July 22, 2009, Murray Stein

MURRAY STEIN WAS BACK IN TOWN FOR THE SUMMER AND DEMONSTRATED HIS TECHNIQUES FOR PRODUCING HIS AWARD-WINNING SEGMENTED WOOD BOWL TURNINGS.

As an artist, Murray says multi-colored wood is his palette, his chisels are his brushes and his lathe is his easel.   During his talk, he passed around partially assembled pieces of segmentation, so the class could see the steps taken in building up these unusual vessels. 

The  technique lends itself to replicating Native American pottery, which are his favorites, but he also has a collection of hi-tech UFOs equipped with electronics, as well as an ‘International Collection’ consisting of replicas of vessels from all over the world.

June 20, 2009, Bonita Tabakin

Since 1982 Bonita Tabakin-Latterner has exclusively studied color, shape, and contour figures. In 1965 she interned with Picasso who caused this path.  Later she exclusively focused on where Color lives and how it moves in the universe under L. Colbert Dubois and has intuitively worked with pure color to advance healing. Her extensive research reflected famous scientists, medical doctors, and surgeons proved her intuition and experiences accurate.  Through an interactive presentation, she's inviting us into the whirling swirling irresdescent jeweled luminous soft 4rth world creations which have sparked her recovery and turbocharged others.  All adults are welcomed.  She's invited a scientist who is also a journalist in this field and a medical doctor involved with building a $39 + million facility for advancing supplemental healings under one roof to assist in the question and answer phase of this knowledge.

May 2, 2009 Sam Noto

At his home in his sculpture garden  

417 Hillmoor Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20901

 (301) 593-8546, FAX (301) 593-0426, Cell (240) 893-7827

 samnoto@aol.com        www.samnoto.com

"The struggle with limits is actually the source of creative productions" - The approach to making sculpture that serves me best is one of sensing and evolving an idea. My intuitive approach to sculptural form, design, and content usually results in a more direct expression of my vision.   I am a maker of objects. The materials I choose that respond to any space my be metal, stone, water, or light. I strive to establish a stable intimate garden presence, a point of interested, intended to act as a visual settling point from nature’s chaos. My desire is to design and develop objects that establish a visual relationship with the surrounding environment. In the making, the practical aspects are taken into consideration that is low maintenance and reasonable rates.

April, 18, 2009, George Sakkal

APRIL 18, 2009, GEORGE J. E. SAKKAL

Click the picture for his website ... look at his bio, resume, collages, and his "My Opinion" tab

MAXIMISM NOUVEAU COLLAGE In 1912 the French artist, George Braque, created the first fine art paper collage. Braque's accomplishment was revolutionary. His innovation ushered in a new era in art. The monopoly technique of painting with a brush was now permanently altered.

The paper collage changed forever the regard for the use of the traditional paint/brush stroke process as the means to produce art. Fifty years later in 1962, with the creation of my first collage, I discovered a process to apply paper so that the finished work appears to be painted… equivalent to the paint/brush stroke process, this furthering the use of paper as a fine art medium.

March 28, 2009 Professor Farrell

MARCH 28, 2009, PROFESSOR MICHAEL FARRELL

A painter, his subject was "From Realism to Abstraction (and back again)".

25+ members attended - this was an exceptional afternoon!!

And you can click for the writeup that has been posted in preparation for this presentation.  

 Edgar Degas once related about his relationship to art, "I have spent my life in trying-out. Fortunately, I never found my manner."  Montgomery College Professor Michael Farrell exhibits Degas perception but argues, "I'm still seeking." And seeking is what he demonstrated at SAA's March 28th meeting and discussion.  Michael, brought up in NYC with two loving parents, became infatuated with art in high school, later in college. Although he majored in economics, he enrolled in art courses, especially 19th and 20th century modern art, to satisfy his need for expression and the knowledge which comes from related art history books.  By way of his father, an accountant who was financial manager at the American Museum of Modern Art, he had unique access to our modern art and some of the living artists of our time. 

Michael demonstrated to us that he is infatuated with landscapes, which he drew with outstanding graphic exactitude, true colors, and of "photographic" quality. (See example below).  While studying for his M.S.A., Michael's instructors and critics were not excited about his art, in fact they discounted it as being too simplistic, exacting, non-abstract, having no "inner meaning."  Still trying to "find his manner" Michael painted still life images, though these still did not provide his critics with satisfaction. 

