ArtZone 461 Gallery: Agelio Batle - Heads and Tales.

Comment by AB: Complex intricate tangles in two and three dimensions by Filipino-American artist Agelio Batle. The "paintings" are created in a unique graphite-based medium developed by the artist; the sculptures are composed of numerous short lengths of welded metal rods.

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SomArts Main Gallery: Winterfest 2008 Art Auction Fundraiser.

Comment by AB: Annual auction fundraiser for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition which now boasts over 10,000 members. This is sort of the pre-preview event. The auction and party were on December 7th, and according to the SFBC website, over 1000 people showed up.

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Femina Potens: Oh oh oh Christ! Religious Iconography.

Artists: ts Carol Queen, Francesca Berrini, Mary Anderson Perez, Sita Rupe, Crystal Marcelle Moore, Arisu, Kristal Blanco, Nathalie Winans, Japi Honoo, Nicolz Balboa, Katelan Foisy, Crystal Sylver.

Comment by AB: Group show of art evidences varying degrees of religious overtones. Lots to see, some of which is reasonably commendable.

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Fivepoints Arthouse: Ben Johnston - Recent Paintings.

Comment by AB: Oakland artist Ben Johnston's first solo show in San Francisco consists of abstract and semi-representational paintings.

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V Wine Cellar, Yountsville, California 94599 (wine country coverage by Dennis C. Scherzer): Andy Berry - PurkinjeBlue.

Review and images by Dennis C. Scherzer: Andy Berry is a veteran commercial photographer. He has mastered the industry of weddings, corporate events, portraiture, and promotional images. However, he has not sacrificed art for practical pragmatic imagery designed to appeal to the taste of clients at the expense of other, more artistic considerations. Berry manages to bring the artistry forward and apply it to his commercial imagery, thereby bringing the clients delightfully along into a realm of creativity that they might otherwise never experience, enjoy, or imagine.

The V Wine Cellar (within the V Marketplace) hosts a reception that's off the charts when compared to "First Thursdays" in San Francisco. In the city, you are likely offered some limp Chablis washed down with recycled crackers at an art opening (with some notable exceptions that I shall not reveal, lest they be trampled by the hoi polloi). Well, art fans, if you weren't at "The V" for this, let me tell you what a class act they put on in the Napa Valley under the bright moon and clear indigo sky this evening.

Private label wineries generously purvey their latest creations. Restaurants send their most talented servers bearing culinary wonders that completely overshadow the sculpture gathering dust in the dark and quiet ateliers of the Barbary Coast. Sumptuous is a mild description of those wine offerings. And... just a few steps away, renowned master chef, Michael Chiarello (Napa Style founder) is hosting the opening night of his new restaurant, Bottega, which means "an artist's workshop or studio." What could be finer?

It's a natural match, then, that Andy Berry's work should be exhibited in this venue. Andy goes straight to the source, is realistic, and creates images that have a soft passion for the subject. Almost an instant nostalgia, and a documentary completeness, his photos of the vineyard harvest surround the wine racks, and give testament to the parochial fondness for Napa winemaking - historic and scientific knowledge paired with the vintner's art.

Wine is the product of the winemaker's art. Andy Berry augments that art with his imagery. It's the perfect compliment for the moment when you twirl your glass around a bit, bury your nose in the bouquet, take a sip, and savor the good life.

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Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, Oakland, California 94612; (510) 465-8928: Rejoyce.

Artists: Foad Satterfield, Mildred Thompson, Anthony Hall, Carolyn Hinman, James Reid, Carl E. Karni-Bain "Bai", Harun M. Black, Gabe Sheen, Hiroko To, Bijan Yashar, Michelle de la Menardiere, Rodger C. Birt, Nancy Price Scoular, Saska Smith, Agustin Castillo, Kwesi Hutchful, Martine Jardel, Stevens Jay Carter, Anna W. Edwards, Jimi L. Evins, Pauletta M. Chanco, David Ruth, Sandra Chen Weinstein, Bryan Keith Thomas, Malik Seneferu, Tricia Grame, Renata Gray, Eric Murphy, Nosa Okungbowa, Jason Dunman.

Review and images by Dennis C. Scherzer: Eric Murphy and Hiroko To are among thirty artists on exhibit at "Rejoyce"-- a celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Joyce Gordon Gallery. It's a beautiful gallery built into a historic commercial space in the heart of Oakland. Gordon has assembled a broad variety of artists for her anniversary exhibit. She is a great pioneering spirit, sustaining her gallery and the abundance it creates for local artists. It has a positive vibrancy that is palpable in the immediate neighborhood and beyond.

I've known Eric Murphy for several years. We have worked together alongside the makeshift runways of the San Francisco underground fashion circuit. He worked under his pseudonym, Sven7 (pronounced "seven") then. Eric has only two works on exhibit at Gordon. Good choices, they represent his mega and macro view. One, a black and white fashion portrait piece, and the other a color city skyline urbanscape.

Murphy states in his bio, "As early as I can remember I was always fascinated with photographs of people in magazines. I also had to see them in a different "light" than most people project. My earlier photographic work began with landscapes in the bay area mostly Oakland but my interest in people dominated as I began to photograph models in my sister's fashion designs on location amongst Oakland and San Francisco's beautiful land and cityscapes. This allowed me to comfortably transition between the two photographic art forms with night photography in the bay area."

The portrait reveals his better art. It exhibits the sensitivity and awareness of a good fashion shot. He "got" what was happening in magazine photographs, and I've seen him capture great images within the moment.

Hiroko To is not present at the gallery during my visit. What I do note about her art is a passion for natural form and color. She captures nature images as abstract compositions in color slide format. She then scans the slides and renders prints from the scanned images. It's an unusual transition from film to positive transparency to digital imagery. The result is bold.

She is a native of Japan, and Japanese artistic/photographic tradition is evident-- finding the macrocosm within the microcosm, focusing on simple nature themes. Yet she expands on these traditional modes with a new generational influence. I look forward to the evolution of these first steps.

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