POWERFUL FEMININE ARCHETYPES
THE IMMACULATE SHE'S
Priya Assal Gheysari
“I love creating beauty all around me and I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than the Feminine essence. Whether it is her form, her ability to create and destroy, or her energetic magnetism, I am simply in love with all of her expressions. I feel honored to channel her through my art, and I do so with outermost delight and in any way that I can. I hope that my audience finds the Feminine as heart melting as I do, and derives inspiration from her power and beauty. “ ~ P. Assal Gheysari
Born in Iran at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, Priya Assal Gheysari witnessed a significant social and political shift in her country. The consequent upheaval led her family to flee to France and Canada and return to Iran when she was 17. Influenced by the diverse backgrounds she lived in and a deeper sense of curiosity, Priya became fascinated with exploring her femininity, a journey she is fully engaged in today. Her art is a depiction of this journey and a commitment on her part to give voice to the beauty and power of what she refers to as the Goddess Archetype.
on exhibit through JUL 20
GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTIONS IN VIVID COLORS
UNIVERSAL PARALLELS
Vibrata Chromodoris
My loyalty to painting is coupled with my delight for digital imaging, and one medium informs the other. My computer tools have become essential to my method of sketching a design, choosing colors and executing each piece. The ease with which I can create mathematically precise geometric shapes, mirror reflections and symmetrical iterations has deeply influenced my artistic voice. What's most essential to me is that I'm able to express my visions successfully - I use whatever tools the visions require.
Growing up in Canada, I was surrounded by the visually rich and powerful images of Northern Indigenous artists, full of stylized forms that vibrate with straightforward spirituality. These artists pay homage to the deep connection they feel with nature in their depictions of magical deities and mythological spirit animals, pulsating with colorful life-force energy. Eventually I found myself being drawn to the art of other indigenous cultures such as the ancient people of Australia and South America. The commonalities that inspire me are the expressions of awe at the beauty of the intangible; the act of creating art as a work of devotion; the ability of the artist to bring the unseen into visible form; and most unambiguously, the visceral potency of color.
Profound metaphors and dynamic images are triggered within me when I read the writings of cosmologists and theoretical physicists. The idea that we are nothing more or less than a dance of energetic potentialities is, to me, a palpable truth. This existential dance, like dancing to music, is at its heart, a tapestry of patterns and order. Our brains are pattern-recognition machines, as Michael Shermer calls them, organs that have evolved to look for and interpret patterns in our perceptions. It's how we learn and how we create meaning. This is the essential dialogue between what we believe ourselves to be and what we believe to be outside of ourselves.
IMAGE PREVIEW
on exhibit through JUN 1
BUNNYMATIC (and a friend) visit downtown SF!
BUNNYMATIC AND FRIEND
works by MR. ROGERS
"I first learned about Shepard Fairey's work when I was in school in San Diego. I loved the way he pulled images from different media and re-shaped and re-purposed them. And I loved how he shared his art with the world by way of posters and stickers. I began following similar tactics. I found images in children's books and other sources which I began re-purposing for my own stickers and t-shirts. After moving to San Francisco and meeting Dave Warnke, I was inspired to do less image appropriation and more development on my own characters. I now have a small set of four characters which I use in most everything I do.
With these characters as a constant, I've been exploring different mediums in which I can represent them. Primarily, I work with paints: acrylic, spray paint, paint pens. And often, I use recycled materials as my canvas: windows, desk chairs, oven doors, etc. More recently, I've been doing more wood sculpture pieces. These pieces give my characters a new dimension and me a new challenge that was not present in my earlier paintings. I enjoy working with my hands, and I love thinking of new ways I can render my characters for people to enjoy." ~ Mr. Rogers
IMAGE PREVIEW
on exhibit through APR 6, 2010
IN LIVING COLOR
Pastel Drawings by ROLANDO ROSLER
With my background in the disciplines of both design and fine art, my drawings are a pure expression of my person. My love for colors, the lines, the actions of creating a piece of work with just a small piece of chalk or pastel never ceases to amaze me. I want to keep an innocence and as much intuition that I can allow myself, considering my formal background. I maintain a spontaneous view of the world and have a keen eye for composing, viewing the nuances of the colors and textures of the skin or object. The challenges and anticipation of what will emerge next gives me great pleasure. I favor the more conceptual work as I can never predict the outcome. - R. Rosler
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
on exhibit through FEB 9, 2010
EXPOSED
Photography by Genea Barnes
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
he title of the show, ‘Exposed’, is an intentional double entendre referring to both the literal imagery, figurative nudes, as well as the conceptual framework behind Genea Barnes’ photography. Genea has always been compelled by reality and imagination. She endeavors, in her own words,”… to see what is really there, underneath the masks. But appreciating the masks, the show, and the deceit that our perceptions carry.” - Matt McKinley, curator
VIEW IMAGES
THE CITY WITH NO SHAME
Viscosity linocuts by Katie Gilmartin
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Thursday, Sept 24 5 - 7pm
wine tasting provided by Hotel Triton 5 - 6pm
