Santa Fe: Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

One of the celebrated artist of Santa Fe is Georgia O'Keeffe who moved to Ghost Ranch and later her Abiquiu home about 65 miles north of the city.  This is also a museum but I did not have the opportunity to visit.  O'Keeffe lived from 1887 to 1986.  She lived in New York and was later married to Alfred Stieglitz, a noted photographer.  She first visited New Mexico in 1930 and began painting skull-and-bones, flowers and the landscape of the area.  She lived part time at Ghost Ranch beginning in 1934 and then moved into her Abiquiu home in 1949 after the death of her husband.

Here are my photos of some of her paintings:

"Series I - From the Plains," 1919

"Green Lines and Pink," 1919

"Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur," 1930

"Black Mesa Landscape, New Mexico Out Back of Marie's II," 1930.  This was reproduced as a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service in 2013.

"Horse's Skull with White Rose," 1931

Georgia and Friend

"Cottonwoods," 1932

"Mesa and Road East II," 1952

"Cottonwoods"

"Patio Door with Green Leaf," 1956

"In the Patio VIII," 1950

"Tan, Orange, Yellow, Lavender," 1959/1960

Photo from the window of O'Keeffe's studio that she created from a renovated stable and buggy house on the edge of her property in Abiquiu,  She divided the space of the bedroom and studio from the rest of the home and installed a 16 foot picture window in the north wall where she painted under a sky light.  

"Georgia picking angelica for the salad," 1960 by Tony Vaccaro

"Jimson Weed," 1932 

"Georgia O'Keeffe Pouring Tea," 1962 by Todd Webb

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Allan Houser

Colleen and I spent a week in Santa Fe exploring the historic capital founded in 1610.  The seven thousand foot high city has warm days and cool nights in the summer with Monsoonal lightning shows and rain in the early evening.
One of my favorite Southwest artists is Allan Houser Haozous, a sculptor who was born one hundred years ago. His father was imprisoned with Geronimo in 1886 when captured by the U.S. Army.  He spent 27 years in prison in Florida and then in  Oklahoma.  Allan was born in Apache, Oklahoma where his father married a woman 20 years younger after he released from prison.  Allan began sculpting as a young man and went to school at an Indian Arts School in Santa Fe.  He later taught and finally retired to his acreage Near Santa Fe where he created sculptures full time until his death in 1994.  His sons Phillip and Bob have followed in his footsteps.

Although I was unable to visit the Houser sculpture garden outside of Santa Fe, I did visit the Houser gallery in town as well as a special "Footprints" exhibit celebrating Houser's birth anniversary.  The "Footprints" sculpture display recognized the inspiration and influence of Allan Houser.  It is located on Museum Hill, just outside of Santa Fe in front of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.

Here are some of the works of Allan Houser and his sons Bob and Phillip Haozous.  His sons chose to keep the name of their grandfather, Sam Haozous, and not use the Americanized name of Houser that Allan used.

:Memories Live On," 1986 by Allan Houser Haozous, Bronze Relief

"We're Here," 1992 by Allan Houser, Apache

Charcoal, 1992 by Allan Houser

"Desert Flower," 1993 by Allan Houser

"Ana in Transition II" by Phillip M. Haozous

"Celestial Maiden," by Phillip M. Haozous

"Allan Houser Haozous:  1914-1994," by Phillip M. Haozous

Photo of Allan and his wife Anna Maria Gallegos.  She is still living in Santa Fe.

"Migration," 1994 by Allan Houser

"Homeward Bound, 1989," by Allan Houser

"Mothering II," 2007 by Phillip Mangas Haozous

"Mountain Spirit Dancer," 2000 by Craig Dan Goseyun, Apache

"Affection," 1990 by Allan Houser

"Ready to Dance," 1988 by Allan Houser

"He Will be Home Soon," 1989 by Allan Houser

"As Long as the Water Flows," 1988 by Allan Houser

"Prayers of the Future," 1999 by Rollie Grandbois, Chippewa Tribe

"Santa Fe Table," 1989, Steel, by Bob Haozous

"Anasozi," 1987

"Transcendence," 2007 by Tammy Garcia

"Resting at the Spring," 1986 by Allan Houser

"Lady with Pike," 1986 by Bob Haozous, Steel

"Dine," 1995 by Fred Begay, welded steel power coated finish.

"Sacred Knowledge," 1986, Limestone, by Doug Hyde, Nez Perce/Assiniboine/ Chippewa

Hammer Museum on July 24th

On Thursday, July 24th, I visited the Hammer Museum in Westwood to attend the second of my UCLA Extension class, "Rembrandt and His Prints" with Mary Beth Carosello.  The week before the class met in Westwood and we learned about the life and works of Rembrandt.  We met at the Hammer museum to view about a half a dozen original prints made by Rembrandt.  The prints were made by covering a sheet of metal with a fairly thin layer of wax.  Then the artist scrapes away the wax to create an image.  When the metal is inked, wiped and a paper is pressed upon it, only those areas with scraping show the ink image on the paper.  Rembrandt's prints were very detailed showing the life in Holland around 1600.  These prints are not on public display but are kept in the research center.

While visiting the museum I viewed the "Made in L.A." exhibit which occupied all the galleries featuring 35 Los Angeles artists with an emphasis on emerging and under-recognized artists.  The exhibit occupied the entire museum with paintings, installations, videos, sculpture, photography, and performances created specifically for the exhibition.

I had difficulty appreciating some of the creations.  Here are some photos of what I saw and found of interest to me:

"Brasillia, Cars, Pools & Other Modernities," 2009-13 Volkswagen Brasilia, pool-cleaning equipment, single-channel video, photographs, book, aluminum plaque, letter, photo transfers, and drawing by Clarissa Tossin.  "Influenced by her childhood in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, which was built as a modernist utopia, Clarissa Tossin centers her practice on investigating the promises, legacies, and failures of modernity, globalism, and utopian idealism."

Handspun and dyed Corriedale, Merino, and Ramney woods, baby camel down, yak down, Bombax silk, and cedar,  2012 by Channing Hansen

Handspun and dyed Bluefaced Leicester, Cheviot, Corriedale, Icelandic, Merino, Mohair, Romney, Teeswater, and Wensleydale wools, Teeswater locks, yak down, holographic polymers, silt noils, Tencel, and cedar by Channing Hansen 2014.
Mr. Hansen teaches chaos theory and science history at Los Angeles's alternative Mountain School of Art.  He says that "craft solves questions; art asks them."

"Ende (Like a New Beginning)," 2014 by Emily Mast

"Thank You," 2014 by Samara Golden.  "Using video, sound, inkjet prints, foam insulation, mirrors and anything else readily and cheaply available, the artist aims to represent her notion of a sixth dimension where time, emotion, and alternate realties are simultaneously visible."

"Untitled," 2014 by Caitlin Lonegan, oil, metallic oil, and iridescent oil paint on canvas

"Untitled," 2013 by Caitlin Lonegan

"Untitled," 2014 by Lecia Dole-Recio, acrylic, gouache, spray paint, glue, and paper.