Art at Los Medanos College

Winter break at the de Young

2012-01-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ken Alexander with Curtis's show favorite, Tintoretto's Susanna and the Elders.

Over winter break professors Ken Alexander and Curtis Corlew managed to visit the de Young museum just like they are always asking their students to do. Except they didn't assign papers to themselves. They spent a lot of time viewing Masters of Venice: Renaissance Painters of Passion and Power from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna and a moment in the Ralph Eugene Meatyard: Dolls and Masks show.

The guards kept saying "No photography allowed!" so they didn't make the photos shown here. They just imagined making them. Or something.

They give it all an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Wine label design

2011-11-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

You are a member of a family of California wine makers. You've been asked to design a new bottle for your families winery. Being a Photoshop student at Los Medanos College, your family knows it will be great.

That was the story I told my students when I assigned them to design wine label and mock up a wine bottle. The wonderful bottle of Sofia from the Coppola winery (check out that little hanging heart!) by Hannah Rhinebeck was one of many great efforts.

Here's a slide show of them all.

Honors Art 5 field trip to SF MOMA

2011-10-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Friday before Halloween LMC's Honors Art 5, and a few extra honors students, passports in order and shots current, journeyed to SF's Museum of Modern Art. We saw works we'd only seen reproductions of, including Diego Rivera, Freda Kahlo, Mark Rothko, Clifford Still, Alexander Calder and many others. Robert Arneson's self portrait was hit with the students, who just had to make photos with it.

Everyone got back in one piece, so we're claiming the trip was a success.

Cyanotypes

2011-10-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Tony G., an LMC Photo II student, really wanted to try an old-time photo process. We settled on making a cyanotype, because the process doesn't require a darkroom. It does, however, require a large negative. We solved that problem by making one in Photoshop and printing it a transparency on our laser printer. Tony bought a commercial "sun print" kit and we went to work. Watching the image appear in water, then explode into blue when dipped in hydrogen peroxide was a blast.

It's almost like we're in 1840 again. I'm hoping this is just the start of a grand, continuing experiment.

Art staff show 2011

2011-09-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Every year the LMC art staff panics when this show comes around. That's a good thing. It helps us remember that we're not only teachers, we are artists who need to be making art. So we do. And here it is.

Above, Lucy Snow's drums and Judi Pettite's painting.
Below, Judi Pettite, the Art Gallery director, with our new instructional assistant, Eric Sanchez.

The show runs through October 9, 2011

Photoshop class project

2011-09-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Fall 2011 Photoshop class had an assignment to conceptualize a word from a list. They had to start with a scan and use layers to colorize it it. These are some of the results.

Bike to Work Day 2011

2011-05-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Graphic Design Class created posters for 2011 Bike to Work Day. So, ride your bike, OK?

High School Invitational Art Exhibit

2011-03-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Los Medanos College Art Gallery is hosting the Los Medanos College Fifth Invitational High School Student Art Exhibit from March 17 – April 14, 2011. The show is a juried art exhibition is open to all East Contra Costa high school students. It's a grand show this year, so don't miss it!

Congratulations to our winners
Wiomy Sternbergh, Best Painting, Deer Valley High School
Sydnie Sherman, Best Mixed Media, Freedom High School
Amanda Wallach, Best Ceramics, Deer Valley High School
Michelle Baker, Best Drawing, Freedom High School
Christian Villa, Best Photography, Pittsburg High School

John Paul Salve, Jurors Award, Freedom High School
Calire Joseph, Jurors Award, Freedom High School
Gabe Tulchinsky, Jurors Award, Freedom High School

California Design & Illustration

2011-02-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

Our galley shows always wow me, but this one just knocks me out. It's right up my alley and the work is all first rate. It's just plain fun to visit. The show only runs from February 3 to March 3, 2011, so don't blink.

Artist Hugh D'Andrade (above) actually painted a gallery wall for one piece. I'm already sad in advance knowing that it will be removed when the show ends. I'm plotting on ways to preserve it, but I don't think it's possible.

Lisa Congdon, Mati Rose McDonough, and Jason Munn complete the show with installations, illustrations and graphics. Check these links to their work, some of which is on exhibit at LMC.

You really want to see this show. The gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 12:30-2:30 PM and 5:30-7:30 PM.

David Tallitsch, Art Gallery Director, talks with students about the show.

Faculty field trip

2010-11-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

We don't just tell our students to go see art, we do it ourselves.

