CJ Metzger's Wonderland

LOVELY ART DOLLS!

2010-03-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was sifting through some of my accumulated mags the other day, The Somerset digital Studio caught my eye and really was a feast for my art spirit. All these creative folks crankin' out such amazing creations using everything from collage, paint, photoshop - EVERYTHING. It made me long to free my process up a bit! I also found out they have an ART DOLL QUARTERLY issue coming out this spring. These doll creations are amazing! HERE's THE LINKL Art Doll Quarterly
Art Doll Quarterly shares dolls and sculptural figures made from fabric, clay, wire, paper, and more.

Spring Bling Treasures Sale this Sunday!

2010-03-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Renee Dominique is hosting another amazing boutique fundraiser at The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock! Did ya know that I designed the invitation for the event? Yep, I do the graphic design stuff too! I love creating things for non-profit orgs that do such good for the community!

I'll have a table (along with my mom & fellow artist Linda Johnstone Allen). I'll be selling books, prints, and paintings and she'll be showcasing a bunch of organic and gorgeous ceramic pieces! Tell your friends! Come check this event out!

here's the scoop:
SPRING BLING TREASURES SALE Sunday March 21, 2010 11am-3pm

FREE ADMISSION! $5 suggest donation receives a FREE raffle ticket

Raffle tickets $5/each or 3 for $10

Free parking at Bank of America

A trunk show of local artists will open their treasure boxes to share their unique creations- one day only. Welcome Spring and join us for an afternoon of shopping!
See Jewelry, Accessories, Ceramics, and other fine wares available for purchase directly from the artists. 10% of all sales benefit the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, a non-profit arts programming organization dedicated to providing innovative and multicultural arts programming to the communities of Northeast Los Angeles.

New Work - triptychs!

2010-03-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just working on some new paintings this March for some upcoming shows in Santa Fe in May, and Culver City in September. This one will be a triptych (3-panels attached with hinges). One of my favorite time periods of art history was the emergence of the use of Triptychs in religious art during the end of the Middle Ages and onward into the Byzantine era. Something about the narrative and exquisite detail - just blows my mind! My art making this year is going to focus on letting go, experimentation and creating pieces that just flow and feel good. I'll keep you posted with my progress. And if you want a sneak peek, stop by my open studio in April (more info to come).

Trappings - Art Jam photo 8

2010-03-02T14:08:00.001-08:00

Trappings - Art Jam photo 8
Originally uploaded by cjmetzgerco

Just uploaded photos of our "art jam" collaboration piece! We've been working on it for about a month now ( we being artists - Jeni Yang, Su Moon, Miss Mindy (pictured), Dee Chavez, Celene and myself (CJ Metzger). It's coming along nicely, and we are adding the last details this week - then it's off to auction!

The piece will be sold through an auction through WWA gallery - in Culver City and the proceeds will Benefit the Lunch Bunch Charity of Los Angeles (amazing group feeding the areas homeless).

See more photos on Flickr!

Things to Come - New Work!

2010-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I sat in bed and just sketched in my notebook. Funny, some of my best drawings have been scribbled on lined paper! SOmething about the fancy journals with their nice paper that intimidates me... the lined paper is a comfort - takes me back to the early days of art making. Scribbling into school notebooks during and in between classes, embellishing every square inch of a text books brown paper cover. Talk about freedom with creativity. This year I'm making a pact with myself to experiment more, judge myself less, and just be free with my creativity and the whole process. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out!

Trappings Show - Opening Reception Jan 15th!

2010-01-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

The Trapping Show reception at the WWA gallery was a fantastic success! Art sold, and the venue was packed to the brim with art-goers and friends! The show came together lovely, and was hung beautifully by Rob Faucette & the WWA gallery crew. I urge you to swing on by to see the show, being in the heart of Culver City - there are a bunch of great places to nab a bite to eat, then stop in for a bit o' art viewing.

Artists Jeni Yang, Celene, me (CJ Metzger), Miss Mindy, Su Moon, and Dee Chavez were all on hand to do a bit of "on-site" painting for a good cause! Proceeds from the auction of our collaborative piece will benefit the Lunch Bunch, a super local organization that helps feed Los Angeles Area Homeless.

check back for photos of this amazing collaborative piece - as it progresses during the month of January!

