The best way to find out about an artist is to get hands-on and create as they did. In this colourful and lively exploration of Constable's interests and art, Flanagan offers a book that both children and adults can enjoy. Make a DIY cloud viewer to contemplate the skies, perhaps even inspiring you to paint.
Disembodied heads, eyes, and hands meet spindly trees, dragonflies, and vibrant blossoms in the folk-art inspired works of Michael McGrath. Based in Rhinebeck, New York, McGrath melds a variety of media-most pieces contain a mixture of graphite, ink, and oil and acrylic paints-into dynamic compositions suffuse with mystery. Recurring symbols and objects lend themself to a distinctive visual language that captures both the wondrous and puzzling.
The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble will perform Richard Strauss's Metamorphosen among other musical works on Saturday, Jan. 31. Credit: Left Coast Chamber Ensemble If you haven't seen it yet, catch Kala Art Institute's latest exhibition, Bookness, before it closes on Feb. 11. The exhibition explores how the book has evolved as an artistic medium throughout history. There will be a reception for Bookness on Feb. 8 at the Oakland Marriott City Center. 2990 San Pablo Ave. FREE
In case you don't know, zines are do-it-yourself, small-circulation self-publications whose creators manufacture and distribute the works themselves. More or less invented by the Dada artists following World War One, zines became popular during every other moment of blasé corporatized tedium that drove people to circumvent the established order. They became especially prominent during the punk eras.
There is always something a bit uncanny about Simon Laveuve 's playful miniatures. Whether a ramshackle residence is built impossibly tall or seems to be both upside-down and right-side-up at the same time, we're drawn into a strange yet alluring world filled with a range of precisely rendered homes and hangouts. Laveuve is known for his meticulously sculpted miniatures that evoke post-apocalyptic settings, from stilt houses hovering precariously on rock formations to playful amalgamations of numerous "found objects" like tires and old windows.
If you're in the mood for romance, the cozy season has plenty to offer, including Bradley Cooper's movie "Is This Thing On?," set in the world of standup comedy; the lush crooning of the alt-country star Brandi Carlile; TV's favorite housewives, the real ones of Salt Lake City; and, on the creepier side, Tracy Letts's edgy thriller "Bug," on Broadway, starring his wife, Carrie Coon, as a lonely waitress.
The Danish-American Songbook: Join Grammy-winning violinist Mads Tolling and pianist/accordionist Colin Hogan for a concert blending Danish folk and pop traditions with American jazz and R&B. 1 p.m., Albert and Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall (Building F), 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. info@paloaltojcc.org , 650-223-8700. paloaltojcc.org/events "Terrain": In this new exhibition, Fred Aron explores the evolving dialogue between landscape and memory within the diverse and dynamic natural environments of California. 11 a.m., 883 Santa Cruz Ave., Suite 1, Menlo Park. 650-701-1018, info@themaingallery.org .
Ed Sheeran, who began painting in 2019, is selling his Cosmic Carpark Paintings at £900 each, with half of proceeds supporting music education in UK state schools.
The newly launched Camden Arts Projects in Chalk Farm now features Martin Creed's interactive installation, aiming to create an inspiring space for contemporary art and film.
