What's that...you want MORE Art?!?

Ok then! Come to "werkstatt-galerie" in Schwabing on Wednesday, Oct. 24 for the Vernissage of my next art exhibit in Munich.  The paint has barely dried from the canvases in 'Little Munich and I'm hardly over my 'Wiesn' cold, however I .. must ... keep..making...art! Along with artists Julie Galante and Nutan Jaeger, I'll be exhibiting my latest work around the theme:

München (Un)gewohnt

an exhibition of paintings, photography, and mixed-media work

by Julie Galante, Nutan Jäger, and Kim Santomauro

24 - 27 October 2012

Wed - Fri 13:00 - 18:30

Sat 10:00 - 12:00
@ Zentnerstr. 3 in Schwabing

The artwork explores the adopted home city of three artists who have lived here for varying amounts of time. As these outsiders slowly get to know Munich, the parts that seem familiar or unfamiliar change over time. Munich is a city that contains millions of different realities, projected

on to it by each of its residents and visitors. Visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to share their reactions to what they see, both with each other and the artists, and to consider how their experience of this city differs from what others see.

In Search of Art during Oktoberfest: My "Little Munich" Art Exhibition

There are more things to do in Munich this time of year than just drinking extra-large, extra-strong masskrugs in tents full of thousands of people.. for instance, stop by Studio Gabi Green to see some of my latest works of art!  "Little Munich"  is now on display, in the same neighborhood as that somewhat 'bigger' event taking place right now at "The Wiesn."

This Saturday, 29. September we will hold an Open House from 1 p.m. til 6 p.m.  at Studio Gabi Green, located at Gollierstrasse 17.  This is an art exhibition in Munich featuring paintings, photography, and mixed-media created by myself and Julie.  Since this is 'Little' Munich, there are many 'smaller-ish' sized pieces of art on display, at affordable prices and easy to take home with you, wherever you came stumbling into town from.  Also on display are Gabi Green's beautiful works of jewelry art.  This Saturday beginning at 3 p.m., you'll get the chance to hear a variety short stories about Munich written by members of the Munich Creative Group and local bloggers as you oooo and aahhh over all the handmade art and jewelry!
Exhibition opening hours:
Wed-Fri 14.00-18.00
Sa 11.00-13.00 
(extended hours this Saturday, 29th until 18.00)
and by appointment (call number below or also +49176 245 32 013)

Location (U4 / U5 between Theresienwiese and Schwanthalerhöhe):
Studio Gabi Green
Gollierstraße 17
80339 München
+49 89 54 03 02 54

About Studio Gabi Green (sorry, just auf Deutsch):
Studio Gabi Green Schmuck & Anderes im Westend existiert in dieser Form seit 2008.
Gabi Green macht kraftvolle und klare Schmuckstücke. Sie arbeitet in Gold und in Silber, mit Edel- und Halbedelsteinen, auch Kunststoff. Sie schafft Unikate.
Neben ihren Schmuckstücken stehen Werke anderer SchmuckmacherInnen und einer Keramikerin zum Verkauf.
In den Räumen des Studio Green in der Gollierstraße 17 finden zudem ständig Ausstellungen internationaler Künstler statt.

Gabi Green nimmt mit ihrem Studio regelmäßig teil an den Veranstaltungen westendstudios und open westend.


 We had a great turnout for the Vernissage, thanks for all those who came out to join us!  We appreciate your support!  Here are some pics from beforehand...

Studio Gabi Green, finally everything in place!

The back room, w nicely arranged paintings and jewelry.

Countdown to Asia

I'm getting ready to spend the month of May in Asia:  Singapore first, then a week in Phuket relaxing (hopefully away from the crazy parts) and then to Guangzhou China.

Last week I made arrangements for my visa through a contact 'Frau Ning' here in Munich.  She does everything for you which is nice so you don't have to deal with the Chinese Embassy here (WHY IS THIS SUCH AN ADVANTAGE?!)  Luckily I was able to obtain the necessary 'invitation' from Paulaner Brauhaus in Guangzhou (more on this later).  I'll be joining my husband in these cities while he is training for his (our) new endeavor: restauranteur in the U.S. (I know, totally insane but that's us I guess!)

