Tahoe Arts and Mountain Culture » Tahoe: Lost and Found

Inspired by Fire by Melissa Lanitis Gregory

admin — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:27:17 +0000

Thank you from the Library

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:30:51 +0000

A letter of gratitude from the South Lake Tahoe Library.

January 22, 2009

Dear Becky, Melissa, and all those who worked on the Tahoe Lost and Found Project:

The last two years have brought significant changes to our community. Between the Angora Fire and consecutive seasons of low snowfall, South Lake Tahoe has felt the national economic downturn on a personal level. The trials we have been through, whether the loss of a home or a job or a friend moving off the mountain, have shown us how important locals are to keeping this community moving forward with hope. Your efforts through the Tahoe: Lost and Found project demonstrated not only your commitment to repairing the damage done by the fire, but your significant investment in this community as your home.

Thank you so much for everything you did to help the library recover from an event that touched our community deeply. As people continue to move back into their homes, we are able to restock our shelves with both well-loved materials lost in the fire and new materials that further develop the community’s collection.

Over $2,000 was raised through the efforts of Tahoe: Lost and Found. The library used this generous donation to replace children’s books like The Secret Garden, The Yearling, and The Golden Compass, and a variety of adult materials including Women and Money and Awakening to the Sacred. A portion of the money will also be used to supplement our adult fiction and nonfiction budgets, affected by resource cuts earlier this fiscal year.

Once again, thank you for all you have done for the library and the community. The effects of your devotion to community recovery after the fire will be felt for years to come.

Sincerely,

Katharine Miller
Librarian
South Lake Tahoe Branch
El Dorado County Library

Thank you!

♥

Tahoe: Lost & Found raises $2,080 for Library and Burn-area Landmark

admin — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:38:13 +0000

Great Job! $2,080 was generously donated to the Tahoe: Lost & Found Fund for community-project s.

Between June 18 and September 19, $2,080 was raised at events, businesses and the final Art Auction to help replace South Lake Tahoe Library books that were destroyed in the homes lost in the Angora fire last year, and a burn-area landmark.

Donations were made directly at the library, the Tahoe: Lost & Found Kick Off Reception at the Blue Angel Cafe June 18, TAMC booth at Opening Days June 21, Bare Bones Open Mic June 25, Wide Awake Conscious Cafe all summer, Art Party at Elevation 6310 August 18, and the Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction at Valhalla on September 19.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this community fund raiser a success, and especially the Art Auction including:

• Blue Angel Café – Appetizers
• Events, Ink – Handmade bookmarks and auction paddles
• Grass Roots Natural Foods store – Pizza
• Grocery Outlet – Wine
• Martin and Vargas – Flamenco Jazz
• Nicholas Varzos, local art and real estate auctioneer
• Wide Awake Conscious Café – Appetizers
• Raley’s at the Y – Water
• South Lake Tahoe library crew – Sally, Jan, Candy, Mark and Gail
• South Shore’s Finest – Firefighters from Lake Valley and Fallen Leaf Lake including Andy, Ron and Tom for carrying the art pieces
• Valhalla/Tahoe Tallac Association – Stephen Farnsley and April Mai
• 21 talented local artists
• 12 generous local sponsors

Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction @ Valhalla, September 19 at 6pm

admin — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:21:30 +0000

Get ready to bid.

The Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction takes place September 19 at Valhalla, starting at 6pm with flamenco jazz by Martin & Vargas, and local cuisine by Blue Angel Café, Grass Roots and Wide Awake Conscious Café.

Twenty-one local artists are helping to raise money to replace library books lost in the homes affected by the Angora fire and a burn-area landmark.

Scroll down to see the 42 works of art up for bid.

Meet the local artists and firefighters, hear the story behind Lost & Found, enjoy flamenco jazz, local and international cuisine, have fun and help us reach our goal.

Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction
Sept 19 @ 6pm

Inspired by Fire: Expressions of a Community One Year after Angora.

The art show theme is to capture our sense of what was lost in the fire, as well as what we found: in ourselves; as a community; and in the landscape. It’s also a way to check in with those folks and firefighters who are still out there putting their lives back together one year later.

A printed auction guide will be available. Nicholas Varzos, local auctioneer with 20 years experience in international art and real estate, will be presiding.

Featured artwork: Firefighter art helmet by Melissa Gregory, and “Lake Mother” by Kristen Schwartz.

Click here to learn more about the community projects.

Thank you!

♥

Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction Preview

admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:01:38 +0000

From a hand-painted snowboard to sculptural houses, paintings, photographs, and firefighter art helmets.

Scroll down to see the 42 works of art.

I ♥ Firefighters by Melissa Lanitis Gregory

admin — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:39:30 +0000

Two firefighter art helmets by Melissa Lanitis Gregory.