Forest Inspiration - Yosemite National Park

2010-01-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ahhh....Sometimes you just need to be outdoors! And Yosemite is by far the best place to get that "out of doors" awe-struck- humbling experience that just puts everything in perspective. It is so magical and such a special place to me and my family. I've been trekking there since I was just a wee little babe. In fact, my mom toted me in a baby carrier to Vernal falls when I was around 9 months old!
My family and I spent the New Years Holiday up there and braved the winter (mild, but we did get some snow!). Above are a few pic's i snapped from my iPhone. You just can't take a bad photo of that place.
I was hoping to paint a little, and did some sketching, but moreover - I just needed to refresh my mind and let nature make it's visual imprint on me. It was nice to just be little ol' me, quiet, breathing cool air, kicking stones, eating snow. I'll get to painting as soon as I get back home.

Starting the Year off with - Trappings - a show at WWA Gallery

2009-12-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

This show has been curated by myself and my sister, Miss Mindy.

It's been a while since i've assembled a show, but it's been a wonderful

experience - getting to combine the creative forces of these great women

artists! Celene, Miss Mindy, Katie Rice, Dee Chavez, CJ Metzger (me - he he),

Su Moon, Jeni Yang and Lesley Reppeteaux.

Reception is January 15th, 7-10pm with a LIVE PAINTING happening that evening

with proceeds benefiting the Lunch Bunch!

I'll be posting more photos and artwork as the week progresses!

xoxoxo and a Happy New Year!

Small Works Show this Weekend @ Gallery 9

2009-12-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hi friends & folks! There sure is a lot going on this holiday season! I'm in tons of local boutiques and shows including this one at Gallery 9 in Culver City. The space is great, and I've got some small new portrait pieces and a few mounted giclée's that are super affordable and collectible!

Reception is this Saturday night 6:30-10:0pm, and they are having a Holiday Party on the 12th too.
Address is: 6101 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232.

The gallery is part of a cool online networking website for artists called www.thewhole9.com. Check it out and sign up to get connected to other artsy folks around town.!

Animal Instinct - Show Nov. 7th! Buy art and proceeds go to The Humane Society of the US.

2009-10-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

My new friend Tracey Taylor is curating this wonderful group show benefiting the Humane Society of The US. Please check it out! I'm submitting a piece titled "The Wish". It's a Chickadee holding a dandelion and is acrylic on wood (I'll post the image soon! Just need to take a photo of it!). 80% of the sales of all items and artwork for this show will benefit the Humane Society. The opening is next Saturday Nov. 7th. Hope you can make it to support this organization and the super great gallery TheLab!

Muertos con Leche

2009-10-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

So here's a sneak peek at my "Playing Dead - in the forest" piece for the show at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park! The opening is this Saturday night. Nice to be exhibiting in my neck o' the woods again! Here are the details about the show

Celebration Reception: Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 7-10 pm.

MUERTOS CON LECHE ~
Light Hearted and Satirical

Please feel free to dress in your favorite DOD attire
The satire that has sprung from Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada's work can be seen in the Dia de Muertos folk art of today. Please join us in our 2009 Dia de los Muertos celebration exhibition featuring the following contemporary artists:

Joe Bravo
Lalo Alcaraz
Gomez Bueno
Pola Lopez
Douglas Alvarez
Stuart Rapeport
Kay Brown
Ronald J. Llanos
Isabel Martinez
Mavis Leahy
Mario Torero
CJ Metzger
Ms. Mindy
Heather Hoggan
Patricia Krebs
Jennifer Gutierrez Morgan
Jose Orozco
Kelly Thompson
Olivia Sanchez-Brown
Dan Van Clapp
Ricardo Duffy

Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present a fun and satirical exhibition for this year’s Dia de Los Muertos. Once a year during harvest time, we pay homage to Death. At harvest, while crops die, they give back life. This is the spirit of Dia de Los Muertos ~ through death there is life.

