Bakersfield native, Renee Bates was a member of the BMOA’s ArtWorks program in 2008. She is currently a hybrid animation/illustration student at BYU with an emphasis in concept art.

When did you start creating artwork?
When I was four, my older sister got a Lite-Brite for Christmas. She gave up on the toy after five minutes so I picked it up. To finish the image was pure torture; the toy was such a poor design. I remember my fingers going numb after sitting there for so long, but I just had to see what it would look like once finished. My parents were shocked that I had completed it and took a photograph of a feat no one had done before or since in my family.

Why do you make art?
They began as gifts, it started in public education where I would create artwork for my family. There is an incredible sensation to create something that is a part of you, something you find fascinating, and you give that to someone and they connect with it. You stir something in them, something that was sleeping for a long time.

To learn more about Renee check out BMOA’s education blog HERE!

Bill Clark, a local woodturner spoke to an extremely captive audience during First Wednesday on March 7^th. His work will be featured in the upcoming exhibit Man Made: Vessels by California Craftsmen, opening March 22^nd. During the talk, Bill gave insight to his process, from a block of wood, to an intricately enhanced piece of art. His vessels, inspired by Asian design, are pierced, carved, and branded.

The surface of wood can be altered using many techniques, including branding, carving, coloring, piercing, and gilding. Bill, as other woodworkers, creates his ownbranding tips for use in enhancing the exterior of his work. One of the brands he uses in the work on display was created to be a continuous design throughout the surface of the vessels. Other brands like the floral designs on his work are decorative. Bill said only about 10% of the time spent working on a vessel is the actual woodturning. The other time is spent with surface enhancement…

To learn more about Bill and Woodturning visit BMOA’s education blog by clicking HERE.

Learn Something at BMOA!

During the last few weeks we were in the middle of installation. During installation we take down the artwork that has been on display and put up new exhibits. This part of the process takes a couple of weeks, but creating an exhibit doesn’t start when the artwork arrives at the museum; it starts years in advance. Curatorial staff come up with a concept and work their way towards an exhibit that will not only fit our demographic, but will allow for educational opportunities, events, and community projects… for more pictures and the full article, visit our Education Blog by clicking HERE!

Next week we begin yet another session of Art After School, our after-school program for students ages 6-17.  Every Tuesday in March, we will be focusing on printmaking. Our DE LA MANO and Estampas de la Revolucion exhibits present a look at the various methods, tools, and products of printmaking. We will be using the artwork in these exhibits as inspiration for our own lessons in linocut blockprinting, screenprinting, collagraphy, and monoprinting while learning about design and its purpose in our world….For more information on Art After School and how to sign up, click HERE!

Photo: Artwork by Diego Guerrero.

The many faces of our Art Smart students

Art Smart instructor Emily Becerra checks in with us on what she and her students have been up to. This month during our after-school art program, we have been busy with creating self portraits, discovering how to express emotion with color, drawing and blending with oil pastels, cutting, pasting, sketching, and more!

For the full article, visit BMOA’s EDUCATION BLOG.

In honor of Black History Month, we highlight one of the pieces of art in our permanent collection.

Born in Chicago in 1918, Charles W. White is one of America’s most renowned and recognized African-American & Social Realist artists. Charles White worked primarily in black & white or sepia & white drawings, paintings, and lithographs. His artwork encompassed an incredibly skilled draftsmanship and artistic sensitivity and power that has reached and moved millions. His meticulously executed drawings and paintings speak of and affirm the humanity and beauty of African-American people and culture. Common subjects of his artwork included scenes depicting African-American history in the United States, socio-economic struggles, human relationships, and portraits.

For more information check BMOA’s Education Blog!

We are excited to announce Artie’s Studio!

For the first time ever there’s a car in the museum. But it’s not just any car, it’s El Muertorider. Read on to learn about the car, its design and history, and the artists who created it.

In preparing for the current exhibit DE LA MANO: Print-Based work from La Mano Press and La Mano Gráfica, our curatorial staff had their eye on a piece of art by artists  John Jota Leaños and Artemio Rodriguez.

El Muertorider is a fully functioning, customized 1968 Chevy Impala paying homage to “the complex and innovative history of cruising and lowriding in California.” Artists Artemio Rodríguez and John Jota Leaños used the Day of the Dead style to com-memorate victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as those who lost their lives at war….
For the entire article, visit BMOA’s Education Blog! 

Click image to view the gallery.

John Olivo has become a fixture at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. His passion and enthusiasm has enlightened staff members, fellow art students, and the children he has worked with.

We met John during the 2011 ArtWorks program. He was one of 25 high school students who participated in the program and quickly became a stand-out individual with his positive attitude, a willingness to learn and collaborate, and an overall good nature. After completing the ArtWorks program, John spent his summer in the BMOA classrooms, volunteering for our Experience Art summer program for children where he became a favorite among both the young students and instructors.

John’s passion for art began at a young age, and in his early teens he began pursuing art in more depth and developing his skills. Much of his influence stems from childhood- “I had a deep passion for comic books and that in many ways influenced my interests and style.” His current work exhibits the influence that hip hop lyricism, poetry, cityscapes, cartoons, and literature has had on him. Using acrylic paint, ink pens, and pencil John creates work that is emotional and dynamic. The body of work John created for the 2011 ArtWorks exhibit was based around the exhibition’s theme: Fear. His artist statement explains his process of both thought and technique.

“In these three pieces of art I am expressing a psychological and emotional point of view.  All three pieces have a form of transportation involved like a man walking in a tunnel, cars speeding on a highway, and a train fleeing through my mind.  The art all together tells a story about me, afraid of time going too fast, not seeing my path vividly, and losing control of my thoughts.   The color black is utilized in each piece, thereby giving the collection a sense of darkness.  I have used acrylic paints, scratchboard, and other materials to create my art.” – John Olivo

John’s work displayed the ArtWorks exhibition (May, 2011)

John would like to pursue a degree in Art with a minor in English, perhaps eventually working in education. He feels it is important for young people to have art in their lives because it allows a form of expression for those who have difficulty articulating ideas and emotions. ”Art is universal language that can speak and impact many cultures” says John. He says the importance of art education, local museums and galleries, and art-related events where individuals can observe and experience art are what builds a strong art community.  And John should know-he and his family are familiar faces at art events here in Bakersfield.

John urges young art students to “participate in their art community” and prompts them not to let their talents go to waste. “It’s never too late to make art!”