A Woman's Painted Journey

National Portrait Gallery of London: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons

paintedjourney — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:49:21 +0000

Currently on exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery of London (from October 20, 2011 to January 8, 2012) is The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons. Here is my account on my visit to London and the exhibit.

Finally, we land and arrive in the London airport; and, yes, it is raining. It is already dark, and as we are driven through the streets of London, the old buildings appear romantically and mysteriously lit. It is as if we were in the same time period as Oliver Twist and My Fair Lady. We were here in the land of Emily Dickinson and Jane Austen, both of whom I love very much. The people on the pavement are all in dark, warm outfits, running into and away from one another to keep away from the rain. The color of their clothes, the color of the sky, and the the color of the buildings are all of the same matching tone of black, brown, and gray. “Yes, we are in London, and tomorrow, when I get up, I am going to immerse myself into its rich, deep culture,” I tell myself, as I open the car’s door to get out.

The next day, we have lunch at the Italian restaurant right in front of the National Portrait Gallery. Following lunch, we go to the gallery to see the exhibit, The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons.

Oh my, I just love what I am standing in front of. I just love what I am looking at. I love it, love it, love it. The combination of the photographs and the paintings are just fantastic. As I read the labels next to the paintings and the photographs, I notice that most of the artists are quite young too — young and very magical and talented. I am so totally impressed and inspired, and I can’t wait to go back home so I can start to paint again.

You may be interested in the following exhibitions:

The First Actresses: Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons
Until 8 January 2012
Find out more: National Portrait Gallery

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011
Until 12 February 2012
Find out more here

My Afternoon Having Tea with the Great Potter, Beatrice Wood

paintedjourney — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:35:24 +0000

I knew David because at one time he was representing my art. That was during the time when David was living with and taking care of Beatrice Wood, the great potter, in her home in Ojai Valley. Well, those were good old times in the beginning of the ’90s.

I liked David very much and he also liked me. He was charming, and one Sunday, he was kind enough to invite me to come to Ojai Valley. I was to meet with him and Beatrice Wood and spend a relaxing afternoon having tea with them.

I remember the magnetic, beautiful, ageless Beatrice Wood, sitting comfortably on the sofa of her living room, leaning against the many colorful cushions. She was adorned by jewelry – bangles and necklaces – and dressed in many fabrics – layers and layers of lace and satin, all wrapped around her like an Indian sari. It was as if she were onstage in a production of her own life and we are all part of it.

Her presence was captivating, entertaining and energetic. She was a story teller, telling many stories of different times and different places. Beatrice told her stories meticulously and seriously, and she took her audiences seriously too. Her eyes were alert, beautiful and clear. Her voice was strong and young, and she could easily discuss with you the latest events as well as any other topics, such as politics, travel, religion and spirituality – all in one sitting and in one go.

Beatrice took me to her studio outside of her house just a few yards away. It was a very large room, neat, with everything in good order and put away. She showed me different pieces that she was working on as well the other pieces that were already completed. These pieces were standing on the shelves. As we examined her works, she explained, with patience and enjoyment, the process that it would take to make each of them from beginning to end, as well as the story behind each piece.

I thought then that it was very obvious that she absolutely loved David and enjoyed his company very much. She would jokingly say that her weakness is young men and chocolate, and then she would laugh at what she had just said. Oh, how ironic it was that when I was visiting and viewing her current exhibition in the Santa Monica Museum of Art just a few days ago, I saw one of her works under that title, “Young Men and Chocolate.” Upon seeing that piece, I remembered that Sunday afternoon, having tea with Beatrice Wood, and I smiled.

The exhibition, “Beatrice Wood: Career Woman – Drawings, Paintings, Vessels, and Objects,” is currently at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, Bergamot Station – 2525 Michigan Ave., Bldg. G1, Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.smmoa.org/index.php/exhibitions/details/242

As Though I Had Just Come Back Home

paintedjourney — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 07:53:55 +0000

It’s so ironic… Since I was a young girl, I was never a spiritual or a religion person, mostly due to the fact that I have never been the kind of person whom can easily conform. If you were to draw a circle around me and forbid me to ever step out of it, all I would want to do is to step out of this circle the first chance I get.

I am an artist – a painter. For years and years, since the beginning of my adulthood, when I started to paint, up until the older woman I am now, I have always painted my own life symbolically. I have been a woman going through different phases of her life, expressing and communicating her feelings through her autobiographical paintings with her viewers.

About 15 years ago, I started painting all these images of a woman, who was supposedly me, all in white, sitting in meditation forms and poses. I managed to complete a large collection of works all dedicated to spirituality and one’s connection with the beyond.

All these paintings were hung and covered all the walls of my home and my studio. Often, people who came to visit would ask me in complete surprise, “Well, Mahvash, what is going on? We did not know that you are into meditation and spirituality.” The fact was that I did not know it myself either, but it was like my soul was telling me something, and the best thing I could do was to listen to its soft whisper very carefully. And that’s exactly what I did.

