Larry Rippee and Molly Rea Art

Friday, August 20, 2021

Molly's Turn: Ben Vaganov

Benjamin Vaganov
1896-1981

U.S.S.R. #7 A La Russie, 1965

I grew up on Potereo Hill in San Francisco. We moved there in 1958, a time when there where many artist and craftsmen who found homes on Potereo HIll as it was close to where many worked as longshoremen or in other industrial types of work. The hill was rich with artist, poets, muscians and creative souls. It was my environment, and for many years I had no idea of how incredibly lucky I was to grow up here with these people in my life.

Ben Vaganov was one of these people. He lived around the corner from my family. I have no idea how he came into our lives other than he was a staple for many years. He used to come by for a glass of tea or wine and would play Parcheesi with me. He was a wicked player, gleeful and feisty and if he wasn't winning he was ready to gently shift the board so the pieces, oops, where moved, by mistake, of course. He was always full of good cheer and when he was cheating he always made sure that I was aware of it. It was much fun to be with Ben.

Our Four Eggs by Ben

Over the years, Ben gave us four beautiful eggs he had painted in a very Russian style. I have had them all my life and chance upon them every once in a while to admire. We recently tore apart our office for painting and new flooring and I found these eggs once again. I showed them to Larry and told him my stories of Ben. Larry being Larry immediately went to the computer to do research and found some wonderful and fascianting information and articles about someone I only knew as a wonderful, feisty and creative old man.

It is intriguing to me that both Ben and Victor Arnatoff, artist of the same generation, came from Russia, migrated through China and ended up on Potereo Hill. There is no articles linking the two but they lived only two blocks from each other on De Haro Street. I speculate that they must have known each other, even if only through the yearly art shows at the Potereo Hill library. These yearly shows were highly anticipated by the hill artists, many of them renowned, always a wonderful show.

I wish I had been more interested as a child to hear Ben's stories, I loved to play with him and appreciate his teasing and caring manner. I am so glad Larry found this information.

Here are some examples of his work and articles Larry found. I hope you enjoy them!

Benjamin Vaganov,
Through the Carbide Light Spectrum
(I wonder if Ben used his own face for this painting...)

By The Lake, 1905

Once the Master, 1955

Flower Arrangement #2

Peacock on the Steps

My Flowers

Russian Landscape with Wind Mill

Tree

A Brief Overview of Ben’s Life:

Born: 1896 - Archangel, Russia
Died: 1981 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Exhibits: Calif. State Fair, 1931,
1949; Kingsley Art Club (Sacramento), 1933 Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939

Chula Vista Library, 1942 San Diego FA Society

--Ref: Artists in California, 1786-1940

Spencer Helfen Fine Arts, of Beverly Hills, has posted this information about Ben:

Artistic Focus – A self-taught Modernist, Benjamin Vaganov sometimes worked under thepseudonym “Venia.” His early work in California’s lumber and mining industries proved to be a significant influence on the artist’s life and paintings, whose texture often suggests an application of paint intended to convey Vaganov’s reverence for their subjects by creating the sensation of a natural substance.

Career Highlights –

Born in Tsarist Russia, Benjamin Vaganov left his homeland to escape the dangers of the Revolution, living for several years in China before coming to the United States in 1923.

He settled first in Oregon, where he found work in the lumber industry, and then moved to San Diego in 1928, where he established a studio in the Spanish Village in Balboa Park.

Vaganov completed a number of Works Progress Administration art projects, including a mural painted in the House of Pacific Relations in San Diego, and dioramas in the San Diego County Visual Education building.

Vaganov remained active in San Diego art circles until he moved to San Francisco in the 1950s, where he spent his remaining years.

(b. Archangel, Russia Oct 8 1896- ) (S.F. Painter)
Address in SF: 1624 20th Street (1956); 851 B De Haro Street
Vaganov died at his daughter's home in Salt Lake City on March 23, 1981.

San Francisco Examiner Pictorial Living article Feb. 22, 1959

This is from the Chula Vista Star,

Chula Vista California Sep. 18th, 1942

This Article from the Golden Gator, July 16th, 1965

Letter written to the SF Examiner on June 21st, 1955,

Ben’s views on citizenship

I was a young woman living in Washington State when Ben died. I lost contact with him and regret not having spent more time with him. Growing up in a very small family he was someone very special to us. I know my mother also enjoyed his company as he did hers. It’s amazing how people touch our lives and stay with us throughout our years, with great affection and fun memories.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

William T. Wiley (1937--2021)

Iconic artist and longtime San Geronimo Valley resident William T. Wiley died April 25, 2021.

