KWAN FONG GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION

7:00 PM OCTOBER 6, 2011

Deeply concerned with our natural environment, Gong Yuebin’s extraordinary installations provoke strong feelings of loss or power. Using the blackened trunks of large trees that were burned in forest fires, the artist creates monumental arrangements that are evocative of stone circles or watching figures. CLU is fortunate to have Yuebin’s work on display at the flagpoles beside Soiland Humanities Center and inside the Kwan Fong Gallery through Nov. 15.

See the beauty of Mother Earth disappearing.
Hear the voice of freedom fading.
Witness the spirit of mind suffering.
How much more Natural resource has to be exhausted?
How many more people have to be sacrificed?
How many more souls have to be destroyed?
We are one with all on this planet.

—-Gong Yue Bin

A big congratulations to CLU art major Ashley Bowman for being selected as one of the finalists of the American Batik Design Competition.

The American Batik Design Competition is an open competition intended to draw from among American citizens diverse talents in fabric, graphic art and fashion design, to put on display new and original designs that allow the American spirit and values to shine through, while still recognizing uniqueness in the Batik motif. The phrase “American Batik” is a term attempting to illustrate and describe such creative designs and fashion ideas that remain influenced by typical Indonesian Batik motifs, and are bound to incorporate two criteria:

1. they have to be designed by American designers; and
2. they exhibit the American spirit and values, drawing from its history and folklore.

The theme of the competition is “The Spirit of America in the Heritage of Batik”. This theme is hoped to reflect the articulation of cultural fusion between United States and Indonesia through batik; to bring American values in the tradition of Indonesian Batik. This competition is aimed at strengthening people to people contacts between the United States and Indonesia, to bring closer the two countries’ cultural cooperation. It is also one of the Indonesian government’s efforts to internationalize batik to the world.

Judges will consist of Batik and textile experts as well as fashion designers and representatives of fashion industries from Indonesia and the U.S. Participants of this competition will be asked to create an ‘American batik’ digital design only. The transformation from digital designs into Batik Tulis (hand-made batik) will be later done by Indonesian batik artists in Indonesia.

You have made your family, friends, and colleagues very proud. You represent one of the many success stories an education in art at California Lutheran University will bring. All of us at CLU wish you the best of luck for the final.

Congratulations!

Michael Pearce will exhibit his paintings and sculptures from Saturday, Sept. 20, through Friday, Oct. 24, in the Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture.

An opening reception for the free exhibit will be held at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20, in the gallery, which is located in Soiland Humanities
Center on Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus. The gallery is open
to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“The Principle” features works by Michael Pearce that were inspired by
the natural philosophy of renaissance alchemists, whose explorations into
the phenomena of the universe resulted in some remarkable achievements in
early science and were paralleled by their mystical belief in God. Large oil
paintings created over the course of seven years document Pearce’s study of
alchemical philosophy imagery.

Pearce, of Granada Hills, is an accomplished oil painter, installation
designer and award-winning theatrical scenic designer. His paintings are in
many private collections including those of Andrew Getty, Snoop Dogg and the
Carsey Werner Company. Pearce began teaching at CLU in 2001 and became a
full-time faculty member in 2005. As curator of the Kwan Fong Gallery, he
has organized continuous exhibitions by many well-known outside artists as
well as CLU faculty and students. His Web site and blog can be found at
http://gildedraven.com.
 
For more information, contact Pearce at (805) 493-3316 or visit
http://www.callutheran.edu/kwan_fong/.

Greetings, my name is Erika Pruitt and I’m going to be working along side Michael and Sydney(J ) to help manage the Kwan Fong Art Gallery. I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I’m a transfer student from northern Santa Barbara county, and I’m a junior communications major. Some of my interests include shopping, fashion, gardening, jogging, and of course my girls, Princess and Precious (my dogs) whom are two of my best girlfriends. I’m excited about the opportunity to work in the gallery and I hope to gain a wealth of experience. Moreover, I’m looking forward to meeting those of you who support, visit, and enjoy the wonderful exhibits that the Kwan Fong Gallery has to offer. I’ll be posting news of gallery events and behind-the-scenes stories on the blog.

 There’s a stark simplicity to the materials Duncan Simcoe uses to create his works, yet a depth to his images that is simultaneously challenging and moving. He’s concerned with suburban living and the challenge of searching for the divine in the course of our lives – the distance between us and God. The works are religious, but contemporary, and they work effectively to encourage our individual searches for the mystic Christ, always distant, but always personal.

