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RED INK STUDIOS - NEEDLES & PENS THE RECORD COLLECTOR (WOODWARD FLATS) 02.19.05 Red Ink Studios: Flavored Milk. Artist/artists: Susannah Battag, Lola, Brad K. Alder, Ian Sealzo, Shri Mordechay, John Stewart. Comment: Red Ink Studios bills themselves as "a guerilla art movement," a band of "nomadic artists" who temporarily inhabit unleased properties, use them as studios, and make art. At 1035 Market, they've made quite a showplace out of what would otherwise be a cold empty uninviting vacant retail space on a not very appealing block, in other words, not very appealing to potential lessees. So the artists take the space, humanize it, warm it up, friendly it up, fill it with art that makes people stop and look, and thereby send a message to the outside world, potential lessees in particular, that there's hope to be had, and that with a little TLC, this block can work. Not a bad idea, property owners everywhere, don't you think? Art. Artist Brad K. Alder and his show window mural. Art. Art. Art. Back entrance overview. *** Needles & Pens: New Drawings by Jen Smith (solo show) and collaborative interraction with Chris Duncan. Comment: Jen Smith takes historical images, extracts out the people and reconstructs them as silhouette pencil drawings against plain white backgrounds, each figure rendered entirely of straight lines emanating from the heart. Smith lost me a little on the explanatory, but from what I understand, the art distills these inceptive moments, reminds us of the continuing evolvement of what they embody and represent, and invites us to participate in their ongoing processes. Whatever the art means, it's original, skillfully executed, and visually engaging. It's especially crisp at the edges-- no pencil smudges extending over the outlines of the individual figures, and none on the pure white backgrounds (from what I could see). I mean you try and make smearless oversized pencil drawings, then haul them across town, and hang them in San Francisco's skinniest gallery on wall clips-- all in the middle of a rain spell. This, in and of itself, is an accomplishment worth noting. There's room for improvement, of course, but my precognitive inner curator forsees primetime exposure. And for you speculators in the crowd, my market indicators point pencil-lead black. Price range: $150 - $750. Art - Jen Smith. Art. Art - Chris Duncan stringwork. Art - Chris Duncan (background center). Jen Smith - art. Signed, numbered limited edition fold-out book to accompany show, $7. Art. Art. *** The Record Collector / Woodward Flats, 485 14th Street, SF, 94103: All Male Review (The Record Collector, out front); Life on the Gelatin Farm, New Works and Prints by Jarrett Mitchell (Woodward Flats, in the back) Artists: Out front-- Seth Childs, Geno Dennis, Mike Green, and Kotti Paloma. Comment: Small space, smaller show. I had a rough time finding the art; seems to be about 1 or 2 pieces per artist. Or maybe there's some up near the ceiling. But I'm gonna assume that if you look hard enough, you'll find it. And the store's fun, so there you go. Two silk screens in the back room, I assume by Jarrett Mitchell, are nicely done. The Record Collector, Needles & Pens, and Low Gallery are next door neighbors on 14th just shy of Guerrero, and make a peppy little triumvirate destination combination. One side. The other side. 2 prints in the back. |
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