The titles, images, and blurbs in the prints I’ve created are a pastiche. I borrow from existing pulps, add some local color and an occasional autobiographical detail, and mix it all up with my own imagination. I find it a delightful challenge to see how many words like “twisted,” “vortex,” “perversion,” and “twilight,” can be crammed into a single sentence! I gathered a small collection of pulps back when you could pick them up for a few bucks. I’ve read quite a few, and for the most part judging these books by their covers would be overly charitable. Nonetheless, the covers express eloquently the social tensions and cultural preoccupations of the era. I find myself drawn to reclaiming pulp art’s busty babes; sex may have been their only source of power, but what delicious domination it was! – Katie Gilmartin
BLIND PERSPECTIVES
The aesthetics of stencil characters interacts with blind contour figure drawings in oil on canvas abstractions by Melisa Philllps
July 15 - Sept 2, 2009
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
The aesthetic qualities of stenciled letters and symbols produce a pictorial atmosphere filled with depth and visual tension when scale, spacing, color contrast and traditional orientation are all manipulated to challenge the constraints of the picture plane. Instinctually drawn figures ('blind contour' drawings) simultaneously serve as a point of personal entry into these character-based abstractions as well as a foil for comparing both the relative scale of the figure or object to the text characters within the composition and the depth of the picture plane. The conversations between the figures and characters conceal, reveal, support and distort the underlying concept of ‘blind’ compositions producing unique and unexpected results. – Matt McKinley, curator
The new logic that arises from a blind contour figure drawing never ceases to surprise me and continues to inspire me to create environments for them to ‘live in’. I like the broken and bent quality of the drawings, which abstracts the figure down to basics, as well as the feeling that I can't produce the same drawing twice. My progression of images has moved from faces to figures and I think that shift has been more about exploring body archetypes and feelings that thematically direct each piece. All of the figures are turned with their backs to the viewer, hiding themselves, but also turning toward the layered background of the painting, directing our focus there rather than at the figure itself. – Melisa Phillips
image: 'Boxed In' Oil on Canvas 28 x 30 2009
NOW IS ALREADY PAST
Journals in Mixed Media by Gianfranco Paolozzi
MAY 27 - JULY 15, 2009
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Wednesday, June 17 5 - 7pm
When I asked about his works, Gianfranco Paolozzi simply replied, “Art is life and only life”. This succinct statement, simple, direct and, in his case, accurate, comes not from the standpoint of elitist dogma espousing ‘A’rt’s pre-eminence over all other aspects of life. To the contrary, it is a statement from a maker who, with an understanding of the ephemeral nature of life and a compulsion to explore the possibilities within each moment in time, uses his marks to log his presence. Each canvas becomes a summation of these marks, distillations of Gianfranco’s unconscious thoughts, energy, and emotional state at the time they are made, which create a ‘permanent’ record that speaks to the both being in the moment and the interrelationship of one moment to the next. – Matt McKinley, curator
“I need to start to mark my presence here. I start with a line. I start with a color. I start on one canvas. After the first canvas absorbs the initial lines the second canvas has marks, a continuation of what was present, now past, on the first canvas. The third and forth canvasses follow. All white surfaces are marked. I'm here. I was there. I can continue to mark the past on all the surfaces. All the lines become actions of the past. I'm trying to be in the present. One small line, 2, 3, 4 more........... Soon [as] I start the mark, I created the past. I do not know the future. I cannot be in the future. The canvasses are work of the past already. How can I stop in the present? Can I stop in the present? When I die, that moment when I'll die, that dot of the line of my life, that small dot that becomes past, that small dot that interrupts the line, that line, my line, my life, is that dot, that moment, going to be the eternal present?” – G. Paolozzi
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS
urban cloudscape photography by Charlotte Kay
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Wednesday, April 29 5 - 7pm
“As a photographer of urban landscapes I’m elated when there are clouds to give texture to the sky. Throughout my life the elusive, ethereal, and elemental beauty of clouds has enthralled me. In this new collection of work,Atmospheric Conditions, the clouds and fog play a starring role as San Francisco becomes the backdrop. I tend to see patterns of color, shapes and shadows in both natural and man-made environments, capturing in my images the beauty created when these two environments combine.” – Charlotte Kay
INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST: SF EXAMINER, 4/27.09
REVIEW: SF WEEKLY
card image: Nob Hill Fog 20 x 24 Digital Print 2008
ESSENTIALLY FEMININE
Oil paintings by Jan Small
MARCH 4 - APRIL 15, 2009
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Thursday, March 5 5 - 7pm
The rich color palette of Jan Small’s most recent nudes combined with confident brushwork imbue a strong kinetic energy that radiates from each work. Essentially portraits of feminine power, all at once bold, sensual and assertive, the female form as rendered by Ms. Small communicates a statement of empowered confidence informed by positive body image.
image: 'Woman In Moonlight' 24 x 20 Oil on Canvas 2008
UNBUTTON THE PAGE
Graphite and colored pencil drawings by Cheryl McDonald
JANUARY 21 - MARCH 4
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Wednesday, January 28 5 - 7pm
Unbutton the page
What is inside that clean white facade?