In addition to his suburban works Duncan has made drawings in paint about the battle between the descendants of Abraham, using unexpected renderings of boxers, oil gushers, pigs and shopping carts as jarring images to bring his observation that the conflict is mythical in proportion. Perhaps surprisingly for such controversial material the works don’t take a side in the contemporary struggle between Palestinians and Jews, they simply observe that this is an epic that has been happening for centuries.

The Kwan Fong Gallery exhibit of Duncan Simcoe’s works is now open! Visit the gallery and see what one of Southern California’s most interesting religious artists can do.

Please join us next week on Saturday 16th August at 3.00 pm for drinks and snacks as we celebrate the opening of Duncan Simcoe’s exhibit The Black Drawings. These remarkable works will inspire discussion and impress you with their striking symbolism. Entirely painted on black tar paper, the pieces have a stark simplicity that demands attention. I am very pleased to have them at the gallery.

The Black Drawings are the result of a long-running conversation about the way large stories or myths play upon and intervene in contemporary experience. In the past, he has particularly focused on the generative myth of Abraham and Ishmael, while more recent works have responded to the Palestinian Intifada. His first explorations of this controversial subject matter included studying the works of Goya, and making and collecting images of boxers fighting.

Duncan has a wonderful website where you can get a preview of his work at http://www.duncansimcoeart.com/

Tonight at 7pm!

Join us to celebrate this unique exhibit of portraiture. We will provide snacks and beverages – join us at the Kwan Fong gallery. 

“Mother’s Child” will be on display from Friday, June 27, through Sunday, Aug. 10, in CLU’s Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture. The opening reception is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27.

CLU exhibit explores family bonds

Paintings depict mothers and special needs children

Noble A. Powell III of Camarillo will hold the first major exhibit of his paintings depicting mothers and their special needs children at California Lutheran University.

“Mother’s Child” will be on display from Friday, June 27, through Sunday, Aug. 10, in CLU’s Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture. The opening reception is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27.

Best known for his renderings of golf courses, Powell stepped into new territory a few years ago when he painted a portrait of his wife and their oldest daughter, who has Down syndrome. Since then he has been producing a series of paintings of special needs children and their families that reveal the bond they share and the love, devotion and respect the mothers have for their children.

Powell is an abstract expressionist and portrait artist who has worked primarily in oils on canvas for more than 30 years. His focus on color, movement and emotion draws viewers into the scenes he paints. The recipient of many regional and national awards, Powell has exhibited his paintings in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. 

The Pebble Beach Company commissioned Powell to create a series of images for the Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Links at Spanish Bay. Other courses featured in his works include Pinehurst, the Augusta National Golf Club and British Open venues.

CLU’s Art Department is sponsoring the free exhibit. The Kwan Fong Gallery, located in Soiland Humanities Center on Memorial Parkway, is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit http://www.callutheran.edu/kwan_fong/ or call (805) 493-3316. 

Today’s the day!

Here’s your chance to visit the open studios of artists living and working in Thousand Oaks. The tour begins at the Kavli theatre on Thousand Oaks Blvd. Start by viewing a large exhibit of works by the participating artists, then visit the studios of your choice.

There are four places to visit on CLU’s campus: the Kwan Fong gallery (for the senior students’ show), K2 (Larkin and I), and the A Building, where watercolourist Terry Spehar Fahey and internationally renowned sculptor Lynn Creighton have their spaces.

We have provided maps in the gallery and signs to point the way. Join us! Enjoy!

Recently, Computer Graphics students were challenged to create a portrait of themselves as they might appear as eighty-five year olds. Demonstrating their compositing skills in Photoshop and their knowledge of the aging process, they created a series of amazing, aged portraits. Our special guest judge for this challenge was CLU’s Dr. Robert Meadows E.D., Ph.D. Professor of Criminal Justice. Our thanks to Dr, Meadows, who after years of service in law enforcement, brought a trained and experienced eye in determining which student did the most visually convincing portrait of themselves as a senior citizen.

The winning portrait was created by Sophia Naranjo. You can visit the Aged To Perfection Show in the Spies Borman Building right next to Media Services. Try to identify participating students before checking their names on the tags below their pictures. It’s fun!