Kindah Khalidy "Soft Serve" at Chandran Gallery

I am one hundred percent obsessed with Kindah Khalidy's new show, Soft Serve, at Chandran Gallery. The great big scale of the pieces, the way Khalidy creates and manipulates and layers shapes, the kaleidoscopic color palette. All of it is perfectly tailored to make me almost giddily happy. Normally, when I see an art show, I take photos of the pieces I like best (both to share with you here, and to help me remember them for my own self) -- suffice to say, in this case that practice meant taking a photo of every single picture in the show, plus a few detail shots. Here for you. Enjoy!

Color Poem #104

this shade of blue sky goes with a mid-november coolness on the skin
a quality of air made of sunlight and crispness and light breeze that
is the perfect autumnal stuff to walk through on a fall afternoon

Book Covers

I drew some favorite book covers for the upcoming Chronicle Books Holiday Craft Fair, where the many talented folks around this joint sell stuff they've made. I've never sold my drawings there before, but I figure if publishing types will slap down their hard-earned cash for anything, it's likely to be things like these. I made these on half-sheets of paper, which was a new thing for me, and I'm pleased about how they came out.

PINK SF Opening Party

The opening party for PINK SF was the other night and it was a pure delight. The show happens to be housed at the shop of my old pal Patti (that's her in the bottom photo) Industrious Life. Folks were buying up gorgeous artworks left and right (that's mine with the pink pens on the green background above, and it is still available!) with all proceeds benefiting Stacey Abrams' Fair Fight. Plus there were really pretty cakes. Thanks, Pen & Ink Brigade, for having me!

Trash Bags

This drawing of trash bags is the first one I've ever made on black paper. It's also the first fully-realized piece I've ever made that has no color in it. I like it anyway.

Helen Frankenthaler at Berggruen Gallery

Good god, people, do I ever love the Helen Frankenthaler show currently up at Berggruen Gallery. It was supposed to close last week, but has been extended until early December. If you're local, I urge you in the strongest terms to run, not walk, your butt over there to see it. Berggruen is just across the street from SFMOMA so you could make a whole art day of it if you wanted. But it would be well worth the trip all on its own. As much as they are fun to look at in reproductions, Frankenthaler's gigantic luminous canvases are a whole different experience in person. They glow. Their shapes-which-are-not-shapes please my eyes like just about nothing else. I hope they do yours, too.

Color Poem #103

the first time
she skates on
her own she’s
in blue jeans
and a little pink
tee shirt the
color of coral

"We Need Diverse Editors" by Kacen Callender

The author Kacen Callender, who worked at a Big Five publisher for five years, has written a great piece on Publishers Weekly about white editors' blind spots when it comes to acquiring books by authors of color. It's a wake-up call regarding both how projects are evaluated:

“I didn’t connect with the character”; “The plot didn’t have enough tension”; “I didn’t find the story relatable”: often times, these are phrases said by white readers who can’t connect with a character of color because they haven’t been asked to in the way that so many people of color are regularly asked to connect with white characters

and how publishing houses are staffed:

To publish more diverse lists across the board, including science fiction and fantasy, publishers need to hire diverse editors who might relate to and connect with more diverse stories, so that they can help to put those much-needed books into the world

Callender also has a new book just out, Queen of the Conquered, which looks fab and is going straight on my to-read list.

Live on Frida Art Show

It was such a delight being interviewed by the lovely Leigh Lucas last week for her Instagram Live series of art auctions Frida Art Show. Leigh came and set up her (very flattering) lighting rig at Open Studio and we chatted live and auctioned off all these artworks of mine to viewers. It was great fun. Here's a peek!

Bread Tie

Inspired by the work of artists Ari Bird and Lea Redmond -- each of whom has rendered her own inspired versions of this subject matter -- I drew a bread tie.

PINK SF

I am excited and honored to be part of PINK SF -- an art exhibition and fundraiser organized by the Pen + Ink Brigade, along with it's companion show PINK NYC. The bi-coastal effort includes over 80 amazing women artists and illustrators who have donated original art. All proceeds from the sale of the artworks (plus postcard packs) will be donated to Fair Fight 2020 -- the organisation started by Stacey Abrams to fight for free and fair elections.

The opening for PINK SF will be on Thursday, November 14th from 5-8pm at Industrious Life, 1095 Tennessee St., here in San Francisco. If you're local, I hope you can join us!

The art can also be purchased online right here. We are hoping to raise $25,000 from sales from these two shows. Give to charity and get great art. Win-win! Here are just a few of my favorite pieces from both shows to give you a taste of what you might get:

above: my very own contribution!

Martha Rich

Alison Farrell

 Bri Hermanson

Carrie Leeb

Sam Tripodi

Maya Ish-Shalom

Courtney Keller

Sarah Golden

Andrea D'Aquino