Steiner Gallery Triennale

A surprise invitation arrived in late September: a one-day show and party with fellow artists on October 4th at a house-gallery in Steiner St., San Francisco. The invitation came from Lisa, owner of the house, photographer, friend of a facebook friend, who recently bought a place in Butano Canyon but with whom I hadn't had the opportunity to meet in person.

Sounded fun. I thought I would give it a try.

I stuffed the car with my wooden Sarah Sawgoat, the collage October Sky, and the brand new painting The Fallen Column, my husband Andy, and my good friend Shannon, and drove up to San Francisco. The traffic, on a saturday evening, was insane. I thought we would never make it. After the long drive, and the intolerable driving etiquette of many around us, we were lucky to find a killer parking spot just in front of the house!

And the party was a blast! Great people, great artwork, great reading session, great drinks and food--OMG, the weaners in grape jelly sauce were AMAZING! Thank you, Lisa and Glenn! Looking forward some more fun together!

Sarah Sawgoat and I in the living room

The Fallen Column and its reflection show well in the bathroom's blue walls.

A Better Tuning, a series of 6 paintings

When I first heard about the possibility of genetically engineered babies to prevent genetic diseases or to commodify human traits, I thought how much these practices would in time distance humans further and further from nature.

When I further explored the idea creatively, I started to fantasize about other possible outcomes. What if genetic human engineering will one day bring back to humans a better tuning with nature, something we have lost in time? Imagine to be able to produce your own energy, similarly to fireflies, or perhaps, to have a small body size that will allow you to inhabit smaller spaces and use less resources; or even, to be able to listen to nature in ways that are seldomly possible even through the reaching of high meditative states. 

With these ideas in mind, I created 6 paintings using acrylics techniques that try to represent a new possibility for the relationship between humans and nature. While proportions and physics are purposefully incongruous to indicate the unnatural creation of “perfect” babies, their relationship with the environment is expressed with a tender, dream-like quality to suggest my hope for our future peaceful connection with nature.

   

    Small Space Living - SOLD                                Boulder Babies

Nap on the Water Lilies

 

Dreaming of Babies in Venice                       I Can Hear the Future

Lightening Babies - SOLD

Pescadero Mural

If you go to Pescadero, California, notice the 11x8 mural on the side of a house along Pescadero Creek Road, just west of the post office. Designed by me, the so called Pescadero Mural was completed in December 2013 thanks to the crucial help of several artist friends: Shannon Webb, Meredith Reynolds, Hilary Morgan, Tess Black, Glenn Kimmel, and Beth Ross.

Enjoy!

A Puppet Show for Winter Solstice

On the eve of Friday 21st, we headed to the Clarks' house at Beaver Falls for a grandiose winter solstice celebration. Every year the Clarks hold a special winter solstice celebration. Every year the Clarks take the time and pleasure to hike to a local mountain oak grove to gather mistletoe to distribute to their friends at the party. This year, either they found more mistletoe than usual or they thought about celebrating big what it was supposed to be the last solstice in the history of humanity, because they invited an unusual amount of people. So, almost the whole coast side population was excited to be part of this epic celebration.

About 10 days before the party, Janet sent out a message to the invitees: since there were so many creatives among the guests, perhaps some of them could share something special, like a song, or a story to bring a "little merriment to help us through these dark days", as she put it. Hmmm, I thought, perhaps a winter solstice story... in form of a puppet show, sure! So, here I was again trying to come up with a story, build a puppet theatre, make all the puppets and the sceneries, and in just about a week!!! All this with Frannie's winter concert coming up, xmas shopping to do, and two jobs on my shoulders. Of course, I could not have done it without the help of my daughter Frannie, who is always ready to "rescue" me in these sort of things. I love her!

I chose a story I found on the web about 6 little fairies and their first winter solstice celebration. The story is called "The Yule Faeries" and it required very little changes for a theatre performance. Nevertheless to say, once Frannie and I started the process of making this show, we became pretty much obsessed. In one day Frannie drew and colored all the characters, and in another day she helped me with the scenes, the recording, and other details. We barely made it to the party so wholeheartedly dedicated we were in the preparation of the show! But we had a great time.

At the party Janet took these photos that I am posting here. I am glad we have some photos to remember the event. I don't know if we will ever perform this show again, but it surele was great fun. I want to thank Frannie for her wonderful committment to the project and for the energy she puts on creations like this one. Thanks to Janet for throwing such a great party with so many lovely friends that truly appreciate sharing. And thank you for the Sun King that is reborn again this year, in spite of many people's doubts. :)

ACT I: "A group of little Faeries huddled in their home deep under the roots of a giant oak tree. They were safe and snug in their tiny underground cave lined with dandelion fluff, bird feathers, and dried moss."

ACT III: "The little Faeries sang to the Baby Sun King, songs of the coming spring, the sweet smelling flowers, the bumbling bees, and all the secrets of the forest. And all the creatures within the sacred grove sang with them. That night everyone dreamed wonderful dreams, waiting for the warmth of spring and the fun they would have with the little Sun King."

Pescadero Christmas Faire

This weekend, I will be at the Pescadero Christmas Faire. It is a small faire organized by locals in the historical IDES Hall in Stage Road, Pescadero, CA. It will be December 1st and 2nd, from 10am to 4pm.

I will be there with other artists, thanks to Arte Motu. I will have printed cards, original cards, prints and original work, wine glass charms made with Murano lampwork glass beads, and kids' beanies.

I hope you will visit the faire and patronize our local small businesses!

