By: Luke Holden

To begin, I’d like to recognize that I’m not a psychology expert (nor do I aspire to be), but I do feel I have some experiential knowledge to share about the mind in relationship to the artistic process.

We are all our worst critics. Inside of us there is a room of people giving their opinions of our actions.  Even the sanest among us experience these often counter productive and contradictory inner dialogs.  Your mother and father are in there, your closest friends, mentors, favorite writers and song lyrics.  All these voices seek to be heard by the many versions of yourself. Artists often describe this internal dialog as a negotiation with someone else within them, like a wild animal you’d like to cuddle and train, if only you could manage to get it out of the tree is hiding in. Sometimes the creative animal must be coaxed down with sweets, other times it takes a fiery pitchfork.  Sometimes what it needs is time, other times a strong push.

There is some solace to be taken from the knowledge of a shared process.  It’s comforting to know that even the most prolific and “successful” artists , regardless of how that is measured, experience these internal collaborators

I ask you, our community artists and open-minded readers who hold an interest in the passionate pursuit of creative expression to know that you’re not alone in the struggle to create.  It’s your desire to share what’s inside that makes you good enough to keep pushing and loving yourself. The world is big enough for you so be kind and patient with yourself, start with understanding and compassion for your own internal voices. But when the candy doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to get the fiery pitchfork out and START.  That is often the best way to get the energy moving in this magnificent process of creation.

For more about this topic see:

• RadioLab – http://www.radiolab.org/2011/mar/08/me-myself-and-muse/

• Henri Matisse “Notes of a painter” – http://www.mariabuszek.com/kcai/Expressionism/Readings/MtsseNotes.pdf

RYPE.events is an event production company focusing on keeping the music, art, laughter, and good times alive. Our first event is November 26th, at Casa De La Raza, 8pm until 2am. 21+.

We are a group of 20somethings who are passionate about art in one way or another and we want to share our passion with Santa Barbara. RYPE wants to encourage the music scene in SB and surrounding areas while being a part of creating excitement and giving the people memories they will carry forever. Also, we want to show people another side of the FunkZone, and Casa De La Raza. This first event focuses on the groundbreaking electronic music of DJ Skywalkerr, born and raised in SB (James Burnell), also a dear friend of DJ Skywalkerr’s, Mico. Also, Music by Mahadeva, he was one of the deejays for AMASS a few months back down in the Funk Zone. Art By Hannah Henderson, Miri Sunkel, and Paola Periera will be shown.

By: Patricia Wilkie

It is difficult to say exactly how Occupy Wall Street started as we are witnessing a web of global interconnectedness with social movements in the 21st century.  With rising global inequality, there are also protests globally. For example, thanks to the technological age, we were able to bear witness to what many went through in the Arab Spring: the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began in December of 2010.

The simplest answer as to how OWS came about was a call to action for “culture-jammers” by Adbusters.  This group laid the initial groundwork for the movement. Adbusters Media Foundation is a self professed “global network of activists, artists, writers, students, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age”. They circulated information about the OWS protest around the Internet.  It reached mostly young, political and tech savvy crowds.  On September 17th, 2011 people began to amass.  Thus OWS was built with little expectation of what it was to be, no real pre-meditated structure other than an encampment.   It was built from the ground-up, and the organization seemed to happen spontaneously with grace, coherence and egalitarianism. Currently, this movement has far surpassed any expectations the original protestors had, and moved into a different stratosphere of social movements.  It is a movement that is now replicated all over the country and has transcended into a global movement, as Europe, Latin America and even Australia are now active with Occupy Wall Street.

OWS springs from a feeling that the people in power, and the people who hold government positions will not implement democracy, thus the people must take it into their own hands.  There are a few things that make this movement entirely unique in comparison to other movements.  These aspects are possibly what has sustained the movement thus far, and allowed it to thrive, survive, challenge, and above all else, grow like hell.  The movement is in its infancy and if done correctly it will carry on and continue to be a game changer.

