Viola Frey at the Oakland Museum

My husband has lots of stories about studying ceramics with the late Viola Frey (1933-2004) at California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts). A visit to the Oakland Museum always includes taking another look at Viola's sculptures.

She's most well known for her monumental, brightly colored ceramic sculptures that shaped and redefined ceramics from 'craft' to 'fine art.'

As a CCAC student herself in the 1950s, Viola studied painting with Richard Diebenkorn and attended classes with fellow students Robert Arneson, Manuel Neri and Nathan Oliveira. What an exciting time that must have been.

Oakland Museum, Too

Taxidermy animals

Viola Frey's Pink Lady, c. 1965

Oaklanders love the Oakland Museum on First Friday--there's reduced price admission, a DJ, live music, food trucks, a bar and lots of revelers!

I sketched little kids dancing and their parents living it up (alas, results are not blog-worthy), then retreated to the quiet galleries in search of motionless subjects.

Pencil is the only medium allowed in the galleries. Taxidermy animals were drawn in water-soluble pencil (I snuck out the water brush for dramatic effect).

Here's Viola Frey's ceramic Pink Lady, drawn under the watchful gaze of the security guard.  Relegated again to the use of pencil . . . could not depict Frey's rich colors so desperately needed here. I prefer not to alter urban sketches after leaving the location, so use your imagination and see a pink lady in a yellow sunsuit holding her blue pet monkey.