Molly's Interview in Stone Soup

Molly was interviewed by writer Roberta Floden for the most recent edition of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center’s publication, Stone Soup.  Here it is:

Q&Artist: Molly Rea by Roberta Floden

Molly Rea is a well-regarded figurative artist whose paintings have been exhibited at Richmond Art Center, Marin County Fair Art Show, Gallery Route One Box Show, and currently at the Minnesota Street Project Galleries in a group show curated by Valley artist Sonny Smith, as well as the Center’s SGVCC  Spring Art show.

A San Francisco native, Molly and her two children moved to Fairfax in the ‘80s.  At first, she worked in the Valley as a teacher’s aide for the Open Classroom at Lagunitas School. Then, for about ten years, she was the organizer behind the  SGVCC annual Holiday Faire. Behind the scenes, Molly often helped her partner,  Larry Rippee, retired SGVCC Visual Arts Coordinator, hang the monthly art shows at the Center.

Their home is a gallery. From floor to ceiling, in every room, an unimaginable number and kinds of works of art surround you. They’re not only by Molly, but also by members of her illustrious family, her friends, and of course, by Larry, a pen and ink graphics artist.

 Q. Did you always want to be a painter?

 A. No, not at all, even though I grew up in a family of artists and was surrounded by art throughout my early years. My grandfather, Rea Irvin, a legendary graphic artist, was the first art director of the New Yorker. He headed the magazine’s cartoon department and created its icon, “Eustace Tilley” along with hundreds of NewYorker covers. My mother, Virginia Irvin, was an illustrator for the SF Examiner, Seattle Times, Oregon Journal, KQED TV art department, as well as working as a freelance artist and teaching calligraphy.

Really, my being a single mother, I didn't have the time for art. Nor did I think I had the talent compared to other members of my family. That changed when I first moved to Fairfax. I threw myself into painting a large dragon on one of the walls for my kids. It kinda scared them, but it also started me painting.

Happily, I was befriended by my neighbors, Martha and Richard Shaw. Richard is a quite renowned trompe l’oeil ceramicist. If it hadn't been for him, I might not have ever gotten serious about painting. He inspired me to get my degree from San Francisco Institute of Arts. 

Through him and Martha, I met Amazing Grace owners Judy Kaufman and John Pedersen, who in turn introduced me to a whole host of people playing Old Timey Music. Since I play the guitar, I now had a musical family along with my art family. And then along came Larry! He has been a huge influence and supportive person in my artistic journey.

Q. Your joyful painting in the 2025 Spring Art Show, “Amazing Grace: How Sweet the Sound,” brings together and joins your musical interests with your artistic talent.

A. I was inspired by the 1566 painting, “The Wedding Dance,” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It took me five years to paint. Like Bruegel’s work, it's a large painting of ordinary folks doing what makes them happy. In my painting, they’re all actually friends of mine, some still living and some dead, some neighbors and some friends from Amazing Grace Music. They’re all standing in a tree-filled courtyard -- musicians playing guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins and people dancing and clapping and having a good time. In the background is the old ‘70s Amazing Grace Music store that has since been torn down and replaced.

Just to name a few that are in the painting: Richard Shaw is one of the banjo players, and his wife, Martha, is dancing joyfully in front. Judy Kaufman is also on the banjo with her husband John Pedersen by her side playing the fiddle. Mike Hagstrom is on bass along with longtime Valley musician and artist Chuck Wiley on guitar. Larry is in the painting as well. He’s sitting under the tree. l’m in it, too. We’ve been gathering together like this and jamming old timey music for more than 25 years. The painting is now hanging in the Amazing Grace Store in San Anselmo.

Q. What’s next for you?

A. My painting is in “The Anthology of Unknown Music” at San Francisco’s Minnesota Street Project Gallery, which will be moving on to the Bolinas Museum this spring. In this year’s SGVCC Spring Art Show I’m submitting a portrait of a friend who has done work around our home. I took a photo of him on a ladder with the garden lit up with sunshine behind him and thought, I have to paint this. 

