Haines, Rena Bransten, John Pence Gallery, California Modern, YBCA, District Restaurant, Visual Aid - San Francisco Art Galleries: April 12, 2007


SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES - OPENINGS
HAINES - RENA BRANSTEN - JOHN PENCE GALLERY
CALIFORNIA MODERN GALLERY - YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS
DISTRICT RESTAURANT & BAR - VISUAL AID
04.12.07

Haines Gallery: David Simpson - Light Wells; David Maisel - Oblivion.

Comment: In the main gallery, 79-year old David Simpson's depthy irridescent color field paintings work fine head-on, but skirt 'em sideways and the edges are a complete utter unfinished mess. What's Simpson thinking? What's Haines thinking? (Someone else at the opening calls my attention to the edges, by the way.) In the rear gallery, David Maisel aerially documents the sprawl of LA, then flips the images from positives to negatives, casting arid palls of eerie surreality.

Photo

Art (David Simpson). They look nice, right? Now let's angle it.

Photo

Uh oh. Less nice, right? Art (David Simpson).

Photo

Edge art (David Simpson). Erk.

Photo

Better edges on these (David Simpson).

Photo

Art (David Simpson).

Photo

Photos (David Maisel).

Photo

David Maisel - photography.

Photo

Photographs (David Maisel).

***

Rena Bransten Gallery: Martin Mull - Works on Paper; Tara Tucker - Friend and Foe.

Comment: At first I thought Martin Mull was showing some form of manipulated photography, but on closer inspection the curiously out of kilter fauxto-realistic compositions are actually oil paintings, primarily referencing mid-20th century life in America, while on the art front, appearing to homage everything from paint-by-numbers to Charles Sheeler. In the back gallery, Tara Tucker's flawlessly fantastic freak-of-nature pencil drawings are certain to please. Good show; go see.

Photo

Art (Martin Mull).

Photo

Art (Martin Mull).

Photo

Martin Mull (left) - art.

Photo

Art (Martin Mull).

Photo

Art (Tara Tucker - like it).

Photo

Art (Tara Tucker).

Photo

Art (Tara Tucker).

***

John Pence Gallery: Stock Schlueter - Recent Oil Paintings.

Comment: Soft placid atmospheric landscapes, mountainscapes, riverscapes, coastal scenes, and more .

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

***

California Modern Gallery: Constructions.

Artists: Blair Bradshaw, Sidnea D'Amico, Randall Heath, Thomas Jenkinson, Molly Meng, Mark Paron, Sarah Smith, Laurel true, Matthew Frederick, William Wareham.

Comment: Entertaining assortment includes a do-it-yourself de-phobiazation kit by Molly Meng, used up art supply assemblage art by Matthew Frederick, crinkly wrinkly leather and vinyl sculptures by Mark Paron, and more. Curated by Matthew Frederick.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Used up art supply art (Matthew Frederick, I think).

Photo

De-phobiazation kit (Molly Meng - like it).

Photo

Cure for beetle phobia (Molly Meng).
The beetle's not real-- Meng made it.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Matthew Frederick (curator) - Risley Sams (gallery co-owner).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Expended art supply art (Matthew Frederick - like it).

***

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: The Collective Foundation.

Artists: Joseph del Pesco, Scott Oliver, various artist contributors.

Comment: The Collective Foundation, a temporary organization established to conceive and propose new forms of support for artists, sets up its temporary international headquarters at YBCA. Events held during the YBCA run include think tank and how-to sessions, investigations into the benefits of networking, "shotgun" art show reviews (hmmm... sounds familiar), and more.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Free stuff.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

***

Addendum:

Photo

John Waguespack paintings at District.

Photo

John Waguespack art show at District.

Photo

The lay of the land at District bar and restaurant.

Photo

Visual Aid group show at SF LGBT Community Center.

Photo

Another from Visual Aid group show at SF LGBT Community Center.

Photo

One more Visual Aid group show at SF LGBT Community Center.

***








Articles © Alan Bamberger 2007. All rights reserved.