MEET PATRICK AMIOT & BRIGETTE LAUREN….
Big Times Art Studio
Patrick Amiot Junk Art
We hope you do a “double take” when you discover our two whimsical art creations at Vintage Oaks Shopping Center in Novato! These fun art installations were thoughtfully designed by Patrick Amiot and brightly painted and brought to life by his wife, Brigitte Laurent residents of Sebastopol. Created especially for Vintage Oaks.
Objects destined for the dump are integral to their junk-art sculptures. Many quirks in Amiot’s life have molded him from a successful gallery ceramicist into an urban folk artist. He explains that shipping delicate ceramics to the East Coast was difficult and costly, and that he was looking for a new direction in life. “I always had this desire to do things out of objects, but I just couldn’t imagine making a living out of it. I still can’t. It’s one of those things when you think of something but tell yourself, ‘This would just be too good to be true.’”
In the midst of his career upheaval, Amiot started making junk art for fun. He created and installed a giant fisherman made from a water heater in his own front yard, and received an unexpected reaction—his neighbors wanted to see more. The rest, as they say, is history. And history plays a big part in the sculptor’s philosophy behind the raw style of his art.
“The whole purpose of my work is to glorify these objects, because they have their own spirit…….When a hubcap has traveled on a truck for millions of miles, and has seen the prairies in the winter and the hot summer asphalt, when it’s done traveling with that truck and finds itself in the scrap yard and I find it, I kind of like to use that. This hubcap, or whatever piece of metal, from the day it was manufactured until now, has an important history. And I like to think the spirit of all these things lived incredible lives. If they could talk to you, they could tell amazing stories. That’s something I don’t want to hide.”
Be sure to check them out at Vintage Oaks……..Located near Daves Hot Chicken and Nick the Greek.
VIEW OUR AMAZING ART MURALS AT VINTAGE OAKS!
MEET NORA BRUHN….MURAL ARTIST
“Nothing Captures Light & Color Quite Like A Flower” …..
When you stroll through Vintage Oaks in Novato ….Be sure to enjoy our three beautiful floral mural masterpieces created just for the shopping center.
Each mural was tastefully designed by San Francisco artist, Nora Bruhn to enhance your shopping experience.
Nora has woven in and out of ‘wanting to be an artist’ her whole life. “I remember being around five years old and writing on a piece of paper ‘I want to be an artist when I grow up’.”
Today, Nora loves the workflow and freedom that art gives her. “I typically get really focused on my work for three to four months and then take a month off. It’s really important that I give time to my other interests. This creates a sustainable spiral of inspiration and rest flowed by intense focus.”
“What am I trying to say with my art? I guess I should start with, what is the role of the artist? For me, a muralist, I view my role as the decision maker, the one who decides what story gets amplified. What piece of life do I find important enough so as to spend hours creating something beyond myself; the devotional act of art making. I think living a good life while I’m here in this body and helping others do the same is invaluable. One obstacle that stands in the way of a good life is getting overly obsessed and focused on “the small stuff”. Let’s call it what it is, losing perspective.“
“A trick that can dissolve said loss of perspective is to pause and notice the light. Let’s get curious about the way the power lines cast shadows on the building, the topography of my skin, my friend’s backlit yarrow hair. Not only does this practice put me in the present moment, it also inspires incredible appreciation for life’s crushing beauty. Then, I see my life like a map on a screen and I zoom out. Keep zooming out. Wait, there’s a distant star casting all this light and creating the beauty I am currently absorbed in? This perspective immediately puts me in my place, and I become grounded in the fact that I am a living, breathing, loving, squirming creature made of ancient matter, connected to everything, yet independent. I am tiny, and I am huge. The duality of it all is stunning; life affirming. And I got to this moment of deep perspective by just witnessing the light.”
“The light connects me to the sky, connects me to the stars, to something much bigger than myself. I revel in this big galactic hug and then move forward with my day. So let’s go back to the art; if my ability to witness the miracle of light helps me to slow down and enjoy my life then my role as an artist is to depict light. My favorite medium to witness the sun’s energy through is the botanical world; in evolutionary terms, our older siblings. Nothing captures light and color quite like a flower.”
On your next visit to Vintage Oaks, please take a stroll and enjoy all three of Nora Bruhn’s creations!
MEET ELI LIPPERT … MURAL ARTIST
It is hard to miss our Vintage Oaks Mural on the “iconic” Silo near Starbucks. This creation was painted with passion by talented Mural Artist, Eli Lippert.
Eli is a San Francisco born artist. Being raised in the Mission District surrounded by the monumental murals and art in the street inspired and sparked his interest in painting and community work.
He became involved in local Non-Profit Arts Organizations from a young age. This experience grew to organizing and leading youth and community mural projects in schools and businesses throughout the Bay Area.
Eli enjoys a lifelong passion for lettering as an art form which has also brought Eli into the world of sign painting both creating new and restoring worn hand painted signs.
Please be sure to view Eli’s amazing Vintage Oak’s Mural in the heart of the center.
