Art Consultant Betsy Lane Talks About Relationships with Clients and Artists

Interview with Betsy Lane, Art Consultant

September 26, 2014

article by Cathy Breslaw

Betsy Lane was introduced to art while growing up in Denver. Her mother took her to galleries and museums but her first personal experience making art was as a young adult and she became fascinated by glass blowing.  Lane got a job at a glass crafts store where she expanded her knowledge of business, selling and glass blowing and where she met and married the owner, John Swann.  After selling his retail business, Lane and Swann travelled the United States selling glass figurines, commercial blown glass, glass jewelry and other craft items to stores. The couple landed in San Diego because as Lane describes it, they liked the weather and the city. After settling in San Diego, they opened Clear Horizons, an art glass store, in Seaport Village.  After ten years, Lane opened Lane Gallery in Horton Plaza where her items expanded from solely carrying art glass to providing all kinds of art.  After nine years there, she began her consulting business after opening the Sculpture Garden in Del Mar.  The Sculpture Garden had both an indoor and outdoor space and Lane began adding various types of both small and large sculpture. Lane began her consulting business by providing sculpture and other kinds of art to the Parisi Hotel, the Beckman Clinic which is part of Scripps and Barona Casino. She began developing relationships with architects, designers and real estate developers. Lane points out that rather than going to work for other art consultant businesses in San Diego, she felt compelled to have her own business.  The business is a team effort - Betsy handles all the sales and marketing and works with both artists and clients, and John handles the accounting and operations side to the business.

Lane talks a lot about her approach to working with artists and clients.  Her easy-going manner and personality prevails over any business challenges.  She encourages clients to ‘live’ with a piece of art prior to buying it and sees herself as representing both the client and the artist.  She doesn’t charge the client and earns her money by sharing a percentage of the art sold. Lane emphasizes her willingness to identify the client’s budget, understanding their personal taste in art and seeks to provide her clients with art they love and will sometimes take clients to artist studios. She regularly combs the internet to expand her stable of artists.  In taking on any project, she analyzes the entire project space, taking into consideration the size and layout of the space, and what kinds of art are most appropriate. Lane says her client’s companies are an eclectic mix of primarily healthcare, hospitality and real estate.  Among others, she is currently working with Hirsch Bedner Associates, the largest hospitality design firm in the world, Garden Communities which builds apartment complexes around the U.S. and Res Med which is a large national supplier of medical products – all three companies are based in San Diego.

Lane believes her art consulting business is a ‘personal’ one – she attributes having good taste in art, persistence and treating both clients and artists well to the success of her business. Lane generously provided me with a tour of some of the art installations both inside the offices of Garden Communities and outdoor sculptures in La Jolla.  The photos provided here are some examples of the work that Lane has done. For more information you can contact Betsy Lane at:  betsylane1@sbcglobal.net , 

619-997-7491 and at www.betsylaneart.com  Artists interested in working with Betsy Lane are invited to email her.

Jesus Moroles  Texas Granite      2010

at La Jolla Crossroads

John Luebtow  Invenire 2001  Slumped and Etched Glass
40' x 11' x 8'D
Scripps Research Institute  La Jolla

John Luebtow  Invenire 2001 Slumped and Etched Glass / Steel

 40' x 11" x 8'D

Scripps Research Institute,  La Jolla

Michael Stutz    9 foot tall Corten Steel    2013

Titled Big Bill/ ResHead

Photo Michael Stutz

Brandon Zebold       Flame Cut Steel               2010La Jolla Crossroads

San Diego Film Festival Features Over 100 Films, Panels, Celebrity Actors and More

San Diego Film Festival

September 24 – 28, 2014

Article by Cathy Breslaw

The heart and soul of the San Diego Film Festival is the San Diego Film Foundation whose mission is to support independent filmmaking throughout the year by holding screenings and events, and by teaming up with local schools to mentor and teach filmmaking. Dale Strack, CEO of the foundation believes that bringing this festival to San Diego not only has economic benefits for the hospitality industry, but also helps to build San Diego as a hub for the television and film industry. Strack also notes that the festival highlights San Diego as a potential location for new employers, bringing job opportunities. This year’s festival hosts over 100 films from emerging and established filmmakers, which were gleaned from among 1500 film submissions  from all over the globe - reviewed and selected by the program team headed up by Tonya Mantooth, Vice President and Director of Programming for the festival. The films are diverse - ranging from documentaries to feature films to shorts to animation and foreign films. For audiences interested in behind the scenes conversations, they can select from a variety of panel discussions with filmmakers, critics and actors. The film festival includes two major screening venues – the Reading Cinemas in San Diego’s Gaslamp area and the ArcLight Cinemas in La Jolla. On Thursday September 25^th at 7:00 pm, the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego will host a special tribute of awards featuring actor Alan Arkin  who will receive the Gregory Peck Lifetime Achievement Award and actor Beau Bridges who will receive the Vanguard Cinema Award.  Film lovers will have a wide selection of films and events to attend during this exciting four day festival and when all is said and done they will be given ballots to vote their favorites. For more information, go to:  www.sdfilmfest.com

