Lyn Bishop : Sharing Secrets

Back in June, ARTSHIFT San Jose began seeking nominations for their first annual ARTSHIFT AWARDS. In an open process, anyone could nominate a Silicon Valley artist, event, organization, curator, educator or exhibition for special honors and a cash award. Last week the winners were announced at a special party and ceremony held at Orchard Commercial on North First Street. (By the way, kudos to Orchard Commercial for their commitment to our Silicon Valleys art community.)

A large crowd of supports came out to celebrate the arts in Silicon Valley. Erin Goodwin-Guerrero (editor of ARTSHIFT San Jose) provided background information about all the nominees. James Morgan (designer/technical advisor ARTSHIFT), spoke about an online art scene and the Silicon Valley art community in the digital age. JoAnne Northrup (senior curator, San Jose Museum of Art) addressed San Jose and Silicon Valley’s evolving art scene and Kerry Adams (director, Office of Cultural Affairs) presented the two cash awards. (more…)

Naoshima is a small island located in Japan’s Inland Sea. In recent years Naoshima has transformed itself from a traditional fishing community into a contemporary art destination that features work by some of the worlds best know artists.

Benesse House Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum holds a collection of commissioned works that has spilled out from the formal museum into the surrounding village. The Museum is both a place for art and a place for people, offering hotel accommodations, fine dining, and art library. Walking the museum corridors after hours or visiting the library in the silence of night makes for an extraordinary experience, and gives the guests a feeling of living with the art, if only for a day or two.

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If Dreams Could Talk is a collaborative project that looks at the concepts of dreams and specifically the dissociated images and impressions that quickly fade upon waking.

The project has been juried into DigitalEyes 2008-2009: New Esthetic Dimensions in Computer Visualization Technology on exhibit at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery from November 6, 2008 - January 18, 2009. (more…)

The work of Linda Tapscott is currently on view at Norton Studio, located upstairs in the Pacific Art League, Palo Alto. Tapscott is inspired by the daily meditative walks she takes in the East Bay hills near Fremont, California. Her mixed-media work evokes stories that whisper evidence of the forest floor, of reflections on water, of a wintery landscape, all somehow pulling the viewer back into their own faded memories. (more…)

Teaching the advanced three day playshop at San Francisco Center for the Book last week was pure enjoyment. The facilities at SFCB are spacious, well lit and filled with inspiring people and projects. While the center’s focus is devoted to teaching the art and craft of handmade bookmaking, they also offer a diverse curriculum of related classes for all skill levels.

This playshop (or if you prefer: workshop) focuses on the printed image. It is designed to allow artists to take their digital images and photography beyond the standard inkjet print. Students work with their own completed digital imagery to output files to alternative surfaces such as acrylic skins, handmade paper, non-porous surfaces, and transfer film. Participants work with several unique processes in alternative digital fine art printmaking during the workshop with an emphasis on exploration, experimentation and developing new approaches to printing their digital images. (more…)