{"id":5207,"date":"2019-02-21T19:35:13","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T19:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/?p=5207"},"modified":"2019-02-21T19:46:41","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T19:46:41","slug":"golden-gate-art-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethfram.com\/Blog\/golden-gate-art-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Gate Art, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the back-end advantage to the relatively nomadic life my husband and I lived during our first decade of marriage is that we now have a handful of very special places (and people) to revisit across the country.<\/p>\n

\"Neapolitan

Untitled (Neapolitan Pie)<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, ca.1990, Pastel and graphite on paper<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Two

Untitled (Two Ice Cream Scoops on Plate)<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, ca. 1985, Watercolor and graphite on paper<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, my artistic sensibilities were unquestionably influenced by the various places we’ve lived, as well as by many of the artists who are iconic to those locales. At one point or another I’ve called Maine, Washington, Virginia, California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Vermont home, and I’ve collected my fair share of artistic heroes along the way.<\/p>\n

\"Bakery

Untitled (Bakery Case)<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, ca.1963, Felt-tip pen on paper<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Wedding

Untitled (Bakery Case with Wedding Cake)<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, ca. 1963, Felt-tip pen on paper\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In 1962 Thiebaud stated, “At present, I am painting still lifes take from window displays, store counters, supermarket shelves, and mass-produced items from manufacturing concerns in America.”\u00a0 Responding to the postwar manufacturing boom, commercial developments such as the Nut Tree along U.S. Route 80 offered unprecedented visual experiences surrounding the ritual of food, including seductive confectionary cases like those seen here. Although a wedding cake seems to promise fulfillment, the lack of human presence evokes a sense of emptiness.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wayne Thiebaud<\/a> is right up there at the top of my list, so I have been looking forward to seeing the current exhibit of his drawings and paintings at San Francisco MoMA<\/a> for months. It was a thrill to finally get there last week.<\/p>\n

\"Landscape

\u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, Untitled sketches, Ink on paper<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Sketches\"

\u00a9Wayne Thiebaud, Untitled Sketches, Ink on paper<\/p><\/div>\n

\"SFO

SFO<\/strong> \u00a92019 Elizabeth Fram\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Thiebaud’s deft sketches are incentive to keep practicing<\/p><\/div>\n

Pairing Thibaud’s work with the companion exhibit “Artist’s Choice” (pieces from the Museum’s collection that Thiebaud hand-selected himself) rounded out the experience beautifully. Each painting in this concurrent exhibit is tagged with Thiebaud’s notations, providing not only a window into his thought process in choosing a particular piece, but presumably identifying various factors that contribute to the way he approaches his own work as well. They are words of wisdom from a teacher I wish I had had.<\/p>\n

\"Orange

Orange Sweater<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Elmer Bischoff \u00a91955, Oil on canvas\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Thiebaud notes: “You can almost feel, since it’s a library, that it’s a very quiet place. Beautiful light coming in from several directions. There is a nice color relationship between the green and the little tiny bit of orange shadow over her sweater. But it’s also a very good geometric abstraction: the way those horizontals and verticals work and that terrific angle. This is really beautiful — the way this pattern of light coming down from the top and across in a nice L-shape forms one illumination.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Jockey\"

\u00a0Jockey<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0James Weeks \u00a91962, Tempera on Board\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Thiebaud: “Isn’t that sweet? This marvelous intuitive placement where this little white structure holds the whole thing beautifully centered. His paintings are normally big – or the ones I knew him for. He went back East at one point, back to Boston. But he was here, it seems to me, with some power and some effect.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Street

Sc\u00e9ne due rue (Street Scene)\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Pablo Picasso \u00a91900, Oil on Canvas\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Note: Picasso reused a canvas for this painting. Just beneath the surface is a cancan scene.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Thiebaud: “Well, he sure settled that down. His mother must’ve been overseeing it. He’s such a strange fellow but this feels so authentic and so real. I’ve had a long, long association with it. I think I made some drawings of it.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2756<\/span><\/h1>\n

And while it’s fun to return to old haunts when going back to a former home, the lure of discovering something new can be even more enticing. With a bit of pre-trip research, I discovered the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design<\/a>, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and promoting the traditions of hand embroidery and bringing a modern creativity to an ancient art form.<\/p>\n

\"SF

Lucy and Annalee of the SF School of Needlework and Design<\/p><\/div>\n

Conveniently located on the north side of Union Square, I was warmly welcomed by Program Director, Lucy Barter and Director of Community Engagement, Annalee Levin, who shared the wide scope of what SF SNAD offers: classes, lectures, exhibitions, an extensive library, a shop with supplies, and free weekly stitch-ins that are open to all). It’s an enviable resource; be sure to check their events calendar and stop in the next time you’re in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

\"SNAD

SNAD’s library contains over 3000 titles, including an antiquarian collection.<\/p><\/div>\n

And, if you are an embroiderer, consider contributing to their ongoing “World’s Longest Band Sampler Project”. Full information on their website.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2756<\/span><\/h1>\n

Lastly, a hearty thanks to those of you who have been hanging in with me (and the octopus) for the past weeks.\u00a0Thousands of stitches later, it’s finally finished.
\nHere’s a taste of how far we’ve come.<\/p>\n

\"January

January 8, 2019, in process, Silk thread on raw silk<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Octopus,

Caught Red-Handed\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a92019 Elizabeth Fram, 18 x 24 inches, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Octopus

Caught Red-Handed,\u00a0detail<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a92019 Elizabeth Fram, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk<\/p><\/div>\n

And now, I’m ready to move on.
\nMore from San Francisco next week.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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