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Articles by Seth Combs
Natalie Gonzalez makes her artistic tribute a reality
Natalie Gonzalez may be one of the hardest working artists in San Diego. This is a bold proclamation for sure, but in hearing her recount her creative journey, the listener might find themselves wide-eyed and astounded at the ways in which she has proved herself to be a truly creative multi-hyphenate in San Diego. “I think a word that I use a lot is perseverance,” says Gonzalez from her Golden Hill home. “I’ve always been the one managing or coordinating or organizing.
Spring Arts Preview 2025: San Diego gave author Deborah Rudell the strength to make it through
It’s safe to say that “Grit & Grace” was a long time coming. To start, author Deborah Rudell spent nearly 20 years writing her debut memoir. There’s also the fact that the book itself covers more than 30 years of Rudell’s life, with most of it taking place in the 1980s and early ’90s. And on top of all that, Rudell had to write about a time in her life that most readers would consider to be traumatizing and dangerous, treacherous and healing.
2025 preview: Here are the San Diego art exhibitions we can’t wait to see
2025 preview: Here are the San Diego art exhibitions we can’t wait to see
2025 preview: San Diego authors and book events to read about in the new year
She nearly died, four times. It taught her a lot about life and she shares those lessons in her book, ‘STATIC’
Year in review: Local authors, indie bookstores and zines flourished in 2024
She nearly died, four times. It taught her a lot about life and she shares those lessons in her book, ‘STATIC’
Year in review: Looking back on the vibrant visual art scene in 2024
Year in review: From Harry Partch to Taylor Swift, 2024’s music scene was busier than ever
Art of the City: ‘Little pieces coming together’ in a creative constellation
Toward the end of my interview with Maddie Butler, I can’t help but be distracted again by the strange, serpentine object above her head. Curled, coiled and resembling the shed skin of a snake, the item in question is too tangibly mysterious not to inquire. Without much hesitation, Butler pulls it down to reveal what can only be described as a hand-sewn film reel of images, or rather film stills, from a video she shot on her phone of her friend playing piano.
Art of the City: Crafting young minds a priority for visual artist Meera Ramanathan
Meera Ramanathan of San Diego knew from an early age she wanted to be an artist. The youngest of three girls and growing up in the bustling, bayside city of Chennai, India, she showed an early inclination toward creativity. She tells me about one of her earliest artistic memories of using fabric scraps and yarn to fashion doll clothes and creating cards for family members. “One of the things I would do with my mom was chop okra,” Ramanathan recalls, of preparing the seed pod fruit for meals.
Saving what was: Oceanside artist captures on canvas memories of her fast-changing city
There’s a point in my conversation with Marisa DeLuca in which she describes her art, especially lately, as a grieving process. “I’m starting to get to the acceptance part, but it’s also starting to feel really ghosty,” DeLuca remarks. “I’m kind of in a state of mourning when it comes to Oceanside, and I’m going through these phases. The spirit of place is barely there anymore and the only thing I have left to hold onto is the idea of it.
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Artist Carlos Castro Arias uses provocative ideas and materials to make people think
Carlos Castro Arias’ artistic practice began with a forgery. When asking a respected painter when they first knew they had an artistic spirit, one expects a certain kind of answer. Perhaps that answer will be an anecdote about a class they took in elementary school. Maybe it was a family trip to a museum. Sometimes the answer is as simple as them discovering their first medium, even if that happened to be crayons and a coloring book.
Fall Arts Preview 2024: Medical background was Elizabeth DeLozier’s guide for upcoming debut novel
Elizabeth DeLozier is used to changing things up. A casual glance at her biography and one gets the sense that her trajectory wasn’t exactly headed toward a career as a novelist. Sure, at college she started out majoring in Spanish literature, but ended up receiving her bachelor’s degree in biological anthropology and, eventually, she earned her doctorate in physical therapy. “I was even a journalism major for a hot second,” DeLozier says laughing. “I was a Latin American Studies major as well.