Thank you!

Capra Marina

The Story of Capra Marina

Original story by Rosanna Petralia

Edited by Andy Markham

All Rights Reserved

Some say that Capra Marina ("Sea Goat") was once the heart and soul of Capradero. Her owner, Emma, a beautiful and willful young woman, had an abiding love of the seaside, and could be found there most days of the year, facing West out towards the blue horizon. This was in contrast to most of the other residents of Capradero, who were inclined to keep to their farms, with the occasional summer jaunt to the beach with their children and their farmer tans. 

Every morning, from the time she could walk on her own, Emma would go to the shore, collecting stranded treasures from the sea, observing fish schools and whales going by, and life in the tidepools, and the days when the local fishmonger Mr. Cuadro came ashore with his fishing boat and gave her the prizes from his day's catch were the days she loved best.

She often imagined she would like a life like Mr. Cuadro's, and romanticized what she imagined to be the simple pleasures and rhythms of his work.

Re-bar and chicken wire armature.

Re-bar and chicken wire stage.

 Emma's family kept many goats, and she'd never given them much thought, the better part of her curiosity directed at the inhabitants of the sea. But this changed when Capra Marina was born; she and Emma were inseparable from the moment she was born.

Marina had uncanny marble-green eyes that reminded Emma of the inside of Abalone shells, and was a constant companion to Emma. Indeed, much like Emma, from the moment Marina was able to stand on her own, she was drawn to the seaside, or perhaps just drawn to anyplace Emma was to be found, and would follow her down to the beach. Once there, no doubt hungry from the trip, she started to dine on the algae clinging to the rocks, and the kelp drifting in the pools, while Emma investigated the creatures great and small around her.

Wrapping with burlap and fiber cement.

 In time, Emma and her family found that the cheese produced from Capra Marina's milk had a rare, exquisite flavor and texture, and concluded that it must have had something to do with its eccentric diet of algae and seaweed. They began feeding this same secret diet to all their goats, with the same happy results--and soon word spread; people started to come from far away to taste this exotic delicacy. As the cheese lured well-off people from everywhere, the little town started bustling with activity: cozy inns, sophisticated restaurants, and little boutiques dotted the townscape.

Keep wrapping

Holding the horns up.

 One day at the shore, Emma saw Mr. Cuadro's boat approaching the coast. Happily, she ran toward it to help out, as she usually would do. Marina trotted toward the boat as well, as the old man would always bring her some uncommon, tasty algae as treat. But instead of the old fish monger, a beautiful young man stepped off the boat. His name was Paulo, and he was the youngest of Mr. Cuadro's sons--he told her that his father had died suddenly and he was now taking over his father's stead.

Leg wrapping

 And while it was their shared grief that brought them together at first, this soon transmuted into love--perhaps made all the stronger by being forged first in sorrow. Emma went to her family with the news, but she found they were not sympathetic with this union. 

"No!" her mother said, "who knows where he goes and what he does when he is away"! 

"He is a seaman, Emma. Opposite attract when you're young, but once your fancy turns to reality, you will find it's not what you thought, not what you bargained for", her father calmly intonated. "Be practical".

Covered with stucco and mosaicized with shells

 But Emma was not persuaded, and could not renounce her love out of sense of mere tradition. One morning Emma brought Marina to the beach with her as usual. On the beach there was Paulo, waiting with his boat, and it was clear he was waiting for her to come away with him. Her heart full at the prospect of a life with Paulo, but heavy at the thought of leaving, she hugged Marina.

"Please, forgive me, Marina. I love you, but I need to go. I will never forget you", she said, and kissed her marbled green eyes. Then, she left with Paulo on the boat.

Marina followed the boat as far as she could, walking along the rocks that formed the tidepools. When she could go no farther, she stood and watched the boat as it carried her beloved Emma farther and farther away.

Together with the rest of the goats at Capradero 2011

 And there Marina stayed, until she became one with the rocks around her, and sea creatures started to inhabit her hardened body.

Emma's farm was soon sold--her family could not absorb the loss of their wayward daughter, and did not have the heart or the will to pass along the trade secrets their daughter and her beloved animal had passed to them. 

Capradero faded into memory, and today, people from near and far know it as "Pescadero", or "fish monger".

Capra Marina welcomes visitors of the town of Capradero

10 pieces for the 50/50 Show in Pacifica, Summer-Fall 2011

American Powerlines II

 I have made a calculation: in the 14 years that I have been residing in the United States, I have moved 12 times. After having lived for 25 years under the same roof in Sicily, that all felt like a lot of moving and instability. But, very recently, in March to be precise, my husband, my daughter and I were able to secure our own very spot in this planet: a peaceful red cabin in White House Canyon, a small rural community near Ano Nuevo, California. Hence, my theme for the 50/50: Rooting.

 Rooting in this coastal community had been beautiful and exciting. I love the nature, the people, and the landscapes of the coast, and the relative near proximity to progressive cities and venues. But rooting in a place that is different from the one you were born doesn't happen without some mixed feeling. Rooting here in California also means reflecting on the path that brought me here and on the fact that, most likely, I will never return to live in Sicily. 

The mixed feelings find representation in my work for 50-50: colorful fragments of my life around my new home overlap descriptions and maps of my hometown in Sicily, commentaries on globalization and the immigrant condition, and histories of identities.

Clothing Line

Drying Pants

Drying Sheet

Distant Foliage

Painties

Sheet and Pants

Silvery Grass at Night

A House the Color of Lava

Tree Trunk and Grass