February 2020
Rocks Trees Waters Skies
Paintings by Lee Adair
I have always recorded the story of my life in pictures in drawings, paintings, photos and printed images of places, people, events, experiences, and memories. After obtaining a Master of Art degree at the University of California, Berkeley, I painted mainly in my studio, working abstractly in oil paint. I also drew and painted figures and portraits from life, and taught figure drawing at the City College of San Francisco for 30 plus years. I also began to sketch and paint outside more, and at some point became most drawn to painting landscapes en plain air as my primary focus. I would take along my art supplies, notebook, and camera, and used primarily watercolor for many years before working in oil paint. I would go out alone, or sometimes with an artist friend or two, and paint landscapes and seascapes of the beautiful and inspiring San Francisco Bay Area, and elsewhere. It took some practice and experimenting to figure out how to refine my supplies in order to paint large oils en plein air. In thinking about my several decades of painting en plein air, I feel these landscape paintings are a record of how beautiful the world has been in my time.
Lee Adair
707-939-9711
January 2020
An exhibition of 100 Octopus paintings
by Bay Area
artist Jon Altemus
“Ever since I designed the Octopus Grotto exhibit at the Aquarium of the Bay in 2008, I’ve had an ongoing crush on Octopuses – the most charismatic cephalopodof them all!”
In this exhibition, Altemus’ paintings offer a delightful and deeply satisfying blend of recognizable themes with abstract images, combining rich hues of paint color with painted and captured images from sources ranging from comic books
to sheet music.
More information about the exhibition can be found at http://jon-altemus.squarespace.com/about.
This is the third time Altemus has shown his work in this iconic gallery, a historic gem that pre-dates the 1906 earthquake and is one of downtown San Francisco's last links with her colorful, bohemian past. While many of the original buildings in the area did not survive the era of high-and-higher architecture, the historic Canessa Building has -- and continues to glow with the light, life, and magic of artists at work.
“I absolutely love Jon’s work – it is whimsical and beautiful and intriguing all at once,” says Zach Stewart, the gallery director. “Each time I look at one of his paintings, I see something new. Each work is beautifully layered, so images keep emerging as you get to know the work. It is a real joy to have Jon returning to the gallery. His work really fits here”.
Jon Altemus blends his fine arts background with his passion for the natural world. His paintings have been exhibited in solo shows in Oakland and San Francisco, and his museum projects have spanned the globe — from the Yosemite Valley Visitor’s Center to the Hong Kong Museum of History. Altemus earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Art College and his Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Contact info:
Artist: Jon Altemus; [email protected]; 510-812-3108
An exhibition of 100 Octopus paintings
by Bay Area
artist Jon Altemus
“Ever since I designed the Octopus Grotto exhibit at the Aquarium of the Bay in 2008, I’ve had an ongoing crush on Octopuses – the most charismatic cephalopodof them all!”
In this exhibition, Altemus’ paintings offer a delightful and deeply satisfying blend of recognizable themes with abstract images, combining rich hues of paint color with painted and captured images from sources ranging from comic books
to sheet music.
More information about the exhibition can be found at http://jon-altemus.squarespace.com/about.
This is the third time Altemus has shown his work in this iconic gallery, a historic gem that pre-dates the 1906 earthquake and is one of downtown San Francisco's last links with her colorful, bohemian past. While many of the original buildings in the area did not survive the era of high-and-higher architecture, the historic Canessa Building has -- and continues to glow with the light, life, and magic of artists at work.
“I absolutely love Jon’s work – it is whimsical and beautiful and intriguing all at once,” says Zach Stewart, the gallery director. “Each time I look at one of his paintings, I see something new. Each work is beautifully layered, so images keep emerging as you get to know the work. It is a real joy to have Jon returning to the gallery. His work really fits here”.
Jon Altemus blends his fine arts background with his passion for the natural world. His paintings have been exhibited in solo shows in Oakland and San Francisco, and his museum projects have spanned the globe — from the Yosemite Valley Visitor’s Center to the Hong Kong Museum of History. Altemus earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Art College and his Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.
Contact info:
Artist: Jon Altemus; [email protected]; 510-812-3108
November 2019
August 2019
The New Canessa Printing Company
Works by Kevin Cain
Kevin Cain. Kevin’s recent visual art collaborations include the PPIE centennial for the California Historical Society (with Optic Flare) and ATMA kinetic sculpture works in Trinidad and Sweden with Kiran Shiva Akal. Other notable projects include works for and with Anish Kapoor (sculpture), Anna Deavere Smith (theater), and Stewart McSherry (computer art). Kevin has organized more than twenty cultural heritage projects in Egypt, Mexico, France and Italy in partnership with the National Science Foundation and the European Union. Kevin founded the MFA Department of Computer Art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has worked extensively in design for live theater (including designs for many local theaters, including ACT, Berkeley Rep and the Magic Theater) and visual effects for films (including the Star Wars prequels). He holds a degree in Practice of Visual Art with an emphasis on painting from UC Berkeley
The New Canessa Printing Company
Works by Kevin Cain
Kevin Cain. Kevin’s recent visual art collaborations include the PPIE centennial for the California Historical Society (with Optic Flare) and ATMA kinetic sculpture works in Trinidad and Sweden with Kiran Shiva Akal. Other notable projects include works for and with Anish Kapoor (sculpture), Anna Deavere Smith (theater), and Stewart McSherry (computer art). Kevin has organized more than twenty cultural heritage projects in Egypt, Mexico, France and Italy in partnership with the National Science Foundation and the European Union. Kevin founded the MFA Department of Computer Art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has worked extensively in design for live theater (including designs for many local theaters, including ACT, Berkeley Rep and the Magic Theater) and visual effects for films (including the Star Wars prequels). He holds a degree in Practice of Visual Art with an emphasis on painting from UC Berkeley
July 2019
Rome Was
February 2019
Revelations
My artwork tells stories. Often a piece is sparked by current events. Then, inspired by my personal experience, I draw upon one of my mixed-up family of bloodlines or close friends to explore the contradictions, tragedies, challenges, and sometimes bliss of their tales related to the concern on my mind. . Through portraits and symbols, I unbutton stories, mend tears, unveil, and discover as I stitch together the narrative. Often the subject is one of grave concern, but my process also works through issues in a way that configures into a more positive visual conclusion. There is room for humor, laughter and celebration at the end, for both me and viewers.