Connecting art and science: Getty Foundation brings together 60 exhibits for PST Art
It started simply enough: two people working at a Los Angeles institution wondering how they could save some art from being thrown away. Joan Weinstein, now the Director of the Getty Foundation, remembers it well. Along with her colleague Andrew Perchuk, who is the Deputy Director of the Getty Research Institute, they moved forward with their archive project.
Art of the City: For Grisel Márquez-Razón, making art is both an job and a calling
When we think about an artistic journey, the narrative almost always begins with struggle. Yes, there is the struggle that comes with trying to best convey the vision, the idea, into something resembling art. But the real struggle often comes in the form of attempting to work toward a professional art practice while also making financial ends meet. In speaking with Grisel Márquez-Razón at her day job, it begins to occur to me that her story is a unique one, almost an anomaly within the art world.
Art of the City: NextGen artist explores childhood, heritage through pop culture
Deanna Barahona appreciates a good Chuck E. Cheese. In her recent thesis exhibition at UC San Diego, she showcased a piece called “They Still Have Animatronics at the Northridge Location.” The title of the piece is fairly unambiguous, a reference to the robotic music bands that were once a staple at the pizza chain, but have since been phased out. The piece itself is much more layered, both aesthetically and metaphorically.
Art of the City: Young San Diego emerging artist is finding that queer history is his story
When Nathan Storey begins to describe his admiration for printed media — everything from flyers and books to vintage magazines and self-published periodicals — one can’t help but feel a mix of puzzlement and respect. “I’ve always been very invested in print and image and text,” says Storey, from his North Park apartment. “For me, print has so many different possibilities, all these different processes. Things that were used for so many different social and cultural movements.
Art of the City: Showing and telling is the goal for San Diego multidisciplinary artist
There was a moment, not too long ago, where Linda Litteral just didn’t have it in her to do her art. Sure, she would dabble here and there, but she admits the work “wasn’t that good.” To hear the San Diego artist tell it, she was tired, exhausted rather, and fresh off one of the most difficult projects she’d ever worked on. “It was still a very difficult process,” says Literall. “I’d work on it and then go home and sleep.
North County folk artist promises a hands-on 'Experience'
“It’s not fully alive until someone touches it.” Ted Berryman often encourages patrons to touch and even disassemble his intricately peculiar sculptures. Inside his gallery space — a converted garage owned by the neighboring San Ysabel Art Gallery — Berryman is quick to point out that his work is meant to be interactive. “It’s just a block until someone interacts with it,” says Berryman.
Art of the City: Two City Heights women are helping local creatives fulfill their artistic potential
Speaking with Noun Abdelaziz and Fatuma “Uma” Fadhil, one can’t help but walk away feeling inspired. The artists behind Abundance of Youth (AOY), a collective and community-based project in City Heights, are something of the perfect combination of both dreaming and doing.
Spring arts preview 2024: Author Courtney Deane’s debut offers hope to those tired of hopelessly romantic novels
On the surface, it seemed entirely fitting to be interviewing Courtney Deane on Valentine’s Day. This fact wasn’t lost on the freelance writer and novelist. “Yeah, it’s like the rom-com writer’s Super Bowl,” Deane said with a laugh, from her Oceanside home. “It does feel a little serendipitous, doesn’t it?” That it does.
Spring arts preview 2024: The fantastical work of Ethan Chan in full bloom at local galleries
Ethan Chan is a hoarder. He admits it. He even goes so far to say that he thinks hoarders get a bad rap. “I feel like that’s a very important mentality to have,” Chan said. “I’ve always thought that the best artists were hoarders to some degree.” It’s easy to see what he means. The items, trinkets and the everyday objects that he collects will find their way into his work, resulting in fun and fantastical installation works that have been popping up in galleries all over town.
