Antelopes on Parade
In many cities around the world, summertime brings an assortment of strange visitors into the streets. Purple cats, plaid catfish and mirrored mushrooms all come out to bring an element of color and whimsy to the hot summer days. It started with cows. In 1999, the city of Chicago was overrun with colorful, life-sized statues of cows that seemingly roamed the streets of the city. When they arrived their appearance was only a dull white, but when they made their public debut, their coats were exploding with design and color. They delighted the residents and visitors of the city of Chicago and the concept took off. Now cities all over the world host parades of animals, fruits, objects, symbols - whatever represents them best as a community.
This year, Lancaster is joining the parade with its very own antelopes. Five life-size antelope statues are being decorated by local artists and will make their debut appearance at the 2010 California Poppy Festival. These five antelopes, each sponsored through generous donations, will preside over different areas of the Poppy Festival grounds at Lancaster City Park on April 24th and 25th. But their work is not done when the Poppy Festival ends. They will spend the summer in public and semi-public locations in downtown Lancaster for all residents and visitors to enjoy. When they have soaked up enough of the summer sun, the antelopes will then travel to The Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery Associates fundraising event where they will be auctioned off to raise money that will help the museum to bring quality exhibitions and programs to the citizens of Lancaster and residents of the Antelope Valley.
The participating artists are:
Geo-May Frankenberg
Kris Holladay
At Chico State University, before Kris switched majors from Science to Art, Mike Bishop was a tolerant instructor for an undirected artist. He allowed her to "play" in the University's foundry for a few years while she figured out which direction to take in life.
At Humboldt State University, Marie Thiebaud was an inspirational painting Professor while she was getting her teaching credential.
At CSUN, Kim Abeles was a wonderful mentor for Kris while getting a Masters in Sculpture. The most valuable lesson she taught Kris was that making art is a privilege.
Here in the A.V., Glen Knowles has been a mentor and friend. About 15 years ago, after taking a water color class from him at AVC, Glen invited Kris to paint with his Plein Air group. Being able to paint with a talented group of dedicated Plein Air artists helped to direct a focus for her painting skills and subject matter. Being a full time teacher has limited her participation with the group, but through the years painting on locations that are now developed and seeing places that the artists used to paint that are now under concrete and pavement has been thought provoking. Most (if not all) of the artists in this group have leanings towards environmental preservation.
For the past few years Kris has been working on a body of Joshua Trees. When she paints them, she wants people to feel a sense of identity for this area in the Joshua Tree. These trees are so unique, full of character, limited in geography and located in a delicate environment. Some of the biggest thrills Kris has had while listening to people react to her paintings are along the lines of ... "I always thought they were ugly, but they actually look cool in these paintings" or, "I've never looked at them in this way before".
Marianne and India McNeese
India McNeese, age twelve, was born in Portland, Oregon but has lived in Lancaster for nine years. Always interested in animals and art, she first exhibited her art at the Antelope Valley Fair, and, this year, at the Cedar Street Gallery exhibit, Self Portraits. Her artwork is currently incorporated into a logo on t-shirts and posters for Pippy's Pooper Picker Up-ers, a group she and friends formed to raise donations for a middle school trip to Europe in 2010. She hopes to see the Louvre next spring. Beyond that, she plans to attend art school to pursue a career in illustration and writing.
Marianne McNeese has also lived in the Antelope Valley for nine years, currently residing in Antelope Acres. She first exhibited artwork in a student group show at Antelope Valley College and this year at the Cedar Street Gallery, Self Portraits, where she collaged The Toaster of Kama for exhibit. Her medium of choice is paper, which she has been experimenting with for the last few years. Her artwork is influenced by Eric Carle, Marc Chagall, Jackson Pollock and Robert Rauschenberg. She saw Rauschenberg's combine, Monogram, an assemblage of stuffed goat and automobile tire two years ago and ever since has been digging through piles of barn wood and junk shop merchandise.