Despite huge backups on the Bay Bridge, Ken Alexander, Lucy Snow and Curtis Corlew managed to drag their significant others and a colleague from Marin to the deYoung Museum to see the Post Impressionist show. It was a beautiful day in the city, which explains the lack of parking and the 37,000 people attending the exhibit with us. Even though there was no air to breath, and we spent a lot of time looking at the backs of people, the show itself was simply amazing. If you can get there at all, do it.

Photography field trip

2010-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

I was a might depressed that out of the large group that promised to come on our field trip to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art only two actually showed up. But maybe quality is better than quantity. We looked at the Henri Cartier-Bresson retrospective as well as "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the Camera Since 1870." Both were filled with interesting work. We even had time to go through the Anniversary Show. Extra credit for attendees, shame and frowns for the ones who bailed on us.

2-Dimensional drawing examples

2010-10-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

It's a short slide show. Click it to see art!
We have drawing classes, and they are way cool. One is Rebecca Talley's 2-D Design class (Art-10). These are a few recent projects her students created. They come in knowing a little, and in a few weeks are making stuff like this.

Somewhere and Nowhere

2010-10-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

Paintings by Nick Borges and Cara Tomlinson are on display in the Los Medanos Art Gallery from October 7 to November 4, 2010. They're all not pictures of things, but rather paintings that are art. Does that sound frightening? You should come check them out, because even if you won't admit it, you know you are tired of paintings of, as my students call it, "scenery."

Art Staff Exhibit 2010

2010-10-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Art Staff Exhibit 2010 is over now, but here's a photo or two anyway. That's Lucy Snow's sculpture and David David Tallitsch's drawing. This time I'm tossing in one of my pieces, instead of leaving them out and only showing other peoples stuff. So there. Curtis Corlew's photo below.

Strung out on 3-D design

2010-08-24T15:23:00.001-07:00

Lucy Snow's 3-D design class had an assignment to create a “structure” that defined space and that directed how they could twist their bodies through it. Several groups worked on it in the public areas of the college, to the amusement and surprise of those passing by. I should make a yarn pun here, but it's too early in the semester for that.

Photo of the semester Fall 2009

2009-12-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

Hannah Hilgers shot this for the Intro to Digital Photography class. Her fellow students voted it the best photo of the semester. Find out more about photo classes at LMC on this page.

Photoshop at LMC

2009-12-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Kevin Ohlin created this self portrait for his Photoshop class. Kevin says any future success he has in art, graphics or life in general will be because he took Photoshop at Los Medanos College. His instructor is looking forward to large alumni endowments, hopefully before he retires.

LMC has a Photoshop class every semester. If you are a photographer or a designer it would be plain silly not to know Photoshop. You should take this class as soon as possible.

Painting at LMC

2009-12-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Rosalie Cassell's painting classes have been working on long-term paintings. Emily Roasdo is working on a series of painting of her son. "I've learned a lot about color, and media I'd never used before" she says.

Todd McKinney painted a piece in a style he's been working on since summer. He says "Every Day is Halloween" is somehow related to his current hair style.

It might break

2009-11-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Brittle Wonders: Ceramic Art in the San Francisco Bay Area
Yep, the LMC gallery is featuring stuff that breaks. We don't want it to break, but it could. So be extra careful when you visit. It's worth it. The work is , as artists like to say (or at least used to like to say) "way cool."
From November 11 – December 10, 2009.
The Art Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 12:30-2:30 PM and 6:30-8:30 PM.

Day of the Dead in gallery

2009-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

The Los Medanos College Art Gallery will hosts Unforgettable/Inolvidable from October 6 – November 5, 2009. This exhibition is a celebration of the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, and is in observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Gato
Jacobo Angles Ojeda

Keeping art in perspective

2009-09-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

David Tallitsch's drawing class ducked out into the highly geometric halls of LMC to work on perspective drawing. There wasn't a curved piece of concrete in sight.

Florence with an LMC Art Instructor.

2009-09-13T12:38:00.001-07:00

Here's you chance to go study in Florence, Italy with LMC's Ken Alexander. Earn transferable GE units in Italy instead of Pittsburg. It's an amazing opportunity. Check out Ken's website and learn all about the study abroad program for Spring 2010.

Art faculty show 2009

2009-09-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Los Medanos College Art Gallery is filled with the Art from the LMC Faculty from September 1 - October 1, 2009. The show features the work of Curtis Corlew, who teaches photography and computer graphics, Ken Alexander, the department head and professor of art history and design, Rosalie Cassell and David Tallitsch who teach drawing and painting, Rebecca Talley, graphic design instructor, McKenzy Germain from computer animation, Bill Leach, the cartooning dude, Roger Yee teaches who teaches ceramics, and Lucy Snow who teaches ceramics and 3-D design. Work displayed will include ceramics, painting, drawing, and design, and it's pretty darn cool.

