Downtown Petaluma's Heebe Jeebe and The Back House Gallery present "Beauty and the Beast" an invitational group art exhibit, opening Saturday, Jan 25th, 2014.
A (multi) Artists Opening Reception featuring entertaining and unexpected interpretations of the Beauty and the Beast concept is open to the public and takes place on the 25th from 7:00 until 9:00 PM.
Heebe Jeebe & The Back House Gallery are located at 46 Kentucky Street, in Petaluma.
For further information, please call 707 773 3222
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I took a couple of snapshots of two of the super talented artist Michael Loffredo's "Invented Time and Place" a series of 18 stunning charcoal on rag watercolor paper works, a new show for the New Year at West Petaluma's Aqus Cafe at Foundry Wharf.
Michael is a highly respected professor of art at Santa Rosa Junior College and an artist who prefers to practice and teach his craft over spend too much time exhibiting or seeking fame and fortune. This makes his Aqus Cafe show all the more exclusive and a rare treat to take in as a Sonoma County art lover.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 31, 1956, the exact same day and year as the Sex Pistols front man, John "Rotten" Lyndon, the artist and late musician share a mutual reputation as having always been the sorts of creatives who prefered to 'do their own thing' rather than conform to convention.
Having started drawing as a young child, Michael began his formal art training at the age of 15 at Boys Trade and Technical High School. University followed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Painting and Drawing at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. Post Grad studies took the form of a Master of Arts, first at Northern Illinois University at DeKalb outside of Chicago and completed at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio.
Painting is a way of life for Michael, who has been teaching at Santa Rosa Junior College for over three decades. Relishing the opportunity to paint and draw full time, he has had an enormous influence on thousands of aspiring artists over the years. Two of his paintings are in the Santa Rosa Junior College campus library's permanent collection.
Michael Loffredo's charcoals in his "Invented Time and Place" series are available for purchase at $450 each. Twenty percent of the sales price of each piece will be donated to the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS).
Each of the works in this series are sized 22x30. An artists reception is in the works for early February.
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"BIGGER TREES NEARER WARTER, WINTER 2008"OIL ON 9 CANVASES (36 X 48" EA)108 X 144" OVERALL© DAVID HOCKNEY
Hockney fans who have yet to make it to the De Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for this most prolific of artist's mind boggling "A Bigger Exhibition" best get their skates on and hurry on in before this super-sized show packs its gigantic bags to decamp the Bay Area on January 20th (2014).
Back in June of last year, I wrote about Hockney's return to his native coastal Bridlington in Northern England after watching the excellent documentary (on the making of this current exhibition), David Hockney A Bigger Picture. If you can't make it to the museum, I'd highly recommend you watch this terrific documentary.
Six months later to stand in the De Young and see these majestic works for myself was a spectacular treat.
The most impressive aspect of the exhibition, 76-year-old Hockney's first in the U.S. in six years, was the sheer volume of work produced in the past recent few years. His use of technology (video, ipad, iphone..) demonstrates an astonishing drive to create and produce on a non-stop schedule, both in the UK and upon his return to his long-time home in Southern California.
As a Brit, I find the landscapes of Hockney's return to his childhood vistas to be extraordinarily powerful. One of my favorite rooms in the gallery was one featuring multiple (30) high definition video screens, each four walls depicting a dynamic seasonal (almost) floor to ceiling portal through the passage of time. This tunnel of trees represents so much of his 'Bigger Picture', and yet Hockney's unsatiable desire to look forward propels him on to surprise us still with enormous, recent depictions of Yosemite as well as his take on the Sermon on the Mount.
Just when you think you have an idea of what the man is about, he takes you to another realm entirely, different mediums, numerous different styles. Fluid, vivid and thoroughly uplifting and by the end of the exhibition, Hockney's admirers are most certainly wanting for more.
Open since October, 2013, "David Hockney - A Bigger Exhibition" runs through January 20th at the De Young Museum. (415) 750-3600.www.deyoungmuseum.org.
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Three of my favorite things: Petaluma folk art, linens and the chance to give back to the community. This cheerie red, white and turquoise tea-towel is a limited edition item on Etsy by Petaluma-based artist/designer Nicky Ovitt and just the thing to brighten up a Sonoma County kitchen this winter.
Sweet and happy cluckers honor the legacy of Petaluma's rich agricultural roots and celebrate the revival of urban farming. And what's more, 10% of each $20 sale is donated to Mentor Me, Petaluma.
+ limited edition
+ 100% bright white cotton
+ 2 color screen print
+ back corner hanging loop
+ dimensions: 50x70 cm / 19.69" x 27.56"
+ machine wash cold with mild detergent, tumble dry low
+ packaged with colored yarn and tissue paper
+ mail once a week– see shipping for more information
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In this 2013 Best Foreign Film German entry to the Oscars, Screenplay writer/Director Christian Petzold brings 1980s Socialist Germany to stark reality on screen with Barbara - a doctor banished to a country medical clinic outside of East Berlin as the direct consequence of her having applied for an exit visa to the West.
