You are here: Home » Getting Involved » Events » Art Wall Archive

Art Wall Archive

April, 2019
Phillip Timper's Themes of Vibrant Colors
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Art Wall Opening Reception: Sunday, April 7, 2019 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
 
Phillip Timper decided to become an artist very early in life. A Midwestern boy, he started landscape painting at age 9, lived in the art room during high school, and painted his way through college. He moved into a design and illustration career as an adult. However, his love of art and painting persisted and he continued to paint and make art to this day.
 
he April Art Wall Opening Reception on Sunday, April 7, 2019 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm will showcase works depicting themes of exhilarating colors and familiar images to Timper, a prolific oil painter, and muralist from Prescott, Arizona.
 
Timper chooses oil paint, watercolor and pencil as his choice of media to reflect the world around him, focusing on capturing images to explore subjects of quiet moments filled charged emotional moments of everyday life.  Although the perspective in the matter changes from work to work, Timper presents an unforgettable array of colors that tie these themes together at this exhibit. 
 
"Think of painting as you might think of language. There are thousands of languages spoken today all with the same purpose, communication,” Timper said.
 
Timper’s current works depict his gritty devotion to capture his fellow humanoids in natural habitats that can be observed in the Blues n Brews Festival Series, The Abstraction Series, and the Desert Animal Gift Collection.
 
The opening reception will be from 12 noon to 1:30 pm in Forbes Hall, April 4, after the Sunday morning services. The exhibit will go through the end of April. For appointments, contact Cyndee Hayes at assistant@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x102. Accessible parking is available behind the church.
 
About UUSM: The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica (UUSM) is is part of a religious movement committed to Seven Principles that include the worth of each person, the need for justice and compassion, and the right to choose one’s own beliefs.  Our congregation and faith community promotes these principles through regular worship, learning and personal growth, sharedconnection and care, social justice action and service, celebration of life’s transitions, and much more. The mission of UUSM is to build a congregational home that supports our vision, that provides opportunities for spiritual and personal growth in an interactive and intergenerational community, that is welcoming and inclusive and that assumes an active responsibility for our community and world. - Ratified by congregational vote, May 20, 2001.
 
March, 2019
Carol Ring and Diana Spears
he March Art Wall Exhibit kicks off with a reception on Sunday, March 3 at 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm in Forbes Hall.  This month’s exhibit features a collaboration of the work of two talented artists who are members of our church.

Carol Ring

Carol Ring is a graphic designer and artist whose work is generated from her collection of abstract photos, taken over many years. She has developed a unique style of combining and layering photos, using translucent filters in Photoshop. Lately adding words or sentences to the mix, she has chosen to print these 8” x 8” pieces with a process of infused dyes onto coated brushed aluminum.
 
This is Carol’s eighth show, fourth on the UUSM Art Wall in the last 15 years; her award-winning work hangs in both private and corporate collections.
 
In her current exhibition, “Just Say Yes,” Carol has pared her message down to the single word YES, along with a few other affirmative words or phrases, quotes from Carl G. Jung, Eckhart Tolle and Dag Hammarskjold. All convey the positive notion: To get what you want, want what you get.
 
“It seems to be characteristic of the human condition that how we mentally label an experience (i.e., ‘good’ or ‘bad’) determines how we feel about it. In other words, we suffer when we want things to be different from how they are,” Carol said.
 
As Tina Fey advises in this pointer toward a happier life: “Say Yes. You’ll figure it out afterward.”
 
See these and more of Carol Ring’s work at yessy.com/carolring

Diana Spears

 
Diana Spears’ work will also be featured during the month of March.  Spears’ work will center around the UU principle of the interconnected web of all creation — animal, mineral, vegetable. The pictorial essay-style exhibition brings significant attention to the way humans hurt themselves and still survive by forgiving despite not forgetting the pain.  
 
“Without err there would be no evolution as mutation is a variable built into the system of creation itself,” Spears said. “There is no is that isn’t; without the ying there is no yang; we are subsumed in each other. Those who deny this reality live in hubris and can cause great harm.”  People can forgive the words said but will remember how it made them feel. The err is not just a human phenomenon, but also part of the realms of creation — all reflected in this exhibit.
 
To view this month’s exhibit after the March 3 reception, contact Nancy Thompson. Accessible parking is available behind the church.
 