I believe traditional handwork techniques such as knitting, crocheting and embroidery best visualize what I hope to convey. My goal is to touch viewers, using textiles as a universal experience and bridge, and to encourage others to discover their own or a more-widespread dialogue.
Marie Bergstedt
www.mariebergstedtartist.com
February 2019
Revelations
My artwork tells stories. Often a piece is sparked by current events. Then, inspired by my personal experience, I draw upon one of my mixed-up family of bloodlines or close friends to explore the contradictions, tragedies, challenges, and sometimes bliss of their tales related to the concern on my mind. . Through portraits and symbols, I unbutton stories, mend tears, unveil, and discover as I stitch together the narrative. Often the subject is one of grave concern, but my process also works through issues in a way that configures into a more positive visual conclusion. There is room for humor, laughter and celebration at the end, for both me and viewers.
I believe traditional handwork techniques such as knitting, crocheting and embroidery best visualize what I hope to convey. My goal is to touch viewers, using textiles as a universal experience and bridge, and to encourage others to discover their own or a more-widespread dialogue.
Marie Bergstedt
www.mariebergstedtartist.com
January 2019
After many years, (25) of the most fantastic diversion, ( a carrier in museum exhibit design and fabrication) after art school,(MFA SFAI) I've started painting again.
During the year of 2017 I painted a painting a day. I started the paintings as a protest of the 2016 presidential election outcome. But it became an artistic process, not a political one. It also became a daily practice, not unlike meditation, prayer or exercise. For me it became the visual meter for my growth and transitions thru the year. A great way to push the cart down the hill, (a metaphor for the momentum of the expressive side of my imagination and precusor to creative thought). All 365 were on exhibit this year at Delphi in Alameda.
This year that momentum created 100 tardigrade paintings,(on exhibit now at the Octopus Literary Salon in Oakland). And I was so fortunate to do media illustrations for Philip Glass's, ‘In the Penal Colony’ New Production with Oper Parallel
Jon Altemus
Instagram: altemuspaintings
I
June 2018
Impressed & Unrefined:
Holly Wilson
A collection of found objects and photography
This show includes the most recent body of work created by artist Holly Wilson. Impressed & Unrefined was inspired by individuals close to the artist who are educating the world about conservation and sustainability. With that in mind, none of the material used in this collection were purchased as new items. Recycled, reused, and found objects are the foundation to compliment the naturally inspired black and white photographs. Some items used throughout the collection include driftwood, toy blocks and sea glass.
About the Artist:
Award winning photographer Holly Wilson has been creating photographic art for over 15 years. From South Florida, Holly obtained a degree in photography from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. After graduation, she experimented in alternative photography and printing, creating artwork that includes cyanotypes, image transfers and pinhole photography. Most images are nature and animal inspired from throughout the world. Now in California, Holly continues to create alternative process photography with a more natural and sustainable focus. Holly is most known for her bold, line art screen printed images of wildlife that have been featured by organizations such as American Association of Zoo Keepers and Global Conservation Force.
hollynicoleart.com
May 2018
Movable ink
ANITA WONG DEFIES TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN HER LATEST PAINTING SERIES “YEAR OF THE DOG”
JUSTIN FANG, EDITOR AT AMADEUS MAGAZINE
Artist Bio:
Asian American Artist & Professor, is a long time pupil of
Hsin Pengjiu, first pupils of Chao Shao An and Pu Hsin-Yu,
cousin of Pu Yi, the last emperor of China. With her background in
modern arts and film, the artist develops a unique contemporary
style of Lingnan Guo Hua with the influence from Hip Cultures &
moving imagery. Her works are currently featured on over 40 local
& International magazines including “N.Y. Arts”; “AIGA”;
“Design within Reach” design Philadelphia award;
“Works & Conversations”; “Artdependence” cover stories;
MAHB Stanford University & Yale University Magazine.
Artist Statement:
My current works have been dealing with movement, patterns and
emotions ocured in nature; individualism in the viewer’s eyes and
the role of traditional art form in the Millennium. My current abstract
ink painting series "Tigers", "Roosters" and "Dogs" explores the
movements of subject and passage of time through the use of
“Bi”– Brushwork. I see "Bi" as my handwritings, an expression
highly individual. Brushworks I create identify me from any
other human beings. It is a medium for me to convey my
emotions and meanings of the subject.
April 2016
New Landscape Paintings
Ethan Cranke
Ethan Cranke has dedicated the last 17 years of his life to painting full time, mostly outdoors, and that is clear to see in his dramatic displays of strong color and confident mark making which run throughout this body of work, on display at his first solo show in San Francisco, at Canessa Gallery (within the historic Canessa Printing Co. building). These rich moody landscapes evoke both the 19th century expressionists and the magnificent light of Sonoma County, where Ethan lives, paints, chops wood and tends to his elders.
