Kalani Engles at Her North Carolina Studio

Kalani Engles at her North Carolina studio with the original and two new Salt Marsh paintings.

Tools of the Trade

Scenes from the Studio

An artist's brayers.  Kalani Engles in her studio below. 

 Tools of the trade.

Plexiglass prepared for printing.  So lovely as it is.  Photos by Erin Ashford.

Kalani Engles in Her Studio

photo by Jay Watson

Kalani Engles in her studio painting a steel sculpture for her one person show at the Peninsula Museum of Art.

Kalani Engles Featured in George Billis Gallery Exhibition

Kalani Engles’ Los Angeles gallery is displaying works of selected artists at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village from November 2012 through January 2013. The announcement for the show is below. The gallery has selected Kalani’s oil on canvas, Perfume River 4 as her entry for this show.

Perfume River 4, oil on canvas, 56 x 66"

George Billis Gallery is pleased to announce a collaboration with the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, CA.  The gallery will be curating a series of group exhibitions in the hotel's mezzanine gallery space.  We will be holding a reception on Thursday, November 1st, 2012 from 5-8pm.

Linden Street Warehouse News

The Gallery Annex at 2115 Broadway (next to The Old Spaghetti Factory) is showing the work of eight artists from Linden Street Warehouse through June 28th.

The exhibit features works by the following artists: Mary Alice Bowie, Laura Diamondstone, Kalani Engles, Kris Idarius, Bonny Novesky, Joyce Savre, and Kat Thomas.

All works are displayed in the windows, so stroll by and enjoy the Contemporary Artworks!

New Show for Kalani Engles at The Studio Shop

Kalani Engles in front of Savage Garden II - Sold!

Kalani Engles currently has a show along with artists Jung Han Kim and Melinda Cootsona at The Studio Shop in Burlingame, California.  The above photos are from the opening reception on May 24th.  The show runs until June 16, 2012.

Kalani's work is from a series called Savage Garden.  Savage Garden represents a fusion of her two predominant painting styles - abstraction and impressionism.  The individual flowers and vines are impressionistic renderings of plants she has seen along the trails near her home.  The abstraction in these paintings results from the arrangement of the figures on the canvas.  Kalani would like the viewer to experience the essence of a wild garden unencumbered by physical context.

Kalani put together a beautiful book of her work from Savage Garden, which you are able to preview and purchase.  Photos by Jay Watson and book editing by Jamie Watson.

Linden Street Artists to be featured in SBAWCA Exhibition

Kalani Engles and Joyce Savre will have small works on paper exhibited in 40 Watts: Illuminating Herstory at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto from April 6th through 27th, 2012. A reception for the artists will be held Friday, April 6th from 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

Below is a photo of Kalani at work in her studio taken by Linden Street artist, Laura Diamondstone.

A Norman Rockwell Moment in Portola Valley

Photo © 2011 Jeanette Fowler

Lou Hess, the local UPS man, views Kalani Engles' painting, Salt Marsh 3 at the Kriewall-Haehl Gallery at the Woodside Priory in October.

Giant Cat Sculpture Installed in Calistoga

On October 6, 2011, a 14 foot high steel sculpture by Sean McGinn Smith (1959-2010) was installed at Vineyard 511 on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga.

Sean was a painter and metalworker who worked at the Linden Street Warehouse in the studio of his mother, Kalani Engles. Raised in Woodside, California, Sean studied archeology at the University of Arizona and graduated from the Art Institute of San Francisco. Many of his works embody the form and image of cats, inspired by his beloved Abyssinian, Simba.

One of his largest “Simba’s”, a 14 foot high steel sculpture, was purchased from his estate by Ed and Irene Ojdana, the owners of Vineyard 511. Below are photos of the sculpture being installed with the assistance of Sean’s brother, Tim Smith.










Restoration

Because the sculpture had been long exposed to elements, the original painted finish was showing signs of wear. The buyers decided to have it sandblasted, zinc coated and powder coated in its original colors to enable it to stand up to the elements indefinitely. They selected Precision Powder Coating in Belmont for the job and commissioned Linden Street Warehouse artist Laura Diamondstone, to restore the silver highlights on the decorative icons which cover the cat’s tail, body and double pedestal.

The photos below show Alan Willms, proprietor of Precision Powder Coating, and Laura Diamondstone standing in front of sections of the sculpture prior to shipment. A photo of Sean’s brother, Tom, and sister, Laura, on horses beside the sculpture (prior to refinishing) demonstrate the scale of this work.

Two Linden Street Artists Selected for Portola Valley Cultural Arts Committee Show

Kalani Engles and Bonny Novesky have been invited to participate in the inaugural Portola Valley Cultural Committee exhibition at the Kriewall-Haehl Gallery at Woodside Priory from October 3rd to November 5th, 2011.

Two of Kalani’s large oils on canvas (see below) and three of Bonny’s acrylic prints will be on display. Seven other Portola Valley artists will also be featured in the show.

