Tag Archives: Acorn Gallery

Mirror Image Art Banners May Appeal to Designers

Ella Fitzgerald small banner forward image

A 17 x 20-inch banner of Ella Fitzgerad, front image in process

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Banners were my way of getting around the expensive framing racket. I started with door-sized tab-topped curtains but lately, I have been working my way down to smaller sizes. to fit the market.

I was inspired by a shy and attractive Ella in an early black-and-white photograph that I found online. I worked on the banner on New Year’s Eve (not wanting to go out on “Amateur Night”).

After a few hours of painting, I turned the banner over to add some tick marks. The marks help me keep track of my hours. Generally, it takes me 20-25 hours to finish a small portrait. If I go longer than that, there’s something awry!

I was surprised to see such a clear mirror image of Ella smiling back at me!

The reverse image of Ella Fitzgerald by Marcia Gawecki was sweet too!

The reverse image of Ella Fitzgerald by Marcia Gawecki was sweet too!

The reverse or mirror image looked better than the original that I had been diligently working on. It seemed a shame to paint over it, so I added some colors to the background.

All the while, I was thinking, “What would be the advantage of having two images on a banner? It would take double the amount of time, but would the effort be worth it?”

Then it hit me! The double image banner could be used as a curtain on a door with a window!

The mirror image of a large Obama banner is also "peeking" through!

The mirror image of a large Obama banner is also “peeking” through!

On my front door, there’s a portrait of President Obama that I did in 2008. However, there’s peach paint covering the back of it. Yet, next to the door, is a larger banner of another Obama banner that I did in 2012. When the sun shines, the reverse image peeks through!

Sitting in my living room, I’ve often wondered if I should paint the Obama reverse. Yet, with that large format, it would take hundreds of hours to complete. After the second election, people were more angry about the economy less interested in buying Obama images. So I don’t show that banner much, but I display it outside my Idyllwild home to show my continued commitment to the president.

After painting awhile on the Ella reverse, I decided to take a picture of the two sides and send it to an interior designer I had just met. It was an impulsive email, but I figured that I was onto something really cool for the right market.

If wouldn’t have to be images of jazz legends, but of anyone! I could create double-sided portrait banners of friends or family that people could display on their own front, back or side doors of their home or business.

These double banners could even spruce up a guest house or shed!

I might try it on the next few small banners that I do to see if there’s any interest! It would be double the amount of work, so I may have to charge more for the finished project. It might have a bigger appeal to designers who appreciate artwork that does something more than just hang on a wall!

To see the finished double-sided Ella Fitzgerald, visit the Acorn Gallery at 54750 North Circle Drive (next to Cafe Aroma) in Idyllwild. Call (951) 659-5950.

Copyright 2013-2024 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Getting Over Painting in Public

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Ever since I was young, I’ve always hated painting in public. My dad was stationed in the Phillippine Islands, and my sister and I took watercolor lessons from an old Filapino painter. He didn’t saymuch, but with his paintings, he spoke volumes.

During our lessons, it was customary for students to paint along the walkway into the gallery and shop. People would often stop and watch awhile. My sister, Beth, was definitely a better painter, and found a way to block out any distractions, including visitors.

For me, however, I would suddenly become self-conscious, and fumble with my paint, taking on too much paint or water, and creating an instant mess. Visitors would leave in embarassment, knowing that they caused the commotion.

It got to the point that I would rush through a painting in the early part of our lesson so it would be nearly done by the time that the nosy customers would walk by. Or worse yet, stop and watch.

Because of this, I almost stopped painting. But then I realized that most artists paint in private.

Over the years, when I lived in Omaha, Chicago, and now Idyllwild, gallery owners have encouraged me to paint in public. I would immediately refuse, saying I was too shy, or my canvas was too big for it to work.