“I am deeply honored to be showing here. To have my paintings hanging on the same walls that have been privy to the goings on of artists such as Diego Rivera, Benny Bufano, Frida Kahlo, and many others whom I would consider legendary, is beyond compare.”~Ethan Cranke
“People buy artwork because it speaks to their emotions, unless they are buying for the surface value, and then because it's pretty, cool, or the colors coordinate with their interiors (ick).
What looking at Ethan's art tells me about him is the depth of spirit... and (his) confidence in his execution. The bold strokes, I think one has to love the subject to do that." ~Linda McKay (Collector, Co-owner of Juxtapoz Magazine and Ermico Enterprises)
“I am deeply honored to be showing here. To have my paintings hanging on the same walls that have been privy to the goings on of artists such as Diego Rivera, Benny Bufano, Frida Kahlo, and many others whom I would consider legendary, is beyond compare.”~Ethan Cranke
“People buy artwork because it speaks to their emotions, unless they are buying for the surface value, and then because it's pretty, cool, or the colors coordinate with their interiors (ick).
What looking at Ethan's art tells me about him is the depth of spirit... and (his) confidence in his execution. The bold strokes, I think one has to love the subject to do that." ~Linda McKay (Collector, Co-owner of Juxtapoz Magazine and Ermico Enterprises)
August 2015
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June/July 2015
In The Gate
Photos from the Golden Gate
Richard Zimmerman
Passing Spanish ships overlooked the narrow entrance to San Francisco Bay for over two hundred years before discovering it. Dominated as it is by the world famous Golden Gate Bridge at its Eastern end, the strait continues to be overlooked by many. The Golden Gate —named by John C. Fremont — is a place of stunning views, steep cliffs, a few sandy beaches and great beauty.
I often travel into the Gate to capture sunsets, sunrises and, yes, pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the City. From a fog-shrouded Lands End on a cool morning to the Zen-like calm of a sunset at South Rodeo Beach I have discovered beauty close to home: no long trip required.
The photographs span an eight year period: 2007 to 2015. The idea for this portfolio didn’t take form for me until late 2013; since that time I’ve covered much of the Gate making over 2000 pictures. Obviously, this exhibit only touches on the results. I hope you enjoy this brief look at the Golden Gate.
http://www.rezPhotos.com
April 2015
Nature Perceptions in Color
Eddie Fitzgerald
Eddie's love of color is the driving force behind his work.
Varying in representation, his paintings conjure dreamlike images where color contrasts swirl and bounce from the canvas.
Through impulsive gestural strokes he gives the paint an opportunity to mix and blend directly on the surface creating it's own expression and movement. As a painter Eddie strives to arrive at a place of surprise and excitement.
Born and raised in Co Clare, Eddie received his bachelors degree from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland.
Eddie has exhibited in Ireland, Australia and the US, he lives and works in San Francisco.
http://eddiefitzgeraldart.com
January 2015
Six Artists: Eclectic Works is an exhibition of new work from six artists who have been meeting together as a critique group for almost two decades. All six are women who met while taking art classes in San Francisco from the late painter and teacher Leigh Hyams. They subsequently formed a working-artists' group that met once a month with Hyams until she moved to Mexico in 2001; they continued to meet, as a self-led group, and still do so today to support one another in making art a vital part of their lives
December 2014
Lands End
Watercolors by
Robert Danielson
When I was twenty four years old I was fortunate enough to be appointed to the faculty of the University of California at Davis. For the next fourteen years I lectured as a staff member in the Department of Environmental Horticulture. Many of the students at that time were very goal oriented with a strong emphasis on science and mathematics. The majority of the classes I taught in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design attempted to demonstrate how aesthetics might be integrated into their ingrained practical orientation. I remember using the example that Professor Stephen Pepper cited of three people viewing the same approaching cloud formation. The farmer views it only as to how much rain it might contain for his crops, the meteorologist views it by identifying it as a particular formation such as a cumulus, cirrus etc., while the third person looks for beauty and may see it as a beautiful, billowing, multicolored, continuously changing object of art. The farmer and meteorologist misses a great opportunity. Over the years as I reached out to my students I know at least some of them got the message.
After teaching I moved my family from Davis to San Francisco and practiced Landscape Architecture for the next forty two years. I always enjoyed working with large scale landscapes rather than small scale projects such as residential gardens, so most but not all of my better known projects are larger in scale. My rational was that I want as many people as possible to experience beautiful practical environments. Therefore, large scale projects usually enable tens of thousands of people to enjoy and experience them while for family residential gardens, frequently only a few have the opportunity to even view them. As a result my most acclaimed landscape projects are large and include the Sacramento International Airport, Fresno Yosemite International Airport , ‘Lincoln Plaza’ (CalPERS Building) Sacramento, ‘Vista Del Lago’ (residential community) in Santa Clara, ‘The Broadmoor’ (rooftop garden for elderly community living) in San Francisco, Chestnut Park in Davis. During my forty two years of practice I estimate that I have been responsible for and specified planting for over one hundred thousand trees and shrubs for various California landscape developments.
Now that I have hung up my Landscape Architect’s shingle I would still like to be productive in some way. Since so many of my contemporaries are no longer with us I frequently question why I am still here and since I am lucky enough to be here what I should be doing with my time. Being an optimist, I have come to the conclusion that I should continue to be active and use any God given talents that I may have for the enrichment and enjoyment of peoples lives. During my early running days in San Francisco I frequently jogged the five mile loop at the Lands End trail and thru part of Golden Gate Park. It seemed only fitting then that my first and only watercolor painting endeavors were to concentrate on Lands End as a painting motif. In doing so I have found more of an appreciation for the area that I unfortunately partially missed in my jogging days. In the presentation of this exhibit my goal is to communicate to viewers a love of the wild and wilderness aspect of Lands End thru the media of watercolor and perhaps intensify your interest in the area and encourage you to hike the trails and visit the beaches during the four seasonal and climatic variations.