Michael likes to quote artist Fairfield Porter, "As the wholeness of life eludes control, so the wholeness of art eludes the control of the artist.  The realist thinks he knows ahead of time what reality is, and the abstract  

artist what art is, but it is in the formality that realist art excels, and the best abstract art communicates an overwhelming sense of reality."  Hence, Michael was caught between the two; he knew that it was time for his process of discovery to begin anew.  Michael continued to be influenced by landscapes but painted in an abstract surreal way, offering simplicity and subdued texture to communicate beauty and meaning to the viewer.

He is an advocate of Diebenkorn Thiebaud in that one must, "explore the duality of perceptual and conceptual information" in his art.

 

Today Michael continues experimenting, learning about the unique qualities of painting, for example, on plastic Mylar. In addition, he's experimenting with cardboard rubbings.  These offer him a new approach, dimension, depth to the manner of his art.  He quotes John Berger from Ways of Seeing, "The world is full of information, but paintings are silent and still.  They exist in a different kind of time."  Hence, Michael pointed out that not only the artist but the viewer must put his or her own voice into the painting.

Michael loves light, its colors, its' tones.  He loves to look at and consider the beauty of landscapes, yet has learned to understand the abstraction hidden within. He loves the exactitude of photographs, but has learned to train his visual memory to look deeper into reality.  He loves to concentrate on the excitement of one form or technique of painting. However, he realizes that to maintain his yearning for growth, the new and different, that change is necessary.  Michael keeps learning techniques; his artistic perception does change and mature as he matures.  Michael is excited about what he does.  His outlook is fresh, airy and truthful to his inner desire of searching for his manner.  Professor Farrell is truly a positive example of a work in progress.

            Contributors, Arlene Polangin and August Spector

February 21, 2009, Professor Okim

February 21, 2009, Professor Komelia Hongja Okim - Artist Extraordinaire
On Saturday, February 21, the Senior Artists Alliance had the pleasure of listening to Ms. Okim tell us about her art.  Ms. Okim attended Ewha woman’s University in Seoul, Korea and Indiana University in Bloomington.  First she was a textile major and then she moved into metallurgy. When Ms. Okim came to Montgomery College she taught weaving before teaching jewelry making which she does currently.

 The Alliance was treated to many pictures of Ms. Okim’s sculptures, table pieces, and jewelry. Many of her pieces are abstract landscapes which include figures. Several of her works show wheat fields and mountains. Other pieces were wedding sets and coffee pot sets. Her sculpture includes many with figures in motion. Hair is blowing in the breeze....

Her work is usually done in silver. Some work has gold fused into the silver. She has experimented with various ways of creating patina.  Her works can be large. Often she then reproduces the large work as smaller brooches. She has some bronze work. Most of her work shows the Asian influence. She described framing methods that she said were Korean. She has printed digital images on silk, mounted the silk and then attached silver figures to the mounted silk. Extraordinaire!

Ms. Okim’s work is in private, corporate, and museum collections both here and in Korea.

January 10, 2009, Pat Zannie

Tips on Creativity and Shortcuts to Composition  

This was the title of Patricia Zannie’s presentation at the January 10^th meeting of the Senior Artists Alliance. This was a hands-on presentation where everyone made one or two collages with bits of paper and string. The presentation began with Ms. Zannie’s statement: “ I believe creativity is a universal, innate ‘human‘ process, and that individuals are unique and precious, having the capacity to develop themselves and express their own experiences of and in this life.” She uses bits of papers from all over the world. She uses glazes, wax, varnish, and found objects to create her collages. She says, “For me, Collage is the Jazz of the visual art forms”.  She shared her passion with us.

Patricia Zannie is a firm believer that creativity is a part of all of us and should be allowed to blossom.

Some of her suggestions for freeing ourselves to be creative are:

•  Don’t force your work. Go for a walk and let the creativity “bubble up”.
• Do something different.
• There is no such thing as perfection, so don’t seek it.
• Be open minded

Patricia Zannie’s suggestions for composition were many that we have heard before:

• Use contrast - light and dark - warm and cool - complements
• Think about boundaries by integrating them shape-to-shape, color-to-color. She showed us a collage where every boundary had been outlined in zigzag dark ink.
• Triangle shapes can become the lines of perspective

Ms. Zannie is an enthusiastic artist who thoroughly enjoys her art. Her collages of thousands of bits and pieces are amazing. The forty or so members present enjoyed her excitement and their own projects.

"Creativity and the philosophy and techniques of Cezanne, Matisse, Gauguin, and other rebel Master Artists who developed the concepts of Modern Art are the cornerstone of my intuitive approach to Art. The Japanese understanding of “Satori” or enlightenment permeates my personal and professional commitment toward Life as the “Greatest Art.” It is within this context that I have chosen to be a collage artist and to share this satisfying experience with my students."

Click for her web site