How is it the middle of November already?!? There are a couple of great shows that are sneaking up on me this weekend. The first one I’ll highlight is down in Carpinteria at the Anderson Art Collective. I absolutely love the idea for this show (see details below). There is something about the rarity of collaborative works of art in the art world that makes me very excited. The pieces bring together different points of view, techniques, and media to create something entirely unique, which is exactly what this show is about.  And the results look amazing…

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Anderson Art Collective Presents The Exchange: Bridging the Gap between Northern and Southern California Art Practices.
Santa Barbara, CA – Anderson Art Collective announces its upcoming show The Exchange, a two-man show with individual and collaborative work by California artists Randy Noborikawa (Costa Mesa) and David Seiler (Oakland).

This highly anticipated show embodies an exchange of ideas on art, culture and ethnicity between two artists from diverse and uncommon backgrounds. On the leading edge of their respective art communities, the two artists bring a snapshot of Northern and Southern California art practices to the Collective. The show opens with an artists’ reception on November 20 from 6-8pm and continues through January 9, 2011.

Artist David Seiler brings a background of Bay Area Figurative influences, strong sense of draftsmanship and use of unconventional art media. In addition, Randy Noborikawa’s immersion in Orange County sub-culture, keen sense of composition and extensive use of neon, allow for the two artists to explore themes of ethnicity and cultural boundaries in unique and uncommon ways.

“Because of the physical distance separating the two artists, the collaborative works for this show were made while the artists visited each other in their respective studios, creating the large scale works for the show within an intense (at most) 72 hour period,” notes gallery co-curator Benjamin Anderson. “The result culminating in a visceral, process oriented journey and visual dialogue of two very different artists in one work of art.”

David Seiler lives and works in Oakland, CA where he is known for both his chaotic and turbulent mixed media art as well as his gallery ‘Victorian Rat’. Coming from an ethnically diverse upbringing in the Bay Area, Seiler’s work searches for cultural boundaries and uproots them by laying them bare in his bizarre and otherworldly sculptures, paintings and drawings.

Randy Noborikawa lives and works in Costa Mesa, CA and is gaining widespread recognition for his cutting edge contemporary art that eschews his extensive art training, immersion in Southern California culture and years as a venerated artist/designer for surf giant Quicksilver. Both artists are alumni of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and have been exchanging ideas on art for more than ten years.

Keeping with its continuing mission, the Anderson ART Collective will again donate a portion of sales to a non-profit organization. For this show, the Collective decided to bring it closer to home and has joined forces with the Carpinteria Skate Park Foundation. The Foundation has been working for over a year to bring a skateboard friendly facility to the City of Carpinteria. They are dedicated to seeing the completion of a city park prominently featuring a skate friendly environment that would facilitate the needs of active youth and their families.

Anderson ART Collective is located at 410 Palm Avenue, A2, in Carpinteria, CA on the beach just south of Santa Barbara and is open Fri, Sat and Sun from noon to 5pm or by appointment. The gallery has a roster of eleven contemporary artists and with an emphasis on quality and concept, is a platform to promote the arts, to protect the environment and to support human rights. Anderson Art Collective is one of 34 galleries that will premier at Red Dot Art Fair in Miami http://www.reddotfair.com in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com in December 2010. For more information go to http://www.andersonARTcollective.com or call 805.684.8783.

It’s time again for one of the most highly anticipated exhibits of the year.  The vastly talented and ambitious Anderson family in Carpinteria will be holding the opening reception for their newest combined show this Saturday. Since opening their own gallery at 410 Palm Avenue, A2, in Carpinteria, CA in the historic Henry Fish Seed Company building, they have been put up some really great shows and have produced some of  my favorite paintings of the last few years. They have been working equally hard at getting their work out there into the world and it seems as though this work is beginning to pay off (see below). Because of this hard work, these local artists are getting national, and even international recognition, so seeing their work in such a wonderful local space is a real treat.

Congratulations to the Andersons for their much deserved successes this year. I hope to see a huge crowd in Carpinteria Saturday night.

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ANDERSON {CUBED}

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.

Details and links to the included artists’ websites are below.

OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, May 29
6pm-9pm

410 Palm Avenue | A2 | Carpinteria | CA | 93013 | 805 684 8783

Will Adler, Kevin Ancell, Ron Anderson, Jay Kelly, Randy Noborikawa, Paul Roux, Blakeney Sanford, Reynolds Yater, Sean Anderson, and Ben Anderson.

The Anderson Family is at it again. Make sure to add this opening to your Memorial Day Weekend schedule. See details below.

