Lauren, 2021
Created from life using iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Procreate app
8″ x 10″ Inkjet pigment print on photo paper, framed and with AR overlay
This portrait of British Airways Flight Attendant Lauren was drawn from life en-route from San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR), and was selected to be included in the juried group art show titled “Face to Face” at the Arc Gallery, San Francisco.
EXHIBITION: until June 11, 2022
LOCATION: Arc Gallery & Studios, 1246 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
The Arc Gallery is open with social-distancing 1-6PM PST on Wednesdays & Thursdays and 12-3PM PST on Saturdays
Arc Gallery requires all visitors and staff to wear face masks, regardless of vaccination status, during gallery hours and in-person events.
Disposable masks will be available to all visitors, as needed.
I will be participating in a virtual Artist Talk associated with this exhibition. Details:
“FACE TO FACE” ON-LINE ARTISTS TALK #2
on Wednesday, May 25th, 6-7 PM PST
with Alexandra Beaumont, Penny Cagney, Naomi Stein Cooper, Merrilyn Duzy, David Enriquez,
Lucy Julia Hale, Michael Kesselman, Beverly Patterson, Paul Ransohoff, Jeremy Sutton, & Josh Wright
register in advance at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcof-qqrTgrGdROJzYPIoix6ypQayjFq0q6
Hope to see you there!
As I mention in the caption at the top of this page, this artwork is extended with an augmented reality (AR) video overlay. The AR video shows the creative process and some photos on board the plane of the subject with her portrait. To view the AR video please point your smart phone camera at the QR code shown below. This will take you to a page with Apple App Store and Google Play Store links to download the free Augmented Reality (AR) app called Artivive. Once you have installed Artivive on your mobile device, open the app and point it at the artwork (with your volume turned up:-).
The AR being demonstrated at the opening reception of the exhibition (videography by Peggy)
The actual replay video that I programmed to be seen in the AR overlay mapped to the artwork
Lauren with her portrait
Lauren and I with her portrait
As you can see from my portrait, Lauren kept her mask on throughout the drawing process. This portrait reflects the times. The mask was in itself a statement of the strange era we were all living through, when there were still quite a few COVID-related rules, restrictions and protocols in place for flying internationally. The plane was mostly empty and there were strict rules about keeping a mask on throughout the flight except when eating and drinking. We were all relating to each other through eye contact and body language and just had to imagine the smiles hidden behind the masks.
I thought of this portrait when I saw the original Call for Artists from the Arc Gallery for “Face to Face”:
“After a couple years of coping with the pandemic and the isolation that many have experienced, we have come to value face to face interactions with others. And many of us have encountered coming face to face with our own selves.”
“Being “face to face” can simply mean looking at someone in close proximity. But upon further investigation, “face to face” can be interpreted in many ways. The physical act of seeing someone face to face can mean seeing them in the flesh or via a screen. It can be looking at an individual or seeing a multitude of people in many different locations via video-conferencing. The intent of this action may be to derive agreement, to be in direct opposition with someone, or to express intimacy or desire. The desire for face to face encounters may come from separation of family and isolation. One can be face to face with another human being, with oneself, an animal or an object such as a portrait. Sometimes the action is one-way, such as the male gaze that objectifies the female. Arc Gallery encourages you to submit works within these wide interpretations of this theme.”
“Art is coming face to face with yourself.” – Jackson Pollock
Preparing the print of Lauren for this show.