by Carolyn Blais
Photos by Nikki DeVries

No matter what your artistic taste or preference, there was something for everyone to enjoy on Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th at the Santa Monica Fine Arts Studios. Once a year the studio opens its doors to the public for an open exhibit and silent auction, and this year Forth was lucky enough to be there and take part in the action.

The studio is home to over 30 different artists whose works capture everything from nature and people to the more abstract and modern. While each artist’s work is special and unique in its own way, a few stood out in particular.

Kathryn Kert Green for one, was quite insightful in explaining her work process to me, the ignorant art admirer, unschooled in the ways of fine artistry. Green uses a technique called blind contour, in which she focuses completely on her subjects, rarely looking down at the paper, instead letting her hand glide freely across the canvas. This allows her to draw almost any subject subtly, in even the trickiest of atmospheres like the darkness of the audience at a piano concert at Disney Hall, or a busy pub or crowded coffee shop.

One of the few photography exhibits on display was by G. Harper whose pictures hail from locales around the world. One of my favorites includes Serengeti Skyscape which as its title suggests, depicts a near perfect blue sky that stretches across the entire photo.

Last, but certainly not least on my top three list, is Sonja Schenk’s Project Capture. This series of artwork is made up of several portraits based on photographs of faces found online. The artist seeks to capture these faces, and in a sense, freeze them in time, as they are otherwise fleeting images on the internet. That is, here today, oftentimes, gone tomorrow. Indeed an interesting concept in today’s technologic world.

In addition to the artwork, patrons were able to partake in the melodic harmonies of five different bands sponsored by Forth to play throughout the weekend. A big thanks to: My Black Hole, Nick & Madison w/ Green Gerry, and Chapa for rocking it out and entertaining the crowd on Saturday. And another thanks to Hubie Scemama, Lucas Gonze, and David Orser, as well as Scott Clark and Adam Mackintosh for adding to the artful ambiance by mellowing it out on Sunday.

If you missed the gallery opening this year, be sure to catch it in November, 2010. Admission is free and the pieces will be sure to engage, inspire, and feed the artistic soul.

For more info, visit www.santamonicafineartstudios.com/