{"id":235782,"date":"2012-09-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/market-street-group-incubating-artists\/"},"modified":"2012-09-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-05T07:00:00","slug":"market-street-group-incubating-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/market-street-group-incubating-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Street Group: incubando artistas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Bowen | Noticias del Centro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are unique. We are different. There is no other group like us,\u201d said Dr. George Wahab, a Palestian-American, head of the Market Street Art Group, which is based out of the Design Center on Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy North.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are probably San Diego\u2019s best-kept secret,\u201d he said. \u201cOur organization is the best place in San Diego for an artist to develop their talents and skills for a reasonable cost, especially if they are interested in figurative art \u2013 or the drawing of the human body.<\/p>\n

\"Market<\/a>
“Maybe Later” by Market Street Group artist, Ron Spelman. (Courtesy Ron Spelman)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is also the place to reinvent your self as an artist, especially in pursuing art as a second career. We help people make the transition. That\u2019s why they call us \u2018The Incubator for Artists.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab said the Group develops their artists into leaders in the field, four of which have become president of the San Diego Portrait Society and four others members of the board trustees at the San Diego Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe accomplish this by providing a supportive community of people who have a passion for art. We all work smoothly together and cooperatively without need for any form of government,” Wahab said.<\/p>\n

“We are supportive and encouraging. We nourish each other and we learn from each other. I, myself, learned to draw from fellow member Ron Spelman.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur large studio\/gallery, which is 2,000 square feet, is open 24\/7 for anyone who wants to come in and work. Three days a week, we have a live model posing for drawings and paintings. We currently have about 20 members, but are always open to new blood. The cost is only $135 a month, which is very reasonable, considering you get the space, the community and the models.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Market<\/a>
“Relaxing” by Dr. George Wahab. (Courtesy George Wahab)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wahab was born in Palestine to an Orthodox Christian family. During the war of 1948 he fled to Egypt. He graduated from medical school in Cairo and then immigrated to Canada, and then the United States. Now retired from medicine, he pursues painting full time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a doctor I was interested in people and in the human body,\u201d Wahab said. \u201cIt\u2019s the same now in art. How do you capture the beauty of the body and the essence of the person? That is my quest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Market<\/a>
The three hearts of the market Street Group: George Wahab (left), Carol Prior, and Ron Spelman. (Photo by Will Bowen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ron Spelman is one of the original founding members of the Market Street Group. He said that it all began 25 years ago when a group of the students of master painter Sebastian Capella opened a studio on Market Street. Spelman, who lives in La Jolla, made his fortune in municipal bonds, then turned to art to develop his creative side and find fulfillment. He has been the president of the San Diego Portrait Society and is currently president of the Rancho Santa Fe Art Guild.<\/p>\n

Spelman said that Dr. Wahab is one of the two hearts of the Market Street Group. The other heart is Carol Prior, an Irish Catholic from Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the only member of my family that has ever gone west of the Mississippi,\u201d Prior said. “My husband is a surfer from the beaches of New Jersey. We came out to California and checked out every single surf spot from San Francisco to San Diego before settling on Windansea Beach in La Jolla as the best break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior studied art at Villanueva and began her art career there, painting sets for their theater department. Her artistic interests are now in drawing the human body, which she calls a \u201cchallenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all types of artists at our studio from realist to abstract to impressionist,\u201d Wahab said. \u201cIt’s really great to look around and see 20 people painting the same thing in a different manner. It is really inspiring and stimulating. People are constantly developing and changing \u2013 you can see it first hand. And we support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeanne Zvetina was there when it all began 25 years ago. \u201cThe first studio was in the old San Diego Ballet building in a rough neighborhood on Market Street,\u201d Zvetina said. \u201cIf one of our models didn\u2019t show up we would ask one of the prostitutes on the street outside to be our model. They were actually pretty nice people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carol Harmon is the newest member, having only been part of the group for six months. \u201cI was an art teacher in Clifton, New Jersey for most of my life. I didn\u2019t get a chance to pursue my own art, because I was teaching all day long. I walked into this room and it reminded me of my old classroom, except that now I am the student trying to remember all the things I taught my kids and become the person I always wanted to be,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Hyo Park said the studio is, \u201cJust like a home.\u201d Jinnie Jung, said she is there, \u201cTo develop my own style.\u201d Yen Ping Yiao, who is Taiwanese, has turned from the furniture business to fine art.<\/p>\n

Shahla Dorafshan, a Persian, likes to paint abstractly. \u201cI like to paint with my feelings,\u201d Dorafshan said. \u201cThey come out of my heart, go down my arm, and onto my painting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Market<\/a>
Shahla Dorafshan, an abstract painter with the group, in action. (Photo by Will Bowen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dana Mosser paints on silk with dye and likes to go to the studio at night when no one else is there. During the day she plays harp at San Diego Hospice, as part of their Integrative Medicine Team. \u201cAt the Hospice we try to give people the very best quality of life before they pass over. My art empowers me to be able to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 86, Cris Crisler is the oldest member of the group. He had a career as a chemist, and then was a psychologist in private practice before turning to art.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am over 80 years old. I can\u2019t expect too much,” Crissler said. \u00a0“I just want to have some fun. I know I am not going to become a great artist. But this group is a major part of my life.<\/p>\n

\"Market<\/a>
At 86, Cris Crissler is the group’s oldest member. (Photo by Will Bowen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“There is aliveness, creativity, and a social atmosphere here. When I paint I try to tell a story with my art work \u2013 there is something going on in this picture!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ally Nofal is from Jordan and has won numerous awards.\u00a0 One of her paintings even hangs in the Royal Jordanian Museum. \u201cIs like a family to me \u2013 except we don\u2019t bicker,\u201d Nofal said of the \u00a0group. She will be the featured artist at the gallery on Sept. 14th from 6 \u2013 9 p.m. for the next \u201cKettner Nights\u201d \u2013 to which everyone is cordially invited.<\/p>\n

Will Bowen writes about art. He can be reached at <\/em>wbowen1@netzero.net<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Bowen | Downtown News \u201cWe are unique. We are different. There is no other group like us,\u201d said Dr. George Wahab, a Palestian-American, head of the Market Street Art Group, which is based out of the Design Center on Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy North. \u201cWe are probably San Diego\u2019s best-kept secret,\u201d he said. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1194,"featured_media":235783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Market Street Group: Incubating artists","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11600,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-sdnews","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1194"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}