate installation....

Compelling and unique: Dirk Staschke at Wexler Gallery.

Birds were also seen throughout the fair, and not just flying overhead in the cavernous space.

Beautiful evolution of Myung-Jin Kim's work at Ferrin Gallery.

Vivid colors and pop shapes were prevalent this year, and overall the fair was well-curated, well-attended, and reasonably well-bought. Here's to better years and adventurous dealers, may we match the daring of our artists!

SOFA Chicago Part 1: Skulls and Shiny Things

2009-11-07T00:51:00.000-05:00

Good evening from sunny Chicago! It's been a gorgeous day for fair-goers, and we're all grateful for the pleasant weather. Makes for a much nicer fair. This will be a quick post as it's late! Just got home from a very nice post-opening dinner with painter Joanne Mattera, and gallerist Melanee Cooper and her artists: Julie Karabenick and Kathleen Waterloo both opened excellent shows tonight. I'll fill in the gaps tomorrow and post more pictures and more details.

View from the Pier this afternoon.

Some common images running through the fair were skulls, animals and metallic thread. Very interesting - maybe I'll see different patterns when I walk through tomorrow, but these elements were definitely prevalent and actually well-used. Here are a couple of skulls (all seemed to be glass). I won't have all the gallery and artist credits tonight, but will fill them in shortly.

William Morris - skulls, animals - a lot of nice pieces.

To give you a taste of the show, here are some subjectively-chosen works: all artists that work with Cervini Haas Fine Art. Great job all!

Jennifer Falck Linssen showing a nice transition to wall pieces at Del Mano Gallery.

Gorgeous new glass works by Jamie Harris - can't wait to get some of these for CHFA!

J Paul Fennell at Del Mano - delicate, precise, an impressive offering of new pieces.

I love Bennett Bean's wall tiles - this asymmetrical work is brand new and is a strong new step in Bean's work.

Adrian Arleo has a beautiful installation at Jane Sauer Gallery - sensitive honeycomb works of thoughtful female nudes.

GREAT new graphic work by Steven Heinemann. Very pleased to see it on the wall.

Three new glass sculptures by Danny Perkins - they have such a grace and elegance to them, they remind me a bit of seaweed waving underwater.

This evening's opening at Melanee Cooper Gallery on Franklin St. was packed. Julie Karabenick's geometrically abstract, eye-popping acrylic paintings were intense and vibrant:

Kathleen Waterloo paints with encaustic so thick and richly colored they reminded me of quilts from a distance - lots of dimension, texture, definition. Congratulations on a fantastic show! And thank you to Melanee Cooper for a truly enjoyable dinner after - the food and, most of all, the company - at Costa's Greek restaurant on Halsted.

Other events of the day: fiber lecture including Jon Eric Riis was inspiring; the Dale Chihuly opening at Habatat was packed - new botanical work was dramatically displayed, (but my favorite works were the Shayna Liebs in the back); and this year's slightly smaller SOFA Fair is overall a success - maybe all the more so due to its palatable size. More later.... second impressions of SOFA tomorrow! Starting the day with Jan Hopkins' lecture on her mixed media fiber works.

Anatomy of a Commission Part I

2009-11-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

Our artists are frequently asked to create custom works for clients and public spaces. This is Part 1 of the "Evolution of a Fiber Art Commission," a custom artwork by Tim Harding for a private residence in Scottsdale Arizona.

The clients were familiar with the artist's previous work, so I met with them to show them what was new. They noted specific colors and patterns that they liked in the existing pieces, and Harding then created these swatches of color groups.

I met with the client in their AZ home to see the installation site and the surrounding artwork and furnishings. We worked together to narrow down the color selections - which is difficult when each piece of silk fabric is more gorgeous than the last!

We also chose a series of Harding's wall-hung fiber artworks to base the commission on, deciding on the "Shimmer" series.

"Golden Shimmer" by Tim Harding

Next, all my notes go back to Tim's studio and the work begins. I'll also send along photographs of the client's home so he can see the environment his work will hang in. This commission should take about 8 - 12 weeks to complete.

I'll keep you posted on the commission process and post a picture of the finished piece. This weekend, I'll be attending, and blogging about, the SOFA Chicago Art Fair.

