Top 10 lists and CA artists

Ah, ranking art schools has been commonplace for a long time, and I suppose we have had art contests since at least the mid-18th century, but it still seems a bit counter-intuitive to rank artists especially at a time when art has branched into so many different fields and configurations. That said, sometimes these lists can provide a glimpse into the emerging art scene for the uninitiated, especially when they are established by publications outside of the traditional art press. CA Home & Design Magazine has just published its list of the “Top Ten California Artists You Need to Know in 2012.” Obviously, none of these artists are completely unknown, most of them have had at least one well-publicized solo show in a recognized gallery or museum. Many of them are being collected by established museums and have already achieved a low-level of fame locally as well as nationally but even with that exposure, I am certain that most people reading this magazine have never heard these names. With the exception of ethnic and age diversity, CA Home & Design covered a lot of bases with the list, including exactly 5 women artists, 5 male, 5 northern CA, 5 southern CA, as well as a range of media–some photographers, some sculptors, installation artists, painters, etc. It is a nice article, and I have to recognize the portraits by Aubrie Pick and Tony Byrd, they do a great job of incorporating the style and work of each profiled artist–in these days of stock photography, it is rare to see an essay so thoughtfully imaged! Check out the work, I guarantee you’ll be seeing more of it in the next few years…

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Zarouhie Abdalian, Set for the Outside, 2010; frosted privacy window film and graphite on 24 windows.

Sanya Kantarovsky, Today I Wrote Nothing, 2012; powder coated steel, alkyd enamel and pigment.

Sarah Cain, As You Continue to Walk Forward, 2009; mixed media.

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