While at Frau Ning's, she asked me if I knew about the "Chinese acrobatic swans" and she about had me convinced that these were indeed swans doing gymnastics..huh..I thought..  with her "Ya, swans!" smiling face.  And that her niece's father who works for the culture ministry in China runs the show, which of course has travelled all over the world.  Then she shows me the tell-all photo- aha!  Acrobatic Human swan dancers, of course! Like Swan Lake (which is what I first suspected but she kept insisting on real swans...maybe it didn't help that we're both speaking our non-native languages and with pretty strong accents!)  So now I'm sniffing around online to see if maybe, just maybe I could catch this while in Guangzhou, or at least 'stop by' where they train.  But interestingly enough, their official name is not actually the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe (Guangdong is the province that Guangzhou is in), but they're officially called "Soldier Acrobatic Troupe of the Political Department of Guangzhou Military Region" and is managed by the Chinese Army.  They are all soldiers whose sole job is to perform these amazing acrobatics.  Maybe its best to simply watch..at least catch the gal doing a pirouette on her husband partner's head!  Unbelievable..

So this is my first introduction into Guangzhou!  I can't wait to see and experience the rest of Guangzhou and China..

And to learn more about their current and past performances click here.


It looks like 2 of my art 'colleagues' and I will be able to hold an art exhibit at the Paulaner Brauhaus in Guangzhou too, stay tuned for more on that!

In Search of Art: Now Showing in Munich

1-  Georgia O'Keeffe, "Life and Work" is at Kunsthalle (Der Hypo-Kulturstiftung on Theatinerstrasße 8) until 13. May (daily from 10.00-20.00)

This is the first major retrospective of artist Georgia O'Keefe in Germany.  Also shows 50 photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams and others (she was married to Stieglitz, the famous gallerist and photographer of this time).  The show was organized with the Georgia O'Keefe museum in Santa Fe.  Lots of paintings of flowers and of her time in New York City (cool abstract city scenes of buildings which were surprising to me since I really only imagine her paintings of New Mexico scenes and flowers when I think of her).  This is a great opportunity to learn more about her amazing, and long, life as well as getting the chance to see her beautiful art up close. 
TIP!  Every Monday (that is not a holiday) you pay only half price for entry (full price is 11€).

Georgia O'Keeffe, 1935.  Photo by Alfred Stieglitz

2.  Gasteig:   "Blende auf!  Ein Foto- und Malprojekt für junge Menschen mit psychosomatischen Störunge" (until 15. April) AND Dieter Hinrichs Photography Exhibit:  1957-2007  (Showing now until 7. June)

I stumbled upon this FREE exhibit and really think it's worth a look, especially considering I just participated in a mixed media exhibit this month, so I found it particularly interesting to see how others combine mediums (eg, photography, paint, pencil), some works are totally abstract and some have recognizeable elements.  Just about all of the art is for sale, ranging in price from around €175-540.

Mixed Media photo from Blende Auf

The Dieter Hinrichs photos were not even on the walls yet when I was there sniffing around upstairs from the Blende Auf exhibit, but it definitely seemed like a worthwhile visit.  Dieter Hinrichs taught from 1981 to 1997 at the National Academy of Photographic Design in Munich and has curated over seventy photography exhibitions.  His work seemed mostly of landscapes (but still many were not out of their boxes yet) and I read its from his travels in Africa, China and U.S. over a period of five decades.

3.  One of my favorite off-the-beaten path galleries, located in Haidhausen, is the Home from Home British Contemporary gallery which is currently showing a really cool video installation by Daniel Kluge, called "ta*tack" sonic and video textures (now until 28. April).  The gallery's focus in 2012 is on the Communication Art & Design Master of Arts Course, at the Royal College of Art in London.  Don't miss this unusual sensory art experience!
TIP:  Free entrance and there are some cool cafes, restaurants nearby like Cafiko and Cafe Liebling with homemade goodies and friendly staff.

This screen cap from video is activated by sounds you make while viewing it!

4.  Following on the heels of Egon Schiele's exhibit (which I loved), comes Marcel DuChamp (which I have a feeling will also be quite a treat).  Turns out he spent 3 months in Munich 100 years ago and was even inspired by the work he saw at the Deutsches Museum.  Not one of my all-time favorite artists but he sure made me think a lot about what art is (and is not?!)
INFO:  From now until 15. July.  Open Tues-Sun 10.00-10.00, 8€ at the temporary exhibit hall for the Lenbachhaus which is being renovated until sometime in 2013, reachable by U-bahn stop Königsplatz

“Nude, Descending a Staircase, No. 2”- never displayed in Germany until now!

Post Mixed + Media Exhibit

I'm happy to announce that my participation in my 2nd Group Art Exhibit was an exciting and successful one for me and the Munich Creative Group.  I sold my first photos and mixed media artwork!  A belated 'Danke!' to all those who came out and supported us, I surely appreciate it and hope you enjoyed the show.

