Handmade for the Holidays!

There's nothing more thoughtful than a lovingly handmade gift - support your local artists and crafters and do your holiday shopping right here at the aRt Cottage!

Jewelry, knit & crochet, upcycled art, notecards, mini journals, paintings, mixed media, collage, photography, home décor - there's something for everyone on your list.

Artists featured here:

• Margaret Lucas-Hill
• Pat Viera
• Joanne Zehrung
• Elliott Night
• Julie Van Wyk
• Margaret Dzikielews
• George Rammell

Tom Quinlavin - Working on Paper

Tom Quinlavin

Working on paper was essential to my development as an artist. The smooth and fast properties of paper meant I could take more risks. Despite several moves, I have been fortunate to have retained several pieces of work on paper from the past forty or so years.

A friend asked what the lines are about. The purpose is to contain the energy of the shapes they encircle – like a levee, holding back. In defining the space this way, it pushes the contrast between colors and the movement - or rhythm.

Early on in my career everything I did was about pushing energy out, energy expelled. Or as artist Ted Stamm used to say, it is “energy transferred.” So, sensing a need for some control, I started containing the source. Years later I consciously started encircling shapes. This essentially allowed me to draw by squirting paint straight from the tube, which is such a great feeling.   — Tom Quinlavin

Untitled, 1981

QUINLAVIN 

40 YEARS ON PAPER 

October 3 – 26, 2019 

Artist Reception & Open House

Saturday, October 5  •  2–5pm 

Artist 7

Artist 7 presents Abstractly Speaking 

August 6th to September 27th 

Join us for the Artist Reception 

August 10, 2019   3 - 5 pmGuitar music by Roy Gonzales

Artist 7 is a group of artists that meets regularly to discuss upcoming shows, museum events, and new techniques and media. The group also critiques current work by each artist and commiserates on the verities of the art world.

In Abstractly Speaking, they present their current abstract work, each exploring and going in different directions.

Artist 7 has decided that 30% of all their sales will be given to Legal Services for Children in San Francisco. The group says, “We are very moved by the plight of children coming across our southern border and want to use what we do best to contribute in helping those who help them.”

“All seven of us - Valerie Corvin, Lynn Glenn, Katie Korotzer, Jan Lainoff, Pam McCauley, Roberta Milstead and Dee Tivenan would like to thank FRO Schmidt, the owner of the aRt Cottage, for this opportunity to share our work with others.”

Quixotica by Roc DeWilde

"Maya awakens from a dream; her consciousness is impressed with strong feelings of wanting. By living experiences and reasoning, she becomes aware that her most important purpose in life is to know herself – as sharing the joy and beauty of LOVE."

As part of our All About Photography exhibit for July, we have a special audio-visual presentation called Quixotica by Roc DeWilde, whose photography spans over five decades in national and international media.

Quixotica is awe-inspiring entertainment - a series of 36+ images accompanied by lyrical music. Viewers will experience a moving narrative through sight and sound, created with compelling transitions, vivid colors and pools of shadows that are beautifully designed to spark your imagination.

FRO - Owner of aRt Cottage

Mary Dunn, Photo Editor for People Magazine said of DeWilde's work, “Roc directs his subjects so masterfully that they look alive. Each picture has an anecdotal quality – they express moments.”

Let's all Van Gogh to the Parade!

Fro's art car has been covered in sunflowers! The aRt Cottage will join the Concord Art Association to ride in the July 4th Parade this week. We're celebrating a big public art project happening this summer and giving a nod to a classic, Vincent Van Gogh. Hope to see you downtown!

Water, water everywhere...

Stone's Throw from the Golden Gate by Judith McCall

We're so lucky to live in Northern California, where beautiful waterscapes are everywhere. From the sandy coast of the Pacific Ocean, to the still waters of the San Francisco Bay, to the meandering rivers of the Sacramento Delta - creative inspiration abounds here in brilliant blues and greens.

Our June show is All About Water. We held an open call for this show, which always brings out new artists in the area and fresh works of art on the theme.

Be sure to join us at the opening reception on June 8th!