Donna Weil
Donna was born June 26, 1945, in Washington D.C. After the war her family moved back to Southern California. She lived in the San Fernando Valley, attended North Hollywood High, Los Angeles Valley College, and after moving to Del Mar, attended the Interior Design Guild of San Diego. Donna has three fabulous children, five spectacular grandchildren, a beautiful home in the mountains that she shares with her very talented roommate, and a flock of animals.
Donna's art career began in the first grade, when her teacher and the principal of Fair Avenue School, called her parents in to discuss the possibility of her receiving professional training. Lucky for her, a neighbor, James Mastropietro, a noted watercolorist, introduced her to a gang of artists in the back room of a paint store in Burbank, California. They set her up with paints and an easel. And the rest is history.
Anyone who has seen her paintings knows her love of the "West" and vibrant color. This is attributed to her Great- Grandfather, Buffalo Bill Runcorn, who helped settle the Badlands of North Dakota and her childhood neighbor, Nudie, the RodeoTailor. Nudie would invite the neighbor-hood kids over to his shop to meet and visit with the "movie cowboys" and Donna would love to jump into his trash and collect colorful leather to make collages and doll furniture, the true start of her art career. Donna was the primary muralist for schools in El Segundo, CA, Ventura, CA, and her murals are in homes through-out Southern California. She is creator of "Weilones", home portraits, collected world-wide, and her new addition, "Dakota Millie's Western Funky", art collection.
Donna's awards include; Pacific Art Association, El Segundo Art Association, Antelope Valley Fair, The Art of the Trashcan (beautification project of Old Town Newhall), and the Santa Clarita Excellence in Art Award 2006, a winning painting on the cover of The City of Santa Clarita Arts Calendar, March 2007 - August 2007, and Antelopes on Parade. Donna is now the Vice President of The Lakes and Valley's Art Association, a member of the Antelope Valley Allied Arts Association, and the Santa Clarita Artists' Association.
Yin Ping Zheng
Mr. Yin Ping Zheng is a professional artist and calligrapher. He has studied and practiced art for the last thirty-one years, beginning his studies at age twelve. During his career, he apprenticed with many master Chinese painters until focusing his studies with Master Wang Yao Ting. He studied with Master Wang Yao Ting for over twenty years concentrating his studies on free-hand style traditional Chinese brush painting. Master Wang Yao Ting was a highly respected and recognized artist, art curator, and educator. During his career, he curated at the Rong Chen Art Gallery and the Tao Xin Zhhe Art Gallery. He also had a few handpicked art apprentices. It was a distinguished privilege and honor for Mr. Zheng to study as an apprentice under a Master Artist such as Master Wang Yao Ting. Mr. Zheng studied with Master Wang Yao Ting until his death in 2002.
Mr. Zheng has been a part-time practicing artist while also working as a full-time professional acrobat. Although he could only devote part of his time to his art career, Mr. Zheng has had his artwork shown in national Chinese art exhibitions. His most notable achievement was having two of his paintings selected for a national juried art exhibition entitled, Love My China, a traveling exhibition sponsored by the Chinese government in celebration of Macau's return to Mainland China from Portugal. Over the years, Mr. Zheng has been invited to join several distinguished art associations including the YheXian Art Gallery Association, the National Chinese Calligraphy Association, Rong Chen Painting Art Committee Association, and the Artist Employment Association.
Mr. Zheng's knowledge of art is not limited to traditional Chinese brush painting and Chinese art history. There is a long tradition of art and art practice within his ancestry reaching ten generations before him; furthermore, his two brothers and sister are both art university graduates and practicing artists. A full time acrobat, Mr. Zheng attended college art classes at night. He studied the Western art techniques of sketching, drawing, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting. His studies also taught the foundations of Western art practice including composition, shading, perspective, scale, subject, and final presentation. Mr. Zheng has noted that his studies in Western art were invaluable in helping him open his mind to new techniques and styles leading to a further evolution of his own personal artistic style within Chinese painting. Currently, Mr. Zheng teaches acrobatics, circus arts, and traditional Chinese brush painting in the Antelope Valley.
