Want to see cutting edge mobile digital art and learn about it? Check out the mDACsummit. Come to the opening Fri. Aug. 1, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

I feel thrilled and honored to have pieces in two different categories: This Selfie, in the new category, Layer-O-Magic will be displayed on screens.

My iPadJAZZart painting of Ben Williams at Dizzy's Den at the Monterey Jazz Festival will be shown as a fine art print.

The Mobile Art & Creativity Summit has grown both in size and scope this year. It takes place over the whole weekend, and includes workshops and seminars. It has an impressive number of sponsors.

Check it out! I will be painting on my iPad during the opening - I would love to see you!
It takes place at the venerable Pacific Art League in Palo Alto - now remodeled and extended.

Hugged by Jenny Scheiman

The fact that she thought I was someone else did not diminish the sweetness of the moment. She approached me from the back and I did not see her until she was right by me, just beaming, and then realizing her mistake she smiled gracefully and moved away. Now I wonder who I look like from the back? 

It was a great evening of music at our intimate Arcata Playhouse.

It was also a celebration of Jenny Scheinman's return to the North Coast. She grew up in Humboldt County, but has lived in Brooklyn for  several years. With her husband and kids, she recently moved to Arcata. She was surrounded by family and friends. We are all hoping this means more opportunities to see her. 

I was amused and also deeply moved by her song The Littlest Prisoner, that she performed the night of the hug. And I am looking forward to her new record by the same name - coming out soon.

Here it is on YouTube. Performed with Robbie Fulks (also with her at the Arcata Playhouse) on guitar.

In this painting a pregnant Jenny Scheinman is sitting in with the Honey Ear Trio, consisting of Allison Miller, Rene Hart, and Erik Lawrence. This was great evening of jazz at the Arcata Playhouse. I painted this piece live during the performance on my iPad using the ArtStudio app. The Little prisoner was added later ;)

  Another live iPad painting at the Arcata Playhouse. Jenny Scheinman, violin, Todd Sickafoose, bass, and Allison Miller, drums.

As the sun is setting over Arcata Bay, I am working on this jazz blog while listening to Jenny Scheiman's last record Mischief and Mayhem. It makes me happy!

Soon she will be touring as the solo opening act with Ani Di Franco starting on the 19th of Feb. They will be here in Arcata, at the Van Duzer Theater at Humboldt State University, on March 2. I'll be there!

Christian Scott, also known as Christian aTunde Adjuah, at the Blue Whale jazz club, Saturday May 25, 2013

With deep New Orleans' roots and his own sound Christian Scott, plays with serious intensity, and talks about serious issues, but with an amused swagger - an endearing teasing quality. He introduced his quintet with generosity. No need to be steeped in jazz to enjoy this sound!

Go see him, get his double CD, "Christian aTunde Adjuah" on which he appears in full Mardi Gras regalia, and play him on YouTube.

He was there with his beautiful wife, married just one week - and he has just moved to Los Angeles.

Sitting on a small square puff right in front of him I had a great time painting him on the iPad.

This painting is autographed by Christian Scott. He gave me a peck on the cheek! I promised to email the painting to him. I'm deciding which version. Which one do you like the best?

Technical information: painted on location during live performance on an iPad 3 generation, with 

Art Studio app, using fingers as well as a Sensu stylus.

More live pairing in my website: 

Waiting for the Christian Scott Quintet to arrive.

The Blue Whale is small and blue and intimate.

It is sort of in Japan town...before the music we had a great meal at Honda Ya Izakaya.

iPadJAZZart at Healdsburg Jazz Festival, ShotGun Wedding, hip hop jazz! June 2012

Hip Hop Meets Jazz,  Shotgun Wedding Quartet - a Jazz Mafia creation.
WOW! did I have fun hopping while painting.
This was a dynamic informal performance a the elegant (check out the bathrooms) Spoonbar just off the plaza in Healdsburg. We happened to be walking by on our first evening at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and although there was absolutely no space, I managed to sardine myself into a heaving mass of happy dancers, where I could see the action some of the time.

At a break I met Adam Theis - the Jazz Mafia don, and learn more about his innovative music ambitions which include a 60 piece hip hop symphony (Brass, Bows & Beats) for which Theis is the principal composer. We got this album. The Shotgun Wedding album having totally sold out.

