But is it Porn?

My supposed pornographic painting.

Recently I posted an image of my current work in progress on Facebook, as I often do. I usually get a few likes and sometimes even a comment or two. This recent image definitely got it's share of comments and likes, but one in particular caught my attention. A friend, and fellow artist, commented that I was getting into porn because of the way the women were positioned and there was cleavage shown. While I am sure he is probably kidding, it made me think about art and when is it considered porn.

Women are often portrayed naked in art, and yet, who would consider that porn? The general public probably wouldn't. So if it is not a state of nakedness, then what makes an image pornographic (aside from the obvious depiction of people copulating)? The phrase "I know it when I see it" was famously used by US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart to describe his test for obsenity and is often used when someone attempts to categorize an observable fact when it lacks clearly defined parameters. Surely we can tell when an image of a naked woman is art and when it is porn because we know porn when we see it, right? But apparently we all don't agree on what we see or how we see things otherwise there would be no debate, and I have seen this debated a lot recently on Facebook.

Close-up of the woman I worked on yesterday.

I think it starts with how the woman are positioned for starters. Granted, this is all subjective, but I think that's a big portion of it. Are the women in a seductive position while in a state of undress? Even that parameter is questionable since I have seen art where the women were naked and seductively posed and yet did not feel like it was pornographic. The artist who made the comment about my image on Facebook paints Asian women who I would say were quite pornographic. Often times these woman are not completely naked, yet between the position and the general "feel" of his paintings, they feel pornographic to me. I know a few people who think differently.

I guess it is all a matter of opinion and not something that I necessarily have the answers to. The Facebook comment, in addition to other posts I have seen where people have been outraged by some of the "art" posted because of it's perceived degradation of women, just got me thinking so I thought I'd process some of these thoughts on my blog.

On a side, yet relevant note, at my opening reception on Friday at ArtHaus, a woman commented that when she was a teen, pornographic magazines used to put a black bar over the eyes of the models. My art reminded her of it and gave my pieces a bit of an edge because of what the bars have been used for in the past. She got a little "thrill" when she saw my work because of this. It's pretty funny that two people in less than a week made a porn reference about my work. Maybe there is something to that comment about my getting into porn with my work.... nah!

Procrastination or Laziness

Up until four years ago I had a home studio. It was a spacious spare bedroom in my apartment in the Mission district of San Francisco. It was a great space and the commute was even better since there was none. One would think that this would be an ideal situation, being able to paint whenever one felt like it. But having had the studio at home for a good 6 years I realized that I was easily distracted. There were so many other things to do in my apartment (like watching way too much television) that I hardly painted. I would make myself feel anxious and guilty for not painting daily. I would procrastinate going into my studio. It was bad. The only times that seemed to be a good time to paint was when I had a research paper or essay due. I would procrastinate getting those papers done by painting. Those were not very productive years. 

Here's a painting I started early this summer but for some reason, I kept
putting off getting it finished. I am not sure why. Perhaps because there was
just so much to do in this one. Who knows. It was probably just more
procrastination. Well, I am happy to say that I FINALLY finished it yesterday.

When I moved into a smaller apartment and was forced to get a studio space away from home, I found that I painted more. My logic was if I was going to drive all the way to the studio, I may as well stay a long time and make it count. It worked. The last three years were my most productive years of painting with me averaging 65 paintings a year. I would paint an average of five hours a day. 

Now that I am back to having a home studio, I find that the procrastination bug has bitten me again. I have a great home studio but along with the home studio comes way too many distractions of being at home, naps being the biggest distraction of all. I can already feel my production levels dropping and it's making me feel anxious. I am working part-time, getting off at 12:20 pm from my teaching job so that I can spend more time in the studio. You would think I would have a lot accomplished in the last two months, but it hasn't been the case. I can't tell if this is just procrastination or just sheer laziness. Once I am in the studio I am fine. I could paint for hours, but it's the getting there that I am having problems with. You'd think it wouldn't be so hard considering I only have to walk about 20 feet to get to my studio! Sheesh!

