SFMOMA ARTISTS GALLERY - ROOM FOR PAINTING, ROOM FOR PAPER - MERIDIAN - LAB - BABYLON FALLING - LIQUID SPACES - LIVE WORMS - 03.19.09 (with Assistance from R.W. Miller and Laura Chenault)

SFMOMA Artists Gallery: Sheldon Greenberg, Juan Carlos Quintana, Francesca Pastine; Jenifer Wofford - The Villanueva Vignettes.

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, witness colorful linear abstracts by Sheldon Greenberg, some incorporating snippets of classic Hollywood movie scenes; slick cut sculptural makeovers of Art Forum magazines by Francesca Pastine; and an essay on power couched in the imaginative imagery of Juan Carlos Quintana. Upstairs, Jenifer Wofford artfully recounts on the life of a young Filipina nurse in San Francisco in a series of precision pen and ink drawings and a set of posters. Worth a look if you're in the hood.

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Room for Painting Room for Paper: Michael David - Field Paintings; Natalie Obermaier - Indehiscent Fruit.

Comment by AB: Michael David, Professor and Chair of the Fine Arts Department of the Art Institute of Boston, has devised and perfected a really good trick. He can make paint look like gloriously lush patches of fresh uncut grass (even when he paints in colors other than green). Now I'll venture to purport that in all David's teachings, he's never taught the grass trick 'cuz if he did, he'd be toast. Can't wait to read his memoirs-- maybe he'll spill the beans then. Meanwhile over in the Room for Paper, Natalie Obermaier acquaints me with a new word-- indehiscent. It describes a type of fruit that doesn't release seeds at maturity. And how does she articulate her take on indehiscence? By photographing children in instants of innocence-- children who all too often grow up way too fast.

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Meridian Gallery: Lust, Loss and Other Lay Figures-- Judith Roberts - Photography and Mannequins; Richard Berger - Kinetic Sculpture; Michael Marnin Jacobs - Photography. Curated by Jarrett Earnest.

Comment by AB: Three-floor three-fer includes Mexican photographer Judith Roberts' photographs of old Mexican mannequins that have been painted over again and again to keep current with changing styles, revolving lit plexiglas kinetic sculptures with text by San Francisco artist Richard Berger, and black & white photographs taken in sequence by Michasel Marnin Jacobs of Finland.

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The LAB: Preview of the 25th Anniversary Silent & Live Auction.

Comment by AB: Copious cornucopias of art abound in abundance for The LAB's annual fundraiser auction. You'll find works by over 200 artists including Mike Arcega, Leo Bersamina, Michelle Blade, John Casey, Ajit Chauhan, Joshua Churchill, Victor De La Rosa, Tara Lisa Foley, Matt Furie, Bryson Gill, Taro Hattori, Cynthia Ona Innis, Xylor Jane, Jeff Kao, Tom Marioni, Karla Milosevich, Paul Mullins, Trevor Paglen, Hilary Pecis, Genevieve Quick, Ed Ruscha, Casey Jex Smith, Kirk Stoller, Stephanie Syjuco, Heather Wilcoxon, and many more. And with all that's up for auction this time around, it's a certainty that bargains will be had.

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Liquid Spaces: Jonah Burlingame - A Sophisticated Observer Corrupted By Sentimentality.

Review and images by Laura Chenault: Most of Jonah Burlingame's paintings are organic forms suspended in fields of rich warm colors. The art seems to float in shafts of light throughout the gallery space that by day is the home of Sherwood Design Engineers. With the lights down and the DJ spinning, the paintings draw the viewer like a moth to a flame. My favorites are the paintings with warm colors-- deep reds and oranges-- combined with almost cell-like properties.

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Live Worms Gallery: Balance.

Artists: Agneta Falk, Amy Cruz, Ashley Hayward, Bill McElhiney, Howard Whitehouse, Jack Freeman, Jeff Grove, Rebecca Peters, Robert Windle, Ronald F. Sauer.

Review by R.W. Miller, images by Laura Chenault: All sorts of fun adjectives come to mind to describe this lively show put on by Fly-By-Night Productions. The work shown is spiritual, vibrant, colorful, natural, psychedelic, sexy, lively, political, symbolic... Not every piece is joyful, but the artists celebrate the intricacies of life. The art gives one reason to pause and either think and/or observe more fully. North Beach regulars gather to give cheer, look on, and commingle. The mixed media works in particular are energetic like good tea-- keeping you up and alert like creative caffeine.

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