Here are some of the mixed media pieces I showed at Das Provisorium, a gritty, but supportive artsy bar here in Munich:

Müllersche Volksbad
My graphic image doesn't do this beautiful Art Nouveau building justice,
a beautiful swimming pool is inside and I hope to take some photos of the swimming area soon).

Corner of Rosenheimer Str. & Gasteig (SOLD)
I took this at night (I love night shoots!), did a negative of the image along with some other effects in Photoshop, and then combined it with a local map and acrylic paint.  This was fun!  (The # "102" actually has nothing to do with this, it's an ode to my Grandmother, who turned 102 years around the time of this show!)

Just A Tree (SOLD)
This is actually a special tree that seemed to be leaning over a path on a walk I took one day as if to ask, 'See me?!' And I liked how the path converged to somewhere unknown.  This mixed media piece uses a combination of photos, a Hebrew/English dictionary page, acrylic paint, and pencil.

Der Vogel (The Bird)
Mixed media:  photos, photo transfer, acrylic paint, pencil, old German schoolbook page.

A cool, new thing we did for this show was to include QR codes ("Quick Response") where people could scan the code with their smartphones and be taken to a website where we explain the process, technique, etc. about certain pieces of art displayed.  The QR codes I created sites with this info for are (it was fun, check it out!):
'Just A Tree' and 'Der Vogel'
'Contemplating the Truth About Aging'  (A personal piece I did in honor of my Grandmother turning 102 and also in contemplation of myself, having turned 40 this year- not even halfway to my Grandmother!)

Friedensengel  (SOLD)
One of my favorite sites in Munich to photograph, lucky for me it's right around the corner from where I live!

Käfer
Right across the street is one of the best restaurants and gourmet shops
in town, 'Käfer'- a dangerously expensive delight!
The street signs are the intersection where I live.

Thanks again for all the support, to see more of my work and creative explorations, visit my online portfolio:  kimsantomauro.carbonmade.com/ and my 'Scritch n Scratch' blog.  Check back for info on upcoming shows too!  Have any opinions, comments, questions or advice for me?  Leave it below and I'll get back to you!

A few more photos from the actual event (thanks, Lia!):

I did mention that the place (and walls) were a bit 'gritty' didn't I?!!

More Kunst for You: March 13 @ Das Provisorium

This Tuesday, the Munich Creative Group will hold another, hopefully just as fantabulous as last one, art exhibit consisting of a variety of mixed media artwork at a fine local establishment in central Munich, Das Provisorium.  It's very convenient to get to, near Sendlingertor on Lindwurmstrasse.

 Everything you need to know..right here:

Some other fun things you should know:

** Visitors with smartphones will be able interact with the artwork on display via QR codes, which will bring up additional information about a piece, such as a written description of the artist's thought process or a video of the artist actually creating the work- how cool is that?!  We'll be able to help you with this if necessary!

**Yelp is our sponsor for this show, this means everyone gets a free drink upon arrival simply by checking in on the Yelp app or by filling out our feedback card.  Some 'Yelpers' will be there to help with this process too!

** In case you can't make it on Tuesday, 13th, fear not!  The exhibition will also be open to the public 14-18 March, evenings from 20:00.


I'll be showing some new experimental work along with 7 other international artists, this is an opportunity for all of us to try some new things but some of us will also show work of our typical mediums like painting, drawing, photography..a little something for everyone with a techie-twist to it all!
Hope to see ya!

In Search of YOGA: Barcelona Yoga Conference

It's time again, one of the best yoga experiences I've had the pleasure of being a part of...the Barcelona Yoga Conference is back for its 2nd year!  Register before March 1 (less than a week from now) and it only costs 165€ for the 3-day pass (or 75€/day) compared to 215€ by June 1.  The conference runs from July 5-9 (but it was so awesome I have to mention it now!)

Once again, there will be such a variety of yoga classes to try, all taught by incredible teachers.  AcroYoga carries a noticeable presence throughout the conference (led and founded by Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein, who both played a major role in organizing the whole conference) and I knew nothing about AcroYoga but had fun learning.  Part yoga, part Thai massage and part acrobatics, this is a FUN and different style of yoga.  Practicing this brought back memories of my childhood gymnastics days, minus the scary coach and bruised body.  Jason and Jenny did a terrific job of safely teaching and allowing us to practice in a safe, supportive environment with each other and additional AcroYoga teachers participating in the class.  "Antigravity" massages and "therapeutic flying" are terms you will learn and experience firsthand if you can make it to one of these classes!

The 'Joy of Handstands' was one of my favorite workshops.  Here's a brief instruction on how they taught us to get into a handstand (with a partner spotting):  Start in Down Dog, but bring feet a bit closer to hands, shoulders stacked over wrists, feet together, (spotter standing behind in Vira 1), kicker kicks both legs together (hips also as high over shoulders as poss), starting kicking in squats, then straddles, then pikes..eventually each way can come up to handstand!