Then I’d secretly watch the other artists that agreed to paint outside. One painter working outside the former Artisans Gallery in Oakwood Village, had them captivated. People were drinking wine and milling about, and occasionally would ask her questions, about where she lived, what medium she used, and how long she had been painting.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild. 38 x 50 1/2 inches.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild.
38 x 50 1/2 inches.

She responded with patience and grace. Then she noticed a squirrel digging and running up a nearby tree, and included it in her painting! Needless to say, I was amazed! She ended up selling a couple of paintings. I think it had something to do with the outdoor connection.

But that still didn’t convince me to paint in public. My palms still get sweaty at the thought of it. Then I managed to get my portraits in the Acorn Gallery, next to Cafe Aroma. I started watching the gallery two days a week.

Kirsten Ingbretsen, the owner who is also a mixed-media artist, would encourage me to paint inside or outside the gallery. She was very casual about it.

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Then the Idyllwild Art and Wine Walk arrived, and two of the Acorn artists had agreed to paint outside on the deck. They set up their easels and table, and made it inviting. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to participate, but I set up my banner of Tim Weisberg next to a chair in the parking lot. My back was to everyone who were busy drinking wine, so it was easy to handle.

I decided to get over it.

It was OK until people started getting rowdy and nearly spilled their wine on my back. However, I met some interesting people, and maybe got a commission out of one encounter.

The next week, when I would set out the easels and sculptures on Acorn’s deck, I could see traces o red paint left over from Kirsten’s art projects. At first, I tried to scrape the paint away, but it was stubborn. Scrubbing it was like scraping up frosting left over from a birthday party.

One day, I decided to paint outside under the umbrella, hoping to attract more visitors to the gallery. I was working on a sign that I needed for an art booth. However, I noticed that the longer I painted outside, the less people came into the gallery. They seemed to go the long way around the steps to Cafe Aroma.

I felt like an art troll guarding the door of the gallery. No one would dare cross me, unless they could comment about my painting. Little did they know, it was the last thing I wanted!

So I moved inside. Believe it or not, Kirsten did not object to painting on her glass desk, next to the counter. It was tucked away in the far corner, so visitors didn’t really see me working there until later.

I’m not sure when I started painting there regularly, but it was a matter of necessity. I had some commissions to finish before Christmas and was running out of time. At first, I would just paint the backs of the banners, something that I’d always leave for last. Then I kept adding colors to the back, and pretty soon it looked like an abstract!

When I started working on the front. At the time, I was working on a portrait of baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax. When people would come in, I’d immediately stop painting. I’d even cover it with a towel or a nearby folder, and go help them.

Then people started asking about the paintings.

“Oh, you do those bright portraits?” they’d ask. “What are you working on?” “Hey, that looks exactly like him!”

Sometimes, I’d go into detail about what kind of paint I used, or why I decided to paint on tab-topped curtains. Then I’d point out the other prints in the gallery, and the conversation would go into another direction.

These encounters were innocent enough, and really didn’t produce any sales. People were just curious about what you were doing. Kind of like if I were to see a woodworker whittling away at a piece of wood. I would stop and watch too.

But inside, I still was the young girl who was afraid of messing up.

Then yesterday, I had an encounter with a young artist. Her name was Gabriela, and she and her parents were looking around the gallery. They were from a rural town in Northern California.

Gabby was asking pointed questions about Kirsten’s work that was on display on an easel. This particular one was intense and theraputic. I explained that Kirsten paints about her experiences, and in this case, about a fight she had with her friend.

“She painted this painting a few years ago right after an argument, and then put it away,” I told Gabby, who was looking at the Buddah and sailboats at the top of the painting. “Then she painted this part later. You can do that, you know, finish a painting years later.”

Gabby’s mother saw my paints on the desk, and mentioned that Gabby got an easel and several canvases for Christmas.

“What kind of paint do you use?” she asked.

“I use Behr acrylic paint from Home Depot,” I explained. “I have them mix the $3 samples in bright colors. They have screw on lids, so I don’t spill the paint while I’m painting on my kitchen floor.”