I started reading books on religions – all sorts of books by different masters and spiritual leaders; books on meditation, yoga, Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. I listened to lectures by masters of all sorts, spiritualists and philosophers. I took notes of the parts of their writings that had affected me just to compare one’s point of view with another. I would fall in love with a master’ s mind and then that master’s philosophy. I would immerse and drown myself into their writings. As I advanced into my readings, I felt that I was already creating a communication line with which I could get in touch with the person I was inside.

They say that when a student is ready, the teacher will appear. It is so very much true. Let me tell you how it all happened.

One day, I was invited and accompanied by a friend of mine to a woman’s house. As the homeowner was showing us around the house, she took us to a room and said, “Now this room is my sanctuary. It’s where I come to find my peace.”

The room was cozy, quiet and small. The light was dim. There was an altar set up against the wall, and in front of it were incense and books. The colors and textures of the objects in the room were subdued. Everything sat in the background with no attempt at getting much attention, yet you felt like you could sit there quietly for a long while and just be immersed in your own soul without being disturbed by anyone, including the constant noise in your own head.

The silence of the room made us feel as if we had to whisper and be calm and let go of all our anxieties. Tee host continued, “Yes, this is where I come when I need to be one with myself. As you know, I am a Buddhist. I practice Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.”

I wanted to know everything about it, and she also wanted to tell me everything about what was so special and so close to her heart. That evening, we all sat around her dining table, drinking tea and talking about life, death and our beliefs. Afterward, I went home with a collection of books that she had lent me to read. I was fascinated, curious and excited, like I was about to get off a ship that had brought me to this magical, exotic island which I could not wait to explore.

The first time I walked into the SGI Buddhist Center, there were about close to one hundred people all gathered there for a world peace prayer. They were all chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” together with one voice. I sat on the first seat I could find and started chanting with everyone else, my voice first timid and a whisper, but soon loud and clear. I felt one with every one, as though my voice were one of the many waves of this powerful river which was moving forward. I felt as though I was one of the waves and part of this river’s energy, and my voice was effortlessly going with it. I felt that everything there was already very familiar to me, as though I had done this before, as though I had been there before, as though I had just come back home.

Related Links:

What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire

paintedjourney — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:01:40 +0000

In the last ten years, I have read over 450 books. One’s encounter with books is like one’s encounter with people — some are easily forgettable and some leave a long lasting impression on you, an impression that you carry with you for long a long time or even for always. Now, if you ask me, “Of all these books, which one do you carry with you?” I would tell you it’s What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire, Charles Bukowski’ s book of poetry. The title of the book itself is quite meaningful to me.

We each have to walk through our own fire. No matter how small or insignificant it may be to other people, never the less, it’s our fire and it burns us. All that matters, all that separates us from each other is how we each emerge walking through our fires.

You know, as I am growing older, I am also getting closer to finding my truth. As a result, I am opening my fist and letting go of so many things which are now of no importance to me. I am just letting go . I think in the end, if I live to be 90 years old, if one asks me, “What are you holding so tightly and hiding inside your fist?” I would then say, “Nothing… Only love.” For in the end, we all realize that love is all that really matters .

Related links:

Exhibition: Demossa Gallery presents Mahvash Mossaed’s “Flowers As Art,” Feb. 6 – April 22

paintedjourney — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 09:16:20 +0000

Flowers As Art

An exhibition of unique flower arrangements and paintings by Mahvash mossaed

A miracle happened. One morning, I woke up and I realized that I am a woman in need of a beautiful garden. It seemed like for the first time, I could see the flowers, the leaves, the trees, and the garden in a way that I had never before. And the garden, too, could see me.

My garden, my sanctuary: a place for me to get close to God, to my beginning, to my end, and to the soil itself.

Mahvash Mossaed’s works have been exhibited in Europe, Asia, Africa, and extensively in the United States. One of her latest exhibitions was held at the American Visionary Art Museum in Maryland. She has been featured inside and on the covers of over 45 books. Her works have been collected by Bijan & Steven Spielberg.

Mahvash has been featured on NBC News. In addition, she is an award-winning filmmaker, winning Best Cultural Documentary & Best Director at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival. She is a poet with two published books, “My Painted Dreams” & “A Woman Defined.”

