Terrifically Haunted fun for all. Another Halloween under our belts. Big thanks to Nicole and Julie for helping save the day. To Scott and Josh, candy professionals with nerves of steel. To Steve and Mitch for your hands on help. To Jim for fantasitc photo attention and being brave around both the young and old. Most important, to Micheal, whom without his patience and hard work, Halloween would never be.
iPhotos generously provided by Jim McGill of photo444.com
Some guys in a tricked-out truck stopped to admire my flaming skulls…No doubt they had use for them beyond Halloween. Personally, I think one would look great hanging off my front door. Hey, there might even be a market out there for those wishing to deter unwanted knockers. Kinda like a really punctuated “do not disturb!!!” sign 😉
We set out for Borrego Springs early on Saturday to photograph some of the wonderful sculptures created by artist, Ricardo Breceda.
Breceda (originally from Durango, Mexico) was once a carpenter who took up sculpting 13 years ago after he fell from a second story and broke his back while working construction. He persevered and found a way to make a living from his passion for things that roamed millions of years ago by establishing Perris Jurassic Park. Then, years after his penned creations peeked over the fence along the 215 Interstate, a millionaire who happened to have purchased some dessert land surrounding Borrego Springs and Anzo Borrego National Park came along. His name is Dennis Avery, who like Breceda, shares a love for the prehistoric. Avery, upon a drive by and turn around, first saw a 30 foot Tyrannosaurus Rex leaning over the chain link fence. From that first sighting, he commissioned several works by Breceda and the transformation of Galleta Meadows began.
What I particularly like about what I saw is, not only the craftsmanship and how it weathers in the elements, but also the placement of each creature. You get the feeling you are watching them in their true setting or how they would have lived. I also love the fact that you can drive your car right up to them, making it easy for folks less able to get around, see and enjoy them easily…oh, and did I forget, it’s all free. These two men, along with their vision, have given the general public a wonderful gift that can be enjoyed by future generations.
I had a chance, before preview, to take a few shots so the folks who can’t come…can see what makes up this years Halloween theme. This is esecially for Yumiko, an Artist from Anuvue Studio & Gallery, who had brain surgery and is at home recovering. High five and big hug Yumi!
This was a very “Green Friendly” year in that most everything is being recycled in some form. What the kids and adults see at night is created with blacklight paint, extremely minute details that they may never noticed,and a bit of mystery. Here’s a sneak peek in the daylight.
The entrance was made from recycled plywood, donated by our friend Gary, used previously for cement work. It was painted from the “not the right color” section of our local hardware store. I thought it was strange, every time I showed up, they had another can of practically the same color…I swear I have Halloween angels at work 😉
This is the view as you enter.
I simply could not resist these clear tubes… You are looking at command central, where the ship is controlled…and every kid in the neighborhood wants to fly. All the neato controls were gifted by my neighbor Greg who works for KOCE. The channel was clearing out allot of outdated gadgets…just in time for a spacecraft. The edging on the desk is actually the stuff they put along lawns… sprayed silver. I think it looks like metal and is very spacey. 😉
Do not touch signs are an absolute must bring the “touching” down to only “minimal madness”.
What a ship without a lab of bubbling jars with strange things. These aliens are cloning humans…with aliens. I love the doll heads so much, they are going in my house when this is over. They fit perfectly into the washing machine overflow tray I found 😉
Fred and Ethel diligently in their tubes…along with a new 2 headed offspring. All the dials are old hairspray, paint and misc. lids with dial stickers. Anything white glares in the blacklight so they look quite real. All the tubes are cardboard that’s been mitered and heck, there’s even some cookie trays and mac computer box inserts painted silver up there.
Tonight, after second preview night, I’ll take some shots so you can see the transformation at night. We had about 100 guests on Thursday night. One boy was so cute in his hotdog costume. I love bringing the kids in to see the candy and watch their frustration of how to pick just one. With all the do not touch signs, one little boy kept whining “Dad, I can’t touch anything…DADDDDDD, I can’t touch anything…finally I let him touch some of the keyboards on the center table with the baby heads. The next thing I know there are 5 little boys jumping up and down, all trying to all touch the keyboard, all shouting “I want to touch it” !