Spring arts preview 2024: Our top 10 visual art picks and events for the season
1 Exciting exhibitions will be popping up all over the county this spring, from solo and group shows to community events like Art Walk and Art Alive! Here’s a preview. 2 The Mingei has three exhibitions opening in the spring, all worth a visit. The timely “Pysanky” explores Ukrainian culture via the art of pysanky, a form of decorative eggs with deep national significance.
Spring arts preview 2024: Our top 10 book picks and events for the season
1 Of all the seasons, the spring is prime time for new book releases. Publishers often release new titles this time of year in the hope readers will pick them up for their summer reading lists. And with the weather finally improving all over the country, it’s prime time to catch authors on tour. Here are a few of our picks for the season.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert to kick off San Diego's Writer's Symposium by the Sea
When we think of a writer, most of us will envision a solitary figure at a desk. Perhaps they’re click-clacking away on the keyboard of a laptop, having finally found an agreeable rhythm, a flow, within what has otherwise been a laborious process. Or, perhaps, they’re stuck, staring blankly into a document, pulling at their hair, and obsessing over a sentence, a word, or even a comma. Sure, these are cliches, but they are cliches for a reason. Elizabeth Gilbert has been both of these writers.
Art of the City: City Heights resident explores culture, trauma through performance art
It’s difficult not to notice audience members flinching while Hamsa Fae performs “Homework.” Performed last year at the Mingei International Museum as part of a curated group show of performance art, Fae is blindfolded while wandering around the performance space. The audience is sitting on nearly all sides, surrounding her as she attempts to find a chair that has been placed near the middle of the space. She does not sit once she finds the chair.
Art of the City: Chronicling through craft: Designer weaves tales of cultural resistance into her jewelry
It’s easy to say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to viewing the art of Maru López, human nature begins to take over. When viewing her intricate jewelry designs, a seemingly effortless mix of industrious design and traditional folk art, I had the sense, however vague, that she might be the sort of creative who regales interested parties with stories of fantastical myths about the natural world.
Looking ahead: Four books and one book event I can't wait for in 2024
1 One of the surprising takeaways from 2023 for me was witnessing just how many independent publishers and authors ended up with bestselling books. The internet and social media played no small part in this trend, with apps and websites such as TikTok and Goodreads contributing to what can only be described as the viral equivalent of old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Bookstores now devote entire sections to books that are trending within sub-communities on BookTok and Litsy.
Looking ahead: The San Diego art events I most want to explore in 2024
1 It’s not hyperbolic to state that a lot of eyes will be on the San Diego region in 2024. With big sister to the north (Los Angeles), the local visual art scenes of San Diego and Tijuana has often been overlooked. Is this the year that begins to change?
Looking ahead: Four books and one book event I can't wait for in 2024
1 One of the surprising takeaways from 2023 for me was witnessing just how many independent publishers and authors ended up with bestselling books. The internet and social media played no small part in this trend, with apps and websites such as TikTok and Goodreads contributing to what can only be described as the viral equivalent of old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Bookstores now devote entire sections to books that are trending within sub-communities on BookTok and Litsy.
Year in review: The best local art exhibitions of 2023
1 In my nearly two decades of covering the arts in San Diego, I’m hard-pressed to think of a time when San Diego’s major museums have been so supportive of local and regional artists. When compiling these sorts of year-end articles in the past, I often found myself torn between highlighting up-and-coming artists’ work at smaller gallery shows or the institutions staging monumental exhibitions of works from internationally recognized names.
Year in review: Looking back at 5 stellar local books in 2023
1 Much like the local music and theater scenes, San Diego’s thriving literary scene simply doesn’t get enough national attention. Of course, there are exceptions to this theory, particularly in the mystery and thriller genres. After all, national bestselling authors Matthew Quirk, T. Jefferson Parker and Don Winslow all released excellent suspense novels this year (“Inside Threat,” “The Rescue” and “City of Dreams,” respectively).