Robert Danielson
When I was twenty four years old I was fortunate enough to be appointed to the faculty of the University of California at Davis. For the next fourteen years I lectured as a staff member in the Department of Environmental Horticulture. Many of the students at that time were very goal oriented with a strong emphasis on science and mathematics. The majority of the classes I taught in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design attempted to demonstrate how aesthetics might be integrated into their ingrained practical orientation. I remember using the example that Professor Stephen Pepper cited of three people viewing the same approaching cloud formation. The farmer views it only as to how much rain it might contain for his crops, the meteorologist views it by identifying it as a particular formation such as a cumulus, cirrus etc., while the third person looks for beauty and may see it as a beautiful, billowing, multicolored, continuously changing object of art. The farmer and meteorologist misses a great opportunity. Over the years as I reached out to my students I know at least some of them got the message.
After teaching I moved my family from Davis to San Francisco and practiced Landscape Architecture for the next forty two years. I always enjoyed working with large scale landscapes rather than small scale projects such as residential gardens, so most but not all of my better known projects are larger in scale. My rational was that I want as many people as possible to experience beautiful practical environments. Therefore, large scale projects usually enable tens of thousands of people to enjoy and experience them while for family residential gardens, frequently only a few have the opportunity to even view them. As a result my most acclaimed landscape projects are large and include the Sacramento International Airport, Fresno Yosemite International Airport , ‘Lincoln Plaza’ (CalPERS Building) Sacramento, ‘Vista Del Lago’ (residential community) in Santa Clara, ‘The Broadmoor’ (rooftop garden for elderly community living) in San Francisco, Chestnut Park in Davis. During my forty two years of practice I estimate that I have been responsible for and specified planting for over one hundred thousand trees and shrubs for various California landscape developments.
Now that I have hung up my Landscape Architect’s shingle I would still like to be productive in some way. Since so many of my contemporaries are no longer with us I frequently question why I am still here and since I am lucky enough to be here what I should be doing with my time. Being an optimist, I have come to the conclusion that I should continue to be active and use any God given talents that I may have for the enrichment and enjoyment of peoples lives. During my early running days in San Francisco I frequently jogged the five mile loop at the Lands End trail and thru part of Golden Gate Park. It seemed only fitting then that my first and only watercolor painting endeavors were to concentrate on Lands End as a painting motif. In doing so I have found more of an appreciation for the area that I unfortunately partially missed in my jogging days. In the presentation of this exhibit my goal is to communicate to viewers a love of the wild and wilderness aspect of Lands End thru the media of watercolor and perhaps intensify your interest in the area and encourage you to hike the trails and visit the beaches during the four seasonal and climatic variations.
November 2014
Furries and Despair
Intriguing photographs by Ron Lussier and Bobby Pin intermingle the self-perceptions of
“furries” and the feral world of modern Detroit, in a two-man show titled, “Furries and Despair"
Furries are people interested in anthropomorphic art, cartoons and costumes. Many like to take the form of animals, real or imagined, by dressing in “fursuits,” akin to athletic team mascots. Others may simply add a tail to their pants or ears to their hats. Although the furry community, like all communities, has a sexual side, Lussier’s photographs are family friendly, exploring the emotions and self-perceptions of furries and their partners.
Lussier humanized his subjects by asking them to write a furry confession. Many seem to render the cartoon world to real life. “My only domestic quality is that I live in a house,” declares a dog adorned with patchwork fur, ears and a tail. “I’m a pretty, pretty Pegasus,” says a My Little Pony look alike, “So watch out!”
Anthropomorphism goes both ways, as Bobby Pin’s Despair collection reveals. No self-realized colorful animals live here in post-modern Detroit. Instead, we watch self-destructing monuments evolve to wilderness. Haunting factories, graffiti art, decaying roofs and rusted automobiles remind us that human ambition provides no challenge, in the long run, to nature.
Pin’s works are architectural, with an element of luminism. A shining future awaits those who can survive a treacherous path through this jungle of hidden threats. Many graffiti artists have gravitated to Detroit, as its abandoned buildings provide more permanent canvases, allowing their primitivist art to survive the synthetic onslaught of humanity. Pin’s work uncovers many of these artists’ hidden treasures, beaconing to us to discover a wilder world.
Ron Lussier’s recent works have focused on what he calls “tribes” whose cultures are shaped by shared passions. These range from dog owners to nudists to Burning Man participants. He seeks to incorporate the thoughts of his subjects in their images, adding subjective self-perception to the otherwise objectivist world of photography. Lussier graduated from UMass Amherst, with a Bachelor of Science emphasizing computer art.
Bobby Pin’s BFA from California College of the Arts emphasized film production and cinematography. His work incorporates a strong sense of composition and light. “I love the challenge of telling a whole story in one frame,” he said, “I want people to feel the same emotion I feel when they view my photographs, and that requires thinking about story-boarding, even though these are isolated images.”