The Los Medanos Art Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 12:30-2:30 PM and 6:30-8:30 PM.

Art department in new temp home

2009-09-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Art Department has moved to new digs. If you're looking for your art classes, we may have hidden them from you.

The ceramics and sculpture classroom has moved to the old Graphic Arts building. Professor Lucy Snow has been busy readying the kilns and getting the workspace ready. It is located to the northwest of the current Child Study Center, hidden behind a green fence.

Graphics has moved to what was the old Reading & Writing Center. That's right, room CC2-265: the large, but hidden, classroom on level CC 2. But the best part is that we have brand shiny new iMac computers with 24-inch screens and the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. We even have a few new chairs! It a wonderful new space.

Painting and drawing are also next door, as are offices for professors Ken Alexander, Lucy Snow and Curtis Corlew.

But don't write any of this in ink as this is only temporary! In about three semesters (Spring 2011), we'll all be moving back to our space on CC 3. It will be completely remodeled and bigger, better, faster, get more miles per gallon and make you even smarter than ever before. It will feature an expanded ceramics and sculpture area, and new classrooms for painting, drawing and graphics.

Technocolor Parade

2009-03-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

Technocolor Parade, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

LMC's Fourth Annual High School Student Show is hanging in the gallery through March. Winners include:

Pristine Fermin of Heritage High School for best drawing. (above image)

Contessa McNab of Antioch High for best painting

Daniel Salcedo of Freedom for best graphic design

Charles Haiman of Freedom for best photography

Michael Long of Heritage for best cermaics/3/D

Juror's award to Therese Hockel of Heritage for her drawing.

Big fun was had at the opening, there was lots of food and laughter.
Congrats to everyone!

Photography and Sabbatical

2008-12-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

Photo (and graphics and art and journalism) instructor Curtis Corlew (who's writing this in the third person for no good reason) will be on sabbatical Spring 2009. But fear not, the very able Scott Wreyford will teach the photography and Photoshop classes.

Curtis will return Fall 2009, all refreshed and smarter for his time at school at CSUEB.
He (again, meaning me) will attempt to add a few things to this blog anyway, but, you know how that might go.

The photo is from a Fall 2008 Photo II class field trip to Mare Island to try some light painting.

The New Old Masters

2008-10-29T22:04:00.001-07:00

Old Masters style, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Self portraits in David Tallitsch's "Introduction to Painting" class.
Work by, Clockwise:
Kris Basurto, Wiomy Sternbergh, Tony Gonzalez, and Pinky Navarro

Students are using an old masters technique -- indirect painting -- where they use monochrome underpainting for value and composition, then add layers of opaque paint to build up light areas.

Drawing what you really see

2008-10-14T11:27:00.001-07:00

drawing class 2 2008, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Rosalie Cassell's drawing class works on drawing what they see rather than what they think by observing a scene through a container of liquid.

Roaslie says the lessons they've worked on in value, texture, perspective are starting to come together as they start on landscapes.

She'd say more, but she has to sprint to the Nature Preserve and help drawing students there.

Bill Leach drum extravaganza

2008-10-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Bill Leach (see the sidebar for more links) teaches cartooning at LMC as well as Deer Valley High School. But he's also a drummer (google results for "drummer jokes") who ran a "World's Fastest Drummer contest. Here's a bit o' Youtube video from the contest that we lifted from his myspace site. Feel the need for more Bill? He has an "All about Bill" video too! It was created for cable TV by the Contra Costa Arts and Culture Commission when Bill was honored with their Arts Recognition Award in 2008.

Photo class abstracts

2008-09-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Students in the LMC Fall 2008 photo class had an assignment to make photos where the subject wasn't as important as the photo itself. They uploaded them to Flickr. Here's a slideshow of their work.
Here's a link to a slideshow of some of their other work.

Ken Alexander and Art History+blogs

2008-09-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal. Ken Alexander, the Art Department chair (Humanities chair too, but I won't get into that.) is a brilliant teacher and a true student of Art History. But the whole internet/blog thing... well, let's just say if it wasn't in the Renaissance, it may be outside his realm of expertise.

But, he's trying. He just gave me this to post. Sure, it's just kind of an ad, and doesn't have a drop of the required snark a good blog posts needs, but he's trying, and that's what's important. So let's all be encouraging, OK?