Have not had this much fun in a long time, and I am surprised that I was able to catch Adam Theis, bass, MC Dublin, vocals, and Pat Korte, drums on my iPad. This iPad painting is autographed by Dublin and Theis. Thank you guys! Missing from the image is Joe Cohen on saxes and keyboard. Frankly, I couldn't see Joe. Sorry!
ArtStudio app, 3rd generation iPad

We only caught the last weekend of the Healdsburg Festival, and enjoyed the formal performances at the Raven Theatre, as well as the finale in the blisteringly hot sunshine at the Rodney Strong Vineyards, but I thought the informal jam at Hotel Healdsburg the last night which almost all the luminaries of the weekend came, and this hip hop jazz was the most fun.

Images:PadJAZZart, of Shotgun Wedding Quartet painted during live performance June 7, 2012 at Spoonbar in Healdsburg. The painting in progress, photo of me with iPad in lap, by G. Inkeles.

Being in Healdsburg is always a pleasure. The lovely shady plaza, the great food and wine, and as we discovered this time, Sonoma Lake. Just a twenty minute drive through the vineyards and into the foothills - a  cool breeze and a place for picnicking and a swim. We will be back!


Photo of Jessica Felix, artistic director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, by G. Inkeles.

iPadJAZZart Rez Abbasi's Incantation, an email exchange!

Background story. Rez Abbasi, jazz guitarist came to Arcata ( April 25, 2012, Fulkerson Recital Hall, Humboldt Stare University, sponsor Redwood Jazz Alliance) with his new Incantation consisting of Matt Mitchell, piano, David Binney, alto Sax, Johannes Weidermueller, bass and Dan Weiss, drums.

I rushed off to music room 130 at Humboldt State University for the 3 p.m. workshop ...where I got to listen to a tired, charming Rez give personal and generous advice to the young music students. I made a painting of him on my iPad, including some of his words. Note, everyone who makes it up to Humboldt County is tired and a hero! The drive is much longer than it should be. Later, at 8 the evening performance started.
I loved it. Read about the music in the LA Times article by Chris Barton. I painted another iPad painting.  ( I can't really include all the musicians...have to edit or the piece and I would be overwhelmed - sorry! And I am not using a photo image as some seem to think, it would constrain my  creativity) When I met Rez at the after party he happily autographed the paintings, and wanted me to send him a print. The ensuing email exchange got to be amusing so I thought I'd post it here, along with the paintings.

Hi Rez, this is a good day for Jazz, not just because Unesco is celebrating it, and Jason Moran was interviewed on NPR, but because I can spend this moody, foggy, monday morning listening to your Suno Suno recording.  When I saw you last it was midnight in Arcata, and you had to catch a flight to LA from Oakland the next morning ...I hope you made it to the Blue Whale.

Next time you make it up here, stay a day and go for a walk in the Redwood Forest. I'll be your guide!

Many thanks to you and your Invocation group for coming up here. We are very far from everything, but we do appreciate jazz and have a thriving local jazz scene thanks to the Redwood Jazz Alliance and also Center Arts at Humboldt State University. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do my live jazz painting here.

Thank you also for liking the iPadJAZZart I made of you. It was sweet to have you by yourself at the workshop, sharing so freely with the music students of Humboldt State University. It gave me a sense of what is important to you and prepared me for painting at the evening concert. As I might have mentioned to you, this improvised synchronous painting I do, puts me in hyper sensitive zone that actually enhanced my musical experience. 

I would be very happy to send you a print (the attached images are low resolution and will not make good prints) of each one in trade for two of your CDs (my husband got the Suno Suno, signed by you!). If you would like more of them, I sell them for $45 each. I make limited series fine art prints of my iPadJAZZart.

I am very  happy to have you in my collection, and I would appreciate if you posted them on your Facebook page.  

Bright Moments,  Iris

Hi Iris,

Yea, these are sooo cool, don't know how you do this!! I'll send you two CDs that I really think you'll enjoy...

Just in case I ever can use the solo pic of me, is there a way to remove some of the printing, to make it less

busy...I think you showed me one that was leads busy but it's your work and up to you.

I'll send those soon. 

Great to meet such a fine sprit as yourself!

