I have made no secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of the Anderson Art Collective in Carpinteria. Brothers Sean and Ben Anderson are talented, ambitious, and incredibly generous young artists, which is why I feel a bit guilty for not making the short trip to Carp to visit their gallery more often, especially considering that the Andersons are putting together some of the most exciting shows you are going to find anywhere in the Santa Barbara area. The upcoming show of work by Ben Anderson is a perfect example.
If you have only seen pictures of Ben’s work it is easy to see that they are beautiful, clever, and skillfully executed paintings. But as with all great paintings, you have to stand in front of the real thing to get a true sense of its worth. This is especially true for this series of paintings, many of which are of a scale that goes far beyond what the average viewer will have encountered before. At nearly 14 feet long, “Spitfire Deluded” (pictured below) is truly epic in proportion. And to fully take in work of this size you almost have to be standing 14 feet away.
However, as you approach the paintings and are no longer able to take in the entire image, the shapes become abstractions and the simple beauty of color and texture become the focus. The most spectacular example of this near/far duality is found in “7 Girls”, who dissolve into an Ab Ex collection of bright, gestural brushstrokes as you approach.
I could go on, but the point is that you must go to see them in person. The are any number of things you could do with yourself this Saturday, but if you are an art lover (and if you are reading this the chances are good), then the best thing you could possibly do in the Santa Barbara area this Saturday evening is go to the show to see for yourself.
See details below.
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Presents
“JUST ADD WATER”
by Benjamin Anderson
Supporting the efforts of NIKA Water and Project Concern International bringing clean water to those who need it most.
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| SPITFIRE DILUTED | 60″ x 166″ | oil on linen | Benjamin Anderson | 2009 | |
OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, February 27
6pm-9pm
410 Palm Avenue | A2 | Carpinteria | CA | 93013 | 805 684 8783
Santa Barbara, CA – Anderson Art Collective will soon be awash with Benjamin Anderson’s vibrant, large-scale contemporary oil paintings depicting a universe where water immerses and transforms the world we know. The solo show, Just Add Water, opens on Saturday, February 27 with an artist reception from 6-9pm and will continue through May 9. The reception is free and open to the public.
In a series of 14 paintings that blend themes of beauty, war and materialism, Anderson uses water as his visual vehicle. Diluting and distorting the lines of perception and beauty, the artist utilizes both realism and abstraction in his vision to relegate the importance of the material world to simple forms and shapes. Finding beauty in the ugly and ugly in the beautiful, the concept of Just Add Water takes on a new meaning in this show of thought provoking paintings.
According to a review by art critic Josef Woodard in the Santa Barbara News Press, “Objects and people submerged in rippling pool water, from a group of girls to an underwater spitfire airplane, serve as irony-soaked subjects in the pleasantly disorienting paintings of Benjamin Anderson.”
Trained in Florence, Italy and the SF Academy of Art University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Benjamin’s work was first presented in the De Young Museum of Fine Arts “Emerging Artists Exhibition” of 2001. He has been creating monumental oil paintings since 2002 and has been recognized for his portraiture by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He was selected by Converse for a national ad campaign as their All Star artist and his work was the subject of a presentation on London’s Channel 4 TV. He has shown work in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Italy and most recently in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to his collaboration on the M-E-Y-K Art Kits, he is also a co-owner and co-curator of Anderson ART Collective.
“As with all the Anderson Art Collective shows, we will donate a percentage of each sale to support non-profit endeavors. For ‘Just Add Water’ we are very proud to be associated with and donate 10% of our sales to NIKA Water”, states Leigh-Anne Anderson, Director of the gallery.
“NIKA Water (http://www.nikawater.org) uses water to create clean water. By that I mean that they sell premium, bottled water and donate 100% of their profits to support clean water projects in impoverished countries. As you can read on their website, 1.1 billion people on the planet lack access to safe and affordable drinking water. Thats 20% of the global population. Over 2 million people will die this year due to unsafe drinking water and 90% of them will be children under the age of five.
“NIKA Water invests in water projects in Kenya, Nicaragua, Uganda, Sri Lanka and most recently Haiti through Project Concern International (http://www.projectconcern.org) which we will be supporting through the arts. Its a win/win situation as clients will receive a tax deduction while championing human rights.”
The Anderson Art Collectiveshows on the 2010 Santa Barbara Art Calendar will each contribute a percentage of sales to non-profit organizations. In 2009, the gallery donated to Unity Shoppe Santa Barbara, United Way, Surfrider Foundation, Talhado Childrens Home of South Africa and the Rio Beni Health Foundation of Bolivia.
The next show is Rogue Wave II which will open on May 29, 2010 presenting surf related contemporary artwork by local, national and international artists.
Anderson ART Collective is located at 410 Palm Avenue, A2, in Carpinteria, CA in the historic Henry Fish Seed Company building at the entrance to Carpinteria State Beach and is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5pm or by appointment. The gallery features contemporary artwork by local and international artists and is a platform to promote the arts, to protect the environment and to support human rights.
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Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite 
I happened to be in Carpinteria today, so I stopped by the Anderson Art Collective to check out the new show of surf art that opens tomorrow night. I found brothers Sean and Ben Anderson in the middle of installation but they were nice enough to show me around. Though some of the major pieces for the show had yet to arrive, the things that were there made up a wonderful, surf-inspired collection. The show brings together a nice mix of photography, painting, sculpture, and amazing custom surfboards. As always with the Anderson clan, a portion of sales from the show are given to charity, this time the Santa Barbara Chapter of the SURFRIDER FOUNDATION. The opening night should be quite a scene, with live music and beverages. If you have yet to make plans for this Saturday, consider heading down to Carpinteria to see some great art.