♥

Melissa Lanitis Gregory used local firefighter helmets as the molds to create her two art pieces for the Tahoe: Lost & Found Art Auction.

At their core, these helmets are based on community.

Literally.

Creative Expressions Inspired by Fire:

Melissa began each fire helmet by layering local newspapers, one containing the story of Rick Gunn’s return to Tahoe, on top of an actual fire helmet borrowed from the fire department. Fifty percent of the layers are created using the recycled paper. The pieces are finished with other papers for strength and texture.

Both helmets are decorated with strips of newspaper clippings from Angora Fire articles. According to Gregory, “‘Reflected in Flames’ (above) represents our strength as a community, as it was mirrored back to us by all of the firefighters who came to help out.”

“Warning: Firefighting is an Ultra-hazardous Activity” (left) is so named because of the warning on the inside of the actual borrowed helmet. Melissa’s helmet includes the warning around the outside edge. “It goes on for a bit. You read that warning and think, no way am I putting that thing on and running into a wall of flames!” But these people do.” says Melissa.

Auction Item:
(Art will be sold at live auction, Sept 19 at Valhalla, with % of proceeds going to the fire-related community projects.) You definitely have to see these in person.

“Reflected in Flames” (above)
Mixed media, 11″w x 15″ (long) x 14″h
$275 Value
Starting Bid: $150

“Warning: Firefighting is an Ultra-hazardous Activity” (left)
Mixed media, 11″w x 15″ (long) x 8″ h
$250 Value
Starting Bid: $125

About Melissa:

Mixed-media artist Melissa Lanitis Gregory came to Tahoe for 4 days…20 years ago.

Leaving her Assistant Art Director job in New York City for a waitressing job in Tahoe seemed like a no-brainer. After years working in the local graphic design/advertising industry, Melissa was given a book on the art of papier mache, and has been creating unusual pieces ever since.

Melissa is also the master-mind behind the lake-wide community art show, Tahoe: Lost & Found, and has just launched her writing career to complement her amazing artistic talents. You can see more of Melissa’s work at www.papermoonstudio.com.

♥

Click here to learn more about Tahoe: Lost & Found and how you can help.

Healing Visions by Yasmin Sayyed

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:02:16 +0000

Three mixed media creations by South Shore artist and poet, Yasmin Sayyed.

Limitations as Opportunities: Tahoe Fires ♥ Through the Fire: Tahoe ♥ Quiet Prayer.

Creative Expression Inspired by Fire:

“Art fuses intellect and sacredness in a single brush stroke, and in a single intention of standing in union with nature and cosmic rhythms,” states Yasmin Sayyed.

The three pieces Yasmin has submitted for the Tahoe: Lost & Found art auction beautifully capture this union and Yasmin’s belief that art and energy are powerful healing agents.

Auction Items:
(Art will be sold at live auction, Sept 19 at Valhalla, with % of proceeds going to the fire-related community projects.)

Limitations as Opportunities: Tahoe Fires, 2007 (above)

Mixed media, 30 x 40″ framed

$2,000 Value

Starting Bid: $1,000

Through the Fire: Tahoe, 2007 (left)

Mixed media, 30 x 40″ framed

$2,000 Value

Starting Bid: $1,000

Quiet Prayer, 2007 (right)

Mixed media, 30 x 40″ framed

$2,500 Value

Starting Bid: $1,250

♥

Click here to learn more about Tahoe: Lost & Found and how you can help.

“Finding Beauty in Chaos” by Shelley Hocknell Zentner

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:11:34 +0000

“Finding beauty in Chaos” oil painting by Shelley Hocknell Zentner.

♥

Creative Expression Inspired by Fire:

Shelley and her husband were at Hobart Lake on June 24, 2007 when the Angora fire broke.

While they watched all night from their deck on Kingsbury Grade, like many Shelley couldn’t help but notice the fire’s raging beauty.

They were mesmerized by its changing mood that fluctuated with the shadows of sunset and explosive theatrical colors of the darkest hours.

Shelley’s oil painting “Finding beauty in chaos” was inspired by the stark beauty she witnessed.

Auction Item:
(Art will be sold at live auction, Sept 19 at Valhalla, with % of proceeds going to the fire-related community projects.)

“Finding beauty in chaos” Oil on Panel

19×16, framed

$500 Value

Starting Bid: $250

“You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

About Shelley

I was born in North Wales (UK), graduating with a degree in Art & Visual Culture in 1997. I had my first exhibition in 1995, whilst still a student, and this inspired me to work hard to forge a career in art.