I’m just finishing it. And, of course, I’ll continue painting portraits of people I know and love, along with animals -- art that you understand and identify with has been my life’s work.

Stone Soup, Spring edition 2026

"Anthology of Unknown Music, vol.1" at he Minnesota Street Project

Sonny Smith artist/ musician (or is that musician/ artist ?) has organized a remarkable group show, “Anthology of Unknown Music, vol.1”, currently exhibiting at the Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco.

                                            It’s a large space filled with multiple galleries

For this show Sonny created a number of fictitious musicians and wrote songs in the persona of each musician. 

Then he assigned each of these imaginary musicians (and their songs) to artists to design record covers.

There are several dozen artists involved (I’ve never learned all their names).

Sonny recorded many of the songs and they’re on a jukebox in the exhibit.

The opening reception was January 22 and was quite an event.

(Molly, with her back turned, is in the green coat. Sonny, in blue denim, talking to the guy in the red shirt).

Happily, Sonny had invited Molly and I to participate in the exhibit. 

Molly’s assignment was Sudan’s Master Musician, Blem Beja, the Headless Man and his song “I Want to Face Life Head On “.

Here’s her early sketch for the painted cover. 

And the painting in process

She even made a record label for the piece as well.

 For my piece I got Terius “Big Foot’ Lingerfelt. His song is “I Turned My Back on People”.  

(He's up there, in the black frame, above my head)

In this rough pencil sketch, I envisioned Terius as a serious malcontent, a misanthrope.

I actually did a lot of prep work for this drawing.

I did mine, very old school, with crow quill pen and India ink.

I initially planned to do a gray wash treatment on the piece but finally decided against it.

The show runs until February 14.

Check out Sonny’s link for more info (including a real record album of the songs!) --https://rockshead.bandcamp.com/album/anthology-of-unknown-music-volume-1

Sonny Smith's "Anthology of Unknown Music, vol.1" group show opening tonight

There's at least forty artists in the show. Check out the link for more info:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTbKVztEvmS/

Molly's Sunday Jam

Courtesy of Stepanie Hornish

Happy 2026 !

Here's wishing all of us struggling little primates a happy, healthy and sane New Year!

 

2025 Has Been a Banner Year for Molly's Grandpappy, Rea Irvin !

Rea Irvin had a long and prestigious career working on a handful of newspapers around the country, eventually making his way to New York and becoming a sought-after cartoonist-illustrator for Life, Judge, Harper's, Green Book, Hampton’s Magazine, Red Book and numerous other publications before becoming the aesthetic-overlord of the New Yorker magazine. He drew the first iconic cover and generally gave the magazine its look—designing the logo, typeface, column headings as well as serving as cartoon editor.

Most of these significant accomplishments managed to fly under the cultural radar for decades.

But 2025 has been Rea Irvin’s big year.

In July of this year, Rea was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame presented at the Comic Con International in San Diego.

Molly accepting the Eisner Hall of Fame award for grandpa Rea

And as of this December, his very first collected works was published by New York Review Books.

The Smythes was edited by artists R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw, with an afterword by Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Curator, Caitlin McGurk.

All of this in one year !  

Just a mere 53 years after his death.

A brief 100 years after his iconic New Yorker cover.

And only 126 years after his first published cartoons.

But recognition at last.

Molly's Turn: New work and in progress work

 Martine has been working for us, installing new windows.  Here is an image of him getting the opening ready for the new window install. The garden behind him, the lighting - all made for a fantastic image for me to paint. While I am not quite done with the painting I am very pleased with it so far.

Martine

I finally have my computer closer to my work space.

Here is my studio area in our office. 