Lots of handstands with partners...

 

But its not all acrobatics and handstands!  You'll get to try these styles and more:  Kundalini, Asthanga, Anusara, Yoga Esenio, Iyengar, Sivananda, Shadow Yoga, Vinyasa, Jivamukti, Bhakti, YinYoga, Traditional Hatha Yoga, Prana Vinyasa Flow...
Don't miss it if you can!  Barcelona doesn't get much better than this!

My highlights of the conference:

• Swim breaks on Barcelona's beach!
• The warm n fuzzy energy and love flowing around!
• Variety of yoga styles taught by talented, inspiring teachers!
• "Joy of Handstands" and "Yin and Reiki" workshops
• How much this conference opened my mind and heart to new styles and methods of yoga

World's Largest..oh wait..

...that would be Oktoberfest, not Carnival (or 'Fasching' as the Bavarians call it), wrong party!  But it seems like the Germans are always partying to the max for some reason or another, contrary to popular belief.  What people probably don't realize is that they just prefer to set the proper parameters for their partying..you know, there's a time and place for everything, and of course, there are certain 'rules' for everything here too, why should partying be any different?!  But then they are guaranteed to get it right and really allow themselves to let loose, when they're supposed to.  Even most local businesses close their doors at 2 pm on Fat Tuesday so they too can partake in the fun!

I've gotten over the fact that Germans don't celebrate Halloween (big disappointment in the beginning) but I soon realized its not that they don't like to dress up in silly, scary, freaky, 'sexy' costumes, its just that they save it for February (when its the coldest) and go all out just once a year.  We got lucky this year, the weather was beautiful and sooo warm:  around 40-degree F/4 C!  But you don't care so much about this when you're dancing the day away at Viktualienmarkt with hundreds of your closest friends and the Caipirinhas are flowing..

T'is (T'was) the Season!

Greeeen Mann..

All the Queens come out!

And the pink nuns of course too..

You'll shoot your eye out kid

Nothing klein about these two!

Hangover dude!

No idea..

Ghostbusters on break.

 

Everyone has a jolly ole time at Fasching!

Oh why stop here?

People of ALL ages celebrating!

ALL AGES

Capis were flowing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Our very first Munich Creative Group's Pop-Up Gallery was so much fun last weekend and I just want to thank all of those who came out to support us.   Special thanks to Emmy who did so much for us all, including, but certainly not limited to, allowing us to fill her new home wall-to-wall with our latest art projects!  I think we all really enjoyed it and it was exciting to have around 100 people view our work, offer feedback and chat with us.  To keep up with our future events and to view more photos from this one, take a look (and why not 'like'?!) our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/MunichCreativeGroup

Munich Creative Group, in all our glory! 
Thanks also to Lia, our official event photographer!

I would also like to put a little plug in to a small company who was a huge help to some of us in printing out high-quality, fine art prints of our work:  Simone and Sabine at Pixel Manufaktur, really care about making your prints look the best they can (and are very knowledgeable about various fine art papers, color management, printing processes and so much more!).  They also offer photography workshops and have all the latest equipment on location!  A fair amount of German speaking is required!

A couple of the photos I showed (and are available for purchase):

"Friedensengel at Dawn" 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

"Early at the Park" 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

London - "Pauls" on Piccadilly St, 30 x 40 cm,
Limited edition archival print on fine art photo rag paper

8 km of pure "Rodeln" in Chiemgau (Frasdorf)

Finally... made it out to the 'Berge' for the first time this winter, to a beautiful area of the Alps, near Chiemsee (lake), called Frasdorf.   And what a day to pick, there's just this little cold snap that won't leave Europe.  But the first saying I learned when moving to Munich years ago was "There's no bad weather, only bad clothing."  And I am living proof of that.  In -12C (or 5 in Fahrenheit) temperatures, we made the 2-hour hike up to the delightful, but crowded, Riesenhutte for a refreshing 'Russn' (Wheatbeer + Sprite-like soda that I love) and some hearty food cooked by a much better than average cook for these mountain huts.

So much to say about this place.  For starters, the food:  yes its your 'typical' hut food but the 'Rahmchampignon mit Semmelknodel' I had was aussergewohnlich (exceptional:), oh this is a creamy mushroom sauce, indeed with loads of mushrooms, and 2 dumplings - hit the spot right after our chilly climb, followed by what must be the most deliciousestest 'Kaiserschmarrn' I've had in all my days in Germany!  Doch!!  This guy (Alexander Egger, owner and cook) knows how to transform some fluffy pancakes into a gourmet delight fit for an Emperor (that's what the name means by the way, 'Kaiser' = Emperor, schmarrn = uh, nonsense, or messed up!)  Like scrambled pancakes with some sugar, in this case perfectly carmelized, and compote on the side (usually apple, we had plum today)..Deeeeeelicous!