After graduating, I began painting rock climbers, inspired by a trip to Colorado where I tried climbing for the first time. ‘Climbing Art’ became my specialty, and was extremely well received in the UK. An initial sellout exhibition led to several National TV News stories, and a feature on a Welsh Arts program. I was asked to exhibit at the Kendal International Mountain Film Festival, where I met the film maker David Jinks. His film company, FridgeProductions made an award-winning documentary, ‘High Art’, profiling my work in 2005. I built up a successful art gallery from 2000 – 2005, which attracted corporate sponsorship and public funding.

I left the UK to travel, paint and climb in June 2005 – during which time I met my husband, Taylor. We now live in Lake Tahoe, USA.

My work is informed by the rigorous discipline of drawing from life, as I started drawing from the nude figure aged 12. I take my inspiration from the artists Rodin and Michelangelo, as they both used muscular movement to render inner feelings, and I strive to achieve the same sense of emotion and passion in my work.

My work is mostly representational, inspired by my environment, people and life. Even the most unlikely subjects, such as Kokanee Salmon, or young vines growing in a winery are metaphors for how I am feeling at the time, so can be regarded as a visual fusion or observation and experience.

I regard my work as an expression of energy, movement and light. I strive to achieve this through colour, bold brushstrokes or charcoal lines, and through the subject’s own momentum on the picture plane. I work in a broad range of media, but particularly love oils for major pieces.

To see more of Shelley’s work, please visit www.shelleyhocknell.com.

♥

Click here to learn more about Tahoe: Lost & Found and how you can help.

Caught on Film at Angora by Jimmy Callian

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:01:43 +0000

Four photos taken in the Angora area by Jimmy Callian.

Angora Coyote ♥ November Full Moon ♥ Passing Clouds ♥ Star Trail & Trees.

Creative Expression Inspired by Fire:

Jimmy’s mom lost her house in the fire.

While helping his mom and friends recover from the losses, Jimmy captured the astounding beauty that surrounded him using the charred forest as the backdrop.

The following photos he is submitting to the Tahoe: Lost & Found art project artistically use the burnt forest to accentuate a variety of astrological events and a lone coyote whose coat reflects the new colors of the remaining forest. All of the photos are limited editions.

Auction Items:
(Art will be sold at live auction, Sept 19 at Valhalla, with % of proceeds going to the fire-related community projects.)

Angora Coyote (above) – limited edition
Photograph 11 x 16
Matted 16″ x 21″
$175 Value
Starting Bid: $100

November Full Moon – limited edition

Photograph 11 x 16

Matted and Framed: 19″ x 24″

$350 Value

Starting Bid: $175

Passing Clouds - limited edition

Photograph 11 x 16

Matted 16″ x 21″

$175 Value

Starting Bid: $100

Star Trail & Trees - limited edition

Photograph 11 x 16

Matted 16″ x 21″

$175 Value

Starting Bid: $100

This photo was taken during the February lunar eclipse.

About Jimmy:

Jimmy has lived in South Shore since 1999. An accomplished photographer, Jimmy specializes in landscapes, wild life, action sports and night photography. He is also an avid mountain biker, snowboarder and surfer.

You can find Jimmy’s photography at Marcus Ashley Galleries at the Village Shopping Center or Island Framing on Kingsbury Grade. To see more of his portfolio click here to visit his MySpace page or email Jimmy at jimmycallian@yahoo.com.

♥

Click here to learn more about Tahoe: Lost & Found and how you can help.

Fluid Intensity by Joanna Bailey

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:35:45 +0000

Three oils on canvas by Joanna Bailey.

Within the Fire ♥ Moving Water ♥ Green Man.

Creative Expression Inspired by Fire:

Specializing in abstract and urban themed paintings, Joanna submitted three oil paintings to the Tahoe: Lost & Found art auction that depict life’s dynamic motion and fluid intensity.

Auction Items:
(Art will be sold at live auction, Sept 19 at Valhalla, with % of proceeds going to the fire-related community projects.)

“Within the Fire” (above)

Oil on canvas, 30 x 24″

$400 Value

Starting Bid: $200

“Moving Water” (left)

Oil on canvas, 36 x 24″

$400 Value

Starting Bid: $200

“Green Man”

Oil on canvas, 30 x 24″

$400 Value

Starting Bid: $200

About Joanna

Joanna Bailey is a twelve year resident of Incline Village. Her work alternates between sensual, emotionally charged paintings and geometric, graphically colored work that emphasizes form and line. All her paintings are saturated in rich, larger-than-life colors that speak of the artist’s immense creativity and free-flowing brushwork.

She states that her art keeps her “creatively charged and happy.” For the viewer, this creative charge flows through her canvas and inspires the senses. Joanna Bailey has exhibited her work in California, Nevada, New York, and Italy. She is currently represented by Infusion Gallery in Los Angeles and Trevisan Arte Contemporanea in Italy. She is a self taught artist.

To learn more about Joanna, visit her website at www.wetcanvas.biz.

♥

Click here to learn more about Tahoe: Lost & Found and how you can help.