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Anderson ART Collective will be the epicenter Memorial Day weekend as Rogue Wave II generates its own waves with an energized display of “surf art” arriving from as far away as South Africa.

On Saturday, May 29 from 6-9pm, the opening reception at 410 Palm Avenue Loft A2 in Carpinteria will present the contemporary work of an impressive selection of fine artists. The show, which benefits the Surfrider Foundation, features the work of Will Adler, Kevin Ancell, Ron Anderson, Jay Kelly, Randy Noborikawa, Paul Roux, Blakeney Sanford, Reynolds Yater and the Anderson Bros. Admission is free and the reception is open to the public.

Randy Noborikawa, Mixed Media Neon ©2010

“Once again our focus for Rogue Wave II is to showcase contemporary artists that are influenced or inspired by the ocean and surfing while bringing the edgy, rogue-ish energies of the contemporary art world into the realm of surf culture. Case in point is Randy Noborikawa, an artist we are very excited about as he is pushing the boundaries on what is iconically known as ‘surf art’,” notes Benjamin Anderson, one of the curators of the show.

Highlights of the opening night include music by ‘dalai sonido’ and the auction of a one-of-a kind “Sexy Skull” donated by the Anderson Bros and signed by surf legends to raise money for the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

The show runs through August 8 with five percent of art sales and all proceeds from opening night donated to Surfrider.

Anderson ART Collective is located at 410 Palm Avenue, Loft 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 and is a platform to promote the arts, to protect the environment and to support human rights. For more information go to AndersonArtCollective.com or call 805.684.8783.

Santa Barbara, CA – Water, water, everywhere and there will be plenty of it to drink as Anderson ART Collective (http://www.andersonARTcollective.com) hosts the NIKA Clean Water Festival on Saturday, May 1st in conjunction with their “Just Add Water” show featuring the oil paintings of contemporary artist Benjamin Anderson (http://benjaminanderson.com).

“Each show at Anderson ART Collective benefits a non-profit chosen by the artist(s),” reports Leigh-Anne Anderson, gallery director. “For this one, Benjamin decided to donate a percentage of his sales to non-profit NIKA Water (http://www.nikawater.org) which donates 100% of their profits to creating drinkable water solutions in the developing world. We are stepping it up even more with a full on festival raising awareness of the global water crisis. The gallery is only steps from the beach and NIKA FEST will be the perfect Santa Barbara weekend afternoon happening with fine art, music, food, wine, a good cause, sun and perhaps a stroll on the sand.”

NIKA Clean Water Day Festival will take place at the gallery from noon-4pm on Saturday the first of May at the historic Henry Fish Seed Company Building 410 Palm Avenue in Carpinteria. Admission is free and the public is invited to come and experience fine art, tunes and tasty cuisine with proceeds going to NIKA. Island Brewing Company’s signature beers and local wines will be available for those of drinking age and Delgado’s of Carpinteria will provide some of the food that has made them famous. Two popular eco-minded bands, Free Radical Scavenger and Dalai Sonido will be adding their vibe to the festivities.

In the gallery, the water inspired paintings by Anderson carry the theme of the festival to another realm, with large, monumental oils, including a nearly 14 foot painting of a Spitfire plane, partially submerged in water. The show, which closes in Carpinteria on May 9, will open as a solo show for Anderson at the Blank Space Gallery in Chelsea, NY on June 10.

The word “nika” means “to give” in Zulu and giving is the intention of NIKA Water.
Donating 100 percent of its profits to alleviate global poverty and creating drinkable water solutions in the developing world, NIKA takes an environmentally responsible approach to combating this global crisis.  NIKA is CarbonFree® certified and offsets it carbon footprint, by funding the planting of trees in a “NIKA Forest” in Nicaragua to naturally absorb carbon from the atmosphere and by recycling one plastic bottle for every NIKA bottle created. Based in San Diego and founded by locals, the new brand is currently sold online in case quantities for home and business delivery. The water comes from the Sierras as the snow melts each year and then is purified through a state of the art, multi-stage vapor distilling process to create not only a crisp, carbon neutral beverage, but one that also gives back. NIKA representatives will be on hand at the gallery to share information about the global situation and NIKA’s current projects.

For more information about the festival and the gallery call 805.684.8783 or Google Anderson ART Collective and NIKA Water.

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 Ron Anderson, Benjamin Anderson and Sean Anderson and is a platform to promote the arts, to protect the environment and to support human rights. For more information go to www.andersonARTcollective.com or call 805.684.8783.