Krytzia Dabdoub and Ellen Howard: Two artists defining the diversity of the Museum Studios at the Peninsula Museum of Art.

Krytzia is an artist who is at once earthy and ethereal. Her work is often large scale, organic and inspired by environmental colors, textures and moods. Having just returned from Indonesia, when I met her in her bright studio, she was wearing a magnificent blue patterned Ikat jacket that complimented her paintings so perfectly. A citizen of the world, born in Mexico City, Krytzia is a global artist with deep meaningful roots in Mexico. With Czech and Lebanese heritage and long sojourns in France, Spain, Venezuela and New York, her influences are myriad.

The vast canvases, need to be experienced from a distance and then inspected up close. She loves working outdoors and derives energy from mountains, water, trees and sky. Her organic style infuses temperature, minerals, flowers, sand, seashells, texture and color from the world around her and working in nature she says “makes me feel like I’m bringing part of the moment into my work”. Investigating her expansive works you find bits of leaves, grains of sand, even plastic refuse embedded in the canvas.

Inspired by Venezuelan artist Adrian Pujol and studies in Paris, it was Manolo Arjona -- an artist based in Madrid, Spain -- who pushed Krytzia to make the leap from hyper realism to a more free flowing experiential style. Rooted in photography and graphic design and fond of small meticulous work, she says she was cautious. She took this drastic turn in the early 90’s, just before becoming a mom and jumping off that proverbial cliff. She now has two 20-something children and a globetrotting husband. This completely different direction challenged her out of her comfort zone and gave her a new found sense of freedom to forge her own unique artistic style.

She works with pigments and showed me the shimmery powder she mixes with ‘medium’ -- a type of ‘glue’ to enhance or texturize. This material facilitates the infusion of natural elements into and onto her canvas. The colors are pure, customizable and connect with her Mexican heritage and the history of art -- works by Mayans and Egyptians who used similar techniques bubble up when she talks about her influences. She finds this medium profound, and enjoys layering, like her predecessors creating works of art that endure.

Krytzia has a November unveiling in Paris at the OECD building (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Her monumental piece-- six yards long-- is called “The Universe of Water” and she takes her role as an artistic environmental advocate very seriously. She spoke of the connection between humans and water: “we are all drops of water, pure in our own way and combined with culture language and food, together creating a sea of community”. Water can be blue, green and brown, so many different incarnations and so much a mirror for humanity. Climate Change is always on her mind and she is both deeply connected to nature and concerned. She sees her bold work as a way to honor and create an artistic call to action. Her works are sweeping but not assaulting and she seeks to transmit a sense of peace and calm.

Krytzia does commissions, has shown internationally and she recently had a three month residency at the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco. A resident of Hillsborough, she loves her new home, studio space and the community at the Peninsula Museum Studios where she also had a show since moving to the Bay Area. She loves teaching kids and offers workshops regularly.

Come visit the Peninsula Museum of Art, it is such a treasure of the community. You have to see her work in person to feel the full impact. From small embedded Mexican milagro charms to vast swaths of color, tiny leaves and shells, you take away an impression of global importance and all embracing beauty.

Email:

krytzia.dm@gmail.com

Web: krytzia.com

Studio #7

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Ellen Howard:

Passionate Artist and Promoter of the Arts

Ellen moved to the Bay Area from the East Coast more than 25 years ago and had a successful career in finance, venture capital and raised two kids. As someone who majored in Business and minored in Art History, she always had a passion for art. She thought she’d own a gallery, little did she know that she would have a successful second act as a Plein Air oil painter and community arts promoter. Well maybe she did know deep down, and she has leveraged her business acumen to help support her artistic talent.

Art has always been in her life. Involved in Art in Action -- a school art program, when her kids were in school, later a girlfriend suggested she take an art class. With a watercolorist mother and a cartoonist grandfather, she always moved in an artistic orbit, but her friend’s fluke suggestion jump-started her own artistic journey. Ten years later, she never thought she would be where she is today, well established, in terms of her creative trajectory; it has been a quick ascent.

As a Plein Air artist, Ellen loves engaging with her subjects: trees, skies, marshes, mountains, ocean and sunsets. She finds working outdoors enhances her quality of life and treats her painting career like a job. She has been very disciplined; something that is often tricky for artists. The day I visited her airy studio -- she shares with Kim Lordier, another local landscape artist, and friend -- she was working on a number of canvases. A birch tree study, a robust flower arrangement and several ocean paintings. I get a sense that with her finance background and starting her art career later in life, that she’ full of energy and inspiration, with the management and organizational skills to match. I love her skies, the clouds were soft, voluptuous and colorful and often where my eyes were drawn. Her pieces are small and intimate, but she says her next phase is to “work larger and more abstract”. Methodical about her work, she finds the emotional side to the arts a constant inspiration; you can tell she is happy.

Living in San Mateo, Ellen explores the vast natural splendor of Northern California, but recently traveled to New Mexico and is often drawn to the Mendocino Coast. She loves to travel and add to her landscape repertoire. Ellen has been very active as one of the co-chairs of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Art Club, along with Paul Kratter. She is an Artist member of the California Art Club and was accepted into their 107th Gold Medal Exhibition this year. Ellen also serves as a Curator at the Peninsula Museum of Art. She has curated many group and individual artist exhibitions. She loves visiting Bay Area artist's studios, seeing their work and helping to promote them through exhibitions at the Museum. Ellen is passionate about bringing artists together for Paintouts, artist demonstrations and exhibitions. She feels that creating a space for artists to come together is vital for the community.

Represented by two galleries: Gallery 24 in Los Gatos and the Arnould Gallery in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Ellen is a busy artist. She teaches workshops at Filoli Gardens and the Mendocino Arts Center, and classes at Burlingame’s Art Attack, as well as upcoming workshops at the Peninsula Museum Museum of Art. She enters many Plein Air competitions and shows and has had great success. She adores the camaraderie she has found in the art world and at the Museum studios. Ellen’s work has been showcased in Plein Air Magazine and American Art Collector Magazine. True to her organizational nature, she is religious about her monthly newsletter and has seen subscriptions soar as her career has taken off. Ellen says she is thrilled to be doing this and her passion for her work is palpable.

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Email:

ellenhowardart@gmail.com

Web: ellenhowardart.com

Studio #4A

Both artists and many more can be seen Saturday and Sunday, November 11 and 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Peninsula Museum of art. Free admission and parking