Dia de Los Muertos is a pagan celebration to the Dead. We offer up candies and flowers and images to keep the Dead happy. This Dia de Los Muertos we’ve asked our artists to feed Death’s belly with laughter. Through laughter, he will pardon and overlook our trespasses, and open a window to the underworld where we can communicate with our loved ones. Let us feed the demon Death with sweet life. And through those spoonfuls, keep the living alive. Let us laugh and celebrate life. This Dia de Los Muertos, we hope to keep you entertained in honor and celebration of the duality of life.

Painting on Everything!

2009-07-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

New piece to share! Here's a girl portrait titled "Tattooed Matilda" that's part of my series painted on an old collection of Encyclopedia's that belonged to by grandfather artist Ralph Johnstone. The books are from the 1930's and lovely! But with such obsolete information! So, just loving the color and texture of the books I've decided to re-purpose them - turning them into paintings. As for now I'm just painting the covers, but as time progresses, I'll start adorning the insides as well.

This one is for sale in my Etsy store!

Paintings Come and Go...

2009-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me the other day if I found it hard to part with my paintings still. Yes - and - No. For me a piece is never truly finished until it finds the right person. Whether it be someone stumbling into a gallery, one of my open studios, a friend that catches it in the making, or my mom not letting it leave the studio - i always feel that the circle of creation has been completed once it finds it's rightful owner. I do feel a bit rushed in with the art-making process these days. And, I do like to have my fresh and new pieces around me for a while. It's nice to just make friends with them for a few days! This is one of those pieces that comes out of my hands, gets framed, and is off to the gallery - then to a client faster than I can even document it! All I have is a snapshot of the piece... I'm going to have to track this baby down.

Oh, and if you have any of my work in your home, can you send me a picture of it hanging in place? I'm putting together a collection of photos of my art in clients places. You can email them to me at cjmetzger@cjmetzger.com. thanks!

A little bit of Golden Sunshine

2009-07-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

This piece lifts my spirits. It's a warmer color palate for me - a departure from the my obsession with blues and greens - those deep forest colors i've been using for quite a while. I added gold leaf to embellish her hair. I have a feeling I'll be using alot more of gold leaf. Something about how it catches the light, pops off the surface, makes things look so precious. I can't help but think of Klimt when I layer on that lovely stuff. Sunshine is the color of honey, softer and sweeter, looking to the future with a hopeful expression.

This piece is at the Wonderful World Art Gallery in Culver City, and measures 12"x12". I'll have more work on display there over the next few months so I'll keep you posted.

Also, I'm working hard to make my prints available. I have HUNDREDS of paintings that I've painted (and sold!). Luckily I've been pretty diligent in archiving these pieces! I'm starting to post them on my etsy shoppe. Right now theres only a few pieces, including new original work and prints (including a print of this piece) for only $20. They are web exclusive! Spread the word!

Many of you already have prints of mine, and I'm so grateful and appreciative of your support in my work! So just to say thanks - Send me an email if you have a print of mine - and I'll send you a discount code for 20% off anything in the shop - along with a FREE mini print. It's my way of saying THANKS!

Making Tiny THings

2009-06-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

My oh my! What an assembly line! I've got a bunch of mounted prints at a lovely gallery I'm doing business with over in Culver City. It's call the Whole 9 - heard of it? If not, it's very cool I tell you and you should stop by!
here's the scoop:

Life is Just a Fantasy
Group Show at The Whole 9 Gallery
when: June 20th, 6:30-10pm
Join us for some wine and music!
where:6101 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, 90232
310-836-4601

They also have a networking site for artists that is very cool. It's a bit hard to keep up with all that twitters, facing facebook, but The Whole 9 is a very cool community of creative types. They even have job postings. Did someone say -- jobs?! Yipee!

Check out the special projects section of website for more mini art pieces. I'll have a link up to an Esty store very soon too!

Character and Illustrations - Galore!

2009-06-01T14:35:00.001-07:00

Check out my SlideShare Presentation:

Cjm Portfolio I

View more Microsoft Word documents from cjmetzger.

POP! Goes Santa Fe!