Lussier and Pin have collaborated on many projects, including performance pieces and photographic collections. Both have been official staff photographers for Burning Man. When putting this two-man exhibition together, they sought contrast over collaboration. The effect is strangely compelling. In the anthropomorphic world of furries, humans seeks the synthesized perfection of cartoon animals, while in the real world of humans-gone-feral, we gain a hauntingly gorgeous chaos. What emerges is “wild is beautiful.
http://pincreative.com http://lenscraft.com
“furries” and the feral world of modern Detroit, in a two-man show titled, “Furries and Despair"
Furries are people interested in anthropomorphic art, cartoons and costumes. Many like to take the form of animals, real or imagined, by dressing in “fursuits,” akin to athletic team mascots. Others may simply add a tail to their pants or ears to their hats. Although the furry community, like all communities, has a sexual side, Lussier’s photographs are family friendly, exploring the emotions and self-perceptions of furries and their partners.
Lussier humanized his subjects by asking them to write a furry confession. Many seem to render the cartoon world to real life. “My only domestic quality is that I live in a house,” declares a dog adorned with patchwork fur, ears and a tail. “I’m a pretty, pretty Pegasus,” says a My Little Pony look alike, “So watch out!”
Anthropomorphism goes both ways, as Bobby Pin’s Despair collection reveals. No self-realized colorful animals live here in post-modern Detroit. Instead, we watch self-destructing monuments evolve to wilderness. Haunting factories, graffiti art, decaying roofs and rusted automobiles remind us that human ambition provides no challenge, in the long run, to nature.
Pin’s works are architectural, with an element of luminism. A shining future awaits those who can survive a treacherous path through this jungle of hidden threats. Many graffiti artists have gravitated to Detroit, as its abandoned buildings provide more permanent canvases, allowing their primitivist art to survive the synthetic onslaught of humanity. Pin’s work uncovers many of these artists’ hidden treasures, beaconing to us to discover a wilder world.
Ron Lussier’s recent works have focused on what he calls “tribes” whose cultures are shaped by shared passions. These range from dog owners to nudists to Burning Man participants. He seeks to incorporate the thoughts of his subjects in their images, adding subjective self-perception to the otherwise objectivist world of photography. Lussier graduated from UMass Amherst, with a Bachelor of Science emphasizing computer art.
Bobby Pin’s BFA from California College of the Arts emphasized film production and cinematography. His work incorporates a strong sense of composition and light. “I love the challenge of telling a whole story in one frame,” he said, “I want people to feel the same emotion I feel when they view my photographs, and that requires thinking about story-boarding, even though these are isolated images.”
Lussier and Pin have collaborated on many projects, including performance pieces and photographic collections. Both have been official staff photographers for Burning Man. When putting this two-man exhibition together, they sought contrast over collaboration. The effect is strangely compelling. In the anthropomorphic world of furries, humans seeks the synthesized perfection of cartoon animals, while in the real world of humans-gone-feral, we gain a hauntingly gorgeous chaos. What emerges is “wild is beautiful.
http://pincreative.com http://lenscraft.com
September 2014
Explorations of a fog lover , from the streets and parks
of San Francisco's Inner Sunset.
Sometimes it seems that if fog did not exist, writers would have to invent it; the physical reality gets buried under an avalanche of metaphors. And most of the metaphors are not kind. The fog of war; befogged minds; foggy intentions of the criminal and the powerful ... the list is long.
Welcome to Fogland aims for a visual counterpoint to all that, celebrating the beauty, power, transience, mystery, calm, and – ironically – clarity of fog and fog-lift. Photographer Stephen Kane loves fog wherever in the world he finds it. But this exhibit shares the universe of one specific Fogland – the streets and parks of the Inner Sunset neighborhood he calls home.
http://www.smkanephoto.com
July 2014
Wellspring Fountains that Heal
Paul Winterniz
There is nothing quite like water. It soothes, heals and rejuvenates. When it moves its sound is profound. It makes life possible. The goal of Wellspring Fountains is to bring the beauty of flowing water into our lives. Wellspring focuses on using moving water's ability to amplify the healing power of sacred geometry, stones and the energies of the Earth. This charged water brings a sense of quietude and depth into our homes and workplaces that can reduce the stress and strain of our busy lives.
It can give us pause and be gentle reminder that we are part of the miracle of life.
http://wellspringfountains.com
April 2014
Jennifer Lo
http://www.JenniferLo.us
An installation work by Jennifer Lo with special guests will transform the interior of Canessa Gallery with fabric and paper. Viewers are invited to contemplate the gallery space and will be directed through the show delineated by a fabric path. Each natural pausing point will present a visual and sensorial offering to be consumed together. An audio cue will sound at preset intervals to prompt the viewer to continue to the next natural pausing point. The artist requests visitors refrain from conversation while inside the gallery.
Jennifer Lo is a Bay Area artist and teacher currently residing in Pacifica. Her work seeks to gently transform interior spaces to provoke introspection. Her interests in labyrinths, paths, and meditation have guided her work to turn thoughts inward. She is currently designing art classes that deeply and positively impact daily life through her company,
Learn Make Live. This will be Jennifer's third show at Canessa Gallery.
March 2014
Works on Paper
Bill Wheeler Pieter Myers
"Edvard Munch's studio, Norway" "Rebecca"
Bill Wheeler and Pieter Myers are artists and neighbors living and working in the coastal hills of Sonoma County near Occidental, California. Having studios on adjoining properties, Bill and Pieter have shared artistic inspiration for thirty years, yet they come together artistically for the first time at Canessa gallery San Francisco for the month of March 2014.