I'm thinking I may need to set up a strict schedule and start adhering to it, although the whole point of moving back into a home studio was so that I could paint whenever I felt like it. I am hoping it is just a phase and once I am used to the transition I will be back to my regular productive self. I don't deal well with too much change and in the past few months I have had a lot of it. Maybe I just need to get used to all of these changes. I hope so cause I have a lot of work that needs to be done and none of it has been started. 

Feeling the Love

Last night was the opening for my solo show at ArtHaus. It was such a wonderful evening where I felt a lot of love from the people attending. My favorite moment was when I was talking to a group of six people who didn't know each other. They quickly realized that four out of six of them owned artwork by me. Someone mentioned that it was an informal meeting of the Jhina Alvarado fan club. It was very sweet and flattering.

Thank you to everyone that attended the opening and a special thanks to James and Annette for giving me the opportunity to show at such a great gallery! I am truly honored.

For those of you who missed the opening, the show is up until December 29th. Be sure to stop by and see the show!

ArtHaus

411 Brannan St

San Francisco, CA

ArtHaus' Annette Schutz and James Bacchi celebrating the gallery's 16th anniversary.

Installation shot

"And the Winner Is..." has found a new home!

An installation of 12"x12" paintings titled "Up Close 1-16".

Last Alla Prima Painting...For Now

Yesterday was my last day of class for a little while. I am finding it hard to attend classes with all of the painting I am doing outside of class. While I love the time to do something different from my current series, but it's hard to find that time. I am hoping that I can still take some time during the week and practice alla prima portrait painting on my own. If any of you want to volunteer to model for me for about three hours, there will be a nice home-cooked meal waiting for you when we're done. You may even end up with a painting, if I like the results!

Here's what I painted last night...I am pretty happy with it. It looks a thousand times better than the last woman I did. The skin tone is still off, but getting better. I just need more practice.

This painting of Tori makes her look a bit older than she actually is.
She had a mass of curly hair and a very detailed earing on.

Here are my steps:

All of the things I learned about drawing in Sadie Valeri's class
 (looking at angles, making "connections" with parts of the face,
etc.) have come in handy here. My drawings are more accurate
and I draw quicker since there are less corrections. 

I am still not the best in getting those super darks in. They look fine here,
but if you notice in the next photos, they become muted again. I'm not
used to starting with the darks. I usually add those in once the paint is dry
in my regular work. You can't do that in alla prima.

For those of you wondering about my studio...It's still in the process of being built. Ben got the basic structure of the painting racks done. He just needs to add in the bottom slats and then attach the second level. It's much harder to build a studio when you have a full-time job also. Hopefully by this weekend they will get done.

This is the botton half of the racks. They will hold paintings up to 42" in length.

This flat surface is the bottom of the second level of the rack which
will hold pieces that are 26" in length.

Candid Moments at ArtHaus, San Francisco

I have been busily working, trying to finish up the last few paintings for my solo show, Candid Moments, which opens at ArtHaus gallery on October 5th. I have been working on a 4x4 grid of 12"x12" panels of women faces and I have two more left to paint. I am hoping to have them done by the end of this week so that I can wax all 16 pieces this weekend. I should have about 26 new pieces for the show. If you are in the area, stop by the gallery. James and Annette are the nicest people who know an amazing amount about art and their artists. The show is up until December 29th so there's no excuses...unless of course, you live in another state, although San Francisco does have great weather in the Fall...perhaps a little vacation here is in order.

Two more paintings left to complete...!!

Here's the press release for my show:

ArtHaus 
presents   
CANDID MOMENTS

Paintings by

Jhina Alvarado

October 5 – December 29, 2012

“With these enigmatic panels, Jhina Alvarado has become a cinematographer with paint, bringing the past forward, with a cinematic spirit she keeps alive in her contemporary painting…”  Roberta Carasso – Art LTD. Magazine

Exhibition Dates:  October 5 – December 29, 2012

Opening Reception:  Friday evening, October 5, 2012, 6-8pm

Jhina Alvarado, And the Winner is..., 36”x36”, oil and encaustic on panel

San Francisco…ArtHaus Gallerists, James Bacchi and Annette Schutz, are pleased to present  CANDID MOMENTS, an exhibition of selected works by Bay-Area artist Jhina Alvarado, beginning October 5, 2012 in the ArtHaus Project Gallery.  A reception for the artist will take place on Friday evening, October 5, 2012 from 6pm-8pm.