What is Art History?
Funny you should ask… I was just thinking about that. Art, plus history! Whoa! That must be it. Like bacon and eggs, you could eat them separately, but they’re so much better together. The Art Department at LMC offers art history of course… we couldn’t show our faces to other community colleges if we didn’t. Unlike many of them though, we don’t jam, cram and slam big chunks of art and history into one or two bags, like some crazed grocery store bagger. We package our goodies into four separate classes that guarantee that your Oreos won’t be pulverized and your tomatoes won’t look like they jumped out of a window. So take the time and try our stuff:

ART 6 visits the cultures of the world from “Prehistoric through Ancient” times among the Egyptians, Greek and Romans;
ART 7 spends quality time with “Medieval and Renaissance” knights, kings, monks and social-climbing bankers who paid for some of the world’s most inspiring art and architecture;
ART 8 looks a lot more familiar as we start and end in “Modern” times with Neo-Classicists, Romantics, Impressionists, and Cubists; and, last but not least,
ART 9, which explores “Contemporary” art from the 1920’s to… well, yesterday!

These are academic courses that yes, require critical thinking and writing, but which offer so much more in knowledge and experience that will (seriously) change the way you look at art, history and yourself. Oh yes, these courses do satisfy one of the Humanities requirements necessary to graduate at LMC or transfer to University of California or California State Universities. Not bad, huh? Bacon and eggs!

Faculty Field Trip

2008-09-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

Eva Gonzales poster, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

The Art faculty doesn't just make students go look at art, they go themselves. In September they went to the Palace of the Legion of Honor to see the Women Impressionists show (thumbs up), and to the deYoung to see the Chihuly glass exhibit (thumbs sideways.) It turns out that they can't agree on much, but they at least found a Mediterranean restaurant they all liked.

Fall 08 Faculty Art Show

2008-09-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

September 4 through 26. Art, art and more art! Check out the work of the instructors you know and get to see the examples by our new Art faculty.

Rosalie Cassell's painting

Hello Fall 2008

2008-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

For your educational pleasure the LMC Art Department has added three new talented instructors.

Mckenzy Germain is teaching animation

David Tallitsch is teaching painting. He isn't even close to as harsh as this photo makes him look.

Roger Yee is teaching ceramics. That's clay and pots and sculpture for you non-ceramicists.

Student Art Show

2008-05-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

We have artists. We have artists who win awards. We have Elizabeth Newcomb's Iguana (box #3), that won the the Three Dimensional Art Best of Category award.

Other winners include:

Debbie Gonzalez, Photograph
David L. Romero, Painting
Charles Curiel, Drawing
Austin Mortimore, Digital Design
Minchu (Tracy) Wen, Graphic Design
and the Jurors Award for Angel Mendez's drawing, Princess

Bike to Work Day posters

2008-05-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

Kyber Jensen designed this Bike to Work Day poster for his Graphic Design class. Yes, it's higher education professors pursuing that well-known bicycling agenda. See more BTWD posters in this Flickr slideshow. And, hey you, don't forget to ride your bike to school.

Exposed to art a for long time

2008-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

The Photography Art 72 class made photos where they left the shutter open a long time in the dark then ran around and "painted" with flashlights. Their photos are delightful surprises, with light magically streaking across the frame or coming from nowhere to illuminate an object. Somehow it seems appropriately symmetricial that photographers who deal with light are had to deal with the darkness to make these photos.

You can see more "paint with light" photography (as well as some other assignments) in in this Flickr slideshow of class work.

Thank you!

2008-03-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

Thank you card, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

LMC art and graphics student Diana Longoria created a set of graphics and drawings for the Antioch Food Closet and Antioch Rotary "Thank you" cards.
The Antioch Chamber of commerce printed a boatload and they're sending them to people who contribute to the program. They'll be sending zillions and Diana will be famous!
We managed to sneak in her name, and "Los Medanos College" onto the back of the card.

Danger art

2008-01-25T12:34:00.001-08:00

LMC gallery opening, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Mark Nobriga's art in the Los Medanos College galley includes this piece, painted from online mug shots. Much of Nobriga's work deals with male anger, so it might not be wise to miss this show.

2008-01-24T10:20:00.000-08:00

Kristina Casañas created this visual puzzle for a "Word play" assignment in her Graphic Design Class. It's a semi-common phrase, at least if you don't live in the Bay Area. Think somewhere much colder.

three degrees below zero

Wine-ing in class

2008-01-15T10:18:00.001-08:00

wine bottle assignment, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Adobe Illustrator students Marie Vaughn and Greg Greeson created wine bottle labels for their final project.
Both are based on actual California Wineries.
We didn't actually taste the wine, or open the bottles, but if the vino is anywhere near as good as the design work, it must be pretty darn drinkable.

Photography

2007-12-14T07:53:00.001-08:00

Steel, originally uploaded by mt.hermangirl.