Bill Wheeler studied art at Yale, then the San Francisco Art Institute with such luminaries as Nathan Oliveira and Richard Diebenkorn. He splits his output between plein air painting, and printmaking, taking his inspiration from a passion for the environment. Wheeler has had numerous one-man shows, this being his second show at Canessa Gallery. Pieter Myers took his degree in studio art from Colorado College and studieatd printmaking at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. Once on the West Coast he studied photography with Ansel Adams and other master photographers of the Monterey Peninsula. Turning to photogravure, Myers spent time at Crown Point Press in San Francisco and did portrait study with Joyce Tenneson. This show at Canessa Gallery exhibits a wide range of graphic output from these two artists, including etching, lithography, drawing, and photogravure.
http://[email protected]
February 2014
Gregory Peterson
Aerial Photography
Greg Peterson has come a long and unpredictable way from his high school days, when he was best known for playing the slide trombone and taking pictures for the year book.
His first real photography job was at a small Bay Area newspaper, the Richmond Independent. The experience gained there was enough to propel him into the big leagues – namely, the San Francisco Chronicle.
“At the Chronicle, I learned a great deal from a group of talented staff photographers that included Joe Rosenthal of “Flag Raising on Iwo Jima” fame, and Peter Breinig, who also taught me to fly,” Peterson says.
After five years, Peterson left his “alma mater” to pursue a solo career. He spent the next decade wearing out several passports as he traveled all over world, shooting pictures for clients such as Transamerica Airlines, The Pacific Area Travel Association and Bechtel Construction. Although his assignments took him to photogenic countries like Morocco and Zambia, they also found him “frequently going to places that nobody actually wants to visit, but often bringing back interesting pictures,” says Peterson.
During his so-called "Kodachrome years" Peterson fell in love with color. The work of Pete Turner convinced him that color itself could be the subject of a photograph. “Looking at Turner’s Jazz album covers,” Peterson recalls, “I realized that the ostensible subject of the pictures didn't actually contribute very much. It was all about the colors.”
His love of flying and his infatuation with color are both obvious throughout this exhibit. In Peterson's words:
“These photos are primarily aerial shots that are more about color and texture than they are about the things on the ground.
“I love contrast between the organic shapes of the earth as it's carved by water and the geometric forms of the things people build on it.”
“Sometimes I print exactly what the camera gives me, but more often I use various post-processing techniques to extract shapes and colors that are hidden in the originals.”
“I continue to pursue rich and complex images which both delight the eye and offer a unique view of the world.”
http://gregpetersonphoto.com
January 2014
A Photography Exhibition by Donn Curry
The Peace Book is a project that began during my time traveling & living in Asia during 2009-2013. It was intended to be an actual book. Having accumulated a large amount of ‘snap shots’ (amateur photography), I eventually realized that these should be shown. After that realization came another; I was taking more and more portraits, and they were becoming more inspiring as I went along with my trip. So I began writing about them. The subjects of the photos were leaving impressions on me, and I felt compelled to write about them, either in poems or just descriptive captions for the shots.
Why not a book? As I began the process of creating the pages for the book, I was realizing that this would quite possibly take years for me. Mostly because I am too picky, and also because not all of the photos had inspired me to write about them. The book was beginning to look daunting. And even though I wasn’t running out of subjects for photography, I was starting to run out of things to write about them. Needless to say, the ‘book’ became a ‘show’. Which posed another problem. I have only shown my paintings and drawings in my prior exhibitions. In fact, I can’t even honestly call myself a photographer without including the disclaimer of ‘amateur’. After all, the entire show was shot with ‘point & shoot’ cameras, not SLR’s. Real photographers use SLR cameras. In the end I made the decision “it’s a show!” And so it is.
The Peace Book is my inspiration for living life in this world to the best of my ability & enjoying it to the fullest, even though it can appear to be so difficult in so many ways, for so many people or in so many places. The mere act of turning my camera on has revealed to me the human spirit in a context I’ve never seen before.
I found greatness in the people who saw an opportunity to make an impression when they were being photographed. The photos themselves were taken purely in the moment, without reshoots, without Photoshop, and sometimes without my being seen by the subjects. And in turn, I appreciate them so much more for this reason. And I hope that you do too.
Donn Curry
http://www.donncurry.com
December 2013
Plein Air Landscapes, Waterscapes and Whimsical Illustrations
Flo Hosa Dougherty of Las Cruces, New Mexico — Mixed Media
Amy Hosa of San Francisco —
Watercolors
Desert & Coast: Where Mother & Daughter Draw the Line celebrates Flo and Amy’s life-long tradition of coming together to make art, which ironically creates the space where it’s safe to “cross the line” with each other as well. Although they chose different paths, both mother and daughter have been professional artists their entire careers.
This exhibit is as much about how the art reflects the universal mother/daughter dynamic in life, as it is about the art itself. Pictures of the same plein air scene — painted by mother and daughter while sitting side-by-side — are hung in pairs, along with matching works of similar subjects painted while worlds apart. Seen together, the expressive paintings share a familial gene pool and common vision, while the choice of composition and brushstroke flaunts their differences and a friendly rivalry.
Excerpts from their writing about life and art offer a window into the artists as individuals and members of the same family. The exhibit also features a mother/daughter photo-album with friends and family invited to contribute pages, thereby adding a slice of their own life to the Hosa gene pool.