Mesa Contemporary Arts Benefit

2009-10-11T17:26:00.001-04:00

Last night's 10x10 Benefit Show & Sale for Mesa Contemporary Arts (at the Mesa Arts Center) was a great event and a successful fund raiser. People got in line up to an hour in advance of doors opening to have first crack at their painting of choice, and by the time I got in I was happy to see a great number of the works had been sold. Each painting was created by an Arizona artist, and it was impressive to see the quality of work that was donated. Judging by the exceptional art, I can only think that the artists obviously cared about being a part of the show and contributing to the success of the MCA. Often auctions can be a disappointing selection of second-tier works, but the results of last night's exhibition tells me that MCA is involved in a truly successful give-and-take with the artists of the community, and they care about each other's success. Wow!

Artists Farraday Newsome and Jeff Reich (both are also teachers in the MAC's ceramics department).

It was also pleasing to see some artists crossing over into an atypical media for this event: some sculptural artists tackled work on canvas, with great results, and others forwent the canvas for their known medium but adapted it nicely to the 10" x 10" format. The mixed media created a well-rounded visual texture in the show.

A number of artists represented by Cervini Haas participated, and the pieces were tantalizing. Here are each of their works:

Stephen Johnson, "Field", reed, paper, paint, m/m.

(top left) Sandra Blain, "Exterior", stoneware, m/m.
(top right) Stephen Johnson, "Field", reed, paper, paint, m/m.

Jeff Reich, "Agave Moon", acrylic.

Sarah Obrecht, "Bloom #2", copper, polymer clay, acrylic.

Sarah Obrecht, "Bloom #2" and Farraday Newsome, "Gone", acrylic (lower level, white background).

Sandra Blain, "Interior Markings", earthenware w/slip, oxides, glazes.

These other pieces really piqued my interest, some of them being artists new to me, others a reminder of how much I like these people!

Carol Panaro-Smith & James Hajicek, "Conversations in the Garden", photogenic drawing on masonite.

Marla Hattabaugh, "Attempting 10", fiber wall quilt.

Kaori Takamura, "Sewn/Crossing" (top), "Sewn/Circle", acrylic on canvas, stitching.

Les Lawrence (apologies, I didn't note the title of this intriguing m/m work).

As well, it was nice to be back out and about after a long hot Phoenix summer, when we all hibernate indoors. October is generally the start of the art season here, and it was a treat to be at this event, see a number of artists/friends, and enjoy the fantastic MAC building. I'm looking forward to going back to take a better look at the exhibit of Mexican Art "Conexiones".
www.mesaartscenter.com

Welcome

2009-10-10T16:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the starting blog for Cervini Haas Fine Art, written by owner/director Wendy Haas. Tonight I'll be attending the Mesa Art Center's 10x10 benefit exhibit, where 110 Arizona artists have each created and donated a 10" x 10" painting. Some of CHFA's represented artists will have work there, including Sarah Obrecht, Sandra Blain, Farraday Newsome and Jeff Reich. It will be nice to see them again after a long, quiet summer.

10" paintings by Farraday Newsome and Jeff Reich.

I'll post more images and a review tomorrow following the event.

Other upcoming posts will include my trip to Chicago in early November, to attend the SOFA Chicago art fair. We exhibited there last year, and I have to admit I'm much more looking forward to just flying in and looking at all the art instead of driving across the country with a trailer, setting up the booth and slogging through the week! I shouldn't complain - our associate director, Aprille Barnhart, worked the whole show at 6 months pregnant!

2008 SOFA Chicago, Cervini Haas Gallery Booth:

My mom and I will be meeting in Chicago for this year's fair, and will be sitting the media table for Surface Design Journal on Saturday Nov. 7. She's a painter and fiber artist herself, and I just can't shake my strong love of fiber works (not that I'd want to!). I'll also get to see Joanne Mattera, renowned encaustic painter, blogger and teacher, at the Friday night opening of Julie Karabenick’s show at Melanee Cooper Gallery. Here's an installation shot of her new paintings in the "Silk Road" series:

http://joannemattera.blogspot.com/
and
http://www.melaneecoopergallery.com

I'm sure that this first post will appear rather unsophisticated; bear with me as I learn to streamline and design.

Warmly,
Wendy