Gabriele Bitter

Gabriele has exhibited her work in southern California as well as in Germany and just recently showed her work at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in Long Island, NY, as well as the Mkrtchyan Gallery in Glendale, Sulkin/Secant Gallery at Bergamont Station in Santa Monica, Art 4 All People Gallery in Malibu and at the Orange County Center of Contemporary Art in Santa Ana. Her art work was part of the “Project 36” with Theatre Arts West as well as the Playwrights and Artists Series II.

Gabriele’s work has an identifiable look with its strong colors and textures. Many of her compositions are anchored with geometric shapes and lines which can create both balance and tension. She often incorporates charcoal or chalk as drawing elements. Texture is a very important element in her work.

Recently she started to incorporate new and old printmaking techniques which she enjoys tremendously. Mono-prints, intaglio and linocut have become an intricate part of her work.

Raised in Europe, Gabriele was influenced by many different painting styles. When she moved to the Unites States she enrolled in many art classes and attended a private art school in Irvine. She has continued taking classes and workshops whenever she can find the time.

She is represented by the Copperwood Gallery in Orange and the Lark Gallery in Los Angeles.

Check out more on the artist website gabrielebitter.com.

Rin Nagashima

I am a surrealism artist from Japan. It's going to be my fourth year staying in United States. I do like using a lot of lines and adding detailed with pens. Painting is also my field. My art is always inspired by people and their uniqueness.

Check out more on the artist website rinnagashimaart.weebly.com and Instagram @rinnagashimaart

Pavan and Rita Gupta

Pavan and Rita Gupta have been traveling all over India since 2006, recording and capturing the mages in places like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim. Significant numbers of these images have become rare since the ground realities have changed.

Our Exhibitions are titled EHSAAS - A Visual Movement. Ehsaas means Realization or Feeling. In the current context, this visual movement is to make the people realize that what we see today may not be available tomorrow. India is changing like the rest of the world but the change in India is destroying the very culture of this ancient civilization.

Check out more at the artist website pavanandritagupta.com.

Blake Kern

“I begin with an idea or sense of where I want to go, and by the end of the process I often find myself somewhere unexpected. The piece just takes on a life of its own. I know when the piece is complete because it just feels right.” My goal is to not only evoke an emotional response, but to tell a story.

Blake Kern, an Oceanside resident who has lived in North County since 1975. Married for nearly 43 years, she has two adult children, and two grandchildren. Blake is a retired educator and is enjoying her new found time exploring her personal creativity. Blake has found her niche in collage and mixed media work, whether it be on canvas, in a box, or a book. Blake enjoys writing poetry, which becomes the story behind the art in her sometimes rather dark and mysterious books. Creating altered books and altar boxes is a way for her to focus on a particular theme and develop the layers of texture and 3-D effect that is not obtainable with canvas or paper.

Susan LaMontagne

Susan LaMontagne was born in the heart of Los Angeles and currently resides in North County San Diego. She has seen and lived through a lot of what the world has to offer.

After graduating with a degree in Art and doing graduate work in Art History, Susan has done everything from curatorial work to sailing the Pacific and Caribbean to raising two children with her husband.

At this stage in her life, she wants to share her experiences and vision with you through art. She hopes you enjoy.

Small Batch Ramblers

Banjo and Guitar duo playing American New Grass.

Check out more on their website smallbatchramblers.com and Facebook SmallBatchRamblers

Cory Whitlock

I am always looking to find ways to share my love of surfing and surfboard making. My father Rusty Whitlock has been a professional surfboard shaper since 1963. He taught me how to surf and I went on to have a professional surfing career in the 90's. My younger brother Ricky has also had a professional surfing career and is now moving toward big wave surfing. In 1997 to further spread our family's love of surfing we started "The Whitlock Surf Experience" a surfing school that is dedicated to bringing our love of surfing to as many people as possible. Every year we teach hundreds of families how to surf and show them the art of surfboard making.

May 2015: Black, White and Read

cover art by Blake Kern Curated by Gailee Walker Wells

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photos by Brigid Parsons and Vanessa Boon

Click here to see profiles of many of the artists.

Here are the venues participating in First Friday: Oceanside Art Walk for May 2015 - Black, White and Read.