2009-05-28T14:33:00.001-07:00

The Show at Pop Gallery, Santa Fe went great! I decided to road-trip it this time. I headed out with my folks and 6 year old on a 5 day trek through the thundery landscape of Northern Arizona, all the way to New Mexico and to beautiful Santa Fe! Have you ever been? It's my second time, and it only gets lovelier. I'm formatting photos of our jaunt, check back in a few days for some excellent photos of The Historic Wig-wam Hotel (Holbrook, AZ), The Grandest Canyon you'll ever see, and other photographic moments from our trip on Route 66!
And a note about the "Pop Suger Coated Femme Show, 2009:
Pop Gallery is owned and operated by the wonderful Sharla and Michael McDowell. It's great space filled with fabulous art! This past show had artwork Kathie Olivas, Artist Sisters CJ Metzger & Miss Mindy, Stephanie Roberts, Carrie Ann Baade, Marie Sena, Valery Milovic and Julie West Take a peek Pop Galleries current, past and upcoming exhibitions!

Black Maria Show this Weekend (more sneak peeks)

2009-05-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Here are another few photos of the new pieces at the Black Maria Gallery in Atwater. They are acrylic and mixed media on wood, and framed up in reclaimed gold carved frames that I cut and assembled myself. These two pieces are "St. of Despair and Longing" and "St. Of Wounded Hearts".
Check them out in person, or online! See the post below for all the details. The reception is this Saturday May 9th, 7-10pm.

These are Strange Times My Dear....

2009-04-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at a few of my new pieces for my upcoming show at the Black Maria Gallery.
"St. Lucy Saw it Coming" and "When in Love..." are acrylic and mixed media on wood and will be framed in these fabulously ornate guilded wooden frames that have been gifts to me from friends, clients, etc. Please come and see them in person!

Bit's of info from the Press Release:

These Are Strange Times My Dear
9 May – 6 June, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday 9th May, 7:00 – 10:30pm
Black Maria Gallery: 3137 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm until 6pm (or by appointment)

Los Angeles – Black Maria Gallery is pleased to announce "These Are Strange Times My Dear"; a group show featuring the latest works from Catia Chien, CJ Metzger and Dany Paragouteva. This show is a mystical interpretation of our current turbulent times. The artists are exploring our journey through the current storm of political and economic instability, searching for something positive to grasp onto. In a time of such negativity, this exhibition strives to expose some silver linings.

Art in the NY Times!

2009-03-02T19:57:00.001-08:00

There was a full color article in the NY Times about poor dear Eagle Rock, and how it's being hit by the recession... It's a wee bit o' a bummer article, citing how small artsy bohemian towns booming during the past decade are now facing uncertain demise...But the irony is that my paintings are in the background of the photo - and I've been getting a lot of phone calls about the artwork! Check out the article if you missed it here.
I’m excited to my work in the paper, sad it had to be in association with “ When the Next Wave Wipes Out”article ... Oh hell, lately the news is all about fear. Let’s not buy into it! We can rise above all this doom and gloom!

A Woman's Place is...

2009-02-04T15:05:00.001-08:00

"As I always say, a woman's place is in the home (painting murals!) " Ha Ha!
My mom recently unearthed a photo album documenting the life of my artist/grandparents Ralf and Jeanette Johnstone! Old photos set onto velvety black paper pages - and the writing in white ink! Oooh! It's just beautiful scrapbooking at its finest!

My favorites were the photos of the mural that is currently in my living room (previously their living room). I love how my grandma is wearing her bathing suit while she paints! Who needs a smock? I think this photo was taken in the mid 1930's.

Poem to Mischievous Maeve

2009-01-22T13:15:00.001-08:00

Pursuing this career in art can have its ups and downs, but every now and again I'll get a nice note from a fan of my work, or an email that makes my day. That really connects and makes me feel that my work has a higher purpose, that it's getting to people, giving them feelings of joy - or sorrow, or a different awareness.

This poem/letter above was hand written and given to me by a dear and creative girl named Nikki! It is written about one of my character creations "Mischievous Maeve".