It is unknown
What will it lead to when you have come undone?
– C. McDonald
“Each image is an expression of emotion and experiences I have been through; a journal of life and what my perception of it is. I use contemporary cultural symbols to express universal concepts and allow the viewer to make up the details of the story on their own.”
Image: 'Hanging On To The Last Mask' Graphite, Color Pencil 30 x 22 2008
CATERING FOR THE EVENT PROVIDED BY PIAZZA MARKET:
Piazza Market, the newest addition to North Beach, opened December 3, 2008. Fountains, Italian tile, Tromp l'oeil village facades and ceiling give you the feel of sitting outside in an Italian Piazza. You can enjoy specially prepared food by the pound and sip a glass of wine or share a bottle with friends while sitting by the indoor fountain. Our Wine Store offers over 400 different Californian and Italian wines with some of the best prices in the city. We are excited to be part of the North Beach neighborhood and look forward to establishing long term relationships with everyone here in San Francisco.
READ REVIEW by artbusiness.com
MINERS + WHINERS - mixed media work and oil paintings byScott Mickelson
DECEMBER 10 - JANUARY 21
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Thurs, December 11 5 - 7pm
“Miners. I am interested in the concept of living and working underground— what that represents spiritually. Moving through darkness guided only by the light that one carries.
Research for the MINERS began in 2005 well before the media picked up on the Sago mine disaster. I found a commonality in the faces regardless of age or race. After five months, the first, BLUE MINER, was completed. That one painting encapsulated the feeling I was hoping to portray and was the standard I tried to emulate in each.
The related objects (helmets, gloves, lanterns) soon blossomed into icons and the nod to “Americana” also intrigued me. The expressions are not so different from you and me after a “day in the mines”. I tempered that expression with color. As the series continued, I became focused on pushing away traditional color and temperature. Purple jackets, race-less faces and pink lanterns are unexpected in paintings of miners. The series culminated with the largest and most ambitious piece 4 MINERS.
The mixed media work beginning in 2008 is derived from events taking place around us. Sometimes shocking, sometimes humorous. I developed a technique that utilizes resin, pigment and oil on hand-cut panels. I've broken away from squares and rectangles and now have the freedom to create any shape I need. More sculptural in nature, this work is a great step forward. Playing with opacities and focal points allows me to better determine how the viewer perceives the image.” – Scott Mickelson
Image: 'Alemany Exit' Resin, Pigment on Hand Cut Panel, 40 X 36 (approx.), 2008
DAY OF THE DEAD - documentary photography by Maria Bartola Mejia
OCTOBER 29 - DECEMBER 9
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF, CA
hours: 24 / 7
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: Wednesday, November 12 5 - 7p
MARIA BARTOLA MEJIA considers herself a documentary photographer, pushing the boundaries of how to connect with her subjects in found scenarios rather than staged or posed settings.
This exhibit features select images from her journey to capture the spirit of the people that participate in the unique cultural celebration, Day Of The Dead.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Depictions of bygone eras and nostalgic images of people, places and things that remind us of what we still appreciate about our individual and collective pasts.
Curator: Irene Hendrick
SEPTEMBER 17 - OCTOBER 28, 2008
Artists' Reception: Thursday, October 2 5 - 7pm
venue: The Mezzanine Gallery at Hotel Triton
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush St.) SF
gallery hours: 24 / 7
image: 3rd Class, Giclee Print Ltd Ed. (3/250) 24" x 30" 2007
featured artists: Judith Miller, Marie Dvorkin, Virginia Garcia, Ann Simms, Charlotte Kay, Dannell Powell, Bernice Gross, Lisa Fiorentino, Steven Gray, Irene Hendrick
LANDSCAPE IMPRESSIONS - Sumi ink and watercolor works on rice paper by Tisha Kenny
venue: Mezzanine Gallery at Hotel Triton
342 Grant Ave (x. Bush) SF
August 6 - September 17
Artist's Reception: Tuesday, August 26 5 - 7pm
These sumi ink and watercolor landscapes incorporate both Asian brush painting techniques and impressionist style to depict both beautiful scenes from her travels and plein air views of the Bay Area.
image: Romantic Oak Lane, 2005, Watercolor, 26" x 33"