I asked my friend Jamie to be the “don’t touch” person in the room. She raised 2 kids and her costume has a sword…;)
It’s about 11:30pm and yes, I do work for a living in the early hours of the morning… BUT, I have 2 more nights to get the lighting straight and march those aliens inside their ship. They’ve taken a liking to my livingroom and are currently staring out all the windows at my neighbors…like they don’t think I’m odd enough! Candy is bought…check…beer, soda…new brain for Heather…check… House looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in 15 years…check! Here’s the state of the union…
Poster is built…check!
Entrance is lit and working…check!
Command central is ready (almost) to roll…even if I have to drive it myself…check!
Shelves are bubbling…check!
“Some” aliens have decided to get to work and are ready…I can always count on Fred and Ethel…check!
I have to say, despite the fact that everything you see was handmade from stuff about to be trashed (I guess I’m going green)…dug outta my attic to recycle or innocently sitting in a hardware store to be used as one thing…and made into an entirely “other thing”…I’m gettin’ happy…
Recently, a friend of a friend (thank you Dan) was introduced to me through the webwaves. I took a look at the work of Raina Colvin through her beautifully designed, totally clean and uncluttered website and found myself immediately ooohing and ahhhing. I thought I would share this talented woman’s gift with all of you, still keeping one foot in the art world, via virtual gallery.
I should let you know I did liberate her biography (heck people…it was already typed!) from her website and the questions came from Red Ravine. (ybonesy and QuoinMonkey are more “Steinbeck” and I tend to lean towards “Bombeck”). Now all I have to do is sit back, enjoy the mesmerizing quality of Raina’s work and delete any spam comments!
Anuvue Studio proudly welcomes the Fine Art of Raina Colvin.
Raina Carman was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Being three months old when her family moved to Southern California, Raina has spent the majority of her life in California. Her interest and skill as an artist was evident from the time she could hold a pencil. As a child Raina found great pleasure in drawing. It was an excellent way for her to learn about the world around her.
At twenty, Raina began her formal education in art at El Camino College. There she found a wonderful community of fellow students and artists eager to develop themselves and their art work. Through this community, Raina found work first as a children’s art instructor. Later she found work as color separator at Morrosstudio making limited edition serigraphs. The process of recreating another artist’s work and analyzing the colors to mix each one for printing was an invaluable experience. After three years, Raina left Morrosstudios to study with several private teachers and to explore her own approach to creating art. This began a time where painting outside in nature was Raina’s passion. The Santa Monica Mountains were a particularly favorite place to roam with her watercolors in her backpack.
In 1993, Raina moved from Redondo Beach to north county San Diego. Establishing her own studio Raina felt it was time to allow her art work to be her own. At this time Raina began to explore her inner landscape, working with mandalas as a template. As her art life developed Raina began a career in the healing arts as a massage therapist and soon began to teach massage at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health. Raina finds great reward and inspiration teaching massage. She feels very blessed to have the ability to paint, draw and express her art freely. Raina is now Raina Carman Colvin and lives with her husband and all their critters in Valley Center, surrounded and shaded by the many oaks that populate their home.
How long have you been painting?
I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. I started painting in 1982 when I began studying at El Camino College.
1. Transformational Goddess
2. Fluidity
3. Full Breath
4. Radiating Heat
5. Dynamic Balance
6. Oceanids
Mandalas
How has your work evolved over time?
Drawing has always been a way from me to observe the world around me. Throughout my adolesence, drawing was the only way I was interested in expressing myself. As I began college my focus was drawing and painting, working from life. I spent a lot of time in the life drawing studio as well as outside painting plien air with watercolors. After I left college I went to work as a color seperator. This really helped move my understanding of color to a greater level. All the work I did was all by hand, separating the images to be printed and mixing each color. When I left my position as color seperator at Morrosstudios I was very prepared to explore my own vision. I began studying under Don Blaisdell’s in Topanga Canyon. With Don I focused on plein air landscape. This was when I finaly understood watercolor on a visceral level and began painting in ernest in the Santa Monica mountians. My next big leap occurred the following year when in took an “Artist Transformation” course with Linda Jacobson through UCLA extension. I had many eye-opening experiences in this class. I discovered a passion for working with mandalas. By painting mandalas I learned to tap into my subconscious, work with my inner conflicts and look at my internal processes. I began to divide my time working from life and with my inner landscapes.
Who are your influences?
