Long Overdue

The long lost blog of 2015. It's been a bumpy year and also a full one. Family obligations took up most of the first 6months of the year and painting for shows has filled in the rest. Many shows is a good problem to have I won't complain. Hanging on the walls currently are small gouache paintings included in Sullivan Goss 100 GRAND here in Santa Barbara. It is the holiday kick off party every year. The show runs through the end of January. It's always a must see before or after Christmas. There is lots to see and much to discuss. Take the family!

Fog Bank 5.5x3" Gouache on brown paper

Opening the same week in Santa Monica were MORE gouache paintings exhibited at the Craig Krull Gallery in Bergamot Station. It was the debut of critters and a weather study project I've been working on for the past year. Small works that were the perfect way to stay connected in my studio while distracted by family concerns. They were both an escape and a blessing I must have needed as there are 125 little beauties that were compiled for the show. This show runs through January 16th, 2016.

Arctic Hare 6x4" Gouache on Arches Board

Weather Pattern #63 3x5.25" Gouache on Arches Board

In the midst of all this I've been painting for my next solo exhibit with Sullivan Goss which opens First Thursday, January 7th, 2016 from 5-8pm. The show 50 / 50 will celebrate the two things that make Santa Barbara a beloved destination, both the sea and the mountains. I can longer decide which I love more, I only know that I don't want to do without either. There will be plenty of work to see and YES more gouache paintings too. The show runs through the end of February. Hope to see you in the new year. Until then, warm holiday wishes to all.

12x12" paintings for the 50/50 exhibit at Sullivan Goss January 2016

California Dreaming in Southern California

Thanks to Mary-Austin Klein for getting images of the California Dreaming exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art before it closes and moves to the Riverside Museum. It is a juried show that debuted in Italy before returning to California for it's 10 months on So Cal walls. It will reopen in Riverside at the end of April with a reception on May 7, 2015. More information HERE.

California Dreaming - An International Portrait of Southern California

The freeways are a huge part of our lives here in Southern California and getting to be more so with new overpasses, carpool lanes and throughways being built each year as an attempt to alleviate some of the congestion. I don't know that Caltrans can keep up with our population explosion, it takes far too long to erect something of this scale while trying to keep commuters commuting.

I digress though... this post is about an exhibition, an exhibition that is representative of a snapshot portrait of Southern California. It was an open call to artists from the Oceanside Museum of Art with the lure of a year long exhibition that travels to three venues, Oceanside Museum, Riverside Museum and the Salone d’Ingresso of Il Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone. That's right, the show launches in Italy!

Of 900 works by 335 artists, 50 artworks were selected by a panel of 4 curators. "Overpass No. 5" 30x30" Reductive Woodblock Monoprint was accepted to show and travel until next July.  The Italian leg of the journey has started and the exhibition will open October 4th and run through the 28th, Then the work is crated and shipped back to the states for an opening in Oceanside in December 2014.

OPS No. 5 ©2014 Nicole Strasburg

Our Italian Host

Alfio Borghese, Gallery Director of Il Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone, has been acclaimed throughout Italy for over 40 years as art critic, curator, film director and journalist. He serves as artistic director of the Festival of Contemporary Visual Arts sponsored by the City and the Province of Frosinone and frequently curates prominent exhibitions throughout Italy. Since 2012 Borghese has served as president and curator of the Biennale di Frosinone, Anagni and Alatri.

A member of one of Italy’s most prominent noble families founded in 1266, Borghese has produced hundreds of live theatrical performances, in addition to a distinguished series of films and documentaries featuring the most important European artists, writers and political figures of the twentieth century.

Exhibition Venue

California Dreaming: An International Portrait of Southern California is privileged to exhibit in the grand Salone d’Ingresso of Il Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone for the month of October 2014.




Located 56 miles (90 kilometers) southeast of Rome’s Villa Borghese, Il Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone was constructed in the 1930’s by architect and sculptor Giovanni Jacobucci. Designed in the neoclassical style, the monumental structure dominates the Piazza Antonio Gramsci with its immense proportions. The grandeur of the Palazzo’s Salone d’Ingresso is enhanced by a majestic double staircase leading to the upper levels of the structure, which house the provincial offices of Frosinone and a permanent collection of artworks by notable artists including abstract sculptor Umberto Mastroianni and mannerist painter Giuseppe Cesari, instructor of Caravaggio during the late 16th century.


 

Just in case you can't rush off to Italy, there will be two opportunities to see the show in Southern California.


Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone, Frosinone, Italy, October 4 – 28, 2014
Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside CA, December 6, 2014 – March 29, 2015
Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA, April 21 – July 5, 2015

 

Northern Exposure: Paintings on the road

Foggy Shore 48x24" ©N Strasburg

Santa Cruz Art League
84th Annual Juried Landscape Exhibition
June 6 through July 6, 2014

Mountain Swim 12x12" ©N Strasburg

California State Fair
Fine Art Competition
July 11 through July 27, 2014

Bare Limbs 1 28x19.5" ©N Strasburg

Slice:A Juried Cross-section of Regional Art
June 29 - August 24, 2014
Reception & Award Ceremony: Friday, July 11, 6 - 9 pm 

Wintery Wednesday

 

Last week was a big week, New Terrain was dismantled, dispersed and the remaining paintings tucked away in the studio while new work continues to be made. Mountains and snow have not been worked out of my system yet and what a perfect time to celebrate snow paintings but the beginning of winter. Craig Krull in Santa Monica has mounted three shows celebrating winter with a few of my small paintings in the mix.

Stuido with New Terrain images

Winter Greys 12x12" © 2013

Craig Krull Gallery presents A Little Snow....

Showing at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica through January 11, 2014

Also opening last week, 100 GRAND at Sullivan Goss. 100 paintings under a thousand dollars for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. It's a visual feast with something for everyone.

Summer Light 12 x 12" ©2013

100 GRAND

Sullivan Goss

11 East Anapamu, Santa Barbara

Show runs through February 2, 2014

New work includes more of my mountain getaways, more animals and yes, the beautiful wintery seashore is also prominent. One of my favorite times of the year is winter at the seaside, the light on the ocean, the clear blue of the sky reflected on the water and the extreme tides. It's difficult to decide what to paint first!

Fall Willows {in progress}

First Thursday OCTOBER 2013

There IS a reason, for certain, to leave your house tomorrow evening. Here are just a few:

S-tubes line up © hank pitcher

Hank Pitcher: The Long View

opening at Sullivan Goss

Threes a Charm © evan lewis

Meld: A Survey in Contemporary Metal

also opening at Sullivan Goss

Bare Limbs 1 © nicole strasburg

New Terrain

2nd reception for yours truly Sullivan Goss

You don't want to miss Ray Strong, Tonalism Then and Tonalism Now ... all showing

at Sullivan Goss, 7 & 11 East Anapamu!

East Fork in Flux ©sara woodburn

Annual Open Juried Show

Santa Barbara Printmakers

Reception at the Santa Barbara Public Library Main Gallery

Morning Light © thomas van stein

Thomas Van Stein & Wyllis Heaton 

Showing Urban Scenes and Architecture

at the Architectural Foundation

If you are looking for music!! My choice would be 

Carl & the Coconuts 

900 State Street {Marshall's Patio}

Born in Hilo, Hawaii, Carl is an acclaimed ukulele player, vocalist, and guitarist who enjoys a following from Hawaii to Japan to our own mainland. Carl has been performing professionally for more than 30 years and also teaches ukulele and guitar at SBCC Adult Education. It was during these classes he met Martin Osborn and Tod Matz - together they formed the band Carl & The Coconuts.

Mezcal Martini

Paseo Nuevo Center Court

Mezcal Martini is a Latin jazz band from Santa Barbara,been playing together for more than five years: Colin Griffiths, James Siu, Michael Wallace, John Leonard , Bruce Hale, Jeff Davis and Armand Renga. The band takes a very non-traditional approach towards Jazz standards by infusing them with Latin rhythms.  Their music is punctuated with infectious grooves and scintillating horn lines.

Hope to see you out on the town!

Abundant Thanks and Heartfelt Gratitude

The reception this month was wonderful and a big thanks to all those who came out to show support. It was great to see so many people. The show runs through the end of November so there is plenty of time to see! I will be at the First Thursday reception in both October and November to answer questions or to just dole out hugs to anyone I may have missed the first night. Love love.

See the show HERE online

Worktable Wednesday

It's astonishing that anything is being completed in my studio at present ... husband Bill has other ideas about what I should be doing with my time... like helping put the new roof on. YES I am a roofer by day and painter/printer by night. IF, that is, I can still lift my arms to hold a brush or even stand on my wobbly legs after a day on the pitched roof.

Still... there are shows coming, the fall is full and deadlines approach so there is no help for it but to suck it up and keep working despite the weary joints and muscles.

Shows on the horizon:

15 year anniversary show at FRAME with the lovely and fabulous Elaine Esbeck. Opening October, 11, 2012.  {that's 10/11/12 people} Announcements forthcoming.