Having experienced a very different version of the 80s in Europe, in Britain, I found this to be a moving and thoroughly compelling film. Don't let a rightly drab and gloomy overtone put you off if you enjoy well crafted, subtle cinema, impeccably-styled, not too distant history and a close look at the profoundity of the human condition.
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National Catholic social justice lobbyist Sister Simone Campbell's Two Nuns on the Bus Campaign is coming to Sonoma County on Sunday, January 5th, 2014 at 3pm.
Featuring Featuring Sister Marilyn Wilson, BVM and Sister Elizabeth Avalos, the nuns are with Network, a social justice organization that lobbies on issues of peace-building, immigration reform, healthcare and economic justice. Network is spearheaded by the dynamic religious leader, attorney and poet, Sister Simone Campbell, as its Executive Director and instigator of the Nun's on the Bus road show for social advocacy.
The rigorous "Nuns on the Bus" nationwide tour took place from May 28th through June 18th, last year, capturing the attention of religious leaders, politicians, worldwide media and appearances on 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Network's current mission is to advocate for immediate immigration reform.
I first heard of Sister Simone and her fellow Nuns on the Bus from friends, creative professionals and fellow Petalumans, Michele Wetherbee and Stephanie Rausser. As award winning Creative Director for Harper One (Harper Collins Publishers), Wetherbee orchestrated the concepting, design, and hiring of the creative team which included Rausser… and of the cover of the Sister's upcoming book.
A Nun on the Bus, How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community
In her book, Sister Simone is said to: "Deliver the perfect blend of scathing critque and joyful inspiration about how to change our country, the church, and ourselves based on the lessons learned from the Nuns on the Bus tour about how to live out the Gospel of Jesus today."
Rooted in a deep spirituality of compassion and service, Sister Simone's story gives voice to the hunger, isolation, and fear that so many American people are experiencing, demonstrating how it is possible to create real change in our communities and in our hearts through the contemplative life of prayer.
Rausser, an internationally renowned photographer, shot the cover photos, at the culmination of the tour on San Francisco's Chrissy field with Treasure Island behind. The Tour began at Ellis island on the East Coast, finishing up at Treasure Island on the West, highlighting immigration throughout the US.
Wardrobe Stylist Deborah Dapolito, yet another Petaluma resident and friend, was tasked with the novel assignment of styling the clothing for the country's best-known nun for the photo shoot.
"Sister Simone and the other eight nuns we worked with all day were fantastic," said Wetherbee. "And no, contemporary nuns don’t wear the Habit."
Two Nuns on the Bus will, by invitation of the Immigration Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa's Resurrection Parrish (at 303 Stony Point Road), share their experiences with parishioners as well as the visiting public. The event will be translated for Spanish speaking guests and is open to the public.
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To The Letter - A Celebration of the Lost Art of Letter Writing author, journalist Simon Garfield writes that: "Letters have the power to grant us a larger life. They reveal motivation and deepen understanding. They are evidential. They change lives, and they rewire history.
"The world once used to run upon their transmission – the lubricant of human interaction and the freefall of ideas, the silent conduit of the worthy and the incidental, the time we were coming for dinner, the account of our marvellous day, the weightiest joys and sorrows of love. It must have seemed impossible that their worth would ever be taken for granted or swept aside. A world without letters would surely be a world without oxygen.
And now here we are."
To say that email and texting have dramatically changed the world of our interpersonal communication in such a short period of time is the understatement of all understatements, especially when taking into consideration the rich history of letter writing, from ancient Greek missives to pen-pal postcards of a 1960s childhood.
Holiday and birthday cards and one or two hand penned, end-of-year letters from far-flung writerly friends aside, it's not too often these days that anything much else arrives in the mail that causes the heart to lift in the way the sight of a familiar hand surely does.
Two pages into Simon Garfield's fascinating and inspiring book, I've already set one New Year's resolution and that is to write more letters. And mail them. The good, old fashioned way. One that as the author suggests, involves a human (or several) journey from door to door.
Pondering this, I'm thinking that it might be fun to start a letter-writing group for a regular meet-up here in Southern SoCo. Fountain pens, airmail paper, stamps, a shared hour for impromptu 'letters from Petaluma'. More to follow when I've had a few more thoughts on logistics.
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Talented young filmmaker Gabriel Adams has a passion for chess. The Petaluma High School and Santa Rosa Junior College alumnus met, quite accidentally, former Chess Master Frederic Dutter as the older man was climbing into a dumpster near Petaluma's popular Aqus Cafe at Foundry Wharf.
Known in the community as 'Fritz', a self-described 'outdoorsman', the bearded senior has been homeless for over 30 years. Fritz suffers from schizophrenic and alcoholism, but has remained, throughout his challenging life, a brilliant chess player who once held the coveted title of Master.
