Good thing I live close to the museum! Worked on lighting Thursday, hung paintings Friday and brought in flowers Saturday. It was a wonderful event with lovely wines from the Staglin Family Vineyard and delicious food by Craig Strong from the Montage. I was happy with the way the installation turned out....many thanks to the staff at the museum for all their help!
Had to hang the lights for my installation all over the house! Good thing the museum space is MUCH larger....size matters.
I decided to utilize the space overhead rather than create a giant centerpiece. I hate sitting behind a giant bouquet of flowers and not being able to enjoy a group conversation! I found some cool hanging lamps that echo the floral inspiration for my work. The museums’ talented installation expert has even agreed to hang them from the 25’ ceilings, yay Tim.
Flowers: one of my favorite flower arrangement concepts is the Lei. What a marvelous idea- to wear beautiful flowers around your neck! Each guest will be presented with a Hawaiian Lei in lieu of chargers at their place setting. (say THAT 3 times fast) Ideally my orchid cactus will still be blooming so I can add a few flowers from my garden: a nice tribute to complete the circle of inspiration. As they say, “art is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Genau.
Of course I wouldn’t be me if I said I hadn’t considered what to wear…
Wow. Now I know why there is a job called, ‘Event Designer.’ There is a huge amount of planning, attention to detail, and creativity involved. There is also a baffling array of choices with decisions to be made each step of the way. Make one change and, Bam! A domino effect sends you back to ‘Go.’
The Table: after toying around with different shapes and heights, I decided we are bounded by the shape we’re in- our bodies dictate what is comfortable for us. Like gravity, we cannot break the laws of dining without a great deal of discomfort! So I ended up with the 8’ x 4’ banquet table- not creative but a really good shape for dinner.
The Linens: as usual, I was seduced by color. When I visited the showroom there were soooo many gorgeous fabrics and colors! I have experience with fashion design and textiles so it was hard to resist the fuchsia Dupioni silk or the orange Damask with the textured swirl. And the sheers! Sexy transparent drapes with contrasting warp and weft which change color as one passes! Yum. Delicious.
The Chairs: since we enjoy entertaining and do it a lot, I wanted them to be comfortable. At home, we have a comfy bench with pillows. I really wanted couches on one side since I’m the one that always goes for the banquette at a restaurant, but sadly the budget did not allow. I did however find some comfy fuchsia chairs that (hopefully) will not look like the Prom! Or maybe it will look like the Prom but with better food.
The Laguna Beach Art Museum holds a fundraiser every year called ‘Palette to Palate’ that features a 5-course meal served by the chef of the Montage Resort in the Main Gallery of the museum. Ten invited artists each create a space to enjoy this memorable dining experience. It can be anything you dream up- as long as it will enhance, not hinder, your guests’ dining experience. This year I was invited to create a space; it has been a fun, exciting, and very educational endeavor for me.
Where to start? The installation includes work by each artist so it seemed obvious to begin with the paintings! I have continued my abstract landscape series with a ‘macro’ view as inspired by the organic shapes in my garden this spring. I enjoy distilling things down to their basic forms and using color to juxtapose areas of contrast against areas of harmony.
So much in life is editing; carving out beauty amid the chaos. The ‘Pacific Rim Landscape’ series imposes order on a chaotic surface the same way our exterior personalities impose order on our often turbulent or conflicted feelings. I am particularly interested in the space between the two (the edge) and am thrilled that the visual language in these pieces reflects this ideal with an exciting symbiotic energy.
Right up behind my house is a lovely botanic garden which was donated to the city by the owner Hortense Miller. She and her husband moved to Laguna Beach about 35 years ago; sadly soon after the home was built her husband passed away. But Hortense spent the next 30+ years creating a beautiful hillside sanctuary which included many native species. The home is an amazing Mid-Century Modern tucked away within the garden- a hip Bohemian paradise. There is even an orchid house which the Newport Beach Orchid Society generously filled for the Open House event. I love the clean lines and indoor/outdoor living- I could move in tomorrow!
I am always inspired by plants and organic shapes; I have started a body of work based on them for my upcoming museum installation.
Thanks to everyone who made this year's LOVE Auction a success! It was great to be a part of it and always wonderful to talk with collectors. I especially enjoy hearing about why they collect what they do. Ran into a couple who acquired a piece of mine about 10 years ago- it was wonderful to hear how much they still enjoy it as it hangs over the fireplace mantle in their living room.
'Moonlight Over Laguna' has been selected for this year's auction to benefit the Laguna Art Museum. Show your love for art and your community by attending this event on February 12! I'll be there with my Valentine- hope to see you there with yours. For more information: http://lagunaartmuseum.org/auction-100
Art transforms things we take for granted and re-presents them in a new light. I especially enjoy interactive installations that are on the surface, very simple ideas- yet creations that transcend the sum of their parts. The current show, 'Suprasensorial' at the Geffen has several of these pieces: a bright line drawn in space, a room that made you feel underwater or a series of corridors that bathed you in Red, Green or Blue. They not only made you think about Light, Color and Space- they were just plain fun.
Just saw a wonderful exhibit at the Geffen which included an installation with an interactive swimming pool! You could swim in the pool- as long as you wore a bathing suit. I didn't happen to have one handy but I was delighted to learn you could purchase a paper one in the gift shop. Inside a John Cage sound and light display while wearing my paper suit, I was able to experience the piece as the artist intended. It was a memorable art moment to be sure- even though the 'pool' was only about 5M across. To 'real' swimmers, that's hardly worth getting your hair wet! But in this case I was willing to make the sacrifice for Art.