Structure and Sustainability. OWS is de-centralized in its power structure.  Decision-making is dispersed, making the governance and the democratic processes closer to the people.  This helps to ensure the movement will not be dismantled or co-opted.  OWS protests will be different from city to city due to people’s differing needs and wants in their specific communities.  Despite the regional differences, there is a common structure modeled off that of NYC’s, the movement’s place of origin.   The shared threads of this movement are that it is primarily a leaderless movement catalyzed by the grace of civil society and the hard work of the collective.  The protesters use a General Assembly as a form of protest and process in order to democratically decide what will go on.  No leaders were appointed; whether this happened organically or on purpose this form has two clear advantages.

The first being, ideologically it is more democratic.  The second being the powers that wish to disassemble and discredit the movement have not been able to do so, as they have not been able to investigate, pick off or corrupt any particular person.  Most movements of the 20th century had significant leaders, for example the civil rights movement had MLK Jr.  A leaderless movement raises more questions than just those of economic justice; it also challenges and confounds what we know about existing models of social movements.

Inclusivity is what is propelling and growing this movement.  There is power in numbers; only divided do we fall.  Many truths are heard, and all are welcome.  There are even political subgroups that come and organize within the context, but there has been no appropriation by these groups, only participation.  If the movement is to reach its potential, it must stay as inclusive as possible. Direct democracy seems to be the goal.  In the moment you are raising your voice among your community (global and local) and making your opinions, ideologies and political theories heard.  This is the kind of direct democracy that can never be handed down to us; no politician can ever do this for us.

OWS is widely a non-violent movement, calling on techniques that most famously were instituted in protest situations by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. in the face of antagonistic, aggravating and sometimes violent authority.  The protesters have learned from past movements that a very conscious effort to stay non-violent is necessary and that non-violent resistance is the only way to send a clear message to the public.   To quote Gandhi: “Peace is the most powerful weapon of mankind.  It takes more courage to take a blow than to give one.  It takes more courage to try and talk things through than to start a war”.  Also, “If you want to send a message, it must be a message of love.” Non-violence is one of the ways this movement will be sustained; if it were to turn violent or destructive the creditability of the movement would be shattered.

Where do we go from here? There are criticisms of the movement from many different pundits and people.   While they all aren’t completely without merit, it is also easier to stand on the sidelines and pass judgment.  Anyone who will deny or pretend to not understand why this movement is happening, simply cannot be looking at the world today.  Anyone who isn’t entirely insulted from such mundane realities as unemployment and underemployment, foreclosures, student debt and serious increase in poverty (and that is just the beginning), may be too invested in this rigged game to reconcile.  It is a question of distribution of wealth and resources, not a matter of poverty in our country.  There is certain impunity of the people who caused the crisis and there is failure of politicians in both parties to take action. One heavy criticism from both sides is that the movement doesn’t have a clear list of demands or grievances.  As if to say a list of realistic demands should be made and packaged neatly, so as to play the same game and keep on with the status quo.  As if to say the protesters should ask permission for equality, or supplicate/solicitate the elites.  This at its core is limiting, as we don’t yet know how big this movement can become, we don’t yet know what we can do and where we can go.  As citizens of this country, as global citizens, we must make room and be open to challenging the institutional injustices that we see.  Not just economic injustice, but environmental injustices, social injustices, and government corruption/eroding of democracy.  Utopia is not a free imagination, or about a world of perfection that we will never be able to achieve.   Utopia is a matter of innermost urgency; we are forced to imagine it as the only way out, as the only way of survival for our planet and our species.

Melissa Harris Parry of the nation is quoted as saying “In a world where capitalism is the only remaining economic system in meaningful operation, these protesters are faced with the task of imagining something concrete they can sell in the market place of ideas to replace existing frayed and tattered economies…they are demanding reform of the inequalities that are deeply embedded in this system. ”  Even if all the protestors go home tomorrow, even if the movement is dismantled and falls into anarchist subculture, this will continue to carry on in ways that we may not even be able to predict.  No one could have predicted that one woman not moving to the back of the bus would help to start a civil rights movement.   We should always choose to participate in attempting to make our world a better place, no matter how small the act seems.   Continue to educate yourself, use your best sense, and occupy spaces with hope and love for your neighbor (even the 1%).    We are all in this together.