Rez, thank you for thinking the iPadJAZZart is cool! As to the one I did during the workshop, on which I scribbled down some of your words, I can unclutter it easily since I have the text on a separate layer. I'll send it to you in my next email - Rez Abbasi - no text, and with just one arm, but with two heads. If you think you might want to use this one a CD cover or in some PR piece let me know and we can work something out. I can also work from photos...Would be a lot of fun!

all the best, Iris

PS: The next phase of my iPadJAZZart is to paint on the iPad and project it on a big screen simultaneously with a musical performance. If you find yourself in a location that has a screen, and would be open to such an ekphrastic show, let me know! 

Jazz and jazz iPad art at the Morris Graves, Fri. March 30

Rivulets of rain on the window and jazz everywhere....

Sunday Branford Marsalis lit up the night at HSU! This coming Friday the Redwood Jazz Alliance features Kitty Margolis, with dynamic drummer Allison Miller at the Morris Graves Rotunda. On Sunday Allison Miller as part of Honey Ear Trio, and our own Jenny Scheinman on violin, at the Arcata Playhouse.

I’ll be showing iPad Jazz paintings at the Humboldt Artist Gallery downstairs at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, starting Friday March 30, before Kitty Margolis' performance.

The Morris Graves Rotunda provides a lovely, intimate space for jazz and painting. I have created three jazz paintings here. The show will feature framed, signed, limited - series fine art prints, as well as unframed prints, and a few greeting cards. It will be up for a month during normal Morris Graves Museum hours.

All of the jazz paintings were created during live performances on my iPad. The framed pieces include Esperanza Spalding, the first jazz musician I painted live on my iPad, captured at HSU’s Kate Buchanan room in 2010. Since then, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, with iPad in lap, I've painted jazz greats Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Geri Allen and others. Locally I enjoyed catching the charming likeness of Ambrose Akinmusire on the iPad. It is very exiting that he will be the artist in residence at the 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival in September.

Looking forward to showing you my iPad art in print form for the first time.

I also invite you to follow me in this blog for regular posts of new art.

There is still space left in the "Finger Painting on Your iPad" OLLI class starting

Thursday April 19, 6-8 p.m. at the Aquatics Center in Eureka. www.humboldt.edu/olli

Finger-Painting on Your iPad, new OLLI class starting April 19. Open House on Sat. Jan. 21st.

WHY PAINT ON THE iPAD?

portability - that’s why it's called mobile digital art

no mess or fumes - that’s the digital part

innovative - join a growing community of iPad artists

insanely fun - that’s the best reason!

Since I got my first iPad two years ago, I have painted on it in my studio, during trips, and at live music performances. I am an active member of iAMDA, the International Association of Mobile Digital Artists, and was invited to give a presentation on live iPad painting at their recent conference in New York City. I have exhibited iPad art as archival digital prints at Stanford’s Schwab Center. You’ll be studying with a pioneer in a brand new digital art form.

I have developed an introductory curriculum of four classes. Such a start will launch an iPad student! I am in the process of developing an intermediate class which I hope to offer in the fall.

Having explored several of the painting apps for the iPad, I’ve come to the conclusion that ArtStudio has a friendly user interface and is at the same time a very rich tool. At $6 or less (it goes on sale now and then) it is an affordable app. It runs on any version of the iPad.

Each class will consist of a demonstration of a specific set of ArtStudio features, followed by individual work on the iPad with guidance from me. This format allows me to the meet the needs of each student in the class. Between classes students are invited to email me their iPad creations and questions.

All that is required to get started is an iPad, the ArtStudio app, and a willingness to try something new. No art or digital art background is required. Professional artists will enjoy adding a mobile digital platform to their toolset.

Four classes, four Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. starting April 19, at the lovely Humboldt Aquatics Center on the Bay next to the Adorni Center in Eureka.

Enroll today! OLLI at HSU , www.humboldt.edu/olli , 826-5880

Painting on the iPad during flights and in airports is fun and makes the time go faster, and amuses your fellow passengers.

Just returned from another airplane trip with three more iPad paintings. Since I got my first iPad last year I have been making "flight scenes" and just realized to my delight that I have a substantial collection. Enough for a show! So here are some of them:

Many include a title. The strange, almost abstract one, is a live de-icing that took place during a very snowy, very late night on Dec. 1 last year in Munich. I remember the plaintive voice of the captain as he came on and said, "there might be an opening in twenty minutes, if we can get the plane de-iced." The twin dragon-like machines sprayed foam and red hot beams at both wings. Great visuals. I felt like Edward Munch at a fire! - They did, we flew and landed in Helsinki at 2 in the morning where snow does not stop anything.