MOTHER = DESERT: Flo Hosa Dougherty of Las Cruces, New Mexico is a regionally acclaimed mixed media painter and book illustrator, founding president of the New Mexico Watercolor Society - Southern Chapter, a promoter of arts, and owner of the Blue Gate Gallery. Flo has exhibited in countless shows, and received many prizes and achievement awards in her lifetime. She was honored with the Dona Ana Art Council’s “2013 Community Arts Award for an Individual” for her marked impact on the cultural fabric of the community.
www.artgally.com/bluegate
DAUGHTER = COAST: Amy Hosa of San Francisco, is a watercolor artist who also leads workshops in California and Maine, with a career in illustration and graphics. Currently Amy is an exhibit designer at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In addition to space planning and graphic design, Amy collaborated on an 11’ x 11’ historical mural of Ohlone in tule canoes on SF Bay. See the mural and walk through early San Francisco in “The Waterfront, Sailors Called It Frisco,” exhibit, in the National Park Visitor Center, at Jefferson & Hyde Streets, San Francisco.
www.amyhosa.com
November 2013
j
Grant Johnson
New Landscape Work
Aerial & Terrestrial Environmental
Photography
Mackenzie River Delta, Artic Circle, Canada
http://www.grantjohnson.net
October 2013
Complementary Lives A Fourty- Year Collaboration
Buzz Owen: Worldwide Abalone - A Photographic Journey
Miriam Owen: Figurative Driftwood Sculpture
Buzz Owen is a recognized authority on Haliotidae, commonly called abalone, which are found so abundantly along the Mendonoma coast. His show consists of artistic photographs from the 65 species of abalone found worldwide.
Owen's interest in the species has led him around the world in search of this mollusk. The website Of Sea And Shore features 40 published articles Buzz wrote for that publication on various species of abalone.
Owen collaborated on a book, Abalone Worldwide Haliotidae, that was recently published by Conch Books of Hakenheim, Germany. It is the most authoritative book on the subject ever printed.
[email protected]
Miriam Owen is a popular artist whose work is frequently seen at the Dolphin, Art in the Redwoods, the annual Studio Discovery Tour and other venues. She established a pottery studio, Pescadero Creek Pottery, in 1974 shortly after leaving UC Santa Cruz where she worked with Al Johnson.
She is best known now for her use of found materials, especially kelp and driftwood, to create a variety of sculptures. This show represents twenty years of her work with found materials, including some new items made from her urban "beachcombing."
MiriamOwen-driftwoodsculpture.com
September 2013
Sea Earth Sky
Paintings by Carolyn Miller
I grew up surrounded by woods, hills, rivers, clouds, and flowers, and the natural world still speaks to me on a deep level. The paintings in this show are concerned with either the sea or the bay, the earth—in the form of hills or flowers that grow out of the earth—or the sky, in the form of fog or clouds. Although I live in the center of San Francisco, I always feel surrounded by nature: the ocean just a few miles to the west, the bay a few blocks to the north, the sound of birds in the backyards, the low clouds that blow in from the ocean in the early evening, and most of all, the light that covers everything and is such a presence that it seems as if we could almost touch it.
Carolyn Miller is a long-time San Francisco resident who lives on the Hyde Street cable car line, where she writes, paints, and works as a freelance copy editor. A painting student of the late Leigh Hyams, she is also a poet and essayist who has published in many literary journals and has two books of poetry, After Cocteau and Light, Moving, both from Sixteen Rivers Press.
February 2013
Sculptures by Thomas Van Houten
Thomas Van Houten first started studying sculpture in 1983 at Cabrillo College with Holt Murry. There he began his interest in welding, metal smiting, and tool making. He later studied ceramics and figure drawing at Monterey Peninsula College before receiving a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute. There he worked with Richard Berger, John Roloff, Robert Rasmusen, and Anna Murch. He graduated in 1989 and was awarded the Issac Walter Sculpture Prize. Devoting himself to providing for his children he worked as a German car technician, eventually becoming an ASE certified Master Technician and Volkswagen factory trained journeyman. He gained some special attention for his ability to fabricate custom parts and specialty tools. Van Houten is currently enrolled in the MFA program at the San Francisco Art Institute and working as a teaching assistant in the metal sculpture department.
http://www.thomasvanhouten.com
January 2013
Urban Nature
Photography
by
Richard Zimmerman
The San Francisco Bay Area is an inspiring and diverse region. The ocean beaches can be marvelous at sunset; there are fog-shrouded forests, wild birds and magnificent Bay views. This photographic exhibit captures some of the beauty of the Bay Area.
Richard Zimmerman -- I am an enthusiastic amateur photographer with a special interest in the environment of the San Francisco Bay Area. A desire to document the state of the Bay ten years ago kindled my interest in photography.
http://www.rezPhotos.com
December 2012
A` Lure
Installation Art
by Judy O'Shea
I start with the volume and history of a space and then try to complement the atmosphere with appropriate objects - objects which engage in a dialogue with each other, the site, and the observer. Often the result is interactive with the visiter animating the scene through the discovery of hidden elements.
I began my career as an installation artist when my husband and I bought an old watermill in France, which we restored to grind flour and press walnut oil, but also to host visiting artists whom we worked and exhibited with.
http://www.judyoshea.com
November 2012
The Prosthetic Temple
by
Richard Berger
"In the early 1960s Berger was given a book of images of the Sun Temple at Konarak on the eastern coast of India in Orissa, sparking a lifelong obsession that culminated in his visit there in 2001. Since then, he has created two large-scale models of the temple. Berger’s scale models represent, after many years of research, a kind-of reenactment o the portions of the largely ruined temple, particularly the tower that was destroyed centuries ago. These analyses inform Berger’s constructions—montages of kinetic sculpture and drawing—examining the temple as a cultural and societal prosthetic to complete “what’s not there.”
