Esoteric Survey

Lot 107 Kay Whitcomb, Enamel Sculpture San Diego Enamel Scene by Dave Hampton During the mid to late 1950s, the Art Center in La Jolla was becoming an important hub for area artists and designer-craftsmen, including those working with enamels. When Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley began to focus on the medium in 1948-49 they lived in a unit at Rudolf Schindler's El Pueblo Ribera (above), (along with other Allied Craftsmen group member Harry Bertoia) and their important groundwork helped inspire a whole community of San Diego artists, including Barney Reid, Phyllis Wallen, Joann Tanzer, James Parker, Margaret Price and even the young sculptor Jack Boyd , all of whom eventually did significant work with enamel on copper.  Jackson and  Ellamarie  Woolley Certainly, the Woolleys defined and propelled this wave of enameling by San Diego artists, however, within just a couple of years of each other (1955 and 1957 respectively), Kay Whitcomb and June Schwarcz arrived in La Jolla t...

This was the 20th Anniversary of the Palm Springs Modernism Show and Sale.  To celebrate Objects USA decided not to do the show.  I still attended as a tourist, so you would think I would have more time to document the show, go to lectures and tour homes. Well, that didn't happen. As you'll see here, I basically took photos down one row. Luckily it was the best one.   First off is  Archive . In addition to some rare Dunbar in the foreground, there was a fiber work by Tanya Anguiñiga .  Then there was Gio Ponti and artwork by avant-garde Laguna Beach artist Andy Wing . Sputnik always brings the heat from Texas. This time it included some Larry Hunter. This David Wurster lamp was one of my favorite things at the show. They also had two Cynthia Sargent pieces. Red Modern always has a great mix. This year it included a pair of Max Gottschalk lounges. Billings Auction with the Ponti. There were five auction houses...

Los Angeles Modern Auctions  has a sale this Sunday, September 30th California Hard-Edge-land More at LAMA The John McLaughlin painting on the top is from 1948. It's a great example from the period right before he went full hard edge minimal and focused just on rectangles.  The bottom piece is a paper and tape collage with graphite from the early 1970s. Nakashima  George Nakashima frame holding a Ben Shahn print Oskar Fischinger Eames! June Schwarcz enamel on a wood box by Espenet Claire Falkenstein Early wood disc feet Flag Halyard chair by Hans Wegner. And check out all the Warhols.  Did you think there wouldn't be any Walter Lamb? They tried to hide it behind that monster David Cressey pot. Check out the sale here .

Eudorah M. Moore: The Journey of a Visionary  September 7 - October 26, 2013 Craft in America Center, curated by Jo Lauria  Eudorah Moore (1918-2003) Eudorah Moore  was the curator and director of the California Design exhibitions at the Pasadena Art Museum from 1962 to 1976.  She took over the program with CA Design 8.  Not only did she expand the exhibitions to include some mind blowing craft but the production of the program was also taken to a whole new level with those amazing art-directed hardcover catalogs.  Her impact on the craft movement was not limited to California Design.  She also lead exhibitions on topics such as Appalachian crafts, worked at the NEA and was an all around leader in her field. The exhibition, curated by  Jo Lauria , uses objects, ephemera, videos and photos to document Moore's lifelong legacy and commitment to the world of craft--California and beyond. At the opening...