Le Flâneur Bleu

Jonathan Myles-Lea is a British artist and photographer. He also lectures about art, architecture and the history of gardens.

Friday, 6 March 2015

'The world of assemblage according to Valerie von Sobel'


'The world of assemblage according to Valerie von Sobel' exhibited at Voila! Gallery 518 N. La Brea, Los Angeles from 2-7 to 3-7, 2015.  I had the great honour of meeting the artist and hearing the story of how she came to create such extraordinary works.  You can explore Valerie's world yourself on her website: www.valeriesobelart.com

Valerie von Sobel.  Photo by Jonathan Myles-Lea

From Huffington Post: 
"At 73, art hit me like a piece of the Eiffel Tower. I was in a state of "philanthropic burn out" at the time, a phrase often used by unrelentingly working founders of a charitable organization. I decided that I needed the oxygen of a sabbatical, and went to Istanbul for two whole months.
The freedom from routine, the colors and exotic scents shifted something inside of me, at first imperceptibly, then with gathering force. When I returned, the sorrow of losing my teenage son that caused me to establish the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation (that helps single parents of terminally ill children in a financial crisis) had clearly changed.
After 16 years, I rejoiced over a lightness of spirit and energy. I was not yet sure what to do with. Then something happened as I was on a long, and tedious phone call. I was diverting myself by putting pretty objects together on my desk. After the conversation ended, I looked at this assemblage and remember thinking, "This is actually rather good." Within days, I was consumed with gluing and patching and collecting and drilling. I was soon fortunate to have gained the attention of a famous artist who has never had a student before, and I was honored and enriched with new technique.
Assemblage not only became a passion, but, lo and behold, a new way to produce revenue for the foundation. This occurred only a little over a year ago, and I can hardly describe the excitement I feel about having my first solo show as artist".

Click on the images to enlarge



Click on the images to enlarge








Click on the images to enlarge








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1 comment:

  1. Unknown6 March 2015 at 20:24

    Thank you Jonathan for sharing these beautiful pictures and letting us have the opportunity to see Valerie's magical world. While I was there, I found seeing each piece very captivating, and the fact that many of them are attached to a recording that tells you a short story allows the spectatator to enter another dimension. In addition, besides admiring the symbols and professionalism of every work, I was lucky to be there while the artist was present filling the space with her intelligence, beauty and telling us about her inspirations.

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