Visual Aid, Varnish, Artists Alley, Shooting Gallery, SoMarts, White Walls, Sweetie's - San Francisco Art Openings: November 11, 2006


SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES - OPENINGS
VISUAL AID - ARTISTS ALLEY - SOMARTS
SWEETIE'S - VARNISH FINE ART
SHOOTING GALLERY - WHITE WALLS
11.11.06

The Artists Alley Gallery: Fine Art - Fashion for Your Home.

Comment: Group show; 26 artists. The website doesn't seem to be working properly, so I have no idea who the artists are. It's pay-to-play at Artists Alley, but good location, nicely laid out, good art, and for you artists who find showing slow going, maybe worth a venture if you wanna float your stuff for public feedback or better yet, sales. The only problem? Doesn't seem like they have much vacant space available at the moment, but I could be wrong.

Photo

Decorative lacquered art (kinda like 'em).

Photo

Decorative lacquered art (kinda like 'em).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

***

Visual Aid: Big Deal 13.

Artists: David Hockney, Julianna Bright, J. John Priola, Ryan Jacob Smith, Inez Storer, John Casey, Ann Veraldi, Kara Maria, Mark Paron, Howie Cherman, Ken Leaf, Christiane Robbins, Robin McCloskey, Beth Yarnelle Edwards, James Orlando, Michael Johnstone, Amy Trachtenberg, Mitch Confer, Silvia Poloto, Noah Lang, Matt Pipes, Lisa Hoffman, Paul D. Gibson, Belinda Chlouber, Termeh Dimi Yeghiazarian, Annie Sprinkle & Elizabeth Stephens, Fletcher Benton, Mimi Plumb Chambers, Lisa Ricci, Marci Washington, Christopher Brown, Kirsten Stolle, Timothy Cummings, John Wood, Andrea Antonaccio, Saundra McPherson, Robin Denevan, Donald Bradford, Clinton Fein, Miya Ando Stanoff, Rex Ray, Maria Park, Gregg Renfroe, Eileen Starr Moderbacher, Noah Phyllis Levin, Mike Knutson, David King, Lauren Di Cioccio, Inez Storer, Jim Winters, Lucy Puls, many more.

Comment: Annual fixed-price ($150 per artwork) first come, first served monster art sale, plus an auction of art by well-known artists (not on a first come, first served basis). Plus food, drink, tunes, entertainment, spin the wheel, and much more. People wait in line for hours (some even overnight) for first crack at their favorite fixed-price art. Whether you buy art or not ($40 if you only wanna party), Big Deal is one of San Francisco's best and most popular art fundraising events.

All proceeds from this and other Visual Aid events benefit Visual Aid's programs for artists with life-threatening illnesses. Programs sponsored by Visual Aid include an ArtBank and Voucher Program for free art supplies, exhibition opportunities, career services, image archives, workshops, and lecture series.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Julie Blankenship, Executive Director (center).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Not sure.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Probably a tenth of the total turnout.

***

SoMarts Gallery and Cultural Center: Luis Cervantes Retrospective - 1923-2005.

Comment: Paintings, sculptures, drawings and more by renowned teacher, muralist, and community art activist, Luis Cervantes, as well as tributes and homages to his life and work by other artists. Cervantes founded Precita Eyes Muralists and influenced a generation of artists in the Chicano and La Raza arts community. Impressive show, particulary in the scope and breadth of the work; worth a visit.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Tunes.

Photo

Planar.

***

Sweetie's Art Bar & Gallery, 475 Francisco St., San Francisco, CA 94133; 415.433.2343: Out of the Alley and into Sweetie's.

Comment: Twenty-five North Beach artists show art and throw a party in classic North Beach style to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of Art in the Alley, an outdoor art show and sale in Kerouac Alley between City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio featuring local artists and musicians.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art party.

***

Varnish Fine Art: Life Aquatic.

Artists: Beth Bojarski, Jason D¹Aquino, Aron Ives, Skot Olsen, Michael Page, Reuben Rude, Thomas Rude, Dylan Sisson.

Comment: Eight artists interpret the word "wet."

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Michael Page - art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Circumstance.

***

The Shooting Gallery: Lee Harvey Roswell - Slapstick.

Comment: Lee Harvey Roswell takes Slapstick surreally seriously with a bodacious array of amusing anomolous mildly macabre paintings, many in sepia tones. And there's all kinds of odd operatives running around with whiteface, clownface, uniforms, instruments, antics, and pretty much whatever appended predilections they care to proffer. Plus there's wacky tunes, complimentary bandaging by voluptuous tandem nurses, and roving documentary videographer. Art as performance as absurdity.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Lee Harvey Roswell.

Photo

Documentarian.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Dude gets his head dressed.

Photo

"OK. He's done. Let's try proctology."

Photo

Not sure.

Photo

Art (like it).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Tunes.

***

White Walls Gallery: All Star Hustlaz 2.

Artists: Audrey Kawasaki, Henry Lewis, Kim Cogan, Stephan Doitschinoff, Adam 5100, Sylvia Ji, Graeme, Albert Reyes, Diet, Caleb Neelon, Regino Gonzales, Mike Davis, Shepard Fairey, Sub, Andrew Schoultz, Metal Man Ed.

Comment: White Walls makes a serious play for sole possession of First Place as San Francisco's urban art epicenter. It just keeps gettin' better. Highlights include a tornadic display of smalls by Albert Reyes vortexing up the wall and across the ceiling, the ever-intense propaganda imagery of Shepard Fairey, inventive welding by Metal Man Ed, and a taste of stencil heaven courtesy of Adam 5100.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art (Sylvia Ji).

Photo

Art (Shepard Fairey).

Photo

Art (Sam Flores).

Photo

Art (Albert Reyes - like it).

Photo

Art (Albert Reyes - looking up).

Photo

Art (Kim Cogan - nice).

Photo

Art (Adam 5100 - nice).

Photo

Art (Andrew Schoultz, right).

Photo

Art (Metal Man Ed - like it).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art (Andrew Schoultz).

Photo

Art.

Photo

Art.

***








Articles © Alan Bamberger 2006. All rights reserved.