RATIO 3 - ADOBE BACKROOM - CREATIVITY EXPLORED
DAVID CUNNINGHAM - SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION
ARTWORKSF - ART PEOPLE - RYE BAR
04.30.09
(with assistance from RWM)

Ratio 3 Gallery: Liberation Upon Contact.

Artists: Jose Alvarez, Sam Gordon, Jordan Kantor, Ruth Laskey, Barry McGee, Mitzi Pederson, Ara Peterson, and Jonathan Runcio.

Comment by AB: Group show of new works by the above artists. Love that Ara Peterson piece comprised of paint on laser cut wood in the back room. Also on the faves list are Barry McGee's precision geometric essay in red and white gloriously offset by several schematic renditions of daybeds on found cardboard. The dude's consistently ahead of the game. And for you fans of art you can use, witness the peppy Backgammon board by Ara and Jack Peterson. And thanks of course to Mitzi Pederson who, by twiddling the tenets of the sculptural idiom, heartens all artists who subscribe to the doctrine of "It is because I say it is."

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Adobe Books Backroom Gallery: Griffin McPartland - New Work. Curated by Maggie Otero.

Comment by AB: More wacky axioms than you can shake a homily at. $100 each. Plus there's free balloons... and a pocket-sized "glorified zine" on sale for five bucks (to prevent pilfering, the display copy is firmly secured to a wall with tape and string).

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Creativity Explored: Repetition.

Artists: Marilyn Wong, Jose Nunez, Evelyn Reyes, John P. McKenzie, Mary Belknap, Ana Maria Vidalon, Claus Groeger, Thomas Pringle, Douglas Sheran.

Comment by AB: Art that involves either repetitive gestures within a painting or drawing, or series of individual paintings or drawings that closely approximate one another. Top price $400, almost everything under $200, respectable selection at $20 and under. Creativity Explored makes art fun.

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David Cunningham Projects: I Am Kurious Orange.

Artists: Marc Arthur, Anne Colvin, Alex Hetherington, Karla Milosevich, and guests. Curated by Anne Colvin.

Comment by AB: Well to begin with, I'm clueless as to the pretext for tonight's extravaganza, and freely admit to understanding a grand total of hardly anything with respect to the antecedents laid out in the manifesto. So color me guilty. That said, while enduring this flare-up of a performance, I can't help but be reminded of the years of abject excess and self-serving indulgence that have collectively laid America lower than low. The good news? The art and props that contextualize this pandemonium are generally priced $300 or less. In other words, bargains for believers.

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ArtworkSF at Hotel Triton: Charlotte Kay - Atmospheric Conditions.

Review by RWM: Wonderful images here of the city's tourist destinations, but enhanced with digital colors. The art in places looks like watercolors with buildings melding into the digital art. The color schemes are vivid with oranges and pinks of alpenglow. The fog is magical, and not ominous for foreboding. The sky is heavenly. With the digital enhancement these could be postcards of the city, something a visitor or resident would like to take home, celebrations of this special city.

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San Francisco Arts Commission at City Hall: In Our Own Pictures and In Our Own Works - Exploring Creativity and Empowerment in the Tenderloin .

Review by RWM: Witness the pains and pleasures of art therapy and poverty, as well as the joy of acknowledgment and recognition.  The paintings of these Tenderloin residents are not joyful. The photographs, however, are of people with smiles on their faces. There is joy in a sense of belonging. Tough times here, but people still take things in stride.

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Addendum:

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