Contact Beverly Alison for Art Wall inquiries.
 
February, 2019
“Cover to Cover” by Gillian Renault
 
The February Art Wall will feature Gillian Renault’s “Cover to Cover”  with an opening  reception on Sunday, February 3 from 12 to 1:30 pm in Forbes Hall, immediately after services.
 
“Cover to Cover” chronicles the story of Renault father’s life— the highs and lows, as she describes it. The pieces are designed to encourage people to contemplate the strengths and flaws of the lives of their parents and elders, and how their lives were shaped by them. All to better understand how people can carry their elders in their psyches forever.
 
“I want the work to inspire people to contemplate their own relationships with parents or elders whom they [may] have lost through death or for other reasons,” Renault said. “That’s why I show it. I hope people leave the show changed, even if just a little.”
 
Renault’s work was featured in Atlanta, Georgia by UU’s First Existentialist congregation, at Mercer University, and at Richards Gallery at Georgia Tech University. Another similar work featuring her maternal relationship first premiered in Atlanta in 2002. These works are not for sale, as letting go of any of this art would be like cutting a chapter out of a novel or cutting years out of the artist’s own life.
 
Born on the island of Jersey in the English Channel, Renault is a self-taught artist who has lived in the United States since the 1970s. In 2012, with 25 years of media experience, she pivoted professionally and completed a 2-year chaplaincy program at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe. She then was ordained as a Buddhist lay minister and is now a hospice chaplain.
 
To view this month’s installment after the February 3 reception, contact Nancy Thompson at assistant@uusm.org or dial 310-829-5436 x102. Accessible parking is available behind the church. Contact the art director for inquiries on art wall availability.
 
-- Diego Andres
 
January, 2019
Color Study by C. Nolan Fansler
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
January’s Art Wall, which kicks off with a reception on Sunday, January 6, features the collection Color Study by artist C. Nolan Fansler. The paintings in Color Study explore the moods expressed by various colors.
 
nolanfansler3.jpgFansler said, “The paintings in this series function as hypnotic meditations and puzzles. The goal of each is a glimpse at how strange and ever changing color really is. I used colors that pulled deep within a wall and bright hues that pushed into the middle of a room. In the process of arranging these dollops and strokes of color I began to think of color in terms of stacking floors in a sky scraper. I also started to see individual colors as having moods or personalities based on their pushing/pulling positions in the room.”
 
“While these paintings play with depth and projection they also encourage the viewer to notice how relative color is based on the note it’s layered upon. This observation made me think long and hard about the relativity of color and mood. The work in this show is on view because I discovered something new and rewarding in each piece,” he added.
 
 Color Study 2 Color Study 3 Color Study 4
C. Nolan Fansler was born in 1990 and grew up in the Bay Area. He is a third generation self-taught painter. His work primarily plays with the boundary between figuration and abstraction where interpretation is most open. Nolan currently works out of his Highland Park studio in Los Angeles and is an assistant to Margaret Garcia and Frank Romero and a muralist for LA Works. 
 
 
The Color Study exhibition will run through the end of January. It follows December’s Now and Then exhibit by Bettye Barclay.
 
Contact Art Director Beverly Alison for more information about exhibiting at our Art Wall events. For appointments, contact Nancy in the church office at assistant@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x102. On Sundays, follow the signs to church parking. Handicap parking is available behind the church.
December, 2018
Bettye Barclay: Now and Then
The last Art Wall of the year, Now & Then by Bettye Barclay, kicks off with an opening reception on Sunday, December 2 from 10 am to 1 pm. In collaboration with the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, the exhibit showcases the human quest for truth and knowledge through various stages of life.
 
“For me, art serves as a visual expression of the cycles and changes that are part of life. My artwork in different mediums is an attempt to explore those various aspects of life, and acknowledging the constant flux and change [of life]”, said Barclay.
 
Barclay’s award-winning multimedia creations take form in raku clay, fused glass, and her recent explorations in acrylic pour painting.
 
Barclay’s paintings were exhibited in both solo and group shows at many local venues including the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine, the Pete and Susan Barrett Gallery, and L.A. Artcore Brewery Annex among others. Her artwork is featured in collections throughout multiple states including California, Hawaii, Texas, and Colorado.
 
