Interview: Richard Berger: A Conversation with an Elusive Genius At the time of this interview in1997, Richard Berger was a senior faculty member at the San Francisco Art Institute where he had chaired the sculpture department for over twenty years. Although he was the recipient of the Adeline Kent Award in 2004, he was one of those remarkable artists who should have been far more widely known. When I asked other Bay Area artists if they knew Richard Berger, the response was usually some variation on a theme: "Oh, yes. He's a genius!"        I began our interview by asking Berger how he was currently working. ... Aug 6, 2000, 52377 reads

Interview with Wendy Sussman: Real Painting photo - r. whittaker Painter Wendy Sussman's untimely death in April of 2001 left a void in the San Francisco Bay Area artworld. Sussman was an artist of impeccable integrity and great depth. Following is perhaps the only interview on record with this remarkable artist. The interview took place in Sussman's studio just before the Fall Semester began at U.C. Berkely where she taught painting. We began talking about how certain painters utilized the shapes of elements in their paintings to resonate with and deepen the content of the image. Wendy Sussman:  ... Sep 2, 2005, 51813 reads

Following Taya: photo: r. whittaker As many readers of this magazine will know, Taya Doro Mitchell is unusual. [see issue #16] What readers won't know is that, at the age of 74, Taya left East Oakland and moved to a small agricultural community on the Rio Grande in New Mexico. It wasn't that Taya was tired of her practice of decorating the new bullet holes in her windows from nighttime activities in her neighborhood. She had lived there a long time and wasn't afraid, she told me, even coming home late at night-which was typical. And she was content with solitude, she ... Sep 22, 2011, 50148 reads

An Art of Joy: A Conversation with Gale Wagner:  Early in 1992 I got an unexpected call: "Why don't you come over to the studio tonight at 6:30 and bring some food. There will be lots of artists here." It was Gale Wagner. I'd met him only a week or two earlier at Peggy Williams' place in Alameda, the Courtyard. In those days her restaurant and gallery was where Alameda's art flame was protected and fed. One day a heroic statue of Peggy will stand at the foot of the High Street bridge, gateway to the island's East End. Or it should. If Gale wasn't an Oaklander, maybe his would be there, ... Jun 17, 2010, 49288 reads

A Drawing Class with Jane Rosen: Art 12 at U.C. Berkeley When I met Jane Rosen, she was living in a rented house on a horse ranch, of all places, where she spent hours watching the horses. But she watched animals of all kinds, wild and domestic, large and small, on land and in the air - animals only glimpsed and those close at hand - especially including her much beloved dog Mayo, who she often referred to as her teacher.      She'd been exhibiting and working in SoHo for twenty years before moving to the horse ranch. It was close to California's San Mateo Coast and allowed her instinctive interest in ... Mar 14, 2005, 48217 reads

The Sound of One Hand Clapping: An Conversation with Terrance Meyer One morning I looked up from my cup of tea in a local coffee shop and was surprised to see a man at work on a little painting sitting at a table nearby. Such a sight was a first for me in this particular neighborhood. I walked over, took a peek, and was surprised again. It was really good. I complimented him on his work and we struck up a conversation.        He was just passing through, he told me. He’d been in Seattle and had come down to the Bay Area where he was staying for a few days with a friend. It didn’t sound like his accommodations were ... Oct 2, 2000, 47780 reads

Carlo Ferretti's Cove: photos - r. whittaker I met Carlo in 2003 and finished this article early in 2004 - r.w. Mr. Ferretti was apologetic. If I didn't mind entering "a construction zone," we could meet at his home. He was doing some remodeling, he explained. Something about the way he spoke reminded me of the impression I'd gotten from his email notes - of a kind of gentility, a manner from a different culture. Of the photos he'd sent me of his work, one stood out - a piece of public art he'd completed in the town of Albany where he lives, a small ... Oct 6, 2004, 47521 reads

Interview: Milford Zornes: An Artist's Life I was in Claremont, California—a town I knew well from my college days. But in recent years my visits were to see my mother who was living there in a retirement community. We'd spent the morning together and I'd gone into town to pick up something for her and also because I wanted to wander around and look in on some old haunts. While strolling along Yale Avenue I noticed a sign: Claremont Fine Arts. Hmm. I didn't remember the place and peeking through the window, I saw a room full of conventional landscapes and still lifes. Stepping in for a better ... Jul 11, 2008, 47412 reads

Interview: Erik d'Azevedo: Culture Shock I met Erik d’Azevedo at his home studio in west Berkeley. D’Azevedo is small in stature, intense and very articulate. As usual, there is too much to say, too many connections and failed connections. Too much experience, struggle and history—over 35 years of painting. And before long, we’re going back even further, to some of the artist’s earliest memories from the age of four and five. D’Azevedo’s father was an anthropologist, a fact which has had profound effects on the artist’s life. When Erik was quite young, his father took the ... May 3, 2004, 47307 reads

A Conversation with Jim Brooks: The Right Stuff Photos - R. Whittaker I'd come to Elko for their annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering. A first-timer, I was neither a cowboy nor a student of cowboy poetry, but I'd been enjoying the performances and the friendly atmosphere among the ranchers, cowboys and the friends of cowboy culture.       It was the second day of the festival and I'd taken a break to visit Capriola's, a place I was told not to miss. It was full of all kinds of cowboy gear. Looking around, I almost wished I owned a horse or two. ... Jan 2, 2006, 46423 reads