#	Venue	Artists and Events
1	OCEANSIDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 305 N Nevada St (760) 722-4786	Historical Photos
2	OCEANSIDE MUSEUM OF ART 704 Pier View Way (760) 435-3720	Artist Alliance featuring Ruth Jameson (paintings), Sequoia Redbird (paintings) and Jeannie Ortiz (sculpture) free exhibitions: Ruth Jameson: Emergence - Imagination Upwelling and Visions 20/20 and Beyond; San Diego Dreaming; PEER Stairwell Installation by David Fobes; 100 Artists, 100 Years: The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, 1915-2015
3	OCEANSIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY 330 N Coast Hwy (760) 435-5600	inside: Wayfinding: MiraCosta Photo Mailer Exhibition (photography) outside: live music
4	STAR THEATRE 402 N Coast Hwy (760) 721-9983	Rita and Pavan Gupta (photography)
5	ENDURANCE HOUSE 401 N Coast Hwy (760) 978-6422	Kelly Halloran (live music)
6	RE/MAX SEAGAZE REALTY 401A N Coast Hwy (760) 310-5924	Susan LaMontagne (paintings)
7	MARY'S FAMILY RESTAURANT 307 N Coast Hwy (760) 722-3052	The Center for the Arts at TERI, Inc (paintings, sculpture)
8	THE GALLERY AT THE BROOKS 217 N Coast Hwy (760) 433-8900	Charles Bibbs (paintings) live music
9	COAST JEWELRY AND MORE 205 N Coast Hwy (760) 439-2274	Featured Artist Blake Kern (paintings) live music
10	SEASIDE FLOWERS 212-C Artist Alley (760) 722-5602	outside: Small Batch Ramblers (live music) inside: Chris Schaffer (multimedia)
11	THE HILL STREET COUNTRY CLUB 212-D Artist Alley (760) 917-6666	Ben Horton (drawings)
12	last minute cancellation
13	WHITLOCK SURF EXPERIENCE 605 Mission Ave (858) 994-0506	Cory Whitlock (glassing a surfboard live)
14	SOLE LAB 605 1/2 Mission Ave (760) 547-1550	Rin Nagashima (paintings)
15	PLETHORA GALLERIA 609 Mission Ave (760) 845-8711	Paul Uglow (recycled surf board art)
16	MAINSTREET OCEANSIDE 701 Mission Ave (760) 754-451	outside: Oceanside High School Jazz Emsemble -  inside: Ed Coonce (paintings) inside: Pieces from Playwrights and Artists II (monologues) - 7pm and 8pm: Ed Coonce – Ed Coonce’s Merlot Snow inspired by Noreen Ring’s Glory of a Blue Day Sandy Agan – Corinne William’s Pink Negligee inspired by Gabriele Bitter’s Lady-in-Waiting (Gabriele’s art will be at Eve’s Attic) Eliane Weidauer – Marsha Thorlakson’s An Unfinished Woman inspired by Patricia Korzec’s Self Portrait – the sum of many parts
17	MISSION AVE BAR & GRILL 711 Mission Ave (760) 637-2222	Taylor Gallegos (paintings) Rick Ortiz (paintings)
18	CECIL DAVID GOFF INSURANCE AGENCY 713 Mission Ave #B (760) 488-6885	Krista Timberlake (paintings)
19	EVE'S ATTIC 216 N Coast Hwy (858) 869-3737	Gabriele Bitter (paintings)
20	EARTH CULTURE ROOTS 105 S Coast Hwy (760) 721-4434	Ken Hailey (photography) live music
21	BANANA DANG! 115 S Coast Hwy (760) 846-0162	Kyla Moya (paintings)
22	BEAUTY 101 117 S Coast Hwy (760) 529-5947	Denise Odion (photography) Joe Wood (paintings)

Kyla Moya

Kyla Moya is a southern California visual artist specializing in intricate detailed drawings of all kinds as well as various paintings and other creative oddities, and is the founder of the Labyrinth of Kuriosity art boutique.

Bold, colorful, fantastical and intricate kreations are a signature of Kyla's artwork.

Check out more on the artist website labyrinthofkuriosity.com and Facebook LOKdesigns .

Sequoia Redbird

My name is Sequoia Redbird and I am a native American artist. I paint with the purpose of becoming better every time I paint. My medium is acrylic which I use to create portraits, landscapes and abstract art.

Kelly Halloran

Kelly Halloran is a singer-songwriter, who started writing songs in 2006.

She believes in the power of music as a universal language. Her style is countryesque and can have a kick of jazz, sass, pop, rock, whatever is needed to serve the song.