Exhibition Details

February 6, 2011 to April 22, 2011
1294-D South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651 [Map]
Tel/Fax: 949.715.9229
by appointment only

RSVP BY REPLYING TO ART@DEMOSSAGALLERY.COM

Making Art Like No One is Looking

paintedjourney — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:35:57 +0000

Finally we made time to make it to the San Diego Contemporary Art Museum. On our way, we stopped in Carlsbad to buy flowers from the flower market and to have lunch by the ocean in the Fisherman’s Cafe. Afterward, we were driving and driving and then, boom!, we were right there in front of the museum. It was a quiet Tuesday afternoon. The sun was shining all around us with just a few light blue happy clouds floating in the sky. Oh! It’s so nice to get away from the things you know, you predict, you control, from which you find comfort, and to which you are attached. It’s so nice to be surprised with some unpredictable, refreshing art. We entered the museum and walked around the art exhibits. How exciting it was for me to be here, to look at the art of these extraordinary, brave artists who created all these works of art, putting so much of their heart and soul in them. I am so impressed by their art because they were not trying to be impressive. Every other art seems to be man made, seems to be well-behaved, predictable and polite. But these works of art… Well, in the end, I think the best way I can describe it is that the artists, they created these works as though no one was looking. Check it out and see for yourself; see if you agree with me.

VIVA LA REVOLUCION: A DIALOGUE WITH THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
Jul 18, 2010–Jan 02, 2011 at MCASD Downtown, Jacobs Building

http://www.mcasd.org/
http://www.mcasd.org/exhibitions/616/viva-la-revolucion
http://www.mcasd.org/vivalarevolucion/

A multifaceted exhibition that explores the dialogue between artists and the urban landscape, Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape features works both in the Museum’s galleries as well as at public sites throughout downtown San Diego.

The exhibition includes a diverse range of 20 artists from 10 countries that are linked together by how their work addresses urban issues — Akay (Sweden), Banksy (U.K.), Blu (Italy), Mark Bradford (U.S.), William Cordova (U.S.), Date Farmers (U.S.), Stephan Doitschinoff [CALMA] (Brazil), Dr. Lakra (Mexico), Dzine (Puerto Rico), David Ellis (U.S.), FAILE (Canada), Shepard Fairey (U.S.), Invader (France), JR (France), Barry McGee (U.S.), Ryan McGinness (U.S.), Moris (Mexico), Os Gemeos (Brazil), Swoon (U.S.), and Vhils (Portugal).

Exit Through the Gift Shop

paintedjourney — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:24:07 +0000

This last Friday, I went to see the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop, an art film. This movie is full of images that I could look at for days and days, over and over again yet never get bored of them. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a must-see for any artist whose art has ceased to be free and daring. This movie wakes you up from sleeping and dreaming, encouraging you to break the rules, swim against the waves, say what you want to say without fear, and scream loud and clear so every one can hear you, no matter what. The film is a reminder for artists not to conform but to be free and be brave.

This documentary is about street art and how street artists continue to express themselves through images on the walls of the public places. I particularly enjoyed this documentary especially because of Griffith’s powerful lines and forms, which reminded me of outsider art, which I love so much. I look at it this way: if you take any society as a family, then these artists who do graffiti art are the family’s disobeying, misbehaving children who say it as it as it is and then run away, mocking us all. It’s as if they are saying, No, you cannot catch me. You can’t stop me. I think when a society has a wound and it’s bleeding, then we are all stuck with seeing its blood stains on our walls. I am definitely planning to see this movie again.

What is graffiti: http://www.halifax.ca/corporate/graffiti/whatisgraffiti.html
Trailers:
- http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/exitthroughthegiftshop/
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0b90YppquE

Art Book Recommendations: Female Artists

paintedjourney — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:05:38 +0000

Here are a few art book recommendations and links concerning female artists. Click on the book cover images to see more information about that book.

Other books about Mahvash Mossaed

Videos about Mahvash Mossaed

Video: Marina Abramovic

“A Rebel Form Gains Favor. Fights Ensue.” — New York Times articles about Marina Abramovic

Video: Frida Kahlo

Driving to my art gallery: In Here and In Now

paintedjourney — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:48:09 +0000

Today, as I was driving on such a beautiful sunny day along the ocean to my art gallery in Laguna Beach, I was thinking, Wow… There is so much nagging and complaining, fear and fright, and negativity all around us even though the actual fact is that we are going to survive it all. None of us is going to die of hunger or disease, for we are surrounded by plenty all around us… I thought to myself, I am going to let go of any kind of fear, even though the fear is injected into us on a daily basis. I just refuse to believe that the glass is half empty. Yes, I let go of fear completely, and then I let the empty hole in my heart be filled up all the way with gratefulness. I’m grateful for all I am and all I have. Yes, I will be grateful and present in here and in now.

Please join us for our new exhibitions every first Thursday of the month, from 6PM to 9 PM, at Demossa Gallery, located at 1294-D South Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA 92651. For more information, please call (949)715-9229. You may also visit our website at http://www.demossagallery.com.

Various other interesting art walks from around the globe:

Art Exhibitions in New York

paintedjourney — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:23:31 +0000

I hope we can enjoy watching these videos together. In these videos, James Kalm slips into the some of New York’s top art galleries and museums to bring the viewers footage of some of the most controversial exhibitions in New York City.