Today is Slow Art Day at galleries and museums across the globe. The idea behind Slow Art Day is simple. In our hurried lives, we rarely take time to look deeply at anything - whether it is our lover's eyes, our child's smile, or the new leaves on the tree outside our window. Slow Art Day helps us stop and look. The technique is quite easy, but can lead to deep insight. First, visit one of the galleries or museums listed on the Slow Art Day site. (Deep appreciation to the Slow Art Day site for the comprehensive guide.) Second, while at the art venue, look at five works deeply and slowly. Third, after viewing the work meet up with other participants and the volunteer host for a bite to eat and a time to discuss what you saw and how it made you feel. Most of all - breathe and enjoy!
The 2010 ARTNews article, Slow Down You Look Too Fast, provides a nice overview of Slow Art Day. And noted art writer Peter Clothier has been leading participants in his Slow Looking (One Hour/One Painting) events for over fifteen years. Peter held one of these events in my studio a few years ago. I highly recommend attending one of Peter's Slow Looking events. As I write this (10 am Saturday, April 11, 2015) Peter is holding a Slow Looking session at the Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica with the richly evocative paintings by Astrid Preston.
Peter Clothier Leading A Slow Looking Session With the Work of Gregg Chadwick photo by Joanne Warfield
Video Demonstration
Made along with the participants at Gregg Chadwicks studio in Santa Monica, this video was filmed live by David Lowther. It provides a full length example of my One Hour/One Painting sessions and demonstrates the techniques involved in this guided meditation and contemplation.
photo by White House photographer Pete Souza of President Obama and rainbow April 9, 2015 in Jamaica
Today the White House released an historic video on its YouTube channel calling for a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals. I am heartened by this important development that follows up on President Barack Obama's support for a ban on all forms of so-called "conversion" therapy for minors, also known as "reparative" or "ex-gay" therapy. These efforts by the White House to lovingly support LGBTQ folks are game changing. The White House provides a clear statement of intent on their video page:
"The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.
As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, the Obama administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors."
The White House announcement was in response to a popular petition calling for the federal government to enact Leelah's Law, which would ban sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts nationally. Leelah's Law is named for Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who took her own life after being subjected to misguided attempts to get her to perform as a cisgendered male by her family and church.
President Barack Obama and his administration have moved America towards a positive, inclusive future. I cannot recall any other administration that has supported LGBTQ citizens so profoundly.
Thanks you President Obama.
Please watch this beautiful and inspiring message of love, support and hope.
photo by White House photographer Pete Souza of President Obama and rainbow
Currently on display at the Thacher Gallery at USF is the powerful exhibition Hiraeth: The 3.9 Collective Searches for Home. Abhi Singh on the KQED Arts page explains the origins of the exhibition:
"San Francisco’s Fillmore district was once a vibrant African American community, known as 'the Harlem of the West.' But in recent decades the Fillmore — like San Francisco as a whole — has witnessed a startling black exodus. A group of artists known as the 3.9 Art Collective are respondingwith work that both reminds us of San Francisco’s more diverse past and expresses their resistance to present trends. Their name comes from the percentage of African Americans that some predict will remain in the city by the time the next census takes place, in 2020. The Welsh word Hiraeth roughly translates to a longing for a far-off home — one that may not even exist or has been changed by time or idealized by memory."
Corie Schwabenland in the San Francisco Foghorn writes: "The collective started with a discussion between two East Coast-to-SF transplants, says 3.9 co-founder William Rhodes. When Rhodes, originally from Baltimore, and fellow artist Nancy Cato shared their perceptions about San Francisco after living in the city for a respective seven and twenty years, they came to a striking conclusion: 'We really just felt there was a huge disparity when it comes to wealth, and very few variations of African Americans: You see a lot of African Americans that are homeless; you do not see a lot of African Americans living in San Francisco that are middle class or working class,” says Rhodes. 'It became a concern for us, and we decided that, since we’re both artists, to try to figure out a way to talk about these issues through our art and form a collective.'” The 3.9 Collective’s exhibition, Hiraeth: the 3.9 Collective Searches for Home is a must see exhibition that examines the issues of displacement, gentrification, wealth disparity and racial relations. The 3.9 Collective’s exhibition, Hiraeth: the 3.9 Collective Searches for Home is on exhibit through April 21, 2015 at the University of San Francisco’s Thacher Gallery and will feature a closing event with Rodney Ewing from 5:30-7:30p.m. on April 21st in the Thacher Gallery.
Artists in the 3.9 Collective are responding to San Francisco’s dramatic loss of African American citizens with work that both reminds us of the city’s vibrantly diverse past and expresses resistance to present trends.