There is quite a buzz in the Bay Area Art Community about San Francisco Artist, Jhina Alvarado.  Asterisk Magazine recently named Jhina Alvarado one of the TOP 20 ARTISTS in San Francisco.  At last year’s International Encaustic Conference, Alvarado lectured on “Taking the Leap.”  Her paintings were featured at both the SF FINE ART FAIR and ArtPad this year. Eight galleries nationwide continue to clamour for her paintings and place her work with collectors. And, the artist’s blog, focusing on the accomplishments and struggles of one artist trying to make it in the art world, has a major following. Jhina Alvarado is certainly an artist to keep an eye on.

And what about those eyes?  According to the artist, “Since many moments and memories are shared, the identity of the person within each memory is inconsequential.  I always block out the eyes so that the viewer can take part of each memory as if it were their own.

Jhina Alvarado, The Photographer, 30”x24”, oil and encaustic on panel

Alvarado uses oils to portray untold stories from long forgotten photographs.  “I paint these images on wood panels using a considerable amount of white space, cropping the images from their environments, creating a sense of unbalance and emphasizing the need to focus on the individual’s memory, rather than the whole picture.  The painting is then covered in encaustic wax to add and antique photo and dream-like feel.”

CANDID MOMENTS runs through December 29, 2012.  Also on exhibit in the Main Gallery, BEST IN SHOW – a rotating exhibition of works by ArtHaus Gallery and Guest Artists, featuring works in various media by Carolyn Meyer, Patter Hellstrom, Maxine Solomon, Marc Lambrechts and Brian Blood.   

Voted BEST ART GALLERY IN THE BAY AREA three years running, ABC-7 A LIST, ArtHaus is located at 411 Brannan Street in San Francisco.  Gallery Hours are:  Tuesday-Friday, 11am – 6pm and on Saturdays from Noon-5pm.  Visit ArtHaus on the web at:  www.arthaus-sf.com

For further information phone: (415) 977-0223.

411 Brannan Street ~ San Francisco, CA   94107

Studio Floors

As some of you may remember, I just recently moved into a new house and studio (which is in a large space in my house). The floors were uneven and because of it, my easel and chair would roll away from me. In addition, I was having to overcompensate in my posture for the slanted floors and this was killing my back. In stepped my fabulous husband and father to design a platform to level my floors. With the help of some friends (Thank you James, Adam and Erik...but especially James who spent a TON of time building), and a week and a half of work, I now have level floors in my studio!!!! I am still planning on adding another coat of paint to the floors, but I hope to move in this weekend. Next up are storage racks...



In other news...I am still working hard on getting some 12x12 pieces done for a 4x4 grid that will be shown at ArtHaus Gallery for my solo show. The show opens October 5th so there's not much time! I have 6 done, 5 in progress, and 5 to start. Good thing these are small!

Work in progress...

 

Alla Prima Portrait Class: Day 2

Today was not a good day in class. It started off all nice and easy. My drawing was looking pretty good. I was feeling pretty good. And then came color, my current nemesis. As I have said before, mixing colors, especially flesh tones, are hard enough. Add in a limited palette (yellow ochre, cadmium red, ivory black, and titanium white) and all hell breaks loose! Okay, maybe that's an exageration, but it felt like it yesterday.
I am still not happy with my final result. If only I had a few more hours...!

I like the way that this started.

Still looking pretty good, although I think the nose looks big...

Adding in the darkest darks.

And here is where it all went wrong. The colors look muddy.
 Too much white was added too soon. This was where I
started to wonder if I could make this painting work.

I wiped out all of the paint and decided that the nose and mouth
area need some reconstructing.

It's looking better here but the skin tones still look too red. She was a
pretty pale woman.

More progress...

My final results. I am still not happy with it. The color still feels off.
I wish I had more time to work on it, but I don't. I have to remind myself that
it's just practice and I am learning. I just hate having incomplete work, and work
that I am unhappy with on top of it.