Oh ya, but the reason we were actually there was for the hike up and even more so for the 'Rodeln' (Sledding) down...weeeeeeeee!  Love that sledding!  It's not just for those too chicken to ski either (and I love skiing too) but this sledding is serious business here in Bavaria.  Its definitely 'at your own risk', and you are sharing an 8-kilometer long, steep and somewhat narrow passageway with hikers, skiiers (mainly just coming down from the off-piste skiing), kids, dogs and the occassional mountain biker (wasever!).  Today was quite icey by the time we made it down which made it rather difficult to steer...and to stop...and even to walk..but a beautiful time of day to awe at the snow-topped trees, and views of the surrounding Alps and the lake in the distance.  All of these things totally outweigh the bumps and bruises I got on a couple of wipeouts.

To Sum it Up:
- 2 hour hike up to quirky, cute and friendly Riesenhutte (still not at the peak, but great views)
- About halfway up is another hut you can stop into if you need to break it up
- No option of taking a gondola, you are stuck hoofin it!  But its sooo worth it!
- Get your sled(s) at the Riesen hut after a meal to warm you up, for 8 euros to go all the way back down to parking,  or 4 euros to drop it off at the halfway hut and walk rest of way down
- When I say 'all the way back down' let me say that the hut is 1346 meters high (4,416 feet), but an 8 km path
- Can stay overnight at Riesenhutte (basic accomodations)
- Very friendly service and quirky atmosphere with shoes hanging from lamps
- Course offerings for avalanche safety and the hut participates in the 4-day tour from here to Kampenwand
- About an hour outside of Munich (by car) on the A8 (Salzburg), Exit Frasdorf, left onto Sagbergstrasse, then right towards 'Lederstube' and at the end of this street is parking
 
!!!  A fun idea:  time your trip with a taste of their full moon menu and stay the night, or sled down at night with your headlamp!!  2012 dates:  March 9, May 4, June 8, July 6, August 3 and 31

 

Beautiful snowy hike up.

Hot tea break...Oh, even my hat was chilly!

Now we're talking..weeeeee!  Sooo much fun!

Looking for something to do next Saturday in Munich?  Come see the Munich Creative Group's first exhibit!  Look here for more details!

We're Having A Show!

Oh, do stop by!  The (in)famous Munich Creative Group will be holding our first 'Pop-Up Gallery' on Saturday, February 11 (see our Facebook Page for more details on this and about the group and to see the logo I designed:)  A variety of fine art photography, painting, mixed media, and more exciting stuff like musical performances and some creative writing from some very talented local artists.

I will be showing some of my photos from chilly early mornings and even chillier late nights (see my previous post for a sampling) as well as a couple of abstract watercolors.

We are a diverse, international group telling a variety of stories through a range of media.  Some, but not all, of the art work will be for sale.  Come by between 2 pm and 8 pm to have a look, for more details, see our poster:

Hope to see you there!

04:44

That's the time I woke up this morning, couldn't go back to sleep (but tried til 5:45) and so then got up to take some photos of all the snow outside!  What a treat!  This is the first snow that I have been here for this winter (and I believe only the 2nd time it really snowed in the city). 

I wish I could get up more often like this, at least before it's really light outside, even a stroll around our neighborhood becomes a new place to discover at this hour.  We have the English Garden and 'Friedensengel' (Peace Angel, one of my favorite Munich landmarks) just a block away, on our very own street we call home, Prinzregentenstrasse.  There's gourmet Kaefer right across the street (warning:  leave your wallet at home for this place!  Just browse and sample the freebies!)  And so much more, but I'll save that for another post!

Hope you enjoy a few of my snowy morning shots, time for me to go back to bed:

6:30 a.m.  These car lights are kinda my thang lately..

Car lights mean there were others out and about at this ungodly hour!?!

Europaplatz with Russian Embassy behind (just a block from us)

The light was perfectly shining upon the monument for this shot at 7:10 am..but I blurred the little angel!
(my remedy:  don't zoom in, maybe you won't notice)!

Below the Angel of Peace

6:53 a.m.  ISO 200, f/20, 8 sec... I kinda liked this better! 
Happy Accidents.

@6:52 a.m.  ISO 200, f/4, 1/15 sec.

07:05, and the day has dawned.