It reads "Dearest Maeve, You live in a spidery cave. There's nothing but fireflies on the swamp in the dark and in the light, they're always ready for full flight. She is independent and sweet, I love it every time we meet! Even though you can look mean, you love your little lima-beans! In daylight you always fly your kite. You may not be the nicest of creatures, but you are underneath it all. I love you! Don't forget to call!
From Nikki."

Wow. Thanks for this Nikki! I love it!

World Changing

2008-12-16T15:14:00.001-08:00

Many of us feel lost, feel angry, feel hopeless about it all... How did we get here? Where exactly were we? After years of big "eating" expensive cars, enormous houses, products, stuff - America has become this obese, exhausted, abused mass of a thing... We lay on the bed as infusions are administered, CPR and life support given... What is it that will get our pulse rate back to normal?

Luckily for me, I've found that I'm more of an optimist than I had previously known. When given lemons - make lemonade - and such right? Hearing the pragmatic, inspirational, philosophical speeches of our president-elect, listening to my own insides waxing and waning, hearing words from my artist friends - I feel a sense of unity, a connectedness through adversity that gives me hope. And now, much to my delight I have come across this book - at first drawn to it for it's striking and beautiful bird on the cover, but now to it's massively deep content. It is an epic compilation of information spanning from "Holistic Problem Solving", discussing how our things "define us" and how to develop new relationships with "stuff", and how "business can be a vehicle of change". It provides great insight into the many layered scenarios that plague our country, and practical solutions - many of which are already in practice on different scales.

I have only begun my journey into digesting and discovering all the insight this book has to offer, but I'm already certain that book will have profound impact on how I approach my creative career. I plan to surround myself with inspiration, information, solutions, kindness, collaborations, and friendships. To submerge myself in goodness that can only beget goodness. Be the change I want to see, etc. I encourage anyone to pick up a copy and see how we can all become that "vehicle of change" in the coming decades.

Super FUN VINYL TOYS!

2008-12-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yipee! It's time for toys! It's the annual Vinyl Toy Network show in Pasadena!
I'm going to swing by and see all the fun new toys along with my hubby and kiddo.
I designed one of series of collectors cards for the event (See above). I wish
my Maeve Toy was going to be there... Not sure if the other color versions will ever be released at this point... Well, I guess that makes the existing Mischievous Maeve Dolls that much more special right? Hope you are all enjoying your holidays (turn off CNN - it's bad for your health! and just keep optimistic!) Things will have an upturn soon - I feel it in my bones!

Yipee! Obama Art!

2008-11-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

I practiced a little escapism and ran off to Yosemite during the monumental election. I needed to just clear my head with some fresh air and trees. It was nice not feeling submerged in all the CNN coverage, it was sooo quiet in the forest, so peaceful. But I just had to hear the news so at around 9:00 I began pacing madly trying to get a cell phone signal in the woods! I got a few bars and found out that Obama had won - and my heart lit up - almost as bright as our campfire. It felt like New Years Day! So much excitement and promise. For the first time in a long time I felt truly delighted and proud to be an American! One of my favorite artists Anahata Katkin was also inspired and while on her retreat in Belize, and experienced first hand the effect of our election abroad (check out her blog). She featured this poster here from a Southwest Campaign by artist Date farmers based on Mexican revolutionary posters. Wow!

Lost At Sea - New work

2008-10-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

I try to venture into new techniques every once in a while. Painting the same way, with the same materials sometimes drives me nuts! Aren't artist's supposed to experiment? When falling into a design rut, one must shake things up a bit. This piece isn't a total departure from my "Secret Live's of Dolls" series of girl/woman portraits, but it felt really good to do. This is a 24x24 inch piece (a larger size for me!) I've been working a bit more with layering decorative and graphic elements in my pieces as well as using pencil and colored tissue. I love how it layers meanings, and makes you want to look deeper into the piece.

My next pieces I'm delving into some Monster derived pieces that pay homage to the King o' the wild things - Maurice Sendak. It's a group show at the Wonderful World Art Gallery, in Culver City. I'll post some images of art in progress soon.