Some of the iPad paintings include passengers sitting near me. I met interesting people who enjoyed seeing the painting develop. The "Cash Refund SAS" is at Arlanda airport near Stockholm. "The Hall of Fame", is the my most recent one from United's Terminal, Gate 76 in SFO.

Devin Phillips at Jimmy Macks': great jazz in Portland, Oregon

We were so lucky! We headed up to Oregon, stopping first at Breitenbush Hot Springs, where we soaked, hiked and ate and met some really cool people. One of them a jazz musician who combines music with farming with his wife on their ten acre sustainable organic Dancing Roots Farm.

Then further north to Portland. Where my husband found himself a sleek new recumbent bike, and zoomed all over the cycling friendly city.

We had heard about Jimmy Macks' the Jazz Club that Down Beat Magazine rated as one of the 100 best in the world! And as luck would have it Devin Phillips,playful,joyful,Coltranesque sax player was performing on Friday Dec.9 with his New Orleans Straight Ahead. Phillips and Andrew Oliver, the fine pianist who led the band too, are both refugees from the Katrina disaster. They have been in Portland for five years and plan to stay. I've been enjoying Phillips' CD Wade in the Water as I think and write about the sweet jazz evening we had. The place was packed. The food was good. No pressure to keep buying drinks. And - I got really into painting the setting and performers on my iPad. They autographed the painting! Thank you very much Devin Phillips, Andrew Oliver, Eric Gruber (hidden in the shadows - sorry1) Mark Diflorio, and lovely singer Michael Angelo.

We wish Portland, with its bike paths, largest independent bookstore in the world - Powell's, good food and sweet jazz scene was closer!

December art at the Morris Graves' Humboldt Artist Gallery

Celebrating the winter solstice I am showing a glacier topped mountain and a Blue Lucia for you to see at the Humboldt Artist Gallery, downstairs at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka.

The mountain is the famous sugarcane volcano, Snaefellsjoekull on Iceland that Jules Verne used as setting for his fantasy "Journey to the Center of the Earth." I hiked to the foot of the mountain and made four watercolor sketches. It is a three registration oil monotype, 22" x 30".

The other original is a Blue Lucia, Swedish winter solstice celebrant, who is inspired by a photo of my mother at the age of one. She is at the photographer's in her eyelet dress and small boots, standing on a bench made of unbarked birch branches. Adorable!

In the print stand you will find a few Lucia art prints, butterflies, landscapes, and figures. On the counter there are ten Lucia greeting cards. I'll hang new original art each month, as well as fine art prints and a small selection of greeting cards. Once a month I will be in charge of the gallery. I'll post the time on Facebook. Come by and see me! I can show you the art and I'll also give introductions to painting on the iPad. Bring your own iPad if you have one.

Some of the other members of the Humboldt Artist Gallery are Joyce Jonté, Jim Lawry, Frances Kuta, Gary Todoroff, Linnea Tobias, Candy Miller, Julia Bednar and more.

Humboldt Gallery at the Morris Graves, New Art for Novemeber, Ruska - Dusky Moth, Lucias from Dalarna & Cycling Lucias.

The Finns have a succinct word for fall colors: RUSKA - to me it conjures up flaming birches and aspens, as well as the spicy fragrance and crispy sounds of autumnal forests. My Dusky Moth, that you can see during November in the downstairs Humboldt Gallery at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, is a celebration of ruska.

I will also show two of my Cycling Lucias - Look Ma No Hands featured here - a limited series of fine art prints on archival hemp papers. I created these as a friendly wink to my husband and his cycling friends the Latte Warriors. :-) In the art bin you will find art prints on hemp paper of my original series of Lucias - mixed media paintings - these quote from the folkloric Swedish province of Dalarna, home to well known artists Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn. Note the floral "curbits" and the images of painted horses, "dalahäst".

These light-hearted pieces provide me a nostalgic solstice journey to the old country.

I am pleased to be included in the Humboldt Gallery at the Morris Graves as it gives me an exquisite permanent space to show my art here on the North Coast. Be sure to stop by during Arts Alive! on the fist Saturday of each month - from 6 to 9 p.m. The next art walk is on November 5. See you there!