People are always amazed that artists will just paint in the middle of a room. That’s nothing! I know of a sculptor who built a clay pot in the middle of his living room while his wife was away! However, she threatened to leave him if he did it again!

Then Gabby’s dad showed me one of Gabby’s recent paintings on his cell phone. It was an incredible painting of a sunset. There were reds, yellows and blues, with lots of movement. My heart was full!

“How old is Gabby?” I asked.

“Six years old,” her mother replied.

Then I understood why they were a little apprehensive. At that young age, Gabby had real talent. She could even be great, if she kept it up. I tried not to jump up and down and shout that they had the next van Gogh on their hands! Instead, I took their lead and remained calm.

“You should frame it,” I suggested. “It’s really good!”

Gabby beamed.

Her mother said she had put the sunset up in her room. I could tell that they probably didn’ t have much money, and were overwhelmed with what they were going to do with her. I wanted to suggest private lessons, but in the rural area where they lived, there probably was limited resources.

So I suggested that they get large canvases from thrift stores, and paint over those ugly paintings.

“You can use white or any color to cover it, and sometimes there’s texture from the previous painting that you can use in your own landscapes,” I suggested.

Gabby liked the idea, and I asked her if she painted from nature, or out of her head.

“For the sunset, I painted what I saw. My parents like to look at sunsets,” she said. “But other times, I paint from out of my head.”

Artists who can paint from imagination or memory are a different breed.

Then I handed her a poster that I had done of Casey Abrams that showed all the bright colors, explaining that it was OK to give him a green face and purple hair.

I’m not sure how much of what I said sunk in with Gabby. My guess is that she would be light years ahead of me in no time. But she seemed like a well-adjusted young girl, curious about the world.

After they left for Humber Park searching for the last traces of snow, I looked back at Kirsten’s desk. My paint tubs were lined up like little soldiers, while the brushes were resting in the small water cup. The portrait was half hidden, but it was a definite mess.

Then I realized then that I would never have had that art conversation with Gabby had I not been painting in public. I would have said hi to her, and talked about the holiday or the weather, and that would’ve been it.

I would have missed Gabby’s sunset.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Channeling Sinatra in Idyllwild

Poster for "Frank Sinatra & Friends" event Oct. 18

Poster for “Frank Sinatra & Friends” event Oct. 18

By Marcia E. Gawecki

In his 40s, Scott Foster looks like a young Frank Sinatra. He’s got the same steel blue eyes, similar facial features, a slight build and naturally, he was wearing a fedora. We were talking outside Cafe Aroma during the 18th Annual “Art & Wine Walk” in Idyllwild on Saturday, Oct. 12.

“I don’t really look like him,” Foster said with a big smile. “It must be the hat.”

Like Sinatra, Foster grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey, and used to sing at a piano bar, while attending art school.

“There was an old piano player there, who would let you sing a few songs,” Fisher recalled. “As long as you had some chops.”

Then Foster sang a few bars of “Send me to the Moon,” in pitch-perfect Sinatra.

Foster will be performing from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 at Cafe Aroma. The show, “Sinatra & Friends” refers to some of Sinatra-era singers like Neil Diamond.

Foster used to get in trouble in art school for impersonating singers like Sinatra and Diamond.

“My teachers would tell me not to sing exactly like them,” Foster said. “They wanted to hear my voice.”

Although Foster sings with other contemporary bands, he likes impersonating Sinatra’s voice.

“I sing like the older Frank,” Foster explains. “He wouldn’t always hit every note, but would go back and hit it and be right on!”

Foster admits to “channeling” Sinatra when he sings.

“When I’m in a tuxedo and singing from Frank’s songbook, I don’t feel right unless I have a glass of whiskey in my hand,” Foster said.