The best books - fiction and nonfiction - to give this holiday season
1 Giving books as a gift can be a gamble, but 2023 saw a slew of new releases that should satisfy any person on readers’ lists. Some are naughty, some are nice, but all of them are well worth a read. 2 Author C Pam Zhang rewrote the rules of the Western novel in “How Much of These Hills Is Gold” and now tackles a dystopic future in this engrossing tale of a young chef who is invited to a mysterious European compound where food is somehow still abundant.
12 books by San Diego authors you can buy at local shops this holiday season
1 One could argue that nothing says you care more than giving a book as a gift, but nothing screams it more than supporting local authors and buying their work from a local bookshop. There were plenty of excellent local releases this year, all of which are available at San Diego County’s many indie storefronts. 2 Brian Selznick — the bestselling children’s author, illustrator and part-time La Jollan behind “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” — is back with another masterpiece.
Matt Coyle's 20-year Rick Cahill 'Odyssey' poised to conclude ... or is it?
There’s a point toward the end of our interview where local novelist Matt Coyle admits, somewhat humorously, that he’s unsure how he’s going to move on from Rick Cahill. There’s a sometimes mournful cadence to Coyle’s voice, a pronounced uncertainty similar to those who are fresh out of a multi-year relationship, uncertain what the future may hold. “Twenty years in one relationship is the longest I’ve ever had by far,” Coyle says laughing from his Clairemont home.
Art of the City: Finding the balance: C Fodoreanu pursues his artistic dreams while working as a doctor
For many, the formative dreams of becoming a successful artist or creative, no matter the medium, were written off years ago. We get up. We go to work. We come home exhausted. This cycle repeats, despite the unused paints and canvases in the corner, the camera collecting dust on the dresser, or that unfinished novel on the computer. Have a conversation with artist C Fodoreanu and one might walk away either feeling inspired or resigned to their creative hiatus.
Lasting legacy: Exhibition celebrates the colorful history of Korean art
There is art everywhere. On the surface, a statement such as this might sound hyperbolic, even New Agey in its triteness. But if we take a step back, taking a broad mental survey of the seemingly mundane things we view in our everyday lives — the buildings we pass, the billboards along our commute, even the landscape itself — there are centuries-long artistic traditions and design styles that ultimately informed these undertakings.
Art of the City: Art of the City: San Diego artist examines consumerism and consciousness
For as long as there has been recorded history, there has been advertising. And yes — without getting into the history, nuances and varying viewpoints on what, exactly, constitutes advertising — it is still, in essence, a rich and fundamental practice, designed intricately and expertly to activate our most basic human desires and fears. Is that not, at its core, an art form? For Taylor Chapin, questions like the one above persist.
Art of the City: Art of the City: San Diego artist examines consumerism and consciousness
For as long as there has been recorded history, there has been advertising. And yes — without getting into the history, nuances and varying viewpoints on what, exactly, constitutes advertising — it is still, in essence, a rich and fundamental practice, designed intricately and expertly to activate our most basic human desires and fears. Is that not, at its core, an art form? For Taylor Chapin, questions like the one above persist.
Sculptor delves into memory, geology and family history in 'Formations' at MCASD
For any serious visual artist, there comes a time when they begin to consider their legacy — what they’re leaving behind. Speaking with Kelly Akashi from her Los Angeles studio, one gets the sense that this concept is something she’s always considered.
Sculptor delves into memory, geology and family history in 'Formations' at MCASD
For any serious visual artist, there comes a time when they begin to consider their legacy — that they’re leaving behind. Speaking with Kelly Akashi from her Los Angeles studio, one gets the sense that this concept is something she’s always considered.
Fall arts preview 2023: Author Jennifer Peoples Hernandez explores the life of a legendary San Diego artist in definitive biography
Jennifer Peoples Hernandez’s husband and three children like to joke that Belle Baranceanu may as well be a member of their family. Off and on for nearly three decades, Hernandez has become something of the leading expert on Baranceanu, a San Diego painter and muralist who passed away in 1988. “My children have grown up with her story,” says Hernandez from her home in Jamul.