From 1983 to 1998, Barclay’s main medium was clay. During those years, her one-of-a-kind pieces sold in fine craft galleries throughout the United States. She won awards in local and national competitions for her work in both clay and acrylic mediums. Barclay’s masterpieces can be found in collections in the U.S., Hong Kong, Korea, Canada, and Australia.
 
Several years ago, Barclay explored fused glass themes in Seasons of the Heart and developed a series of stylized figures that will be shown at the December Art Wall.
 
The Now and Then exhibit will run through the end of the month of December. It follows November’s Art Wall feature, Reflections, by Poverny.  During the reception on December 2, many other pieces of Barclay’s work will be available for your consideration.
 
Featured artists at the monthly Art Wall exhibits donate 20 percent of all proceeds to UUSM.
 
Contact Art Director Beverly Alison for further info about this show. For appointments, contact the church office: Nancy at assistant@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 x102. On Sundays, follow the signs to church parking. Handicap parking is available behind the church.
November, 2018
Sculptures on the Wall: An Exhibition by Reed Poverny
The Opening Reception for Sculptures On the Wall by Reed Poverny will be held on Sunday, November 4th from 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm. Poverny will be showing five of his recent sculptural wall hangings and will be available to discuss the inspirations for his work at the reception. The exhibit will be open every Sunday from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm and on weekdays by appointment. It will run through November 25th. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
 
Poverny makes his sculptures from fine wood (Canary wood, African Blackwood, and a board of Mexican Ziricote, Lignum Vitae, to name a few), found objects, glass, nails, metal, fishing line, and whatever else he needs to create an image.
 
The three pieces pictured here will be part of the show; all three were created in 2018.
 
Other was crafted from wood, metal, and glass.
 
Elegy was created from metal and persimmon wood.
 
A glass, darkly was crafted from wood, metal, and glass.
 
Our Art Director, Beverly Alison, found Povery’s work at an Art Show in Anaheim. She was taken by his work, but the pieces she saw were freestanding and she didn’t know if they could be displayed on our Art Wall. Poverny came to the church, made sure that our hanging hardware could bear the weight of his pieces, and figured out a way to attach his art to our cables. He will be displaying five pieces that will fill the entire wall.
 
Contact Our Art Director, Beverly Alison, at balison@aol.com for further information about this show or about exhibiting on our Art Wall.
 
For weekday appointments contact Nancy at assistant@uusm.org or 310-829-5436 ext. 102.
October, 2018
Bonnie Lambert
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bonnie Lambert will be showing New Light, a collection of her most recent works in vivid oils, in the gallery in Forbes Hall in October. You will likely recognize the locations of some of the subjects of her paintings. The Opening Reception will be held on Sunday, October 7, from 12:00–1:30 pm. The exhibit will be open every Sunday from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm and on weekdays by appointment. It will run through October 28. It is free and open to the public.
 
In Lambert’s words: “Using vibrant color and expressive brushstrokes, my oil paintings contrast the beauty of the natural world with the ‘hand of man’ in local urban settings. Nature plays a prominent role in my use of color and light. I’m drawn to spectacular sunsets and sunrises, the shock of skies before and after showers, late afternoon light stretching long shadows, and fog blurring the world.
 
“My mission is to communicate the joyous, wild beauty of nature reflected through urban spaces. I ask viewers to observe objects so common that they’ve become invisible, and to see them in a new light.”
 
Lambert earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and she was a professional actress for nearly two decades. In the early 1990s she studied art for two years at The Art Center School of Design in Pasadena before she met her mentor–museum-collected Latina artist Margaret Garcia in 2009. Since Lambert’s first solo exhibit in 2011, she has participated in more than 80 shows and exhibitions in galleries and museums. Her theatrical background lends natural drama and mystery to her work which brings out joy and celebration.
 
Contact Our Art Director, Beverly Alison for further info about this show or about exhibiting on our Art Wall.
September, 2018
ZAP: An Exhibition by Artists in Eastern Zimbabwe

ZAP: An exhibition by Artists in Eastern Zimbabwe
Opening Reception Sunday, September 2
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM • Forbes Hall

 
zimbabweart.jpgJoin us for the September Art Wall Opening Reception for ZAP (the Zimbabwe Artists Project) on Sunday, September 2nd from 11:00am to 12:30pm. ZAP roots go back to 1982 when a social activist created a training center to bring badly needed income to the Weya region of Eastern Zimbabwe. The show is open every Sunday from 9:30 am until 12 noon and on weekdays by appointment. It will run through Sunday, September 30.
 