Inspirado from Grandpa

2008-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

I create my artwork in my back/house studio that belonged to my grandfather Ralf, and my grandmother Jeanette - both whom were artists and illustrators in the 40's, 50's & 60's. All day long I'm surrounded by all the great stuff that they created. Just being submerged in this stew of artistic goodness soaks into my brain and comes out in all sorts of ways. It surely supplies me with a steady stream of inspirado. But then there's a fine line between "inspired by" and the sinister act of copying. I feel that observing other artists work can be tremendously helpful with the creative process, but you must let it come through you in your own way - create your own interpretation. Oh well, that 's just my two scents. I could rant about this for hours.

In any case, above is a piece my grandfather did in the 60's. Hope you find it inspiring!

Coming in October: CJ Metzger & Miss Mindy

2008-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

Miss Mindy and CJ Metzger are excited to announce their upcoming

show in San Diego at Subtext.

More information about this upcoming show to follow soon!

What's Cookin'

2008-04-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, been a while since I last made an entry. This time of year is always especially busy for me. Somehow I managed to secure 3 shows at around the same time (am I nuts?), and am preparing for the almighty Comic-con once again ( I say again - am i nuts?) : )

So much work to produce!! I wish I could paint in my sleep. In anycase, if you are interested (which I'm assuming you are since you are on my blog and reading this! hee hee): My show at the Black Maria Gallery is going well. New clients buying new work is always a good thing! I am especially grateful that people continue to buy my work - even in such an economically stressful time...So, THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU who continue to support the arts, buy my art, attend openings, and buy my books! You keep the brushes in my hands and the food on my table!

FYI - above is a sneak peek of some pieces going to Gallery Revisited- Silverlake, and POP Gallery-Santa Fe. Both will be super good shows. I'll provide links to see the works online as soon as they are posted.

xoxoxox. cjm

My Daughter - Five Year Old Fashion Designer!

2008-02-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

So okay, I've got to boast about my own kid right? Sophie got her hands on a big box o' fabric scraps and my dress form and had a blast! She used safety pins, clever knots and ties, and even a needle and thread to make this creation. She even asked me to make her some business cards! I'm so proud of her ingenuity and creativity. It just shows that you should never underestimate what your child is capable of! So here's to letting your kids play with sharp scissors, needles and mom's sewing machine once in a while! (yikes?)

An Artist a Day makes the ----- go away.

2008-01-31T18:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was featured on Artistaday.com's website. It's a website that features - an artist a day (go figure!). It is linked as a widget on my Google page and I just love it! When my art was posted, I got so many responses and so much great publicity. I feel like trying to find things on the web can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. This site makes it easy to find art treasures. Check out the site and submit your work if you are an artist/illustrator
Here's the link to my pageCJ Metzger on Artistaday.com

New Paintings by moi

2008-01-25T15:45:00.001-08:00

Hi Folks, Just wanted to give you a sneak peek of some portraits that I've been working on for my upcoming show at the HIVE Gallery in Downtown.

Lately I'm drawn to creating portraits of women and girls with animal features protected by predatory birds, snakes. And I've become increasingly inspired by a Hawk that sits perched high in a tree outside my Studio window! If all goes according to plan. these paintings will be part of my forthcoming book titled "the Secret Lives of Dolls". A book which will hopefully be ready for Comic-con (if the planets align correctly!).

This year is chugging along already and I've been selling and exhibiting at the Pop Gallery in Santa Fe! Sharla the owner/director is terrific! Things are going well at The Wonderful World Art Gallery in Culver City too. Miss Mindy and my work is still there, and we'll be rotating some new work in as we make it!

For now I'm just trying to stay inspired and creative and not to force the work. I often struggle with feeling like an "art making factory" at times, so one of my goals is to "find the love" in the work and find new ways to encourage the creative process, ways to nudge it along without sending it into shock! I'll keep you posted with how it goes and if I come across any major emotional break throughs!

Best wishes to you in all your creative endeavors for 2008!

New Owl Painting + a Poem

2008-01-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

There was an owl
who lived in an oak.
The more he heard,
the less he spoke;
the less he spoke,
the more he heard -
We all should be
like that wise old bird.

(Found this online. Poignant huh?)

Happiest of New Years Wishes to ya'll!