I am about to embark on a new series of Lucia paintings. Follow me on this blog to be the first to see them!

Occupy MOMA? The Modern Museums of Art are my homes in large cities.

When recently in NYC I wanted to go to the Brooklyn bridge and paint the Occupy Wall Street protesters on my mobile art device - iPad - but did not find the time. I am feeling sympathy for the protest. I too worry about the skewed income distribution and the disregard for the public good, and the short sightedness of policies. I've come to the conclusion that only countries in which there is a general agreement to pool resources, in the form of taxes, for the common good, will function well in the long run. And, that the tax collection has to work well too - and not just for middle income salary-earners whose incomes are transparent and easily taxed.

But I find myself unhappy about my beloved MoMA being occupied!

When I was a student in Stockholm I spent as much time as possible at the Modern Museum of Art on Skeppsholmen, enthusiastically participating in all the avant grade activities. Pontus Hulten, who later headed the Centre Pompidou in Paris, was in charge. His mother, renown artist, Siri Derkert embellished one of the new subway stations. I remember walking through Niki de Saint Phalle's She, the arrival of op, and pop and all the other iconoclastic trends - those were exiting days. I seldom miss visiting the SFMOMA when in the City. A couple of years ago I discovered a series of transfer drawings by Paul Klee, which inspired me to pursue this technique used in my Cycling Lucia series.

When in NYC during first weekend of October, I made for MoMA my first day there. Had a lovely, expensive lunch then joined the large crowds checking out de Kooning: A Retrospective, and ended the visit by sitting down and making an homage to de Kooning on my iPad.

Here's an article about the protest at the MoMA. What do you think of this development? Are our large art institutions elitist? Do they exclude people? While a student in Stockholm I had very inexpensive access to all our museums and theaters, including the nose bleed section of the opera. Our beloved Ingmar Bergman had a say in this policy.

Images: "Smiling Cycling Lucia", transfer drawing; "Ripping off de Kooning at the MoMA", iPad painting, both by me; "She" by Niki de Saint Phalle - a walk though sculpture large as a room!

If you see this on facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter, consider becoming a follower of my blog. Also, I would love to learn more about you. Please feel free to make comments!

2 fab JAZZ links: Monterey Jazz Festival, Redwoods Jazz Alliance

I have decided to add links to my favorite jazz sites starting with the The Monterey Jazz Festival. I have a new series of live paintings from this years festival which was the 54th. The link covers this one and shows what's being planned for the 55th in 2012.

I am also linking to our wonderful local Jazz organization: The Redwoods Jazz Alliance. The next performance will be with great drummer Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom. We have seen her with Dr. Lonnie Smith at the Monterey Jazz festival, and are very much looking forward to having her on our home turf at HSU on Sunday Oct. 30. I hope capture her on my iPad.

Here two live iPad paintings of jazz drummers: Justin Brown with the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, (red background) and Michael Formanek's Gerald Cleaver.

Stanford MBA '76 35th REUNION ART EXHIBIT

Participating artists: Seth Fearey: photos from the Kyrqyz Republic Pat Jones: landscapes and still life in oil, Avner Mandelman, oil and mixed media paintings shown a digital images, Claire Iris Schencke: oil monotypes and iPad paintings as signed limited series prints.

Here's an short video of my presentation of the art exhibit. Gordon, who had a great time at the reunion, made it on his iPhone.

Sunday, last day at the Monterey Jazz Festival, iPad paintings of SONNY ROLLINS and others. Beautiful ending!

By the time Sunday came along I felt confident that I could paint on my iPad all over the sprawling Monterey Fairgrounds. After another indian meal, this time with a hot chai, I parked myself in the shade on the left hand side in the very front of the Garden Stage. Shade is needed for the iPad. The luminous touch screen is highly reflective. Tia Fuller was a very nice surprise. She was so happy to be there, and I was so happy to paint her pretty figure.

Steve Coleman and Five Elements followed and put me in a sweet mood as I let the music guide my strokes on the iPad.

The evening ended with a love fest, as big, red shirted Sonny Rollins, now in his mid eighties showed us that he was still the man. He took us out with his long and powerful rendition of Saint Thomas, his famous calypso influenced jazz. He pumped the air with his fist and he stood his ground. It feels damn good to have captured him on the iPad.

I am posting a detail of the Sonny Rollins image. Saving the whole piece for a special occasion!