Foster is not a fanatic who knows every detail of the crooner’s life. But he’s studied his voice enough and knows a little bit about his history, namely that he died in Palm Springs.

“It’s just an hour away, but I haven’t been there yet,” he admits. He hasn’t performed his “Sinatra and Friends” gig in Palm Springs, but isn’t ruling it out.

He’s just taking it one step at a time.

Foster gets great enjoyment when people come up to him afterwards and say, “You sing better than Sinatra!”

Then I showed him my Frank Sinatra banner hanging outside the Acorn Gallery, and he mugged for pictures.

Frank Sinatra & Friends event with Gawecki art banner

Frank Sinatra & Friends event with Gawecki art banner

Tickets to “Sinatra and Friends” for the Oct. 18 show are still available. Call Cafe Aroma at (951) 659-5212. The restaurant is located at 54750 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild.

Copyright Marcia Gawecki Art 2013. All rights reserved.

Painting the “Bronze Buckaroo” in Idyllwild

 

At 100, Herb Jeffries is as dapper as ever!

At 100, Herb Jeffries is as dapper as ever!

By Marcia Gawecki

I have been painting the “Bronze Buckaroo,” red, yellow and blue for years.

Herb Jeffries, who appeared in the first black westerns also sang with Duke Ellington’s orchestra. When I heard he would be celebrating his 100th birthday on Sept. 24 at Cafe Aroma in Idyllwild, my heart raced!

Most of us in Idyllwild hadn’t seen Herb and Savannah for years since they moved to Wichita. To us, it seemed like the ends of the earth. But they had driven back to California, and wanted to celebrate this milestone with some old friends.

Cafe Aroma put out a last-minute announcement for anyone in Idyllwild to come and share birthday cake and champagne with Herb.

Lucky for me, I was working right next door at the Acorn Gallery when the truck pulled up. Lots of well wishers rushed up and Herb flashed that winning smile! He looked dapper in his cowboy hat, boots and tie.

Like a groupie, I took pictures through the gallery window. I was nervous that he wouldn’t remember me, and that I would be in the way. But taking pictures from that vantage point proved to be unsuccessful. And since I had to work at the gallery, I couldn’t join in the festivities.

Sachmo banner at Cafe Aroma with Herb Jeffries banner in background

Sachmo banner at Cafe Aroma with Herb Jeffries banner in background

Yet, Herb and I already had an arts connection. He and Savannah own one of my banners. In 2008, I painted a door-sized banner of Herb that hung outside Cafe Aroma during Jazz in the Pines from August to October.

Along with Herb’s banner, I painted jazz banners of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Marshall Hawkins, who heads up the jazz department at Idyllwild Arts. Marshall’s banner was the only one that sold that year.

Years later, Cafe Aroma hosted a fundraiser for Herb, who was in the hospital and battling a bad respiratory infection. Cafe Aroma asked local artists to donate pieces to help raise money for his recovery. Since my banner was already on Cafe Aroma’s deck, I donated it.

Hubert Hawkins, Cafe Aroma’s owner, bought it and donated the money and the banner to Herb and Savannah. It made me happy to know that it was in Herb’s possession, and that I helped him in a small way with my art. Over the years in Idyllwild, Herb had performed pro bono for many charities, including one for ARF (Animal Rescue Friends of Idyllwild).It was our turn to give back to a man who had given so much to Idyllwild.

Herb ended up recovering and my banner of him (which I never got a good picture of) was somewhere in Wichita.

And suddenly, on Tuesday night, he was right next door celebrating his 100th birthday with friends. During the evening, Savannah went out to the truck to check on their one-eyed terrier, and I was outside. She told me how happy they were to have my banner in their home.

“Will the banner be donated to a museum?” I asked.

“Oh, he has so many things in museums now, we’re going to keep this one,” Savannah said.

Those words made my heart sing! Herb Jeffries wanted to keep my banner in his private collection!

