Going Natural - Art by Mannig Gurekian

It all began in Asolo, Italy.  I was so lucky to be born in a hilltop house overlooking a landscape like one in Giorgione's paintings.  Besides the natural and historical beauty that surrounded me, I was also influenced by the magazines that our family's architectural  studio received, and by modern art.  The colorful designs of the Eames, Matisse's paintings, Calder's mobiles gave me an excitement that is hard to explain and that I tried to relive drawing and building objects.

One of my favorite activities in the fall was hiking alone in the hills and gathering branches, berries and flowers to take home and display.  I still love gathering "things" and now they end up in assemblages where fragments from nature and from recycled objects coexist peacefully and dynamically.

I studied architecture in Venice Italy, graphic design at UCLA and art at the Santa Monica School of Art, Design and Architecture.  I work as a graphic artist and an art instructor.  Art continues to be my passion.

These are Mannig Gurekian's own words describing her beginnings in life and art.  Mannig, truly a gifted artist, brings a unique quality and influence to the gallery's arena with her material from nature and  brilliant style.  Her mobiles are delicate and sensual and often approached with curiosity to confirm what one is actually looking at.  Most people, seeing Mannig's art for the first time, are amazed that someone could create such original designs from natural organic objects.  Ahhh...It then makes perfect sense once the viewer puts it together.  An artist does not need much more than what God and earth's abundance have provided.  It takes a playful creativeness to come up with art such as Mannig's.

Here's a sampling of her organic designs...

Mannig's little piece of real estate at Ten Women

Mobile made from bark and other natural materials

Fun and colorful necklaces made from pods and painted to add texture and wonderful colors disguising the focal pieces' origin

A Wonderful display of several mobiles with beads and wire added to the design

A playful creature made, again from all natural elements

A unique design abstract Mobile

Two of Mannig's original paintings.  She brings the natural quality to everything she creates.

 Mannig has been with the gallery for many years starting with us on Abbot Kinney in
 Venice.  All her gallery sisters embrace her unique style and appreciate her contribution to the graphic designs used in our advertising and announcements.

Wire Works at the Gallery

Wire Art from The Heart

Dancing in the streets....

Peggy McKeever-Wire Works

One of many of Peggy's fabulous wire sculptured faces

In 2001, shortly after discovering her passion for creating 3 dimensional, mixed media sculpture in wire, Peggy McKeever also discovered that there was a women's artist co-op gallery on Abbot Kinney in Venice.  

It was shortly after Ten Women opened their second location that they were seeking new and exciting artists to join them.  At the time, Abbot Kinney was not "the place to be seen" that it is today.  In fact, it was pretty run down and was truly in need of TLC.  In spite of this and because of the original Ten Women on Main Street, Santa Monica, they drew destination customers to the new location.  So, after being juried in as a full member of the new Ten Women Venice Gallery, it was clear that Peggy's passion and incredible creations came together and were destined to be a success.

Peggy's delightful and collectible shoes

Wouldn't these hot mamma's look fantastic sitting on a shelf?

Peggy McKeever was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, the eldest of six children.  She moved across country in 1970 settling in Los Angeles.  The mother of two sons, she now calls Santa Monica her home.

Peggy always had an affinity towards the arts.  She didn’t do more than dabble here and there until, after a life changing transition, her creativity blossomed from a spool of wire and yarn that was given to her as part of a gift.  A rapid evolution of 3 dimensional forms sprang from her wonderful imagination after that. 

Peggy started combining the wire, yarn, fabric, vintage beads, jewelry findings, polymer clay and lots of ephemera to create a fabulous range of characters, figures, shoes, clothing and anything that could come alive just by twisting yards of wire.  It doesn’t take much to fuel her inspiration when sitting with her “stuff” and a couple of pair of pliers.  She is definitely influenced by feminine energy and the fashion that women love to wear.  Her incredibly constructed miniature shoes adorned with glitz and glitter are a collector’s item for sure. 

There is an incredibly flare to her work that is admired and sort after.  You can’t overlook her wonderfully expressive faces that are outlined in wire and ready to hang on your wall.

Or, the energy that she brings to her little women that, altogether on the shelf, seem to be dancing to music only they can hear.  You just can’t choose which one to take home with you, each one of a kind and unique.

Being a self taught artist, Peggy considers her, late in life found passion, a gift and a powerful healing experience that she feels blessed to experience and share with the world. 

A perfect gift for mom

Peggy's imagination is endless...

 

Screaming Woman Artworks

Ten Women Gallery embraces such a wonderfully diverse assortment of local female artists.  It's members display a high level of professional quality artistry and each of the 20+ talented women is proud to call our modest space home. It's part of what makes it all work.

