A lazy start to the day--no exercise this morning, not even our usual walk. But we did treat ourselves to a cup of hotel coffee, before heading up to top of State Street and around a couple of corners to visit our new friend Hugh Margerum's studio...
... where we were impressed by his colorful abstractions, which combine organic with suggestively biomorphic forms in canvases of varying sizes--and in a plethora of drawings that have a whimsical energy and charm. It seems that everyone around here has, or had, or is associated with a vineyard of some kind, and the Margerum family is no exception. We made a note to try their wines. We enjoyed, no less than the studio, Hugh's lovely garden, where chickens roam, hunting and pecking for food amongst the flowers and vegetables; and the fresh-laid eggs that he cooked up for breakfast. What a treat.
After breakfast, we headed back down State Street to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art where we stopped in to see two excellent current shows: Delacroix to Manet, a selection from the distinguished Walters collection from Baltimore, including some first-rate paintings by Turner and a number of 19th century French painters other than those referred to in the title; and Colorscope: Abstract Painting 1960-1979--a fine survey of expressionist, hard edge and op art from that period. It was of special interest to me because at least half of the names were previously unknown to me--a useful reminder of one of the topics of my book, that there are many artists whose work is of museum quality who do not necessarily acquire the fame we too often associate with success. A useful starting point for my lecture in the evening.
The museum also has its own reputable collection of historical and contemporary work. I noted particularly a pair of huge paintings by Matt Mullican, hung nicely across from each other in a high-ceilinged hallway; and, a new acquisition, a painting by the Los Angeles based artist Lari Pittman, about both of whom I have written in the past. Then, too, in neighboring galleries, there are a couple of those wonderful atmospheric paintings by Monet, a terrific early Stuart Davies landscape, and more... Much to enjoy, then, and much to learn from, in a museum whose scale I find especially pleasing--the kind of museum where you can spend just an hour and still have a satisfying experience.
On the recommendation of a friend of a friend (we're acquiring a number of them in Santa Barbara!) we stopped for lunch at Jane's--a bowl of soup, on a remarkably cold and gusty day--after which I dropped in on the local Starbucks for a cup of coffee and spent a while preparing for my evening talk at the Contemporary Arts Forum (CAF), while Ellie did some further exploration of the State Street shopping scene. Fortunately, there was still time to put our feet up for a few minutes in our hotel room before heading south to our second studio for the day--this one belonging to Ann Diener, whose work readers may remember from our visit to the University Art Museum yesterday.
Ann has a beautiful studio, adjacent to her home by the shore, a few miles south of Santa Barbara...
As you might imagine from yesterday's images, including a detail showing her intricate work with graphite, Ann has a love affair with pencils. I have never, anywhere, seen so many of them. Here's a fine bowlful of stubs...
Having followed the work for some years now, it was a delight to spend time in the studio, surrounded by works in various stages of completion, and to have the opportunity to catch up with Ann's progress in getting word out. She has been fortunate in many respects, but still deserves the attention and support of a first rate gallery in Los Angeles or New York. I'm confident that her work would stand up well to that challenge.
We spent a few minutes in the lovely living environment that Ann and her husband have created for themselves, with its spectacular view out over the ocean. Then drove back to the city in time for my speaking engagement at CAF. I was pleased to find that, once again, a good crowd showed up, and that my talk received an enthusiastic response--plenty of questions, and a gratifying line of book buyers at the end. It's an indication, I think, of the hunger for a discussion of the issues that I raise about the contemporary art world and the cultural environment at large.
We finished late, and found a number of the restaurants already closed, so we decided to make it simple for ourselves and returned to the place we had so much enjoyed the previous night--the Wine Cask. We sat, the two of us, quietly, after a hectic day, and enjoyed a peaceful meal, preceded, in my case, by a deliciously cold glass of ginger-infused vodka, and accompanied by a good glass of wine...
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