"Most artists belong to their times, but Billie Holiday, born 100 years ago Tuesday, fits in the present. In a way, she died before her time, just as the country was beginning to talk about race, drugs, feminism and misogyny — all of which converged in her life."
Still from 1957 CBS show The Sound of Jazz, Billie Holiday and Lester Young.
Photo courtesy the New York Public Library.
Billie Holiday changed jazz singing and popular vocals with her stylistic innovations and haunting sound. Holiday's vocal style pioneered new ways of manipulating phrasing and tempo. When asked to explain her singing style, Holiday said, "I don't think I'm singing. I feel like I'm playing a horn. I try to improvise like Les Young, like Louis Armstrong or someone else I admire. What comes out is what I feel. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That's all I know." Geoffrey Smith writes in The Telegraph that "her vocal art was the sound of her life; both were unique. She transformed jazz singing with a style so natural and spontaneous that its effortless genius was a constant surprise. As her one-time employer, bandleader Artie Shaw, put it, 'When she sang something, it came alive. That’s what jazz is about.'”
Many of the songs that Holiday co-wrote became jazz standards, notably God Bless the Child, Don’t Explain, Fine and Mellow, and Lady Sings the Blues. With her passionate interpretations, Holiday, arguably, turned the songs Easy Living, and Good Morning Heartache into her own material. Most of all, Strange Fruit, first recorded by Holiday in 1939, is inseparable from Holiday's artistic legacy.
Holiday's life story often threatens to overshadow her art. I encourage you on her centenary to listen deeply to her soulful cries for love, equality, and justice.
William Gottlieb took what may well be the most reproduced image of Billie Holiday at a gig in 1948. In his book, The Golden Age of Jazz, Gottlieb writes about Billie and his photo:
"In 1948, Billie Holiday was at her peak, musically and physically....Her incomparable voice, instead of having declined from lack of use, had retained its rich but bittersweet tone. If anything, it had become more wrenching than ever. Unable to work nightclubs in New York City because of police restrictions on performers with criminal records, she marked time until some well-financed fans arranged a concert for her in Carnegie Hall (which was not subject to nightclub limitations). Her appearance was a sold-out triumph. Eventually, she was able to resume club dates. It was at one of them that I took a photograph often cited as the most widely used picture ever taken of a jazz person. Whether or not so, I believe it captured the beauty of her face and the anguish of her voice."
21 years on and so poignant. Depression is so misunderstood. It is my fervent hope that the stigma surrounding depression will recede in the near future. The National Institute of Health has an informative site -
"Most likely, depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.
Depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. Brain-imaging technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have shown that the brains of people who have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts of the brain involved in mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior appear different. But these images do not reveal why the depression has occurred. They also cannot be used to diagnose depression.
Some types of depression tend to run in families. However, depression can occur in people without family histories of depression too. Scientists are studying certain genes that may make some people more prone to depression. Some genetics research indicates that risk for depression results from the influence of several genes acting together with environmental or other factors. In addition, trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may trigger a depressive episode. Other depressive episodes may occur with or without an obvious trigger."
I have loved this painting since I first viewed it at the National Gallery in Washington, DC as a young art student. Fragonard's rapid brushwork seems to capture the energy of this young woman's thoughts as she ventures into the realm of the mind. And for me, her rich yellow dress with the alizarin violet bow brings forth the colors of Spring.
This idea came from the aether; it emerged over time. Several years ago (2012) while exploring my passion for black and white photography I found myself wandering into a look I call ‘Gotham’.
I have a passion for timelapse as well, so it wasn’t long before the two processes started to merge in my mind, and the concept for Gotham City SF was born! Over the intervening years I have collected and edited this footage while juggling my freelance career and time working at Lytro (a new camera technology).
This film means a lot to me. It is one of the biggest personal projects I’ve ever worked on.
I searched for music for months. Finally deciding to work with James Everingham: a talented 14 year old from the UK. (Now 16) He ended up composing a full custom composition and it came out perfect!
I also want to thank my friend and college David Hultin, for designing the incredible Gotham SF logo for this film. He is another very talented artist that joins me in my business venture: Planet Unicorn.
This is my vision come to life after hours of setting up, shooting, and editing. It is my art and my love for San Francisco, photography, and timelapse.
Enjoy Everything was shot on a Canon 6D and 5DMK III with a variety of Canon L series lenses. For my motion controlled shots, I use aneMotimo 3-Axis system as well as a Kessler Shuttle Pod Mini 8 foot dolly. emotimo.com/
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Art For Amnesty