Photo student Maddy created a portfolio of self portraits as part of her Art 72 Photo class. There's even a Flickr group of LMC photo students at http://www.flickr.com/groups/510641@N24/

Acrylic Goo Art

2007-12-14T07:44:00.001-08:00

Jessica Prudell-Hazen, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Jessica Prudell-Hazen works on her long-term acrylic paint project in Rosalie Cassell's Art 40 Intro to Painting class. Rosaile invites everyone to to come have fun moving gobby goops of color about in the real world.

Life Drawing

2007-12-06T11:50:00.001-08:00

drawing1, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Life drawing with real life. It happens at LMC right in the Art Department in Basic and Advanced Drawing Classes. Your birthday suit not required.

Ceramics Sale

2007-12-06T11:48:00.001-08:00

sale1, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

The annual LMC Ceramics Holiday sale is happening in The President's office until December 14. You could buy a bowl or zombie and not only make your life better, but support the Art Department as well. What's Christmas without something breakable? Shop now.

Flood in the Art Department

2007-11-27T09:10:00.001-08:00

Flood in the Art Department, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Over the Thanksgiving break there was a water leak in the Art area. It covered the floors with 1" of water. It also got into the offices. They smell swell now. We have fans and heaters running. Art goes on. We will not be stopped!

Fake sign

2007-11-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

This is a totally fake photoshop sign labeling the new gallery. We've requested, begged and been promised an actual sign like the cool metal one on the Library. Let the countdown begin! Guess how long until the actual sign is installed and win some swell, yet to be determined, award from the Art department.
To enter, just comment this post (See that little word down there? Where it says "Comments?" Click it!)
And don't forget to take our poll on the right side of the page.

Social climber

2007-11-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

This isn't art, but it's about an art student. A climbing wall was erected in the middle of LMC as Nov 13 as part of a health fair the college hosted. Erica pretty much smacked down anyone who thought they could scale it faster than her. That's because art students are, well, the best.

Waxed

2007-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

Waxed, a new show featuring art at least partly created with wax, opened Wednesday, Nov. 7 in the new LMC Art Gallery inside the new Library. (New is the new new this year at LMC)
The large work in this photo, "Wall of Grids," created by Daniella Woolf, has over 300 small pieces made waxed strips of paper was designed specifically for the space in the gallery.
You'd better get there before Dec 6, because it all comes down then.
Got any good wax lines for us? Wax on, wax off? Waxing enthusiastic? Something about Brazil?

Illustrator class maps LMC

2007-11-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

LMC Student Kelly McNamar created this map to LMC, the site of a fictitious UFO landing, as part of an assignment in her Illustrator class. Kelly wants you to know she's "Super awesome." Curtis wants you to know that you should check our schedule sign up for a graphics class next semester so you can be "super awesome" too.

2D design values

2007-10-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

closeup value assignment, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

This extreme detail is from Shelly Boyd's self portrait. Students in Dawn Black's 2D design class painted nine different values on separate pieces of paper, cut varied shapes and then assembled them into portraits. Shelly's whole piece is below. Click on it to see it at a larger size.

Photoshop self portrait

2007-10-25T17:26:00.001-07:00

Selfportrait Cameron D, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Cameron Dreger made this self portrait as part of an assignment in his Photoshop class (ART 54). He used photos he shot and assembled them using lots of layer masks. He got the cool textures by photographing clouds and dirt.
He'll be getting an "A" but he doesn't know it yet, so don't tell.

Cool photos from LMC photo class

2007-10-24T16:17:00.001-07:00

Randy Hake made this photo "Reflections, Embarcadero Center" as part of an assignment in the "Survey of Digital Photography" (ART 72) class. It first place in its division at the Northern California Council of Camera Clubs competition. Pretty cool, huh?

But wait! There's more! This semester's photo class has a Flickr Photo Pool. Here's a slide show of the work students have uploaded to Flickr and sent to the LMC pool.

Art Gallery show

2007-10-24T10:42:00.001-07:00

Art gallery show, originally uploaded by losmedanosart.

Ebodied, the curent show in the LMC gallery, runs through Nov. 2. It features some startling images by Jocelyn Shu, Alica Debrincat, and Karen Hass.

Faculty show not so bad

2007-10-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Annual Faculty Art Show was the first show in the new LMC Art Gallery. Located in the new library, it's a wonderful space full of light, and now full of art. Lucy Snow, the latest addition to the department made cool stuff and hung it from the ceiling. The other faculty members didn't make anything as large, or that moved in the breeze. Still, her fellow instructors are still speaking to her.