Since my last blog about the Summer Showcase in Warner Springs and the unveiling of the Climate River Project, there has been the Fall Showcase called “Cultivate and Celebrate" with a link here for more info.
https://www.ninak.info/cultivate-and-celebrate.html I’m currently working on the next event with the working title of ‘Welcome PCT Hikers’ slated for April 13th. Right now Cal Fire will talk about trail safety, Hans Peterman will talk about local birds, a student will teach us all how to say the word ‘welcome’ in a few native languages. There will be vendors. The Climate River will be re-routed due to our new concrete pad for speaking/performing/teaching outdoor classes. Students from the school will be adding more painted rocks using the same content. I’m working on two new signs for the area. A native focused Tiny Library has been installed! City Heights Plaza del Sol and City Heights Place are the new names for Wakeland’s Fourth Corner on University and Fairmont, San Diego. I am the public artist commemorating the American Legion Post 201 and handling the wall art (5 artists). The “Place” building has been installed with photos below. Amanda Katchadoorian, Michele Montrose and Wick Alexander. More and better images soon. Cindy Zimmerman’s Collective Retrospective celebrates the completion of their book at Art Produce, San Diego. I have a page in this handmade book. Feb 24. I have been teaching Garden Classes at Warner Hub and the next one is on Jan. 30th. Link for info. Please come to this free class. https://www.ninak.info/warner-hub-eventsclasses.html
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The event is on July 22, 2023
11:00 to 3:00 PM Hans shapes an old limb to become the headwaters of the Climate River Art Installation. Britni plants vegetables in the new raised beds community garden. Nina makes the banner. Join in to make the ‘Climate River Art Installation’ Warner Springs CA at the Hub
We will be painting rocks with messages that we have researched. All the rocks will be together to form a river outside the Hub for a big event July 22nd. Did I mention its free! Back from a trip to Oceano and Pismo Beach in California. When Ralf was a kid he would mix sand and water and sort of plop the sand to make shapes. I had some great plops. Two small forms in a huge vast expanse of dune.
The Gang of Five Reconnected at the University of Oklahoma where we went to school 40 years ago. The exhibit was in the Lightwell Gallery where we first exhibited way back then.
Honestly, I expected only a handful of folks. It was Thanksgiving holiday. The big football game was going on, who would go to hear an artists' talk? Packed. We were so excited. Caroline Farris is at the lectern, I'm on the left then Ying Kit Chan, Laura Warriner and David Hailey. Old friends, new connections. Stories. New work to talk about. Driving the cities to see new museums and discovered that this time around I could find vegetarian food! Just wonderful. November 2022 In October (2022) I did a talk for the San Diego Association of Geologists for their field trip to Chihuahua Valley Road in Warner Springs. While I am not a geologist and not a specialist about Dr. Bronner's Soap, I have lots to say about his life and concept to make a rainforest in Warner Springs. It was great fun. For future field trips check out https://www.sandiegogeologists.org/
https://www.carlsbadca.gov/departments/cultural-arts/gallery-exhibitions/cannon-art-galleryTuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: Noon - 5 p.m.
Wednesday: Noon - 7 p.m. More information: 442-339-2021. Admission is free. Empty headingmpty headinEmpty he Upcoming exhibitionartists showcase The ChairSept. 10 – Dec. 3, 2022 Opening reception: Saturday, Sept. 10, 5-7 p.m. The Chair is an exhibition of one-of-a-kind chairs. “The chair represents the most sacred meeting of form and function; it’s a piece synonymous with support, the reliable foundation of our everyday lives. And yet the simple chair is in perpetual reinvention mode: it is the unending challenge for the artist and designer.” For this special exhibition, the selected works will range from fully functional examples to pieces of pure art and sculpture. Artists: Erin Behling, John Cederquist, David Fobes, Matthew Hebert, Paul Henry, Roy Jenuine, Nina Karavasiles, Seth Keller, Adam John Manley, Wendy Maruyama, DeLoss McGraw, Christopher Polentz, Lee Puffer, Cheryl Tall, James Watts, and Gabriel Weise. I have just completed the re-do of a planter surround for Coronado Senior Apartments on Orange Ave. I had been the artist for this affordable housing complex in 2007. The original bench was concrete, steel, woven copper and lights. It was attached to a very old tiny wall that contained the palm tree. The concrete was cracking, the steel was evaporating and the light and been cut by accident. There are a few stories/reason for all this, but I like this one the best. The normally quiet (and elderly) residents have a front row seat on 4th of July. The parade goes right down Orange Ave. They climbed up on the bench and jumping and cheering. Cracking occurs. Isn’t that the best reason to have construction issues? The image below was the original planter surround with copper. I loved the concept of ‘woven’ to describe a life interconnected, and so I didn’t want to lose that aesthetic in this renovation. I designed a new surround to fabricated in concrete and figured I would make a vertical stamp to imprint the woven texture. Sun Country Builders will do the big work, as they had built the complex 15 years ago. I didn’t want to burden them with the complications of an art aspect, so I designed it so there would be a strip of circumference design - 7 inches tall and 40 feet long that I would do after they left. Thanks Gerry and crew. In my studio I made a positive pattern. Then I built a dam to hold the urethane (Smooth-On brand). This was 7” x 16”. I used a Buddy Rhodes Vertical Mix so that the concrete wouldn’t slump and fall off and made my way around the 40 feet. This took 3 days and lots of involvement with the landscape plants including a broken sprinkler which made mud. All of my products were temperature sensitive and so I had umbrellas set up to deflect the sun. To make things more complicated, I had our brand new adopted dog in the van who was barking at every dog and person who walked down the sidewalk, of which there were many. I stained the cured concrete to accent the the woven pattern and then sealed it. During that time I got to speak with many residents. While I often do projects for affordable housing, my work is always before people move in. Designers always have the end user in mind, but rarely do we get to meet them. They were very supportive and friendly as was the staff (that I don’t normally meet either).
The high top table in the library room now has a new light. It is made of varied rice papers and half round rattan. I used some old copper wire (from our new solar project) to connect the rattan and then paper-mached over the joints. You can see the copper wires poking through.
I encouraged the magic of haphazardness to make the form. There is also an orange glass temperature weight as a focal point. The light is soft and it holds my attention with so many details: wood pieces within the rice paper, the shine of the copper, the way the rattan line moves the composition. The light with wire was purchased at Ikea. It doesn’t hurt if you bonk your head into it, not a bit. At the Tiny Fest in Del Mar, I had the privilege of meeting Annette McNamara who was in Atticus, a pink schoolie, taking photographs. She started www.Beautifulstrength.org. Ralf and I were blown away by her concept, energy and ability to get some amazing portraits.
After one’s photo is taken in the studio portion of the bus (a black background which converts into her bed at night) the subject collaborates by writing on a tablet around or over their image about themselves. There is also the person’s name, age and the location. The images are then posted on the website. Below is the image Annette took of me and a link to that page so you can see all the others. This was an amazing experience, which I heartily recommend viewing, participating the next time Atticus comes to town, and supporting her concept. We did! 3/12/22 https://www.beautifulstrength.org/2022-mar-apr-may |
Welcome to Nina’s Blog. I am quickly classified as a public artist, generally meaning art for the public realm. It is different than a gallery/museum way of thinking. My way of making public art has manifested more traditionally as a site specific sculpture for a fire station. It encompasses some gorilla installations, some home and environmental designs and most recently many apartment developments. Usually having a theme, like; solar powered, low income, green, and educational. Apartment complex art is not interior design. The viewing audience is a hybrid of the general public and private art in a public space. I enjoy the variety. Archives
January 2024
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