In brief, the show was really good and the space is fantastic. And, as far as contemporary art in Ventura County goes, the work at was of the highest caliber that I have seen since I moved here. Heck, she’s got works by Lichtenstein and Rauschenberg just sitting in her pile in back. I think that as a venue, The Sylvia White Gallery is a great addition to the Ventura scene.

My only disappointment, and this is not really a problem with the gallery itself, but of Ventura’s art scene as a whole, there doesn’t seem to be much out there that appeals to my “street” sensibilities. In other words, I have yet to see anything that screams to me, “This is the real deal.” I’m missing the work from maladjusted artists, living on nothing but rice, saving up for another can of house paint and Elmer’s glue, building paradise out of trash, and dreaming of the day they can exhibit their work in an abandoned shipping container. Granted, this is merely my opinion, it is most likely an opinion framed by my romanticizing of days long passed. I know that whatever it is I am looking for is out there and that I just haven’t found it yet.

I do have one complaint about the show at Sylvia White Gallery. The music was lousy. I felt like I was listening to some leftover Don Henley songs from an AM radio. I only complain about this because if you’re going to run an art gallery, part of your job is to provide a vaguely cool atmosphere. Being subjected to third tier top 40 songs pretty much drove me out of the place. It seems to me like it’s not too hard to slap on a collection of say, Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits and just be done with it for the night.

Coffeeboy, in conjuction with GOGALLERY will be hosting a collection of recent toy camera works by Jeremy Kirsch. Known for his elaborately staged tableaux, Jeremy Kirsch’s toy camera photographs are simple pictures of landscapes and objects he spotted while riding his bike around town. These stark and sometimes ghostly images of the Fillmore and Ventura areas were taken with a toy camera.

Coffeeboy is 358 Central Avenue in Fillmore. There will be a reception for the artist and live music from both Pam & Terri and Hope & Justin. The performances begin at 7PM. For more info visit their website at http://coffeboy.net or call 805.524.0572.

http://freekmagnet.deviantart.com

http://freekmagnet.com

GoGallery will be hosting a reception for Fillmore artist Josh Bricker this Saturday, June 14 at 5:30 pm. For more info, visit the GoGallery website at http://gogallery.org.

Hope to see you there!

Coffeeboy is located at 358 Central St. in Fillmore. For more info about Coffeeboy, call 805.524.0572 or visit their website at http://coffeeboy.net. There’s some really knarly construction going on downtown, so I’d recommend parking in the back lot.

For more info about the artist and the show:

http://andrewwhaley.tumblr.com/post/34024582

http://www.rangelstudios.com

Amelia Aparicio: How do you process your dream sketches?

Pablo Ruvalcaba: I always have a sketch book near by, so I thumbnail very quickly different versions of it while it’s still fresh in my mind. If it’s a lucid dream, I’ll have the character pose for me to grab as much detail before I wake

AA: How long does it take on average for you to complete a sketch book? Where do your sketchbooks go after your done?

PR: I’ll finish one in about 4-6 months. But I have about 4 sketchbooks going on at the same time. I use white for pen and pencil, natural tones for ink and paints, and a black paper one for guache/watercolor.

Most of them are in a huge cardboard box in my storage unit. I have a large stack of them in my closet right now.

AA: How do you manage to incorporate your personal work with your professional work? Is there a big difference or do they relate?

PR: It’s rare for me to really incorporate my personal work in my profession. I work in a team environment, so everybody pulls their weight. As a video game artist, I contribute my skills, knowledge, and adaptability for the sake of the project. I get to exercise my creative instinct and make some fun and difficult choices. I enjoy challenges, as they allow me to grow in areas I would not have otherwise.

As for my personal art, it’s all about mastering the medium to expressing the idea. My goal here is to tell a story without words, and say it as clear as I perceive it, both intellectually as well as visual.

AA: What are three priorities that you apply in your everyday life?

PR: Honesty (I fail at times). Being thankful for what I’ve got. Learn something new.

AA: What are three things you wish you had more time for.

PR: Sleep. Music. Exercise.

AA: If you were to meet Bruce Lee what would you ask him or say to him. Where would you invite him to hangout for the day?

PR: Wow. I’d just say thank you for being who are, a sincere human being. Then I’d introduce him to my mom and her wonderful cooking and take him to the Sespe Creek to scramble up some purple sandstones.

AA: What do you like best about animation -other than motion?

PR: It makes your paintings come to life. I enjoy losing myself in the character and story. It’s like being possessed and asking them “where do you want to go?”, “how can I help you get there?”. They reveal themselves to you. That’s what I mean by it makes them come to life.

AA: Which sense could you live without -if you had to choose?

PR: Sadly, I’d have to say taste. I’d just spend a long time smelling my food before eating it.