He was part of the Bay Area Funk Art movement that included other renown artists such as Richard Shaw, Robert Hudson and Roy DeForest.

A celebration of his life was held at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center on July 18^th.

Ethan Wiley dressed in Bill’s classic ‘Mr. Unatural’ attire at San Geronimo Valley Community Center

T-shirt of Wiley created by the artist Zoltron for the occasion

Wiley /Mr.Unatural lithograph

Decades ago Wiley moved to Forest Knolls with his first wife Dorothy and sons Ethan and Zane. His brother Chuck with wife Fran and son Bram lived in Lagunitas, the next village over. (Chuck too was also a talented artist). Their mother, Cleta, lived in Woodacre.

Chuck, Fran, Cleta, Bill, Dorothy, Ethan and Zane

The last few years of his life were spent in Novato with his second wife artist Mary Hull Webster.

Wiley was born October 21, 1937 and raised in Indiana and Washington state. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute, earning his BFA and MFA there and taught at UC Davis alongside Wayne Thiebaud and Robert Arneson.

He worked in a wide variety of mediums ranging from watercolor and painting to sculpture and film.

Two views of the Wiley ‘dunce’ cap

His works have been exhibited worldwide including the Whitney Museum, de Young Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Honolulu Museum of Art, the Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and numerous others.

In 2009, Wiley had a major retrospective of his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. and later at the University Art Museum, Berkeley.

Wiley was a devotee to I Ching, Buddhism, bad jokes and fishing.

Many remember Bill for his sense of humor and as a source of inspiration as to what it means to be a creative artist.

Molly remembers Wiley with affection.

A little background on how I met Wiley:

I have always loved homes, looking at houses and finding ways to create spaces that worked for people. For some reason my weird ability to do this led Larry to joke that this might make me the ideal realtor, a job I thought of with much disdain. But, being a single mom with two small kids and a BFA in painting, I decided to give it a try and actually loved helping people find homes that made them happy.

Wiley’s brother Chuck had been a dear friend to me for a long while and encouraged his brother to use me when looking for a new home. Thus, began a wonderful time tooling around Marin and Sonoma counties with Bill.

(We searched for probably a year or so with no luck. Not long after I retired from my relator career Wiley and his 2^ndwife Mary found a place in Novato. It was a relief as the start of Parkinson was making it difficult for him to navigate the long winding stairs to his cottage and studio in Woodacre.)

During our search, being cooped up in a little car for hours as we drove long stretches of the backroads of these two counties- gave us many opportunities to meander through many different subjects.Wiley talked to me of his teaching and regret that he had not stayed with it longer. What it meant to be an artist who saw his work sell for crazy prices, way above what the piece was originally brought for, how odd it felt to him and yet how proud and important this recognition was to him. We talked of family, which was very, very important to Wiley, and the love for one’s partners, past and present, and friends- who was important to the everyday happiness in one’s life and the importance of one’s relationships. Wiley expressed to me his love of the San Geronimo Valley, the place where he raised his family and the special spot -- the big old ramshackle barn that was his studio--in Woodacre, and of fishing for salmon with his great friend Cato and how much joy he received from pleasures of being on the ocean in a boat.

He also loved to throw the I-Ching, tried to teach me the meaning and reading of the I-Ching (unfortunately I am still a little lost here). There were so many topics we touched on.

We talked of the process of art, what it meant to each artist, how Wiley loved to listen to KPFA and NPR and how much this influenced his art and sensibilities. He encouraged me as an artist, offered to introduce me to a gallery owner friend of his in Sacramento so I could have a show- which I assured him I did not want to do. He believed in me, gave me much praise and enthusiasm for the way I painted, which meant a lot to me. And interspersed with all these wonderful conversations Wiley loved to joke, I loved to hear his jokes and would try to remember them to pass on to my brother who also loved jokes.

So, you can see why I truly treasured my time with Wiley and felt very lucky to be hurtling through the countryside with this wonderful, sage, and funny man.

Here are Richard Lang’s memories of Bill Wiley:

https://sfelectricworks.wordpress.com/2021/04/30/434/

Thursday, May 13, 2021

The 31st Annual 'It’s Virtually Spring' Art Show

“Open Secret” by Cris Nyne

This year’s annual Spring Art Show at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center --like all things during the plague years-- is a virtual event.

“Anti-Hero” by Evan Hobart

We have about half of the normal turn out and, of course, a virtual event doesn’t replace being in a packed gallery space on an opening night with friends. But, nevertheless, I’m still very pleased with the results--and impressed with our artist’s resiliency. Thanks to everyone who participated.