FLAX Canvas

Date of event: July 14, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Paralyzed from the neck down, Carlos Vargas is a painter. He secures the brush using a customized rod with a mouthpiece at one end and a brush at the other. “Painting is a good distraction,” says Carlos. “I forget all my problems. When I’m feeling bad, and I know it’s not my day, I start to paint. When I finish, the stress goes down, and my mind is clear.” In November 2000, a gang fight in the Mission District in San Francisco end …

Date of event: March 31, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Heidi studied with Joseph Blaustein in Los Angeles and then moved to West Marin where she has lived and worked as a painter for the last sixteen years. She considers herself a storyteller and likes to bring that quality to her paintings. She has participated in several solo art shows in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, along with group shows including an exhibition “What is Art For?” at the Oakland Museum. Heidi has painted nume …

Date of event: June 2, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Scott St. John (aka Tofu) takes on mixed media! Taking inspiration from traditional art forms, including using repetitive patterns in quilting, pottery, weaving, basketry and traditional tile work, Tofu began creating his mixed media and collage paintings with what he called ‘map quilts’ – small artworks which resembled patchwork and other quilt patterns. The map quilts led to a continuing experimentation with color and pattern until he wa …

Date of event: May 12, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Erik was born in Mexico and was influenced at a young age by his cousin Abe to be creative, and by his grandfather to observe details. Moving to Puerto Rico at 10 years old, he began to paint his surroundings, the lush green forest, sunsets and music. Not needing much sleep, Erik would draw late into the night. When he did slumber, his dreams were an explosion of color. As a way to journal them, his passion for painting grew. “My main …

Date of event: May 5, 2012, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Paint, Plywood and Rock and Roll. Music is his muse and you will most likely find Jesse live painting on stage while a band is jamming. Jesse has painted on stage or adjacent to it over 600 times. The artist considers his style a blend of folk and modern art, preferring to paint with and on found objects, such as re-purposed plywood, salvaged doors, found paint and older brushes. When asked about his work environment, Jesse believes his best i …