Annual 100 GRAND show at Sullivan Goss opening First Thursday in December.

New work will be arriving at Sundance in the coming months and the possibility of something for the annual Small Images show at the local City College for October.

There is certainly plenty to be getting on with and many stamps yet to be made for the holiday crush that is also creeping up. I know, now I've gone and said it, Christmas is coming. Ho ho ho.

Don't forget to stop in and see all the new shows at Sullivan Goss. Elemental: Water, the Fall Salon, Ken Bortolazzo Equipose and Martha Erlebacher.

Island Encounters at the Wildling Museum

The show at the Wildling Museum in Los Olivos features a multitude of images of our local Channel Islands. Show runs through the end of the year.

November is nearly here

Time is flying and the delivery date is but a mere 7 days away. Putting on the finishing touches to the last paintings. Looking forward to seeing them all in the pristine gallery space.

Preview days will be Tuesday and Wednesday, the first and second of November. Come by the gallery for the first look at the show. I guarantee there will be a lot to see.

Winter, Scorpion Landing  12x12" ©2011

Show Prep

Slowly and surely working toward the delivery of my next show at the end of the month. All hallow's eve is the delivery deadline, just a mere 24 days away. There is finishing to be done on quite a few paintings plus all the publicity and marketing yet to be accomplished. Deep breath.

The show? you ask? 

Islands Valleys Home 

opening November 3rd, 2011 from 5-8pm 

during Santa Barbara's First Thursday event. 

Location: Sullivan Goss, 11 East Anapamu. 

More information to come! Back to the easel and breathing.

Ridge Patterns 20x30" © 2011

Gaviota Peak, Looking South

From start to install "Gaviota Peak, Looking South". This painting was a commission through the County Arts Commission for the new Emergency Operations Center for the County of Santa Barbara. It is part of the "Percent for Art Program" through the county, a program that insures that any new structures have a budget to be used for public art.

The gals at the county office, Ms. Rita Ferri, Ms. Ginny Brush and Ms. Linda Gardy, make sure that this happens for the artists in our town but also insure that the County of Santa Barbara preserves it's visual heritage within it's own collection. Amazing. I love these women. They work with a board of equally fantastic artists, art teachers, administrators, city and county employees.

Today we got to install this painting into it's new home, with a few others, which will be semi-permanent in the new building. Semi... because it will remain in the collection of the county to be used in other shows if there is a call for it. I'm honored and thrilled to be part of history and art history of this community.

concept/design

second coat of paint

light wash over entire painting

building in the shapes

final glaze of golden yellow

bring it back to contrast and finish

installation day

Introducing Ms. Molly Hahn aka Mollycules

Molly extraordinaire, Molly the writer, Molly the illustrator, Molly the designer, Molly the techy gal, Molly the publisher... what does Molly NOT do, I ask you.

I met Molly Hahn through a dear friend Tom Stanley, who spoke of her wit and charm and amazing ability. I was first smitten after seeing her newly self published book All the Things I Can Do. Wow. I was impressed and paying attention. She told me stories of taking that inevitable leap off the cliff into entrepreneurship. I have great admiration for anyone willing to make that blind jump into the unknown.


Molly is currently enrolled in the Women's Economic Ventures Self Employment training to figure out her business and build her muscles so that she will grow to be a thriving artist entreprenuer. While all that growing takes place she also needs to keep everything fluid, rent paid, pets fed, belly full and creative juices flowing. Meaning.... she needs to keep working while her own business buds into the fullness she needs for it to support her.

To know about what she has to offer, you can scan her list of credits:

Graphic Design - business cards, brochures, layout, newsletters, logos
Web Design
Illustration - personal commissions, web graphics
Art/Graphics Production Assistant
Teaching - Illustration/Cartooning Workshops
Data Entry - I can type 90 wpm!

You can see her resume HERE
And know all about her amazing talent by perusing her website HERE

Don't forget to check out her books All the Things I Can Do and Under the Sneep Tree

Home from San Diego

These little beauties made the journey home yesterday with the gallery owner Susan Street in Solano Beach... just in time for the Sullivan Goss holiday show 100 GRAND which opens with First Thursday events December 2nd from 5-8pm. Susan Bush at Sullivan Goss was the happy recipient of these wee ones yesterday. They are at the gallery for previewing!

Winter Shore 01 12x12"

Winter Shore 02 12x12"

Evening Sky 12x12"

Spring Island 2 12x12"

Spring Island 3 12x12"

Spring Island 4 12x12"