AA: Share an experience from art school.

PR: No.

… well, I didn’t enjoy most of it. It felt like a rip off. But my colleagues are the best thing I’ve come across since my childhood friends from Fillmore.

AA: Is there an art skill or style you want to explore?

PR: Oil Painting. I just want to explore the medium and develop a good working relationship with it.

AA: What’s your dream job? Would it include you creating art?

PR: My dream job would be owning a ranch while touring the world as a visual artist and musician. Either performing in a band as a singer/songwriter with custom stage installations and album art, or a gallery artist/animator with original music and soundtracks.

And when I’m home, I can have fresh fruits, veggies, and warm chicken eggs.

http://digitalpops.com

Carina’s photos of the show!

Later that night, we made our way over to The Accoaldes Gallery in Ventura to see the Sean Tully and Eddie Millan show. Nice work all around. Amelia and I, having just received a little cash for a museum installation we did a couple months back, bought a nice little piece from Eddie Millan. I felt like such a grown up! I couldn’t find a web site for Sean Tully, but here’s some links:

http://www.accolades-gallery.com/accolades/index.html

http://www.semigod.com/

As it was getting late, we did a drive by to check out the super-cool bike part arch out in front of the Artist’s Union Gallery. Being a cyclist, I’m pretty partial to bike sculptures, but all that aside, this one is pretty gosh darn cool. Definitely check it out if you’re in Ventura. Here’s a link to some articles about the sculpture:

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/04/artist-is-assembling-sculpture-out-of-bike-parts/?printer=1/

http://www.ci.ventura.ca.us/newsmanager/templates/?a=4158&z=95

http://www.markgrieve.com/

All in all, it was a fun night out. I can’t believe we actually had the cash to buy a piece! WOW!

Over the last couple of days, Amelia and I have been helping our friend John Nichols set up an upcoming March 16 exhibit at the Santa Paula Oil Museum. The show will commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the St. Francis Dam disaster. She and I have been painting the walls with scenes of the disaster from photos that John has provided for us. John Nichols is a local historian and archivist and owns the John Nichols Gallery in downtown Santa Paula. For a comprehensive overview of the St. Francis Dam Disaster, visit John’s website @ http://www.sespe.com/damdisaster/.

I recently reconnected with an old friend of mine named Michael W. Dean. I know Michael from my music days up in The Bay Area. I found out that he’d been living a quiet life as a multi-media mogul over in Conejo, so seeing as we are now practically neighbors, I decided to look him up. Amidst his seemingly endless amount of web propaganda, Michael W. Dean has a collection of his fun and entertaining podcasts at http://www.clonethehomeless.com/, and maintains his blog at http://www.stinkfight.com/. Kids beware; there is some material that could be deemed inappropriate for people under 18.

Lastly, I posted a photo sharing page at http://freekmagnet.deviantart.com/. I’ll be posting some of my recent work there from time to time, and if I get really organized, I’ll put some really old stuff up there too. Having completed three pieces in less than a month, these last few weeks have been fairly productive for me project-wise, so I hope to continue the trend and begin work on another piece over the weekend.

For more information, visit their website at http://www.moorparkartsfestival.com/

We’ll see you in April!

Amelia Aparicio: Alex, where were you born, where have you lived, where have you visited and what is a place that you would like to check out?

Alex Becerra: I was born and raised in Piru, Ca - PIRU all my life. My roots are in Mexico. Europe is #1 on my list.

AA: Why do you create art?

AB: I create art because without art this world would be nothing but a blank canvas with the government watching your every move! So, I create art that expresses my true life style.

AA: What are your thoughts about urban landscapes or graffiti?

AB: If by landscape you mean paintings of them..One word…Wack! on the other hand graffiti on government or county owned buildings, no better rush then catching a tag or a throw-up on something that isn’t yours!

AA: What are your thoughts about working on canvas or other objects?

AB: Personally I love working on canvas , but then again, sometimes it keeps you inside the boundaries unlike graffiti.

AA: Who has inspired you?

AB: My two biggest inspirations are my mentors, Matt Nichols and Josh Bricker. They have been there since the beginning and never stop pushing the limits of what I can achieve. Much love to my brothers.

AA: If there were a fire in your house, what 5 personal belongings would you save?

AB: My art box, computer, tattoo kit, camera, and box of spray paint.

AA: If you had enough money to start a business -what would your business be?

AB: If I had a business it would be a tattoo/art studio/gallery all in one.

AA: What makes your blood boil?

AB: When people ask, “What you going to do with your art.” If you ask, you’re not worthy of getting an answer. Without art this world would be nothing.

AA: What makes you happy?

AB: When I know my painting is done and I put my autograph on it!!!

P.S. watch out for the government they have watched me all my life!!!!

Thank you Amelia…