The opportunity to have a space to show and sell our wares is, in itself, a unique experience.  I believe we all feel a tremendous sense of pride in what we have accomplished and feel gratitude for the experience.  We certainly are appreciative of our loyal followers and hope to gain a fresh recognition in our now, not so new, location on Montana Avenue.

Among our long standing members is Joann Libolt.  Joann has been selling her fascinating pieces created in clay for many years giving her the pleasure of a substantial following of new and repeat customers. She warrants special viewing and holds her position in the center of the gallery along with Glass artist, Susan Haskell.

A unique hand sculpted clay figure expressing the depth of tenderness of female energy

Here's what Joann has to say about herself and her art...

I have come to studio art in my mature years.  Graduating from college in the 1960's, I have worked in advertising, and helped raise some fantastic children.  I returned to school in my 50's and completed MA and MFA degrees after age 60.  Art, for me, is timeless.

Clay is my primary medium.  I often use mixed media to finish the pieces, but clay is the material I prefer as I work intuitively.  Sculptural work and utility ware are part of my art.  Often political issues become involved.

Joann shows strength in her expressive interpretation of feminine art

Much of the work is born from the emotions of a woman's life as she struggles to define and experience the depth of her life in a world that tends to define it for her.

Hand created, original imagery on Italian tile is another branch of my artwork.  The line drawings utilize a resist technique developed in ancient times called cuerda seca, which resists the surrounding glazes and under glazes as they are applied.  This creates a unique variation of Middle Eastern and Mexican tile work.  The glazes are layered and often fired 3 to 6 separate times to achieve the rich depth of color.

Among the few clay artists the Gallery embraces, Joann has a defined quality that is clearly and  uniquely her own.  Her new pieces are always a surprise and thought provoking.  A special blend of beauty and personal expression...a wonderful contribution to the flavor of Ten Women Gallery.

Jewelry Designs - Phyllis Eagle Kalionzes, a Founding Member

Phyllis Eagle Kalionzes was born and raised in Santa Monica, CA.  She began making jewelry in the sixties and selling it in "Head Shops" on Venice Beach.  After an education in art and photography, she has worked for an Environmental Graphics Design firm for 30 years, stopping only for a brief film career, Props and Art Department...and child bearing two great kids.

Most of the pieces used are vintage glass beads from the 1920's, 30's and 40's from Czechoslovakia, Italy and Bohemia.  Freshwater pearls, semi-precious stones and sterling silver sire have been incorporated in many pieces.  One series of earrings incorporates tumbled, broken glass collected from the January 17th, 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, including her mother's shattered wedding crystals.

Glass earrings, rings with glass and sterling silver bands

Beaded necklaces and bracelets

Phyllis attracts customers young and old to purchase these wonderful guitar pick earrings

A collection of Vintage earrings

New designs include multiple metals stamped, cold connected and layered together to compliment each other

An old standard of Phyllis'...baby harmonicas made into earrings.  A very popular item at the gallery

Multiple metals coordinated beautifully together to create earrings and necklaces

Multiple metals fused/cold connected together in stunning necklace and earring designs

A FYI about Phyllis - her bond and connection to Ten Women Gallery...

Phyllis is one of the original founding members of our gallery and we are proud and grateful to still have her with us.  Her tireless dedication to our uniqueness and desire to keep Ten Women of quality and integrity is what contributes to the success of our wholeness as a co-operative gallery.  The vision remains in tack because she is a part of our originality and the continued steps forward to bring Ten Women into the next decade. 

In Phyllis' own words...
"Ten Women Gallery on Montana Avenue is the fourth Ten Women Gallery that I have had the privilege to help make happen.  We started on Main Street in Santa Monica in 1994, two art teachers at SMASH, 2 parents and 6 others had access to a small space that fit exactly ten women artists (hence the name).  When we started, we had no idea what we were doing and made it up as we went along.  Two years later we were approached by many local artists who wanted to join our co-op, so we opened a second gallery on 17th and Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica.  In time we outgrew that space and moved to Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.  We were at that space for 11 years before our move to Montana Avenue in November, 2011.  We are very happy to be in our new community.

My work has been evolving in the 18 years I've been involved with the co-op experience.  I've done earthquake glass from the 1994 LA quake, wire work and fused glass.  My latest adventure is with copper, brass and silver - texturing, embossing and laying have resulted in new combinations that excite and inspire me to do more.

We invite you to stop in to visit and see what makes Ten Women the success that it is. Looking forward to sharing our passion with you....

