I'll be opening my studio along with 30+ artists at Norton Factory Studios this weekend and next as part of East Bay Open Studios. We'll be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Join us!
Filtering by Category: Oakland
Goodbye Forest at Claremont!
Today I sold one of my favorite paintings. It's hard to let a painting go, but it feels so good to know that it will be on someone's wall and not in my painting rack. And this painting couldn't have gone to a better home!
Forest at Claremont, oil on canvas, Lara Hoke
Benefit at Norton Factory Studios Saturday, September 21st
My studio building, Norton Factory Studios, is holding a benefit and art auction next Saturday evening, September the 21st at 6 p.m. We are raising money to help build out a 1,220 square foot space into a classroom. There will be live music, beverages, a silent auction of over 25 pieces of art made by Norton Factory artists and friends, as well as a bunch of raffle items donated by our favorite Bay Area restaurants and makers.
Join us!
Getting the studio ready
Gearing up for East Bay Open Studios!
It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone and it is once again East Bay Open Studios. What is particularly exciting about this year's Open Studios is that it will be the first time in 6 years that I've actually had a studio to show!
Open Studios Details:
June 1 & 2 and June 8 & 9, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
June 1, 5 - 10 p.m., opening PARTY!
Norton Factory Studios
3094 East 10th Street, Oakland, CA 94601
www.facebook.com/NortonFactoryStudios/
www.facebook.com/events/235612623244061/
New Oakland Nightscapes
After about a month's break from the studio, there are couple of new Oakland nightscape studies in the cooker. I'm also planning a slightly new approach to the paintings, stay tuned!
Lara Hoke, Oakland Nightscape Study
Painting in-Progress: Latest Addition to the Oakland Nightscapes Series
Below is the latest painting in my Oakland Nightscapes series. Unlike the previous paintings in the series, which were primarily concerned with a particular corner and storefront, this painting is of our house.
This series of paintings explores familiar places that take on a very different character after dusk.
This painting is still in-progress though I anticipate completing it within the next week. I apologize for the quality of the photo. This series has been notoriously difficult to photograph.
Lara Hoke, Oakland Nightscape, in-progress
Join E. 10th Street Studios for East Bay Open Studios 2012
Want to participate in East Bay Open Studios, but don't have a studio you can open to the public?
E. 10th Street Studios is looking for artists to share their unique space.
E. 10th Street Studios is a 12,000 square foot warehouse conveniently located next door to the Fruitvale BART station.
Participating artists will each get two 8 x 8' modular walls.
Dates: June 2-3 | 9-10
For more information, please email Lisa Pfeiffer, pfeiffer_lisa@hotmail.com.
Deadline: February 17th
It's been too long...
Quick Update on MacArthur and Park and Liquor Video
Added more complexity to the horizon line and a stroke of red. Almost done!
Trying to add more depth and interest in the foreground. Struggling with the tree on the left. All I can think about is broccoli.
Forest and Claremont, from photo to finished painting
I've become particularly interested in documenting my work, in tracking the development of a painting over time. In an effort to study and share the many lives a painting lives, I will post the history of a painting at the point when I've decided it is complete.
Below is the source photo, the study, the underpainting, and the finished painting of Claremont and Forest.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (and another new painting)
I've been working on Rockridge Nightscape AKA Liquor Video for 4 weeks. Because I only work on it during class - twice a week for three hours - each time I paint I look at it with fresh eyes. I made several major changes (at least major to me) this past class. Although the painting may look worse for it for now, the changes are for the best. The tree that was dividing the canvas virtually in half is gone and I've brought back the green leaves in the foreground. Next up: bringing back the depth in the sky and foreground.
And you may recognize this painting. It's a larger version of a study I did several months ago. I'm really happy with how the foreground is shaping up.
A New Painting and an Update
This painting is from a photo I took with my phone this past Friday night. It is the intersection of MacArthur and Park Boulevard by the high school.
And the latest iteration of "Liquor Video". I've been trying to paint only with 1" or larger brushes to keep the stroke loose and painterly and force myself not to fall into my old habit of overworking details.
Latest Work-In-Progress
The last month was a whirlwind. After EBOS I spent a amazing week in Bend, OR with my husband Ben's family. During the last three weeks of June we made an offer on a house, went into escrow, closed, and moved.
My new studio is not functional yet, but will be soon. I will share pictures of the studio's progress in my post.
In the mean time, I've been taking classes with Mel Prest at 10th Street Studios. Below is the painting I am currently working on. For those of you familiar with the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, you may recognize the glowing sign for what I affectionately call "Liquor Video" aka Eddie's Drive In Liquors.
Postcard for East Bay Open Studios 2011
We are gearing up for this year's East Bay Open Studio, and part of that is making sure all of the collateral is in place. Here's the design for our postcard which we're sending off to Greenerprinter in Berkeley momentarily.
Oakland Nightscapes Update
I've been continuing to work on my Oakland Nightscapes series. It's been somehwat of a challenging venture, I'm not particularly good at working from photographs not to mention low-quality photographs taken at night.
Additionally, because it is not my traditional way of working I'm allowing myself to work using different techniques. Specificially, introducing charcoal and sandpaper into the mix.
;)
Paintings Series: Oakland Nightscapes
Now that summer is over and a certain normalcy has returned to my life, I've been able to get back into the studio and start the full-scale Oakland nightscapes in earnest. These paintings are based on photos that I took in the spring that I turned into studies (you can see both the photos and the studies in an earlier post here http://www.larahoke.com/larasblog/2010/6/5/reference-photos-to-formal-studies.html).
The goals is to create and ethereal space - something that feels not quite safe but is at the same time very familiar. To produce that effect I am developing the paintings slowly over time by applying lightly tinted semi-transparent layers of glaze. I use the classic 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 recipe to make my glazing medium - linseed oil, damar varnish, and turp. I am also working to loosen the brush stroke and am introducing line in the form of charcoal and graphite.
Video From East Bay Open Studios 2010
Here's a clip from this past weekend's Open Studios taken by Stan Goldberg, self pro-claimed Senior Dad. I come in around the 2:50 mark. The other artist included in the interview is Laura Malone.
You can also watch the video by following this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3R7Kiuh5aE