Branches Mobile Gallery is a creation from the inventive minds of artists Jordan Quintero and myself, Luke Holden.  Our mission is to enrich event experiences with our multimedia gallery which exhibits art of all mediums, 2D and 3D.  The participants’ experience of the gallery environment is as important to us as the art we showcase. We conceptualized Branches as an opportunity to combine our building skills, imaginations, and backgrounds in fine art to create a magical and sensory stimulating space for audiences to feel welcome and inspired within.

Quintero and I aim to incite creativity with an earthen style art gallery.  We celebrate the beauty of the local environment by utilizing materials recovered from the surrounding mountains and beaches for much of the décor.  Due to the diverse landscapes found in California, we have the pleasure of designing a new layout and overall texture for each incarnation of Branches Gallery.

Stateside Magazine and Branches share a mission to strengthen art communities in California by developing fresh ways artists can connect with each other and the public.  By putting our minds and abilities together we create the means to a successful future.

We want to grow our branches with you.

"Atlas" Jordan Quintero

Contact us via our self titled Facebook group page where we will keep you updated on our upcoming events. You can contact us there to invite Branches to your event. Artists who are interested in being a part of the Branches Art Collective, and desire to work and exhibit with us, should submit requests to do so on the group page as well.

There is no telling how large these branches will grow. We ask for you to be a part of setting our roots and get involved, because as far as I can tell, the sky’s the limit.

Hospice of Santa Barbara welcomes local photographer Joyce Wilson, who will display her art in its Leigh Block Gallery.

On Thursday, October 27th from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Hospice of Santa Barbara will host a wine and cheese open house reception for the new exhibit.

Wilson’s photographic exhibit, “en Silence”, was inspired by mythology and ancient cultures. She created the work while traveling with her husband in Ireland as they were coming to terms with his diagnosis of terminal cancer. The art helped celebrate her beloved’s journey home, and helped to set her free on a new path.

Wilson has been fascinated with mythology and ancient culture since childhood. The trip with her husband was special because it was the last one they were able to share together. In the chaos of travel and their daily routines, Wilson became aware that he was withdrawing into himself, and a deep sense of sadness began to engulf her. There was a chill to the air, the mornings were enshrouded in fog, and gentle misty rain created a blanket of silence. She was surrounded by the relics of an ancient past that seemed interwoven into the present and future. As Wilson stepped out into the mist early one morning, she felt a deep sense of stillness, peace and joy. It was from this that she was inspired to create this latest exhibit.

Wilson’s career in photography spans 50 years. She has covered portrait and commercial assignments from Europe to the West Coast. She served on the faculty at Brooks Institute through 2010, and she still mentors students in the MFA program. Her work is represented in art galleries, and included in the permanent collection at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the International Photography Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and the Sherman Hines Museum of Photography in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Wilson will donate a portion of the proceeds from her art sales to Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc., a volunteer hospice organization. Hospice of Santa Barbara “volunteers” its free professional counseling and support services to more than 360 children and adults every month who are experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness, or grieving the death of a loved one.

Wine, refreshments and cheese will be provided at the open house reception. Wilson’s exhibition will be on display at Hospice of Santa Barbara through mid-January.

The mission of Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc. is to care for anyone experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness, or grieving the death of a loved one. For more information, please call (805) 563-8820 or visit hospiceofsantabarbara.org.

Jack Azar is a Lebanese-American born artist from Santa Barbara, California. Jack experienced a moment of self-awakening in 2002 – an already existing reality emerging with the aid of scissors and glue. Magazines have become a valuable contributor for his creativity, collecting and reconstructing images to create a unique kind of art.