My parents were and are strong individualists who taught me to think and act following my own sensibilities. My teachers at El Camino College and those who I sought out helped me with the mechanics of visual art. They guided me expand my bounderies and grow my understanding. Both my teachers and my life experiences have shaped who I am as a person and as an artist.
Oil Paintings
1. Family Nova
2. Malibu Flood 1
What living artist do you admire most?
I don’t really follow many living artists. I can only think of Alex Grey, Helen Nelson-Reed and Laurie Anderson. Most of the artist I admire are now dead.
What drives your art.
Creating art is the most successful way for me to make sense of the world. When idle I’m restless with a need to create. Art brings me peace. I feel satisfaction when I have communicated my intent. Art is what I use to understand myself and find deeper meanings of the connections that bring us together.
Landscape
1. Old Castle Ranch
What messages are in your art?
I hope to kindle a passion for life, encourage exploration of mysteries, expose how fear shapes our lives and the beauty that is everywhere.
Where do you go for inspiration?
I get inspiration from dreams and life experiences. Sometimes I explore themes like numbers, colors or ideas. Sometimes I just get a bug in my ear to do… whatever.
Innerscapes
1. Green Man
2. Dance of life
3. Three Graces
4. Mysteries of Birth
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be an artist?
As a child with dyslexia I found it painful to be anything else. It was an outlet for my passions and the only thing that earned me praise.
Where do the themes in your work come from?
I work from life because I have a passion for it. I love to commune with nature. I also love to see the underlying patterns that connect us all – numbers, symbols and events. I like to observe the similarities in my experiences of nature, human interaction and whatever else is happening in my life. I choose to be captivated by the magic that surrounds me and express it in my work.
To view more of Raina’s work, please visit her website
To purchase, please see her detailed price list for inventory still available.
Our thanks to Raina for allowing Anuvue to exhibit and share her work and inspiration!
Susan (extraordinarily witty and charming) was the first (and only) intern we ever had at the gallery. Now that she’s off and graduated (and can only kill me if she can locate me) I thought it might be cool to show you what our Jamie is currently working on… and Jame…you better keep up when I start running!
The 818 opening had a wonderful turnout. I’m very happy to see the younger crowd coming to appreciate the art and the music…and naturally…the FOOD!
I’m embarrassed to say that the day before, I had been playing with my white balance buttons…and well…my memory isn’t what it used to be. I didn’t even notice until I was importing into Lightroom…a tad late.
It took me a while to get anything at all to show you…please forgive the green, dark people…(not a word Jim).
The Artists all came out to say hello. I enjoyed speaking with them all. Jamie Oliff told me his ideas come from the famous old bar in Hollywood, The Dresden. He sits at the bar, orders cranberry juice and sketches all “The Players” on a napkin. Then he goes home, and with only black acrylic paint, he produces what you see. The white is actually the canvas surface! He said he would take me there to shoot anytime. I am definitely going to visit soon and with the proper settings!
Katie Chappell provided the music for the evening, and when she took her break, other friends entertained us. I was sorry not to get their names. Both young women have beautiful, resonating voices…and the young man…well, he actually played the box he was sitting on like a bongo. I was mesmerized by the sound. It reminded me so much of Ireland and the “In the bar and out” musicians. So wonderful to have so many talented people all together.
Jamie had kids all around her in an impromptu art class. Very fun to see Moms scattered around them. We were also joined for the first time by Cynthia Morehouse (flower in hair), who makes the most beautiful Latin-Catholic inspired jewelry and our newest Glass artist, Dominick Camera (Hat). A big welcome to both.
I dedicate this opening to the Homeless Gentleman (whom at the time, I didn’t know was homeless) that accosted me in the Hallway (2 hours prior to the party) over 8 Pacifico beers. I don’t drink, but I imagine they were worth it. And a very special thanks to no less than 7 of Huntington Beach’s finest, who responded within minutes, calming a very shook up woman and taking control after frantic calls from hair salon and pizza parlor witnesses… who saw my husband running down the middle of a very bust street… in hot pursuit after the much larger guy. His back pack was a bit weighted down, what with the frozen steaks, coffee, beer and all. 😉
My special thanks as always to Jamie, Susan and Micheal, who without their help and love…this would not be possible. Emma will do the lead in…with her favorite painting, The Lighthouse, by Tak Ioka.
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