An Artist Reception at Topanga Canyon Gallery

 What does "Satisfaction" mean to you?  How about "Sympathy For The Devil", "Gimme Shelter" or "Get Off Of My Cloud"? It is almost impossible to hear any of these phrases and not think of The Rolling Stones.

  In a new show, "Like A Rolling Stone", which opens on Wednesday April 4 at Topanga Canyon Gallery, artists Robyn Feeley and Fae Horowitz pay homage to Sir Mick and the lads, using well known Rolling Stones song titles as the inspiration pieces for their new works.

The show runs through April 29.  Please join us on Saturday April 7, 4pm-7pm for our Artist Reception.  Enjoy the art, our "Beggar's Banquet" and help us toast a Happy 5-OH to you know who! 

The Year of the Dragon 2012

A great baby shower gift for babies born in

2012.  One can be purchased either

framed and unframed at Ten Women. 

 Yes, this is the Year of the Dragon and who better illustrates this then

Anthea Brown is our featured artist at Ten Women Gallery.  She is originally from London, England and moved Venice, CA in the late 1970's.  She enjoys working in mixed media and draws inspiration from the ocean, light and colors of Southern California.  

Anthea is interested in Jungian psychology and the exploration of the unconscious usage of dream imagery and folk tales in her art.  She combines iconic images with plants, birds and animals that she has seen in her travels and makes block prints on linen.  The blocks are all hand carved and pulled on her antique French printing press.  She currently combines block prints with hand embroidery on pictures, cards, pillows and a variety of craft items.

This is Anthea's display at Ten Women where she is one of our top sellers.  Her work is sort after by many collectors throughout the world and can also be purchased in her Etsy Shop.

Anthea's fabulous display

Anthea in the window at Ten Women gallery

A closer look

An beautiful example of Anthea's fairytale images

From the window, a handmade bunny family and a wood block original

One of my personal favorites "Good Dog" matted and ready for framing

A Sweet Dreams pillow for all ages

Popular adorable ornaments handmade from felt

Packaged and ready to give as gifts to both children and adults alike

An original wood block card that could be framed as a keepsake

Several of Anthea's one of kind  handmade pillows and heart ornaments showing an example of her incredible talents

Isabelle Bryer Is In The Window

Loving these sweet twin mermaids

A touch of her new black and white work featured in the window at Ten Women

A variety of Isabelle's paintings as prints and mounted on wood

In the window

 What can I say about Isabelle Bryer and her incredible paintings but AWESOME! BEAUTIFUL! GLORIOUSLY WHIMSICAL! FANTASY FULFILLED! AMAZINGLY TALENTED! etc. etc. etc........

From the first moment I saw Isabelle's paintings, I knew that there was something special happening here.  After meeting Isabelle, I realized that her work comes from her heart and soul and that's why it's so special.

Introducing Isabelle Bryer....

 

I am a French painter now living in Los Angeles. Years ago I traveled from Lyon, France to New-York City for work as a fashion designer where I met my future husband and moved to beautiful L.A. The first portrait I ever painted was of my daughter. Then over the years I got commissioned to paint many more. During this time I developed my own artistic style and began creating my own body of work. My originals currently are hanging in many different countries from China to England. My work has also appeared on television shows and movies including "How I Met Your Mother", "Hannah Montana" & "My Sister's Keeper" among others. Some of my paintings are still available as originals and most of them as Giclee prints as well. They are also available as prints on wood or signed, numbered limited edition prints on eco-friendly bamboo archival paper. If you have any questions, comments or would like to discuss commission work or a studio visit please feel free to e-mail me.

"The best thing about being an artist is that you can create for yourself a whole new world and you get to decide who belongs in it. My universe is a peaceable kingdom where humans, angels, animals and mermaids live in harmony. My paintings are a reflection of what inspires me the most; the imagery of folk tales where courage and innocence are victorious over fear and also religious icons were purity and femininity shines through. I imagine a quiet paradise with legged birds carrying on silent conversations with fish in ponds. The characters who inhabit my artistic universe are loyal and kind and their hearts are pure. They have a deep connection to nature and the spiritual world. Cats or foxes are unlikely angels watching over humans. I like portraits to be theatrical and poetic. The realism of the human figure lies in opposition to the naïve treatment of the landscape as often seen in the folk tradition."

Isabelle's space at the gallery

Isabelle offers her beautiful work as original paintings, prints and mounted prints

 Isabelle is sort after by many admirers of her wonderful paintings.  She is featured in the window at the gallery at present so stop by to see an outstanding sampling of what you will find inside.  It's definitely worth the visit.