'Chain Reaction': TEDX San Diego Organizer Mark Lovett Talks About Upcoming TEDX Conference, November 8

TEDX San Diego Conference 2014

Copley Symphony Hall San Diego

Saturday, November 8

“Chain Reaction”

Interview with Mark Lovett, Organizer

Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego - Site of TEDX Conference on November 8th

Article by Cathy Breslaw

TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slogan: "Ideas Worth Spreading". On Saturday, November 8^th the San Diego TEDX  conference will be held at Copley Symphony Hall. TEDX, an off-shoot of global TED, is in its fifth year in San Diego and this year’s theme is Chain Reaction.  Mark Lovett is this year’s organizer, and together with his program team and over 100 volunteers, is putting on an exciting event with a series of speakers and performances.  Lovett brings more than 30 years of high tech business experience - including operations, marketing, IT and management to TEDX. The Chain Reaction theme is based on the idea that through community, individual actions and ideas, we are all capable of bringing about positive growth and change in the world. TEDX is primarily partnering with Qualcomm, Sharp Health Plan and Hewlett Packard to put on this one-day set of events.  TED’s original mission to bring people together from Technolgy, Entertainment and Design to talk and collaborate, has expanded to include scientists, entrepreneurs, religious leaders, writers, artists, musicians and more. Venture capitalist and writer Greg Horowitt of the best selling book The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley, UCSD Astrophysicist Brian Keating, Co-Founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and best selling co-author of Getting to Yes, William Uri, and San Diego Symphony Special Project Director and Conductor, Nuvi Mehta  are just a small selection of who attendees can expect to hear from the speaker series. Also people will hear from the group Opera Exposed!, San Diego Opera’s community engagement program designed to bring opera to communities who haven’t had the opportunity to experience it. Singers are undergraduates or recent graduates of local university music departments whose major area of study is voice or opera. Organizer Mark Lovett notes that the goal is for attendees to leave the event inspired – expanding on their perspective of the world and their place in it. For tickets and more information go to  www.tedxsandiego.com

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Contemplation: A Thoughtful Exploration of Nature, Space and Time (article by Sherehe Hollins)

Installation Shot - 'Contemplation   Gotthelf Gallery    Currently on view thru November 26
(Photo Credit - Melissa Au 2014)

Cathy Breslaw’s “Contemplation”

Article by Sherehe Hollins

Cathy Breslaw’s solo exhibition, “Contemplation”, currently on display at the Gotthelf Art Gallery in theSan Diego Center for Jewish Culture, is a thoughtful exploration of nature, space and time. Breslaw’s artistic interpretation of abstract concepts is formed through the integration of paint, sculpture, and installation, which collectively create a whimsical visual effect.

Breslaw’s signature trademark of applying industrial mesh and mixed media with ornamental detail embodies a sense of wonder and fantasy that allow the viewer to construct new meaning out of conventional materials. The artistic juxtaposition of subtle and bold colors, soft and hard textures, and transparent, yet layered constructions support the contrasting themes of fragility and strength that are present throughout Breslaw’s work.

“Contemplation” reveals the transitions and transformations that exist within nature and present the viewer with an opportunity to reflect upon the various stages of life. These themes are mirrored in pieces, such as “Metamorphosis”, which illustrates how harmonious forms and disparate patterns intersect and coexist in perfect balance.

In “Life Line 1”, intricate threads sewn upon layers of softly colored mesh are reminiscent of birth and coming into being, while threads interlaced upon layers of black mesh in “Life Line 2”, resemble conclusion and transition.

Breslaw’s inspiration for “Contemplation” was derived, in part, from her Jewish roots and the idea of honoring the high Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The concepts of spiritual renewal, awakening and forgiveness are highlighted in “Call of the Shofar: 100 Sounds”, which stands as the centerpiece of the exhibition. The collection of fourteen pieces presented in “Contemplation” were selected from existing works, as well as created, specifically for the exhibit.

