Monday, March 25, 2013

"Supermarket Sweep" in San Francisco

I had the most bizarre dream this weekend. I was given a challenge similar to the 1960's TV game show called "Supermarket Sweep". Somehow I had won a contest for the bedroom of my dreams! Easy enough right? The upside was that there was no budget limit, the only limit was that all items had to be purchased that day off the floor from San Francisco stores.

Seeing as I am new to San Francisco and only know a fraction of the antique stores in comparison to NYC, this "grand prize" felt impossible. I woke up the next morning at 7:00 am on the dot like I do every day and was completely anxious about the dream I had just had. An hour or so later, after finishing breakfast with a friend, I was still unable to shake the dream, so I decided that the only way to ease my anxiety would be to face the challenge head on!

The inspiration piece for my bedroom scheme started with the actual burlwood desk that I found and purchased for myself in Petaluma a few weeks ago, because it just so happens to be scheduled for delivery this Tuesday night at my new apartment!

Seeing as it was a Sunday, and most antique stores are closed, I had to open my trusty bookmarks bar on my internet browser and start shopping the web. Keeping in the constraints of the 24hr challenge, I limited myself to only sourcing items items in stock and currently for sale in San Francisco.

....and Tah-dah!

Here is my gorgeous dream bedroom that could feasibly be bought all in one day! (with the help of an American Express card and a moving van!)




DESK CHAIR, $7,500

FLOOR LAMP BY THE DESK, $5,000
CHANDELIER, $28,800
LIMITED EDITION PHOTOGRAPH, $14,460


CHEST OF DRAWERS, 9 DRAWERS, $10,300


BRONZE SCULPTURE OF STANDARD MALE TORSO, $3,900

BURLWOOD PEDESTAL FOR SCULPTURE, $1,600


HAND BLOWN GLASS APOTHECARY JARS, $1,375

4 POSTER QUEEN BED, $22,861
PAIR OF BEDSIDE MIRRORS, $5,800

PAIR OF BEDSIDE TABLES, $6,300

PAIR OF BEDSIDE TABLES, $14,800

BENCH AT THE END OF THE BED, $650



ANTIQUE OUSHAK RUG, 14'2" X 17'6", PRICE UPON REQUEST (APPROX. $60,000)

BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT, EAGLE ROCK




If you are interested in learning more about this scheme or where to purchase any items you see above, you can email me at vibranceandchaos@gmail.com









Wednesday, March 20, 2013

In My City...Artist Profile: MARY STENGEL


"I can feel my dreams when I’m in my city" and developing my artistry by submersing myself if the rich art culture of San Francisco, is just one of the many ways I can feel my dreams coming true in my new city. 
When I moved to San Francisco, I was thrilled that one of my favorite artists allowed me to visit her studio and conduct my very first one-on-one interview for my blog.
I wish I knew how to upload the audio from my interview, because when I listened to the recording on my iPhone of the interview I did with Mary Stengel, I was pleasantly surprised that both of our curiosities for the unknown and evolution as artists was simply and definitely defined in our conversation. 


Inspiration is a process, it is like unconditional love. Both processes need constant devotion, loyalty, respect, and commitment, but require change, modifications, struggles, and a faith in the entire process. 

Mary's process started like many high school painters, painting portraits and a focus on realism and recreating a feasible scene in  human reality. Mary explained to me how in college she would have these large paintings; her intent was to make them realistic; but without fail she found herself abstracting them in one way or another. Instead of focusing on what she wasn't achieving, a teacher encouraged her to try drawing instead of just painting. Mary had never used pens and pencils as a medium before, but her commitment and unconditional love of her process as an artist allowed her to accept unfamiliar change and make necessary modifications, that lead her to the creation of her latest series. 

When she started drawing, the pen, as well as what she consciously decided to put on paper, was the intended subject matter. Her designs were mostly abstract drawings of lines, and even at one point developed into a series of body parts, which she terms her "dark emo stage". Her work evolved into more abstract patterns as well as collages of shapes and lines. It wasn't until she switched back to the using paint, a medium she would always be committed to, did she discover her preferred method of creating a body of work. 


When she returned to using paint as her preferred medium, she looked at it in a brand new light. No longer was the paint to become a subject matter preconceived in her head; achieved by repetition with a known outcome; but instead the paint became the driver of the piece. How the paint fell, splashed, dripped, or was stroked across the canvas became the subject matter. At which point the paint became the focal point and determined the patterns that Mary was able to decipher from, and develop on the canvas. 








By learning about her journey as an artist, I am now able to see how her abstract modernism method allows her to create graphic yet organic pieces of work that seamlessly combine art with graphics.  



I had such a blast talking to Mary about her process and the path that lead her to finding her own niche in the expansive art world. I hope you will join me this weekend at Mary's art show. Information below:


Art Explosion Spring Open Studios March 22-24

Opening Reception: 3/22 Fri. 7-11pm

Open Studios: Sat & Sun 12-5pm

2425 17th St & 744 Alabama St, SF, CA