2008-01-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful way to start off 2008! My honey Pete snapped this photo today in the early morning outside our house. Many believe that a visit by a hummingbird brings good luck in love! So with that we send lots of love, hugs and warm wishes to you and yours in the new year to come!

Xoxoxo,
CJ Metzger & Family

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright

Show at the Wonderful World Art Gallery

2007-10-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is a show I'm in! Very cool gallery in Culver City! And my work will be up in the same room as Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton! How rad is that??

I lived on the moon

2007-09-18T23:18:00.001-07:00

video clip by Yannick Puig. My friend Christina Conway put this on her blog and I can't get it out of my head! It's amazing!

Comic-con Update: Books, Toys and art OH MY!

2007-08-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's over and somehow I managed to survive! I can't even begin to explain what a monumental task it is to have a booth at the almighty Comic-con, yet it is at the same time it holds some of the most memorable moments of my year! This year was the most successful by far! My sister Miss Mindy and I debuted our vinyl art toys "Mischievous Maeve" and "Dink" (by Kaching Brands, showcased and sold by Toy Tokyo). We also were selling copies of our Artist Sister's Box o' Stories (Children's book collection). We had tons o' art, prints, collectors pins and other things for sale. We made tons of new friends and had a blast all around. (See photo of our booth with Miss Mindy posing, and the b/w photo of us signing our toys at the Vinyl Toy Network event!) If you'd like to get a toy, there are still a few available through 3-D Retro. See the links page to visit their site.

Open Studio + Backyard Bliss

2007-07-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll! The Open Studio and Backyard Boutique was a super fun day! Lots of people and art lover's milling about and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Thanks to all those who came by to visit and to shop and to all my uber talented friends for being a part of it! Also, I'm getting a bit tired of always tootin' my own art-horn on this blog. So, check out the inspiring collage portraiture of my friend Michelle Caplan. She does some beautiful work and I am now the proud owner of one of her pieces!
Comic-con is coming up next! I'll have more photos of works and works in progress soon!

Up & Coming

2007-06-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Much is happening! The Comic-con is fast approaching, and my sis and I are feverishly putting together paintings, updating websites, creating promotional materials...Whew! It can truly be exhausting. But I have an especially great feeling about this year. Books, vinyl toys, gallery shows - it's all coming together.

Oh yeah! and I'm even preparing for an open studio event this July 8th. Check out the card + ad I placed in the Verdugo Monthly. That same day I'm having some friends over to sell their wonderful creative wares in the courtyard at my studio. If you are local, you should come on by.

I made a painting today!

2007-06-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a painting I started today! It was so nice to turn off my computer and just paint, uninterrupted for a few hours. The piece is untitled right now, and is part of a series of robot icons I'm painting for my Windup Gallery Show in Arizona in August. I'm thinking of framing it with a bulky cheesy gold frame. Hope you like it!

My Mischievous Maeve Vinyl Art Toy is almost done!

2007-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

See my toy on http://www.vinylpulse.com

Here's what they said about me "LA artist C.J. Metzger's mixed media art and paintings are full of colorful life and whimsy. Along with her sister Miss Mindy, the two artist sisters' recent joint show @ Gallery Revisted was extremely well-received by a packed gallery of collectors and fans. Her first vinyl art toy, Mischievous Maeve, from Kaching Brands has a cute yet sad feel. In addition to the Color and Mono versions shown above (paint masters), there will also be a secret colorway. Standing 8" tall with a skull accessory, Mischievous Maeve will be released at SDCC. The Artist Sisters are making a splash on all fronts -- fine art, books, illustration and now the ever-expanding world of art toys." Wow... I'm blushing :)

HEY! I've got an upcoming joint show with Sister Miss Mindy

2007-03-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from the Press Release:

"The "Secret Live's of Dolls" show evolves around the notion of women, their friends and relationships in fantastical places - places close to home and those found in reality as well as in our thoughts. Not to be confused with a feminist ideology, this show relishes the important roles that are inherently feminine while at the same time embracing youth and acceptance.
“Exploring the sadness over the loss of a bird, the feeling of manipulation, being trapped by expectations, or simply having butterflies in your belly -- these emotions, love, fear, angst, and humor are vividly present in our work in a whimsical, bittersweet, and hauntingly delicate way.” CJ Metzger