She has performed as a solo artist and with her band Sequin in the Sky. She has performed at Carlsbad Flower Fields, in Oceanside at Crossroads Stagehouse, Sunshine Brooks Theatre, Star Theatre, and sang at the Oceanside Days of Art and in “That’s Amore” at the Oceanside Cultural Arts Center Valentine Fundraiser Show.

Several of her original songs have been recognized by the Song of the Year contest online. Her song, Lonely Night in Paris was a part of a compilation cd.

Kelly has 5 music videos available on YouTube, two of them were in the Oceanside International Film Festival (Boo!Koo! in 2013 and Eye of the Storm in 2014). Her music is available on iTunes (Kelly Halloran and Sequin in the Sky). Kelly has 4 music videos in progress and is currently writing her first musical, Angel Girl. Kelly has grown to love all aspects of filmmaking and stage production.

Kelly is also a Dermatology Nurse Practitioner at Oceana Dermatology in Carlsbad.

Check out more at Facebook SequinInTheSky and YouTube SequinInTheSky

Ed Coonce

I am a storyteller/writer and painter. I work in mixed media, producing pieces that are somewhat 3d on the surface. I use a variety of techniques and materials to produce the works. My first art exhibit was at the Joan Ankrum Gallery in Hollywood in 1981. I have participated in the Oceanside Art Walk; this past November I organized and finished a public collaborative painting, which I will feature at my next hanging. I believe that the creative spark never leaves us.

I enjoy the theatre, and am lucky enough to be a part of Theatre Arts West. I hope to have another screenplay finished within the next few months. I was lucky enough to have a short film, "Sheep and Wolf," in the 2012 Oceanside International Film Festival. I am a poet, and perform regularly with Full Moon Poets, New Poetic Brew, and the Ruckus at the Duck.

Check out more at the artist website edcoonce.com.

Krista Timberlake

I hail from Western Massachusetts, where I grew up in a family and community of artists and craftspeople & developed my love of nature & the outdoors. After attending UVM for premed & Savannah College of Art & Design, I earned my BFA from UMASS, Amherst. Bicycling for 25+ years has created a love and addiction that have contributed many ideas and themes to my art. As an avid cyclist, yogini, hiker, weightlifter, fitness enthusiast & former premed student, I have a great appreciation for the body as a machine. As a general outdoorswoman & lover of nature, I have always been drawn to depict animals in addition to people, especially in a whimsical manner. Artistically, I have always found beauty in well-crafted machinery, as well as in the human figure & most living things found in nature. In creating mechanical & more naturalistic pieces, I am intrigued by line, texture and color, and am most drawn to using watercolor as it is unpredictable. The most interesting things happen in my work when “mistakes” occur- unplanned reactions that I will never be able to duplicate. I currently live in Vista, work as a graphic designer at The Upper Deck Company & freelance as a graphic & web designer and fine artist.

Check out more at the artist website kristatimberlake.com

Rick Ortiz

I work at Biggs Harley-Davidson in San Marcos CA. I painted this piece simply named Semper Fi. Everyday we serve our Military Men and Women here at Biggs and every weekend they come in from there day of motorcycle riding and we serve them food, My family are very Military proud and it makes me feel good to see and serve these guys and girls, Basically because they get to see and do things us "normal" citizens do not, possibly even wouldn't/couldn't do. 2'x4' Acrylic on Wood panel. So I will be painting more Military related pieces in the Future.

Christine VH Schaffer

My mission is to create a whimsical world filled with the wonder of nature in the modern day world, using mixed media. I look to build small worlds and creatures with found objects, paper, markers, and paint . Always seeking my Muse in a whimsical way, I have found inspiration in human invention and nature. Intrigued by the paradox of both belonging to nature and humanity's desire to manipulate nature, I have sought to create a balance between these two worlds, the one in which creativity and invention lies. All the while, in search of a Modern-Day Muse. Natural beauty and machine coexisting in the creation of something with both the whimsy of the natural world while containing it all in a box, it's own little world. Throughout my art career I have played with the idea of perceptions in nature and the role of humanity within nature. I would describe my art as whimsically creepy.

Taylor Gallegos

Taylor Gallegos has been exhibited in solo and group shows in art galleries and businesses throughout the western United States and abroad. His work is in public and private collections from Hawai’i to Italy.