Both Larry and I were asked by a friend, Sonny Smith of the Sonny and the Sunsets band, to join his group project which will be shown at the Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco  in January. He sent us a list of mythical musicians and a brief bio asking us to pick a musician which resinated with us.  My choice was the headless Sudanese musician Blem Beja also known as Umar Mubarak. Sonny will be writing music and creating an album of all his mythical musicians. More about Larry's choice to come. 

Above is my preliminary drawing.

I did research on Sudanese musicians and dance and was able to bring together a grouping that pleased me.

The start of my painting......

Here is a painting I finally completed, took me about 4 to 5 long years :-)

Current idea for title is "Molly's Gang: How Sweet the Sound".

A combination suggested by both Judy Kaufman, John Pedersen and Larry Rippee.

Molly's Gang is actually a group of musician friends that came together every Thursday night for close on to 25 years. Starting out here at our house, then when my mother could no longer make it up the stairs all these wonderful people agreed to play at her house until she was no longer able to stay there. We then came back to our house, at which point we decided to alternate between Judy and John's house and our house every other week, this lasted until Covid. Sad to say Covid really stopped us all cold. We did play on Sundays out on the patios every once in a while. We are hoping to reinstate a Sunday  jam once a month, fingers crossed. Such good times. A wealth of good music and friends.

The building at the back of the painting is the Old Amazing Grace Music Store which has since been torn down. 

Amazing Grace Music now resides in a building to the east of the original spot in a building owned by George Lucas. 

 (When Judy called me to say the the owner of the building was going to sell, I was lucky enough to be able to get Lucas's phone number through Chuck Wiley who had been a model maker for years at ILM, and so was able to leave a message for Lucas with his secretary, letting them know that this San Anselmo historical institution was in danger. I left John and Judy's phone number hoping that Lucas might be interested in saving Amazing Grace as Lucas has helped San Anselmo many times. And Lucas (actually his secretary)  stepped up, called John, got the information to purchase, purchased the building, ripped it down and built a beautiful park strip, moving Amazing Grace east to its current position where he completely rebuilt that building to John and Judy's needs. A gentleman indeed!!)

Starting from left front to right in the painting are: John Pedersen, Judy Kaufman (owners of the store), Richard Shaw, Martha Shaw, Ned Riley, Jenny Pfeiffer, Perry Fly, Molly Rea, Greg Townsend.

Back right row: Jacquie Phelan, Steve Vermillion, Bud Heddrick, Greg Snyder, Jan DelaBrandis, Jeannie Carlson, Tom Seitz, Scott Barrett, Michael Hagstrom, Micheal Drayton, Chuck Wiley.

Very far back: Nanette Harris and Brent Harris, Diego Gonzalez and April Hayley, Mark Woodrow and Donley Smith. And "far out', Larry Rippee.

When I first moved to Fairfax, Martha and Richard Shaw befriended me, we met at the Tiny Tot playground in Fairfax and ended up living kitty-corner from each other. Martha and Richard were/are very important to me. I became a single mother and they were my family. The kids and I were up there a lot,  Martha and I would be playing Chinese Checkers and /or fiddle tunes (Martha on fiddle and I on guitar) or down here at my house doing the same. The kids absolutely loved being able to run from house to house, very magical. Through Richard and Martha I met Judy and John who in turn introduced me to a whole host of people playing Old Time Music. A musical family for me. I feel very, very lucky to have landed here in all this creativity. If it hadn't been for Richard I might not have ever picked up painting, he inspired me to create art.

Here we all are packed into our house playing music and having fun.

Don't mind how serious they look.... they are having fun!!

Teresa Bowman, Lady of Hope

This is the director of Helen Vine Detox Center here in Marin County. She is an amazing woman, her strength in helping those with no hope is inspiring and I so wish we all had her determination to help those who need it.

Rachel

Rachel is a young woman with heart and determination. I feel lucky to have had her in my life. She is now a lawyer fighting to help people who are in danger of losing their homes.

Eric

This drawing of Eric is a preliminary drawing for a painting soon to be started.

And that is all for now folks!