ZAP partners with Weya artists to strengthen self-sufficiency, build cultural understanding, and create educational opportunities. Two years after Zimbabwe’s independence, the Weya Community Training Centre was founded by the social and political activist, Amon Shonge. The Center was built to offer vocational courses about agriculture, carpentry, motor mechanics, dress-making, etc. to members of the local community. In 1987 Weya Art was added. Zimbabwe went through some rough times but the center was given new life when students from two U.S. universities visited and brought back art work from the center. These are the roots of ZAP.
 
ZAP buys art directly from the artists and sells it to people in the U.S. who are looking for beautiful and meaningful art and who want to support their artistic talents.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Women of the Weya region are subsistence farmers, mothers, householders, and artists. Sales help women afford food, clothing, school fees, medicines, transport, seeds and fertilizer. The market for Weya art in Zimbabwe is extremely limited, sales in the U.S. are critical. ZAP celebrates the artistry and accomplishments of these talented women (and a few men) and supports their efforts to become economically self-sufficient. For more information contact: www.zimbabweartistsproject.org
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Painted boards are $50 to $70, the 2’ x 1’ boards fabric paintings are $70, the embroideries and quilted appliques are priced individually. Each piece comes with the artist’s photo and biography.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contact Our Art Director, Beverly Alison for further info about this show or about exhibiting on our Art Wall.
 
 
August, 2018
The Cosmos: An Exhibition by Raoul de la Sota, Olga Seem, Howard Swerdloff
Join us for the Opening Reception for The Cosmos on Sunday, August 5 from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Three artists with very interesting talents will be showing their recent works. The show is open every Sunday from 9:30 am until noon and on weekdays by appointment and will run through August 26.
 
Raoul de la Sota received his Bachelors and Masters of Arts from UCLA. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for a year art studies in Peru, which changed his life by exposing him to a culture rich in folklore, cosmological beliefs and artistic marvels. He taught painting, drawing and Mexican Art History at Los Angeles City College until 2015. “My interest in cosmic subject matter came from the myths of various cultures that I discussed in my Art History classes. These stories have influenced my work for the past six years in which I have artistically explored the Northwest Coast, Inuit, Navajo, Mayan and Incan sky beliefs,” says de la Sota. “The work in this exhibit illustrates the sky from the Far East to the horizons close to us in the western world.”
 
Olga Seem says, “As I reach my autumnal years my work has segued from ocean subject-matter to the celestial. My choice of subject is always in flux. Current work is involved with interpreting the world of planets and their counterparts. However, I have not abandoned my interest in sea life, as I see a metaphorical relationship between sea and sky.”
 
Howard Swerdloff describes himself as an eclectic artist who has created original, non-mainstream works of art for the past 40 years. He mixes media from painting to wood sculpture to ceramics to gourd art with fluid dexterity, intersecting cultures and disciplines without barriers. As an artist and designer he has become a favorite resource for many celebrated artists in the Los Angeles area, including the renowned artists Frank Romero, Charles Dixon, Raoul de la Sota, Pat Boyd and many others, creating design elements, fabrication, and presentation design. He has been a gallery owner and curator for numerous exhibitions, performances and artist dialogues.
 
Contact our Art Director, Beverly Alison for further information about this show or about exhibiting on our Art Wall.
 
– Bob Dietz
 
July, 2018
Join Us in July for Our Annual Congregational Art Wall Show
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Art Wall Opening Reception for UU Santa Monica Artists will be held on Sunday, July 1, from 11 am to 12:30 pm. This annual event, hosted by Diana Spears, includes art created by our own UUSM members. Come down and see some of the amazing talent we have within our own community! A variety of mediums will be on display, including some for sale. From ceramics to paintings and photographs, there will be a whole lot of talent on display!
 
Artists for this year’s UUSM Member Art Wall include: Jeremy Arnold, Bettye Barclay, Ralph Martel, Tom Peters, Carol Ring, and Greg Wood.