Taylor has always loved, created and studied art. He was born in Boulder, Colorado, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a double concentration in both Painting and Drawing from Colorado State University. To expand on his formal education and artistic practice, he went abroad in 2004 to study, paint and draw in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. Since then he has lived and worked in the world of art practicing his craft in many different mediums and styles. Taylor now lives and makes art in Fallbrook, California, twenty minutes from the ocean that he visits often for fun, connection to the world and deep inspiration.

Check out more on the artist website taylorgallegos.com

Oceanside Museum of Art Artist Alliance

The Artist Alliance is a membership affiliate group dedicated to the support of the Oceanside Museum of Art. It provides opportunities for interaction, visibility and growth for artists in the region.

For more info, check out the website.

The Artist Alliance appears monthly on the patio of the Oceanside Museum of Art

The Center for the Arts at TERI, Inc

The Center for the Arts at TERI, Inc in Oceanside CA opened its studio doors in 2007. The Art Studios provide a space for artists with autism and other developmental disabilities to collaborate, experiment with sensation, personal expression and to connect to you, as audience. The work is expressive and often collaborative; thus giving the opportunity of participation to people of diverse abilities. The greater body of work is in acrylics on various platforms, but includes creation in collage, mosaic, and mixed media.

Jeannie Marshall Ortiz

Jeannie Marshall Ortiz was born in San Diego, California, and grew up near the beach in south Ocean Beach. The ocean, the sun, and a good breeze have always been her comfort and inspiration. She gradually got into making art, starting with drawing, beading, sewing, and spinning and dying wool. She also played the flute, enjoyed jamming, and was part of a modern dance group called Vanguard. The rhythm and flow of all these elements is seen in her artwork.

She made her first linoleum block print when she was 21, living in what she called her ‘birdhouse’ in Golden Hills, while going to Mesa College. She majored in Art and Spanish, and took her first sculpting class there, which felt like coming home. Continuing her studies at San Francisco State University she enjoyed lithography, and, of course, sculpting. Finishing up her B.A. in Art with an emphasis in Sculpture, she made her first figurative sculpture in marble.

During her time in ‘The City’, she started traveling in Mexico and Guatemala, with just a backpack, and stayed in ‘pensiones’. Jeannie visited many museums and galleries, small towns, lots of water falls, made many friends, and drew in pencil and ink wherever she went. While living in Coatepec and Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, she worked on a sizable sculpture in marble, made a variety of prints, a couple of smaller sculptures in wood, and lots of drawings. She also taught art and sculpting to various individuals, and ceramics to a sizable group at the University Extension.

Returning to San Diego, Jeannie raised three sons, earned teaching credentials, and taught bilingual elementary school children for nearly two decades, mostly in Vista. She used her Spanish a whole lot more than her art during that time.

Since retiring, she’s gotten back to sculpting, and even made a couple of prints.
She teaches sculpting to kids of all ages, and now has a single subject credential to teach art. In 2010, Jeannie participated in the Oceanside Sculpture Competition. She taught sculpting at Reach, an after school program run by the Vista Community Clinic, with a grant from the Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation in 2011. She was the featured artist of November 2011 at Vista Art Foundation’s Gallery 204. She teaches sculpting and mask making to elementary school students through ‘Kid’s College’, an after school enrichment program. She just learned to work in stained glass this winter, and loves the color and light. She also started making her first sculpture in olive wood recently. Jeannie shows her work at Artbeat on Main Street in Vista, and in the Artist Alliance shows around town.

Myles McGuinness

He’s a waterman and cameraman, can communicate verbally and visually, and manages brand strategy as well as he does typography. He is a Creative Director whose intuition and experience allow him to break from the script but stay exactly on-strategy. A fine artist backed with facts. And a shooter whose precision focus coexists with a broad depth of field. Instead of dictating, he integrates, shifting roles to fit the project, crew, client and shot at hand. Everything else just gets in the way of the idea.

He follows a basic principle: always go the extra mile.

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These images have been exhibited & published internationally in U.K., Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Australia, U.S. and recognized by: American Advertising Federation (AAF), National Geographic, The Smithsonian,  Oceanside Museum of Art, Surfer, The California Surf Museum, Communication Arts Photo Annuals, PDN Photo Annual and a Follow the Light Finalist.

Images Represented by : Aurora Photos (US), The California Surf Museum (CA), and 6Feet and Perfect (France).

Check out more on the artist website 9mphoto.com, Facebook 9mphoto, Instagram @9mphoto, Tumblr 9mphoto.