Ruben's on a Rye Roll

More Watercolors

 

 

You can buy these for under $50 on Etsy

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Ghost Story and Art, Columbarium, 30"x40" oilpaint, watercolor, graphite, coffee stains and ephemera half inch panel in in handmade framed by Kenney Mencher

Based on a true ghost story based in California.

This assemblage of a Emmitt Watson and Viola Von Staden was made from actual photos of real people. It is inspired by a visit to the only and oldest mausoleum in San Francisco . The care taker, Emmitt Watson, gave us a tour and told us a ghost story about a little girl named Viola Von Staden. The story is a little long for me to tell it to you here, but here's the bones Viola von Staden died at the age of 7 in 1907 after she drank contaminated water following the Great Earthquake and Fire. Watson showed me a photo of Viola he had been given by one of the Von Staden's family (I used it for her portrait). Watson says he believes the child's spirit is one of those he's seen around the historic building. Here's a painting that shows both Viola's and his side of the story.

This painting was part of a one man show I had in San Francisco called "Renovated Reputations" that I had on my blog. There are several stories about this character read them all here:

I was thinking about the story and decided to write a version of Emmitt' story from his point of view and also from Viola's (the ghost's) point of view.

Here's what I wrote:

I was up on a ladder painting the moldings and I hear this little girl’s voice and I look over and I see this little girl walking by. She didn’t look like how people describe ghosts and I thought she was just a little girl. I thought, she’s so white, like she needs to go out in the sun. That’s what I remember thinking the most is that she didn’t have any color. I didn’t really think about it but then she goes behind the column and I’m thinking she must be hiding there cause she didn’t come out on the other side. I kept watching and looking for her thinking she might be hiding or something. So I come down and walk over and she’s not there.
I thought it was someone playing a trick on me but I remember it was right there in front of that box.


Mr. Emmitt was up on a ladder painting the moldings and I was skipping around the circle singing to myself and then he looked down at me. I never talked to him before because I’m just a little girl. Also my parents told me not to talk to the workmen especially the colored ones. He’s so brown and I never really saw someone like him up close. So I hid behind the column and I’m thinking he can’t hear me or see me cause I’m hiding there. I kept watching and looking for him and then I heard him come down the ladder and walk around the corner and I giggled cause he looked so surprised.
I thought it was he was playing a trick on me but I remember it was right there in front of that box. 

 

 To purchase this painting for $295 Click Here

A bunch of new watercolors around 11x14 to 8.5x11

You can buy these for under $50 on Etsy

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Auctions starting bid $50

Big Sky, oil paint on gallery wrapped linen, 16x20x1.25 inches by Kenney Mencher

 

 

Palo Alto Art Center: Art Alert: Summer Exhibitions Opening Lecture & Celebrations

Summer Exhibitions:   Sky is Falling: Paintings by Julie Heffernan and Community Heirloom Project by Shenny Cruces   June 22 - September 1, 2013   Palo Alto Art Center 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto     Opening Lecture and Celebration:    Sky is Falling: Paintings by Julie Heffernan Friday, June 21, 6-9 p.m   6-7 p.m. Members-only walk-through and wine reception with artist Julie Heffernan 7 p.m. Conversation with Julie Heffernan and acclaimed San Francisco author Rebecca Solnit (open to the public) 8-9 p.m. Public reception This mid-career survey of nationally recognized painter Julie Heffernan features lush figurative and landscape paintings, richly surfaced and bursting with intricate details from the natural world. The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color catalogue, which will be available for purchase in the Art Center’s Gallery Shop.

Take a unique piece of art home! Visit the Gallery Shop at the Art Center!      The Palo Alto Art Center is your place to discover art. See, make, and be inspired because everyone is an artist. The Palo Alto Art Center, Division of Arts and Sciences, City of Palo Alto, is supported by the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and the Arts Council Silicon Valley, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council. Visit the Art Center.

Learn. Create. Be Inspired.            Discover the artist in you!   Become a member of the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation which supports Palo Alto Art Center programs.

It Gets Better Project

Be a part of San Francisco Pride

Dear Kenney, San Francisco Pride is almost here and the It Gets Better Project will be a big part of the festivities! That’s right, we’re taking our message of inspiration, hope and change to San Francisco on June 30th. As an It Gets Better supporter, you’re invited to join us! Sign up by Tuesday, June 18th to march with the It Gets Better Project at San Francisco Pride on June 30th. Let’s celebrate the many milestones and achievements we have to be proud of this Pride season, and continue to share our message of how we can continue to make life better for LGBT youth. Be sure to bring your digital camera or smartphone to take photos and videos that we can share online to keep sharing messages of hope and inspiring change. We hope to see you there! Brett Peters It Gets Better Project P.S. Many have asked and now they’re back! Show your support with an It Gets Better Pride T-Shirt with a $30 donation.