Fall arts preview 2023: Our top book picks for the season
1 Bookworms will have plenty of pages to turn this season. Fun fact: publishing houses often release the most exciting and buzzed-about releases in the autumn in hopes of landing on best-of-the-year lists and in time for customers to purchase them during the holiday season. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, thriller or fantasy novels, local bookstore calendars are already filled with national authors and locals promoting their latest releases.
Fall arts preview 2023: At 54, ever-evolving Heige Kim revels in being named a 'NextGen' artist
Heige Kim certainly sees the irony in being looked at as an “emerging artistic voice.” At 54 years of age and recently named one of seven local artists who will showcase work at the Institute of Contemporary Art’s annual NextGen exhibition, it’s difficult not to be amused. “When I applied for the exhibition, I did think the name of it was interesting,” Kim says.
Fall arts preview 2023: Our top visual art picks for the season
1 Fall has always historically been a fantastic time to get out and see some visual art. With kids back in school and the summer tourist crowds back at home, the time is right for a more intimate and engaging art experience. Many of the major museums in San Diego will be unveiling exciting new exhibitions while smaller galleries and art spaces are showcasing work from promising locals and international artists alike. Either way, ‘tis the season for a visit.
Art of the City: Lemon Grove artists tells her life story through disparate elements
It’s very early in my interview with local artist Anna O’Cain when I realize that I’m unsure how to adequately classify her art. In my notes are a series of questions about her work and practice; cleverly worded queries that serve as cheat codes for an arts writer. The hopeful intent is that it will prompt the artist herself to categorize it herself. After all, who better to succinctly describe the art than the artist who produced it? “It’s so hard,” O’Cain says, laughing.
San Diego author Alberto Mansur finds 'Peace' writing novels
(Courtesy of Blackstone Publishing) One-time lawyer has discovered his literary voice in new thriller set in Israel and Palestinian territories For Alberto Mansur, the writing has always been there. One could even say that the process has been cyclical in nature. In the beginning, he says he wrote for pleasure, as an escape, often crafting short stories inspired by the songs he liked as a child growing up in Mexico City.
San Diego author Alberto Mansur finds 'Peace' writing novels
(Courtesy of Blackstone Publishing) One-time lawyer has discovered his literary voice in new thriller set in Israel and Palestinian territories For Alberto Mansur, the writing has always been there. One could even say that the process has been cyclical in nature. In the beginning, he says he wrote for pleasure, as an escape, often crafting short stories inspired by the songs he liked as a child growing up in Mexico City.
Art of the City: Young local artist channels the nuances of Southwest living in mixed-media sculptural works
It can be difficult to be a young artist. This statement might sound obvious, even trite, on the surface, but I can’t recall a time in San Diego where the hurdles seemed so high, the barriers so reinforced. Yes, there’s the existential dread that comes with choosing a career path in the arts. And sure, it can be creatively fulfilling, but success is often not guaranteed or even definable.
Art of the City: The shapes & sizes of San Diego abstractionist Matt Rich
Art of the City: Local painter debuts ambitious “interventions” within the paintings of the Timken Museum of Art One of the more misunderstood aspects of abstract art is that it’s instinct first and intricacy comes second. One might look at the layered color fields within a Mark Rothko painting or the splashed drips of enamel in a Jackson Pollock piece and think little initial planning went into them.
Sally J. Pla breaks the silence with novel about finding the normal for teens on the autism spectrum
Sally J. Pla always knew she was different. Like many adults of a certain age, she remembers her youth as a time of confusion, often attempting to understand why she was — in her own words — “too sensitive,” “too shy” and “too silent.” “I could never get anything out,” says Pla, from her home in Encinitas.
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