I wanted to ask Savannah where the banner was hanging, in the garage or somewhere, but other people came up and started talking to her. And that was the last of it.

Herb Jeffries print by Marcia Gawecki. He and Savannah now own it.

Herb Jeffries print by Marcia Gawecki. He and Savannah now own it.

Feeling nostalgic, I picked up a smaller print of Herb that I had done years ago. He had sunglasses on and I captured his signature smile. I ran it over to Frank Ferro at Cafe Aroma.

“Can you give it to Herb for me?” I asked Frank. “Or, if he doesn’t want it, sell it for $20?”

Frank smiled and put it on the bar for everyone to see.

The next day, I reviewed the Idyllwild Herald, Hubert’s online paper, and saw many pictures of Herb and friends. He had a great time! He was celebrating at Cafe Aroma for nearly two hours.

About five years earlier, Herb was the last one to leave an event hosted by Jeffrey Taylor from Cafe Cinema at the Caine Learning Center. He kept talking about how much fun he had.

In fact in 2008, Herb was still performing before a live audience at the Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival.

Later that night of Herb’s 100th birthday celebration, a few well-wishers came into Acorn Gallery.

“His voice is a little higher now, and harder to hear,” one said.

“I think it’s a result of all the medication they gave him in the hospital,” another added.”But he looked great! He recognized so many people!”

I was happy and sad at the same time. I wished I wasn’t so shy and would have greeted Herb on his big day, even if he didn’t recognize me as the banner artist.

Then on Thursday, Sept. 26, I got a chance to talk to Herb!

Again, I was working at the Acorn Gallery next door to Cafe Aroma, when the truck pulled up. I watched as Savannah got out and was greeted by their friend, Harley (who is a farmer and a gourd artist at the gallery). Savannah went to make table arrangements at Cafe Aroma, and Harley took their dog for a walk.

So, for a moment, Herb Jeffries was alone in the truck.

I looked out the window, not knowing what to do! But let me tell you, if you get an opportunity like that, you should take it!

I strode up to the truck, and spoke to Herb through the window. He said the door was locked and was trying to open the window, when Harley walked up with the dog.

Harley opened the door, and Herb immediately tried to step out, but Savannah wasn’t back yet with the wheelchair.

“He’s really mad,” Harley warned. “He wants to go eat.”

Legend Herb Jeffries with artist Marcia Gawecki and her portrait of him

Legend Herb Jeffries with artist Marcia Gawecki and her portrait of him

“Hiya, baby!” Herb said, flashing a smile. “Where’s Savannah?”

He was trying to get out of his seatbelt like a precotious child, while Harley was holding him back.

“Just wait!” Harley warned.

I asked Harley if I could get a picture of Herb with one of my portraits. By then, Savannah had come up with the wheelchair.

“Smile, Herb!” Savannah and Harley both shouted.

I got a picture with Herb, just before they whisked him away to lunch. His eyes are as blue as can be, and there’s barely a wrinkle on him.

I credit his good looks with a positive outlook on life. Whenever I’d see Herb at events, he was always gratious and thanked God a lot for his good fortune. It just peppered his conversations so naturally.

“Would Herb want another one of my portraits?” I asked Savannah.

She said sure, and I ran to get one from the Acorn Gallery, and grabbed the other one from Cafe Aroma.

I handed both to Herb and asked him to decide which one he liked best. He turned it over to see his name printed on the back.

“He likes the blue one,” Harley said after a few seconds, and Savannah ran it back to the car.

“Stop by later and get a picture of him smiling,” Savannah said.

But I didn’t want to impose again. I was happy knowing that they owned two of my portraits.

Herb Jeffries portrait at Acorn Gallery Idyllwild

Herb Jeffries portrait at Acorn Gallery Idyllwild

On Oct. 28, Herb and Savannah were headed to Apple Valley Inn for another banquet to celebrate being a centenarian. For more info, call the chamber (760) 242-2753. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!

 

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art.