Salt Marsh 3 (44" x 66") Perfume River 7 (46" x 66")

An Artists' Reception from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 15th will feature local wine and hors d'oeuvres accompanied by music performed by Portola Valley musicians Angela Schillace and Kari Rust.

Woodside Priory is located at 302 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Gallery hours are 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.


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Kalani Engles One Woman Show

In February 2011 The Studio Shop in Burlingame presented over 30 of Kalani’s works in an ambitious one woman show. Both showrooms of the gallery were dedicated to her work for the month.

The exhibition featured large and small oils on canvas, color and black and white monotypes and a painted steel sculpture, including many pieces never seen before.

The gallery also published a beautiful 40 page exhibition catalog which can be viewed online at Blurb.

Getting New Cards is So Much Fun

Kalani Engles shared her newest artist calling card with us...it's always so much fun for an artist to get new cards. And it's a great way to showcase your beautiful work. Perfume River 6 looks so lovely here.

War of the Walls

Kalani Engles

Searsville (48" x 60")


A woman who has collected my art for years recently got divorced from her second husband. Among the sources of incompatibility in their marriage was the fact that he didn’t like my art (or any art for that matter). Whenever she hung a piece of mine, he would complain about it for a while and then take it down. His job, however, required him to be out of town for extended periods. Whenever he was gone, she would hang my art again in the same place it was before. When he returned, he would again take it down. This went on for a couple of years until this and other conflicts convinced her to leave him.

It was not an amicable parting, but they were able to agree on a property settlement – with one exception. He insisted on keeping a large oil painting of mine, Searsville, that she had acquired while they were married. He claimed it had been purchased with community funds, and that the room where it (occasionally) hung would not be the same without it. No amount of argument would change his mind, and she eventually relinquished the painting. Did he experience an epiphany and suddenly fall in love with my work, or was this just his final shot in the war of the walls? Take a look at Searsville (48” x 60”) and decide for yourself.

Kalani Engles Sharing New Work and a Story

Lockwood Folly 1

One of the biggest obstacles an artist faces in selling a painting is getting both partners in a marriage to agree to buy it. The husband loves it, but the wife thinks it’s too big, too bright, or too scary. For eight years a man in North Carolina who loves my work could not get his wife to put it in their house. Then one day her best friend from New York is visiting and says she knows about my work and loves it. Suddenly, the wife sees everything differently and now has two of my large paintings hanging in her living room (including Lockwood Folly 1). Did she really not like my work, was she trying to stand up to her husband, or did she just need reassurance that she was doing the right thing. Who knows?

Kalani Engles Honored at SBAWCA

Kalani Engles was honored as a Charter Member of the South Bay Area Women's Caucus for Art at the opening reception for SBAWCA's 20th Anniversary Exhibition at the Art Object Gallery in San Jose on August 29th.

Two of Kalani's paintings - Chora and Sunflowers - are featured in the exhibition which continues through September 19th.

Sunflowers

Chora

Kalani Engles paintings at AAF

Kalani Engles had two paintings from her Perfume River series exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair New York City May 7-10, 2009. AAF NYC is a place for new and established collectors to discover and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, video, photography and limited edition prints from distinguished galleries, all priced from $100 - $10,000.

This year the Fair hosted more than 60 galleries from the US, Europe, Asia, Canada and South America, including George Billis Gallery who represents Kalani in New York and Los Angeles. AAF debuted at its new location, 7 West 34th Street.

Perfume River 8, oil on canvas, 51 x 62", 2008

Kalani Engles paintings at Art Basel Miami Beach

Kalani Engles will have two of her Perfume River paintings on display at Art Basel Miami Beach, December 4-7, 2008.

This painting is part of Kalani's Perfume River series

From the website:

Art Basel Miami Beach is the most important art show in the United States, a cultural and social highlight for the Americas. As the sister event of Switzerland's Art Basel, the most prestigious art show worldwide for the past 39 years, Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Exhibition sites are located in the city's beautiful Art Deco District, within walking distance of the beach and many hotels.

An exclusive selection of more than 220 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by over 2,000 artists. The exhibiting galleries are among the world's most respected art dealers, offering exceptional pieces by both renowned artists and cutting-edge newcomers.

Invitation to Kalani Engles' show in L.A.

The George Billis Gallery in L.A. will feature six canvases from Kalani Engles' popular Perfume River series and five monotypes. A group of friends and collectors have organized a dinner for her after the opening on Sept. 6.

Those in the L.A. area are invited to the reception Sept. 6 from 5-8PM.

George Billis Gallery L.A.
2716 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034


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Success in New York!

Kalani and George
Kalani's opening reception at the George Billis Gallery

A couple of months ago, we reported on Kalani's Febrary show at the George Billis Gallery in NY. It was a big success with 7 of 9 pieces sold, and another large canvas commissioned. It went so well in fact, that George invited Kalani to do a second show in his Los Angeles gallery in September. Stay tuned for more details!