Trout by Pat Viera

Call for Artists!

A Day at the Beach by Sandy Leonard

CALL FOR ARTISTS

We are now accepting submissions for artwork relevant to the water theme.
All mediums and styles, 2D and 3D are welcome!

Visit the Artist Submissions page to register online.

Send your images to frogard2000@gmail.com for publicity consideration.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Saturday, May 25 (3-5pm) - Deliver art

Tuesday, June 4 - Show opens

Saturday, June 8 (2-4pm) - Artist Reception/Open House

Sunday, June 30 (1-3pm) - Pick up art

Pssst...Sandy's painting above was sold in this month's show!

We're part of Concord's 7th Annual Art, Wine & Beer Walk!

We're proud to be part of Concord's 7th Annual Art, Wine & Beer Walk!

Saturday, May 11th  1-4pm

Enjoy our current show - Mark Jezierny & Students

With special guest artists - Spike Mills & Jeremy Ruys

Entry Table by Jeremy Ruys
Created with reclaimed wood from the Tubbs Fire

Special guest artist - Spike Mills

Goomee Planter  (California Redwood, 16x10")

Acclaimed artist Spike Mills is visiting from Canada - and we're so delighted to feature some of his work here at the aRt Cottage during the month of May!

Spike carves and paints unique sculptures and masks from fallen trees and reclaimed wood.

Chupcan Queen  (White Cedar, 34x10")

Mt. Diablo Goomee  (California Redwood, 48x14")

Growing up in Wawa, Ontario, Spike spent much of his boyhood outdoors, exploring the woods, climbing the hills and scavenging the beaches of nearby Lake Superior.

Spike saw faces everywhere...shimmering on the lake, lurking in the woods, etched onto the rocks. The images "freaked me out," says Spike, because he knew they existed only in his mind. His parents dismissed their son's visions as fanciful daydreams, but the faces were very real to Spike, and seemed to emanate from a parallel world that both frightened him and beckoned to him. He wondered if he could unite with the faces...and now that boyhood curiosity has morphed into an obsessive life's calling. "I knew then that I could manifest what I was seeing and bring these faces to life," he says. "I'm still at it."  

Click here to read Spike's full bio.

Mark Jezierny and his students return

Mark Jezierny has been passionate about art since childhood and in 1990, he received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has been teaching in the Bay Area for many years. We're delighted to have Mark and his students, past and present, back for another show in May. 

Lafayette Reservoir

"Mark's paintings of Northern California landscapes, buildings and industrial scenes are done with both brush and/or palette knife. He creates an impressionistic style with an approach that is unconventional. yet boldly realistic. He uses color to convey mood, atmosphere and perspective with an energy that depicts the overall spirit of the subject matter. Texture and shading are effectively used to emphasize the form, density and richness of natural and man made objects."  - Walter Mast

Old Borges Ranch Barn

When art students come together, great things happen!

Leafscape by Walter Crew

Our local community college DVC (Diablo Valley College) has a wonderful art program. In 2001, a group of 14 art students decided to gather outside of class for critique sessions to help improve their skills. After a while the group became known as CC14 (CC for our county of Contra Costa) and has grown to well beyond 14 members, including current DVC students and former alumni.

CC14 members' work is featured for the month of April and you're sure to find something you'll want to bring home!

Join us for the CC14 Artist Reception on Saturday, April 6th, 2-4pm.

Landscapes of the Mind - March Show

By River Huston

In our March show, Landscapes of the Mind, you'll take a wild ride from the natural world to the exciting, abstract world of fantasy. Nearly 30 members from the Concord Art Association are showing their visions of landscapes through paintings, photography, collage and more.

Inspiration surrounds us in February

Underwater II by Colleen Gianatiempo, mixed media

Inspiration Surrounds Us

In this energetic mixed media art show that runs through the month of February, Concord Art Association members explore the concept that inspiration can be found anywhere. From the smallest bug to the largest building, artists are inspired by color, light, form, shadows, geometry, texture, people, nature and so much more. Inspiration knows no bounds!

Budding Corruption by Pat Calabro, acrylic