Wandering Artist's Journal

After moving here (Reno, NV) from San Francisco last year, I figured things were going to be slow for awhile, until I made some local connections - WRONG! I set up my studio for small work - WRONG! After getting a couple of large commissions (too big for my little wall easel) I thought I could paint outside on my deck, since these commission were probably just a fluke - WRONG! I started looking around for another studio space because I thought it would be too hard to tear this space all apart and build a bigger easel - WRONG! I woke up one morning, stressing about getting to the new (borrowed) studio with all my paints, etc. And it finally dawned on me: I should just take three or four days and restructure this studio to serve my needs and things would get a lot easier, duh. So I did. And now, I'm getting down to business:

Reno is Artown! It's pretty great all year 'round, but the entire month of July is insane, with 10 to 20 art events every single day! Get the full schedule here (click on the calendar date-by-date for events & activities.) I'm just dipping my toe in this year, participating n a few events and getting around to some of the others as a visitor.  Saturday, July 9th:  yART Sale , 9am-4pm, 1420 Mt. Rose St., West of Marsh Avenue I’ll be showing some of my paintings there with 25 other artists, including Lynne Bunt (mixed media), Brenda Retterer (glass painting), and Craig Johnson (knots & bolts) Other Artown venues that carry some of my paintings: Micano Home , 1350 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 10am-6pm, Sat-Thur (closed Friday) I’ll be at the Art, Wine & Music event Micano is hosting on Saturday, July 30th, 1pm-6pm Loorr Home , 3368 Lakeside Ct, Reno, NV 11am-6pm, Tue-Sat (closed Sun & Mon) Fred & Wilma’s Rock Quarry , ...

"Tempus Fugit" (Time Flies) acrylic on canvas, mounted on hinged wooden panels © Anna L. Conti April 1st, 2nd & 3rd , 2016 Luna Maya Markets  ** at 1644 South Wells Avenue, in Reno (across from the Wells traffic circle and next to Cafe DeLuxe ) BigCrow  will  host  a booth at the new monthly Plaza Maya Markets. Stop by Friday 5-8pm, Saturday 3-8pm, Sunday 12-5pm. There will be food, drinks, music and of course ART! Anna  will be showing some of her paintings;  Eoghan  will be making and selling his earrings; and we have a secret guest artist. **  Luna Maya Markets  is a new community art, performance & gathering space and they have a great lineup of activities the first weekend of every month. Please stop by!

(Above: Matt Rockwell, at the Reno  Generator, using the laser cutter to make a wooden prayer wheel for his show at the Hub Cafe, 727 Riverside, Reno) Friday February 5th at 6pm Nevada Fine Arts ( 1301 S. Virginia, Reno, NV) will be hosting a slideshow by Matt Rockwell on his time in Nepal and his experience during and after the huge earthquake. David and I plan to attend - join us there! From the Nevada Fine Arts FaceBook page:  His amazing images and story about his experience of surviving the earthquake and his inspiring call to action will make for and evening not to be missed.  The slideshow is free of charge although we will be encouraging people to help Matt as they can in his effort.  He is looking for donations of several types to help.  We also are asking you to pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.     About Matt: "Matt Rockwell is the Founder of the Global Art Collective, a non-profit organizatio...

"Peace" by Beniamino Bufano  The arte italia is located in a beautiful building designed by Frederic DeLongchamps in 1914 and located at 442 Flint Street, Reno, NV. The art galleries are located on the second floor. The main level is used for culinary arts. Food + visual art = my kind of place (love the Italians.) I’ve been wanting to visit  arte italia  since I moved here, but the final push came when I heard they were hosting a show of work by Benny Bufano . His sculptures are familiar to everyone in San Francisco . Most of us in the arts community have heard stories about Bufano’s years in San Francisco and some of the people who knew him still live there.  This small exhibit contains preparatory drawings, pastels, small sculptures, mosaics, and photo documentation of his larger sculptures. It’s a fine introduction to Beniamino Bufano, the man and the artist. His pacifist politics and his devotion to Saint Francis of Assisi are apparent in the work ...

Yep, I live in Reno. Who’da thunk it? I still get wistful about Los Angeles (especially the art museums) but I don’t miss San Francisco. People, yeah - I have friends scattered all over the planet and I miss them and I always have. I can’t be everywhere at once so  I’m always missing somebody. The solution, to paraphrase the old Stephen Stills song, is to friend the one you’re with. And boy, did I luck out with my gamble on Reno. Not only does one of my oldest best friends live here, but my new friends in the neighborhood are the best kind: warm, generous, sociable, and artistic! A real bonus here is my new studio. It’s large, private, has lots of natural light, plenty of storage, and a potential gallery space on site. I’ve already got a running start on a new painting series I’m calling “Unreliable Memories,” mostly based on vintage (personal) film stills.  Reno has a vibrant art scene and I plan to jump into it this year. Besides the studio painting, I’ve al...