CJ Metzger and Miss Mindy’s work falls into the recently coined genre, “Pop Surrealism”. Although they embrace this new label they do prefer to identify with the history of art making. Their inspiration stems from Craft and Folk Art as evident in the materials that they use, and the inherent themes that surround domesticity, every day occurrences and simple global feelings. They circle around the fringe of their hottest peers, comfortable in their individual fortitude to create work void of pretence and focusing on matters of individual expression.' ~ Leora Lutz (Gallery Revisited owner/curator)

The show is March 24 - May 5, 2007. Reception in is March 24, 6-10pm {3204 Sunset Boulevard, LA CA 90026 behind Sumi's}

Sorting and Classifying

2007-03-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

"Avant garde", "Low-Brow," "edgy" - all the silly lables we create to make sense of things in the art world. Sigh... Well, no use fighting it I guess and since I'm being grouped in the newly coined term "pop-surrealism" I decided to do a little research. (Actually, I do love the Surrealist movement, especially the roles women artist played in it - Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, etc.) In fact, I found this passage very interesting - I especially love the last line:

From "A Little-Known Work by Remedios Varo"- Chelsea(1995)

"Few people outside the world of art and art criticism are consciously familiar with the work of the Spanish surrealist Remedios Varo. Those who have come across her inadvertently may not even be aware of their acquaintance: Thomas Pynchon, in his slender ludic novel The Crying of Lot 49, introduces her with his description of her autobiographical triptych, Embroidering Earth's Mantle, a 1961 oil on masonite piece which depicts six young women held captive in a convent tower, busily stitching under the austere supervision of a masked, apparently male figure who stirs-

a broth boiling in the same alchemical vessel
from which the girls draw their embroidery
thread. Each girl works alone, embroidering
images onto a continuous fabric that spills out
from table-height battlements around the facets
of the tower. Together they create a landscape
with houses, ponds, streams, boats, animals, and
humans, all nestled within the folds of the fabric.
(Kaplan 21)

Hardly Varo's most striking work, it is nonetheless clear why Pynchon chooses it for his novel--the idea of constructing meaning, of the maze, the self-created puzzle. The world of one's own imagining. -----One labors to make a certain sense of one's life, and then is trapped by the labor's fruits.------"

Wow... Isn't that the truth?

Art on a roll.

2007-02-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

My day started with me waking up to my 4 year olds kisses, brewing a pot of the strongest darkest coffee , and putting together my daugher's school lunch of assorted mini sandwiches, carrots, and various crackers. It might not sound glamorous or exciting, but it's actually a rather pleasant way to get my bearings before I plunge into my day. So after giving Sophie and my honey their goodbye kisses, I grabbed my coffee, threw on my painting apron, and headed back to my studio.

And I must say that today was a bit like Christmas! It seemed that overnight some creative little elf (my sister artist pal Miss Mindy I suspect!) had begun some fantastic work on a few collaborative pieces for our upcoming show. She painted in a portrait a girls most sad but endearing face on a piece that will eventually become a diorama doll house piece (with tiny hinges on the doors and shutters on the windows. I'd show you a picture, but I have to save it for our upcoming show!!!

Oh, did I forget to mention that Mindy and I are doing a joing show at Gallery Revisited? I think so. Well, here's the scoop. March 24th is the opening of our "The Secret Lives of Dolls" art exhibition at a great little gallery in Silverlake (see links to the right). We are working on individual pieces, and a few collaborative ones - so it will be a show full of all sorts of new art. Wooden dolls, diorama doll house paintings, hand painted nesting dolls! AND if we are super lucky, we will be selling super duper limited edition of our upcoming box set o' books (published by Baby Tattoo Books!) As soon as I'm done typing I'm heading into the other room to work on some new pieces for the show. Ok I better stop procrastinating - I gotta go!

2006-04-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, it looks like I've entered the world of blogging. This should be fun. I'll have some content soon- As soon as I get finished folding my laundry.