The artwork takes his audience on a curious adventure, a similar journey encountered while creating the work itself. The images are retrieved from familiar sources and methodically combined with images alike. The message behind each piece has the tendency to stir up people’s emotions, causing them to get closer and observe the work more thoughtfully. As a result, the viewer encounters a refreshing perspective, interrupting the predictable wont of everyday life and introducing them to an unworldly experience with features we see on a daily basis. Jack says, “My work is a reinvention of preexisting elements combined to make up a fantasy, whimsical distortion of reality. Welcome to my world.”

For the past ten years, Jack’s life has taken him on many paths to becoming a well-rounded, enlightened person. He attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles where he studied and got his degree in apparel manufacturing and design. Jack currently resides in his hometown – liberating images in his studio that have been mounted amongst other pages destined as icons of consumerism and featured articles.

Join the artist for First Thursday, September 1st at Coast Restaurant, off the Canary Hotel Lobby from 5-8pm. There will be a talk at 6:15pm. The exhibition, Azar Bizarre, will be up through the month of September.

Walkabout woods is a large, collaborative, interactive art installation in three parts: The Forest, where strange things happen, The Boiler Room, where even stranger things happen and The Pyramid, where you try to make sense of what just happened, or not as the case may be.

Walkabout Woods Home Page
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Come Join the festivities!   Music, Live Art, Kombucha, Pyrobar

August 4th 2011, 7-11 pm

515 Garden St. Santa Barbara

Our Philosophy

The timeless trip through the enchanted forest is an age-old rite of passage that has recurred throughout many of our favorite myths and stories. Think of the trials and tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. Recall the haunted forest of Oz. Consider The Chronicles of Narnia’s Wood between the Worlds. Remember Tolkien’s many depictions of forests (Fangorn, Lothlorien, Mirkwood, etc.) as mysterious places of magic, wisdom, and danger. We currently find enchanted forests in theme parks, Disney movies, and video games. What is it about getting lost in the woods that tickles the tendrils of our essential humanity?

When we return to the forest we are returning to our selves, our pasts, our deepest and most authentic natures. To the indigenous shaman and mystics of countless traditions, the forest holds ancient wisdom. If we listen closely enough we can learn from the trees.

By exploring and engaging in the Walkabout Woods, participants will have the opportunity to connect with their five senses in new and experimental ways, ultimately contributing to a deeper and wider exploration of themselves. Art is always a reflection of our inner worlds. Thus the enchanted forest becomes a metaphor for those structures of perception, mind, and emotion through which we wade to arrive at our deepest truths.

Deep in the forest participants will encounter the Boiler Rooms. These self contained creatively engineered sensory interfaces will encourage people to isolate and play with each of their five senses. This interaction may contribute to a greater reflection on how our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies receive and process information from the world around us. This participatory and contemplative process can be a launch pad for internal transformation.

Anthropologically speaking, rites of passage involve three stages— separation, liminality, and re-incorporation. Walkabout Woods will be designed to facilitate a microcosm of this ageless journey

Concept art by: Mark Goerner

SEPARATION— As participants venture into a labyrinthine forest of abstract plywood cutout trees, colorfully lit and painted, they will experience a separation from the rest of the playa and enter a radically new environment.

LIMINALITY— Within the forest, sensory interfaces disguised as odd trees, out-of-place control rooms, and bizarre factories will challenge participants to use their senses in weird and outrageous ways. These sensory sanctuaries are truly liminal spaces, the in-between places where consciousness encounters self discovery, creative experimentation, personal reflection, transformative growth, and the expansion of sensory experience.

RE-INCORPORATION—Participants will leave the forest and be reincorporated back into the playa sensescape with a greater ability to translate and process the tremendously complex sensory input streams within which they find themselves enmeshed.