July Exhibitions and Upcoming Workshops

The Coming Convergence of Media at PAL! July Members' Show will share the stage with Mobile Digital Art exhibition We are excited about the artistic convergence in PAL's July exhibitions! Representing one end of the spectrum: our world premiere exhibition of art created on a mobile device, Taking Digital Art to the Streets. This brainchild of two well-known digital artists, Sumit Vishwakarma and Caroline Mustard, on display at PAL from July 5 - 25, will showcase 50 works chosen from the more than 250 entries from artists around the world.  Wire mesh sculpture by instructor Linda Tapscott Watermedia painting by instructor Ron Andrews The four jurors for this special exhibition include former PAL student/actor/visual artist/author James Franco and the Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of Cantor Arts Center, Sue Diekman. Running concurrently with the exhibition of digital works is a solo show of Members' Exhibition, which showcases 40 works representing the more "traditional" media - painting, drawing and printmaking. Upcoming workshops Try something completely new! Linda Tapscott will be sharing her unique sculptural technique using screening material to make wonderful organic shapes. Sculpting Abstract Forms with Wire Mesh Sunday, July 21, 1 - 4pm    DETAILS Join Ron Andrews for a combination demonstration and hands-on workshop to learn his special technique combining watercolor and gesso. Contemporary Landscapes in Color Sunday July 28, 9:30am - 4pm     DETAILS Summer Camps! There's still room in some of PAL's Summer Camps for kids and teens. A sampling of open camps: Glass Fusing - June 24 - 28 (morning & afternoon camps, ages 13 - 18) Paint! Paint! Paint! - July 17 - 21 (afternoon camp, ages 8 - 13) Mixed Media & Collage - July 22 - 26 (afternoon camp, ages 8 - 13) Watercolor Intensive - July 29 - August 2 (afternoon camp, ages 13 - 18) MORE INFORMATION

Pacific Art League  227 Forest Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 321-3891 www.PacificArtLeague.org

Football Watercolor Paintings 14"x11"

Listening Tour-San Jose, Lucero Arellano retires, and more ... the California ArtBeat!

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June 21, 2013 artbeat  California Arts Council

Arts Council's Lucero Arellano to Retire in July Lucero Arellano, Arts Specialist for the California Arts Council, will be retiring from the state in July 2013. She has worked for the agency for 34 years, longer than any other Arts Council employee, starting three years after the agency was founded in 1976. There will be a celebratory evening at Luna's Café on July 16th. continue reading Arts Council Listening Tour: San Jose The California Arts Council is in the process of creating a new Strategic Plan. To gather your ideas, the Arts Council is conducting a "listening tour," a series of meetings to ask for input from interested Californians.  Our last stops are San Jose on June 25 (time extended!) and Costa Mesa on July 25. continue reading Give YOUR Input: Topics for Museums' Collaborative Learning The California Association of Museums (CAM) is partnering with museum networks across the state to help California museums in collaborative learning.  Museums are invited to suggest potential topics for this effort.  See more. New agency staff email format The California Arts Council staff have updated email addresses that mirror the format for other state agencies. Arts Council staff may be reached by email at the following format -- first name (dot) last name @ arts.ca.gov. The Arts Council encourages the field to update their contact lists appropriately. continue reading

what's new   jobs Museum cafes go gourmet San Jose Mercury News California Duck Stamp Art Contest winner to be chosen at judging event Lake County News Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Creativity James Clear Fixes, funding brighten 'Bay Lights' day San Francisco Chronicle Santa Baraba County Arts Commission Announces Community Enrichment Grant Awards Noozhawk 40,000 Artworks from 250 Museums, Now Viewable for Free at the Redesigned Google Art Project Open Culture more General Manager Camellia Symphony Orchestra Sacramento, CA Special Assistant to the President Arts Organization in Southern California Los Angeles, CA Instrumental Music Teacher Arts & Learning Conservatory Santa Ana, CA Group Keyboard Teacher Kings and Clowns Hawthorne, CA Communications Associate Levitt Pavilions Beverly Hills, CA more grants   artist calls Grants for Education, Community, and Medicine/Health (December deadline) RGK Foundation Deadline: 2013-09-01 Living Cultures Grants Program Alliance for California Traditional Arts Deadline: 2013-07-15 Program Challenge Fund Corporation for Public Broadcasting Deadline: 2013-08-01 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Design Velker Foundation Deadline: 2013-08-14 more Seeking Artwork Relevant to "Willy Wonka" Torrance Art Museum / Torrance Theatre Company Torrance, CA Coastal Spirits Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset, ME 3rd Annual Botanical & Floral Online Art Competition (Online) Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery Jupiter, FL Imagining the Real Carnegie Arts Center Turlock, CA Summer Art Exhibit Min W Fine Art with the co-operation of the Temple City Chamber of Commerce Temple City, CA more conferences/workshops   research Reading In and Between the Lines of a Book Publishing Agreement California Lawyers for the Arts San Francisco, CA Date: 2013-07-17 Trademarks: An Overview of Trademark Protection California Lawyers for the Arts Sacramento, CA Date: 2013-07-18 The Arts and Transportation: New Policies and Partners Nationl Assembly for State Arts Agencies Online Webinar Date: 2013-07-11 Intellectual Property Law Survey for Creative Artists California Lawyers for the Arts Online Webinar Date: 2013-06-27 Rights Clearance for Filmmakers California Lawyers for the Arts Santa Monica, CA Date: 2013-07-25 more The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature American Journal of Public Health more

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