Fritz and Gabe started playing chess together two or three times a week for close to a year. As the chess master mentored the filmmaker in the finer points of the game, their friendship grew. Fritz confided in Gabe his remarkable life story. He also lamented that all he wanted in life was to enter one more tournament to prove he was still a master. It had been a decade since he had last played at this level.
Gabe's filmmaker brain went off. With Fritz's permission, he entered him in the inaugural East Bay Regional Chess Tournament, which took place in Concord over Veterans Day Weekend 2013. Ninety-seven chess players from beginners to masters traveled from as far away as Las Vegas, NV, San Diego and Eureka to compete. The tournament was divided into four sections by skill level with thirty players including nine masters competing in the top section. Five rounds of chess were played over three days with each game taking up to five hours to complete.
Gabe began filming Fritz as he prepared for the match, paid for his entrance free, drove him to Concord, put him up in a hotel and followed him on film throughout the event.
fritz won his first game. He won his second game. "Fritz, by golly - well, to learn what happened you'll have to watch the 19-minute short film Gabriel just completed called "Fritz and the Comeback," says the filmmaker's father, Eric Adams, also, a filmaker, whose company Sleeperwave Films is based in Southern Sonoma County. "I can tell you this: anyone who views this film will see the homeless of Petaluma in a new light, " said Eric.
"Fritz and the Comeback" premieres December 30th, 2013 at 7:00 pm at Aqus Cafe at Foundry Wharf with several showings throughout the evening. "I am what I am," says Fritz on camera. "I am a chess player." Fritz will be in attendance along with Gabriel Adams to answer questions. The screening is free though donations for COTS are encouraged. The film will play on a loop to accommodate large attendance.
Gabriel Adams is currently working on a low-budget feature film featuring actors, producers and crew members from Petaluma. He is based in Los Angeles and works on films and television shows.
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After the festive round of holiday merrymaking around town (and country) begins to subside as we approach Christmas Day, my favorite element of the season is not the gifting or feasting, but the simplicity of being present.
In our mad-dash world of constantly running against the clock, of texting and tweeting and all of the various other distractions of modern communications, isn't it refreshing to have some quiet, quality time, in person, with those we love most?
Being in the moment is something I appreciate in others and a skill that most of us would do well to sharpen, not just over the holidays, but throughout the year.
And if you're not quite finished with your holiday shopping, keep in mind that though your gift of time is the most valuable, there are many ways to share the joy:
"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
Oren Arnold
"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."
Peg Bracken
"It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one's fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit."
Isabel Currier
And, last but not least, for I love a good book (in the words of Charlton Heston):
"My first copies of Treasure Island and Huckleberry Finn still have some blue-spruce needles scattered in the pages. They smell of Christmas still."
Be Merry!
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photo: Masterpiece Theater - PBS
It's hard enough for most American converts to Masterpiece Theater's Downtown super-soap not to take a peek online at what glamorous and scandalous goings on have already been on the screen over the pond, seeings as we're a few months behind on airing of Season 4, but when one's family and friends in the UK are already in the know, it's a trust-fest for everyone not to drop a spoiler or two!
The fact that there is a Christmas special airing on British TV on the 25th is another reason to wonder why we don't get our television broadcasts more in alignment with something this big.
Oh well, I can't wait for January 5th. Especially after Vanity Fair magazine's January issue appeared in my mailbox with its double page exclusive photo spread "One Grump Or Two?" featuring photographer Charlie Gray's splendid pic of 70-year-olds (both) Dame Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLaine as Dowager Countess of Grantham and Cora's American mother Martha Levinson. The photo was shot in the Octagon Room at Basildon Park, West Berkshire on what was a brutally hot day, in July. Decked out in velvets and tiaras, Vanity Fair described this iconic pair as: "very jovial, without an ounce of one-upmanship."
Carnival Films and ITV and MASTERPIECE on PBS/WGBH have announced that Emmy®, Golden Globe® and SAG® award-winner Paul Giamatti (John Adams, Sideways, Barney’s Version) joins the Downton Abbey series in the Season 4 finale. Giamatti plays Lady Cora’s maverick, playboy brother Harold, starring alongside the iconic Shirley MacLaine as he and Cora's mother, Martha Levinson and the regular cast members for a dramatic climax to the season.
Giamatti joins new cast members, including:
Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, an old family friend of the Crawleys who visits the family as a guest for a house party
Nigel Harman as Green, a valet
Dame Harriet Walter as Lady Shackleton, an old friend of the Dowager
Joanna David in a guest role as the Duchess of Yeovil
Julian Ovenden as aristocrat Charles Blake
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as a guest who sings in the house
Gary Carr as a jazz singer named Jack Ross
Note: For the truly dedicated, check out this season's range of Downtown-themed holiday gifts on PBS
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