Our Life, Our Art

Here are some photos from our opening reception for "Our Life, Our Art" exhibit at the Back to the Picture Gallery in San Francisco back in October.

Art Exhibit

Group show at a South of Market Gallery

copyright ©Anahid Aslanyan - 

Hands/Leaves - acrylics on canvas board, 16"X20"

Inviting everyone to see a group show at the Back to the Picture Gallery, 
83- Tenth Street (nr. Mission) in San Francisco.

October 1 - Nov. 3, 2012. 
Opening is on Friday October 5, 2012. (Please RSVP for opening night, as space is limited and I will reserve a ticket for you).

Back to the Picture Gallery
83 -Tenth St., (near Mission)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415)558-9901

Gallery Hours: Mon - Fri., 10 am - 5 pm
                       Saturday, 11 am - 3 pm

Exhibit continues: Oct. 1 -Nov. 3, 2012

This is one of the pieces I have in the show. I have a total of five pieces in the show.
Hope to see you there!

The Root of Being

©Anahid 2012 - acrylics, oils and sand on canvas, 36"x24"

The heart is the root of being. It is the first organ that develops in the fetus. The roots of a tree, a human heart.... I like making connections between nature and our lives as humans. I like to make connections because I see these patterns in nature that repeat themselves everywhere, in leaves and roots as well as in our brains and our circulatory systems. We seem to be all part of a mysterious pattern of growth. 

This painting came out of a drawing I did last spring after my husband had an open heart surgery.

I was doodling in my little sketch book with my favorite 4B pencil, trying to deal with what was going on without going bonkers. Although I liked the drawing a lot, I didn't come to paint it months later. I often go through and look at my various sketchbooks, new and old, to see which idea I want to develop or to make into a painting, which isn't always the case.

©Anahid 2011 - the root of being

graphite on paper - 4"6"

Contemplation-2

©Anahid 2012 - Acrylics, graphite and inks on wood panel with wooden frame.

This piece is a variation on the first Contemplation collage I posted in November 2011.  This is how this image of feminine contemplation/meditation evolved first from a sketch inspired by a sculpture, to a mixed-media collage and now a simple and understated drawing/painting on wood. This is not a painting though in the usual sense, the acrylics are used like watercolors, very thin and watery so as not to overwhelm the drawing element. I am usually very fond of intense and saturated colors layered on top of each other, but here I enjoy the simple line drawing as an expression of her serenity. We all need some serenity in this crazy world.

I don't know yet if I'll continue this particular series or not, we'll see what the muses bring....