CAF is excited to have SBMA Curator of Contemporary Art, Julie Joyce, along with three other leading curators who have made their mark on Santa Barbara’s art scene, for this intimate and unique panel discussion happening THIS THURSDAY, October 11, at 6 pm at CAF! Details? See below.

I mistakenly listed this as a Saturday night event. Thanks Saul for pointing out my mistake. See you FRIDAY!

In the past month or so I found out that two of my favorite local artists will be leaving town. I am always torn when I hear this news. Selfishly, I am sad that I will not have the opportunity to follow their development as closely or see their work first hand. I started this blog more than 3 years ago lamenting that Santa Barbara is continually drained of young artistic talent, and I continue to do so. However, I can hardly blame artists for leaving. It is nearly impossible for an artist to make a living in this town.

Saul Gray-Hildenbrand has been a staple of the local art scene for many years. As part of the great staff of the Contemporary Arts Forum and the Can(n)on Studio in Goleta, Saul has played a large and varied role. He currently has his first solo show in California, and his last (for the foreseeable future) as California resident, at Left Coast Books in Old Town Goleta.

Next Saturday FRIDAY night June 22nd there will be a closing reception where you can see Saul’s work in person and wish him best of luck in his new adventures.

You’ll be missed, Saul.

See you there.

“MINIMAL MAXIMAL”

by

SAUL GRAY-HILDENBRAND

 May 22 to June 22, 2011 

RECEPTION FOR THE ARTIST

Friday, June 22, 5-8 pm 

The gallery at Left Coast Books, in Goleta, California (5877 Hollister Avenue), is pleased to announce our new exhibition, “Minimal Maximal” by SAUL GRAY-HILDENBRAND.

Gray-Hildenbrand’s work has been exhibited at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum and in other venues both locally and nationally; this is his first one-man show in California.

For this exhibition, Gray-Hildenbrand is exhibiting a new painting, and has created a site-specific installation using dozens of books, transformed into sculptures. On the gallery’s west wall, the artist has installed a “Constellation of Quiet Monsters,” an array of “faces,” painted in a variety of monochrome hues, each face created out of a book, with a rectangular cut through each entire book (text block and covers included), leaving teeth along the top and bottom edges of the “mouths.”

A native of Michigan, SAUL GRAY-HILDENBRAND has a BFA in Art and Design from Grand Valley State University. The works in this exhibition were created in his Goleta studio. The artist’s reception/closing party will be held on the final day of the exhibition, marking his departure from the region as he prepares a new life in Tennessee.

The galleryat Left Coast Books is located at 5877 Hollister Avenue in Goleta, California. We are open Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 11 am to 6 pm. All works are for sale.

Contact: Simon Taylor, 805.845.1212, or visit our www.leftcoastbooks.us, for more information.

Forgive me loyal readers for it has been 10 days since my last post. Life has kept me even busier than usual as of late, but fear not, things shall return to normal in a week or two.

I’m hoping that I am getting this out in time for my email subscribers to catch it. It has been a while since I’ve been to a special event at the Contemporary Arts Forum, since most of them happen on 1st Thursday, when I’m busy on the Art Crawl. SO… I’m very excited about being able to attend this particular event. I always get excited about MFA shows, where we get the chance to see the work of up-and-coming young artists.  It is also exciting to have this show right in downtown. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that many MFA students out at UCSB would be happy to get off campus more often and this is a great chance to integrate with the wider community.

I hope to see you there.

UCSB 2012 MFA EXHIBITION: Headgear for Tony