When I draw these characters, I imagine them from a photojournalist perspective – as if the character knows someone is snapping a quick drawing of them in their own world and mindset.  I feel it brings a sense of depth to their modesty, they pose and maybe move on, continue on their journeys, meet each other on their ways.  I enjoy the stories behind them and with every detail, their lives are defined.  To me, they are just another set of characters in motion and like those around us, bizarre and beautiful.

www.designsbydanish.com

Saturday, October 1, 2011
Plaza Vera Cruz Park (across from Saturday’s Farmers Market)
10am – 6pm
www.solfoodfestival.com

By: Alison Hensley

Whether we are aware of it or not, each one of us is actively engaged in a revolution.  The well being of our species and planetary environment depends on which side prevails, and throughout each day we choose what side we support.  This choice, which we now face is between: Commercial Centralization or the concentration of power and choice within our food systems being left in the hands of mindless agribusiness. The other being synergistic localization of our food source; the dynamic process by which we personally and mindfully engage with what and how we consume. This is an entirely new form of revolution, for we do not win it by fighting, we win it by cooperating.

The senseless destruction inherent in the commercial food system is rapidly becoming common knowledge thanks to the growing influence of writers like Michael Pollan, documentaries like The Future of Food, television shows like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and grassroots local movements like Santa Barbara’s SOL (sustainable, organic, and local) Food Festival.  The root problem that they all address is our disconnection from our food source.  Knowledge and practice passed down from generation to generation throughout the millennium has been replaced by a dependence on mechanistic profit-based food manufacturing and distribution. Because of this, human intention towards symbiosis and personal well-being has been supplanted by corporate schemes designed to maximize profit and minimize expense. This has resulted in a food system where our food often travels halfway around the world and back, only to end up on our plates as a  processed fragment of the nutritional and energetic content of the whole foods with which we co-evolved. The consequences of this system are palpable. From chemical fertilizer runoff, global consumption of fossil fuels, and biologically dangerous genetic modification of food to human ailments such as obesity and diabetes.  The impacts are real and they effect all of us.

However, the times they are a changin’ and despite the current dominate food systems, food revolutionaries everywhere are becoming more united in hope and positive action.  Sustainable permaculture and biodynamic farming methods are becoming widespread, restaurants are beginning to link up with local farmers to provide local organic ingredients for their menus. Community, backyard, and guerrilla gardens are popping up everywhere. And most importantly people are seeking and sharing knowledge and skills to empower themselves to reclaim their food source.

A growing number of individuals are making the choice on a daily basis through their actions to support community-sourced food rather than corporation-sourced food.  It is to empower people in living this choice that the SOL Food Festival and the community growing around it have been developed.

We invite you to join us on October 1, 2011 in Plaza de Vera Cruz, across the street from the Saturday Farmers market.  Featuring everything from fun and educational activities for children to a presentation on the “how to” and history of beer in the beer garden, the SOL Food Festival provides Santa Barbarans of all ages and subcultures with a festive opportunity to come together to learn, share, and empower each other in making choices that matter.

Come Support Our Efforts:

Wednesday, September 7th, SOHO.  Gourmet (local) Dinner with Guest Chef at Soho ~ Save the Date!

Tuesday, September 20th.  LoaTree Presents: Green Drinks at the Lobero Theater Patio, a benefit for SOL Food.  $10 ~ Wine, food and fun

I like to explore the figure and representational painting in general. By adding some slight distortion at times, it adds a bit of fun and creates a bit of a twist.

Thanks to an excellent Art School experience, I also thoroughly enjoy studying the Masters always trying to use each piece as a new lesson. The desire with each painting is to have a goal that may relate to mood, palette, light or expression. By looking at the way an artist used his/her palette or light and use of pattern, I am able to garner a small lesson from that and use it from that point onward.  Now starting to evolve is a smoother blending of the representational with the quirky distortion, as well as an effort to create a deeper narrative with the work. The historical or “period” nature of the paintings lends itself to this style and reaches back to a seemingly simpler time. The theme resonates with casual observers and collectors alike. I often use vintage reference photos, live models, and imagination. The painting is then created on Masonite Panel or Canvas.

Currently I am represented at six galleries in the U.S.
Links to those galleries and more work can be seen at fredcalleri.com.