The pieces in “Contemplation” appear to suspend throughout the gallery, as the lighting permits the artwork to reflect upon the walls and floor, allowing each piece to take on a movement and life of its own. The effect Breslaw hopes to create through the use of her artistic technique is to demonstrate how everyday materials can be reimagined and experienced in new ways when restored and transformed into masterful pieces of art.

“Contemplation” will be on display until November 26, 2014. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the exhibit and Breslaw’s work, visit http://www.cathybreslaw.com andhttp://www.sdcjc.org/gag

'Work From the 60's' - Richard Allen Morris at R.B.Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla

RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA

Richard Allen Morris

Work from the 60’s

Article by Cathy Breslaw

A Word From Giotto    oil on canvas   68 1/2" x 67 1/4"    1961

Viewing the work of Richard Allen Morris in his new exhibition Work From the 60’s  is a step back into art history recalling the Combine series by Robert Rauschenberg, the figurative work of Willem de Kooning and the figurative works by artists during the German Expressionist art movement. This octogenarian came into his own during the 1960’s within the time frame of his mid-20’s to mid-30’s – and his art works from this period reflect this fact. The use of materials are wide ranging – oils on cardboard, panel and canvas, wood sculpture, assemblage, mixed media collage, and ceramic sculpture. All the works share an  energy, spirit and emotion of a young artist developing his craft. There are three oil and mixed media assemblage works from his ‘gun’ series for which the artist is well known. Included in the show are several small portraits  where the distortions in color, scale, space, facial expression and handling of the  brush, convey subjective feelings that evoke our emotions.  The series of small ceramic wall sculptures are expressionistic abstract works that resemble the sensuality of painting. While paintings ‘Ghost Writer’, ‘Laying Low’ and ‘Whitman’s Heart’ are more ‘minimal’ works,  it is clear that Morris’s  sensibility as an artist lies in his drive to express emotion, rhythm and movement.  This is especially evident in what may be considered the ‘signature’ piece of the show – a painting called ‘A Word from Giotto’, a large oil on canvas that showcases Morris’s skill as a painter, with all the nuances of energetic brushwork, color, line and space. The fifty-five works in this exhibition is an ambitious representation of one decade in the life of a still-prolific artist.

Visionary Dance Theater and School for Performing Arts Celebrates Fifth Anniversary in San Diego

Visionary Dance Theater and School for the Performing Arts, San Diego

Article by Cathy Breslaw

www.cathybreslaw.com

www.artfullifebycathy.blogspot.com  

Spencer Powell, Founder,
Visionary Dance Theater

The Visionary Dance Theater and School for the Performing Arts celebrates it’s fifth anniversary.  Spencer Powell, Artistic Director, Producer and founder of the theater programs, explained the many joys and challenges of heading up some of the best performing arts in San Diego. His perspective is varied and enriched by twenty-five years experience as actor, dancer, artistic director, choreographer and producer.  In fact, he has won many awards along the way for choreography, acting and dance. Aside from the School for the Performing Arts and Visionary Dance Theater, in 2012, Powell created a professional Visionary Musical Theater Company. He  has also joined forces with Mickey Mounarath to create Mounarath-Powell Production Company which focuses on producing up-and-coming performing artists in all forms.

The selections of shows, concerts and programs performed at these theaters and the way the ‘business side’ of things are handled are in part, influenced by Spencer Powell’s own background. Powell explained that he came from a poor, single parent family where his mother cleaned houses as a way of providing for her family.  When Spencer was only 8 years old he was exposed to dance and he states that it opened up a new world of possibilities for him, giving him self esteem and confidence, leading to his future success.  Today, he seeks to educate his students about history, literature and math through the performing arts.  He also exposes the children to all aspects of the theater including having them work and participate in selling tickets, cleaning the theater, working the lighting and choreography. Powell points out that only 1% of performing artists succeed at making a living and he believes that by including all aspects of the ‘business’ in student training will help provide them with useful skills that may open doors for them. Powell tackles challenging topics like racial relations and traditional societal roles in his choice of content for performances. He cites using songs like ‘Black and Blue’ from ‘Ain’t Mis’Behaven’  and ‘You Have to Be Carefully Taught’ from South Pacific, as ways to open dialogues with children about history and culture. 

To enhance the ‘community ‘ connections, the school encourages parents of students to act

In the performances, building family activities as well as community engagement and Powell says these shows always sell out. The Visionary School received its non-profit status in January 2014 so that the school will be applying for grants and scholarships. Other community outreach programs are extended in dance and theater programs through a teen intern program working with Helix High School and Point Loma High School. A musical review called “Visions of Broadway” and the production of Powell’s unique version of “Gypsy” are shows to look forward to in the coming months. To learn more, go to www.visionarydancetheater.org