"Richard Berger is associate professor and former chair of the Sculpture department at the San Francisco Art Institute, where he has taught since 1970. His work is featured in the permanent collections of the Oakland Museum of California, the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, and the Monterey Peninsula Museum. Berger has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and is the 45th recipient of the SFAI Adaline Kent Award, which included an exhibition, The Third Time I Saw Phyllis She Exploded, the Walter and McBean Gallery in 2004."
http://rbsculpture.com
The Prosthetic Temple
by
Richard Berger
"In the early 1960s Berger was given a book of images of the Sun Temple at Konarak on the eastern coast of India in Orissa, sparking a lifelong obsession that culminated in his visit there in 2001. Since then, he has created two large-scale models of the temple. Berger’s scale models represent, after many years of research, a kind-of reenactment o the portions of the largely ruined temple, particularly the tower that was destroyed centuries ago. These analyses inform Berger’s constructions—montages of kinetic sculpture and drawing—examining the temple as a cultural and societal prosthetic to complete “what’s not there.”
"Richard Berger is associate professor and former chair of the Sculpture department at the San Francisco Art Institute, where he has taught since 1970. His work is featured in the permanent collections of the Oakland Museum of California, the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, and the Monterey Peninsula Museum. Berger has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and is the 45th recipient of the SFAI Adaline Kent Award, which included an exhibition, The Third Time I Saw Phyllis She Exploded, the Walter and McBean Gallery in 2004."
http://rbsculpture.com
Faces-The Human Spirit
Paintings by Lisa Bruno
October 2012
"Everyone has a story, I choose subjects that speak to me.
I read their faces like a novel, full of chapters eager to read. I would like people to view my work and extract their own story of that person. To make a connection and perhaps an understanding of the beauty of humanities cultural diversity. Cultures so different than our own yet embracing the same human spirit that makes us all so alike.
Each painting expresses subtleties of moods,colors and emotions.... the capacity of people to survive, pull together and still have hope and laughter.
My surreal paintings depict the characters inner world, looking out with complacent stares, or looking away dreamily captured in their own world."
http://www.lisabrunoart.com
Nature in the City II
September 2012
Nature in the City is a mix of photography, painting, sculptures and other media from more than a dozen successful San Francisco Bay Area artists.
The Nature in the City exhibit showcases a variety of expressions of nature in the San Francisco area, including plants, animals or birds; but at times humanity is the only perceptible form of nature. In a brick and mortar, concrete landscape, nature can be anything mortal or soft. Weeds in the cracks, people on the sidewalk, gardens on the roof, chickens on Filbert Street, waves on the beach, dogs in the park, fog on the ground, murders of crows over downtown, the sky, compost, and Farmers Markets.
The appearance of nature in a heavily urbanized environment can be eye-catching or beautiful. Close-up botanical photographs reveal the hidden beauty of plants in the works of photographer Julie Jaycox. Wildlife incorporated into murals and tiny humans in nature are themes in images from Corinne DeBra. And sculptures from natural materials, such as kelp and driftwood, are exemplified in the works of sculptor Miriam Owen and woodworker Boris. Photographer Richard Zimmerman explores the boundaries between land and water.
The Artists
Barbara Oplinger, Painting boplinger.com/art
Boris, Woodworking
Corinne DeBra, Photography http://www.walking-the-bay.com http://www.flower-snaps.com
Della Heywood, Painting http://dellaheywood.com
Ed Handelman, Painting http://edhandelman.com
Julie Jaycox, Botanical Photography juliejaycox.com
Ken Downing, Ink on Paper
Lynnie Rabinowitsh, Painting lynnierabinowitsh.com
Mark Varvoutis, Sculpture
Miriam Owen, Sculpture miriamowen-driftwoodsculpture.com
Peggy Huff, Mixed Media peggyhuffpainting.com
Richard Zimmerman, Photography rezphotography.com
Timothy Armstrong, Installation Photography curbworker.com
Wind Blown Sunset
July 6-28, 2012
Restore period photos from Journey into Climate
presented by co-author Michael Morrison
A recent book of adventure stories of field expeditions to the world’s coldest, remotest places.
Michael Cope Morrison was the Scientific Coordinator for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two, and is a team member on other expeditions.
http://JourneyIntoClimate.com
Restore period photos from Journey into Climate
presented by co-author Michael Morrison
A recent book of adventure stories of field expeditions to the world’s coldest, remotest places.
Michael Cope Morrison was the Scientific Coordinator for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two, and is a team member on other expeditions.
http://JourneyIntoClimate.com
Flashbacks
May 4-28, 2012
A collection of unpublished
Rock-n-Roll photography
by Chris Brorsen
http://www.chrisbrorsen.weebly.com
March 1-30, 2012
Photographs by Fayette Hauser
As the psychedelic San Francisco of the 1960s began evolving into the pansexual San Francisco of the 1970s, The Cockettes, a flamboyant ensemble of hippies -- gay, straight, and undecided -- decked themselves out in gender-bending drag and tons of glitter for a series of legendary midnight musicals at the Palace Theater in North Beach.
The Cockettes were born on stage, New Year’s Eve, 1969. The collective passion was to take every fantasy, desire, idol and dream and in the most joyously flamboyant way possible, put it onto the stage.
Fayette Hauser performed with the group and contributed to the look and structure of many of the shows, and photographed them as well until its demise in the spring of 1972. Fayette went on to perform with Tomata Du Plenty and his Whiz Kidz in Seattle and then, with Tomata, in New York at CBGB’S, Café Cino, La Mama and the Bouwerie Lane Theatre.
Born in Troy, New York, Fayette grew up in the honky-tonk town of Asbury Park, New Jersey. She received her first camera, a Brownie Holiday Flash, at age nine and began photographing her favorite place, the Fun House Arcade on the boardwalk, home of Asbury’s best and brightest freaks.
As a teen-ager, Fayette made frequent trips into Manhattan to check out the underground scene, meeting filmmakers Jack Smith and Andy Warhol and was in the Warhol film The Life Story of Juanita Castro, scripted by Ronald Tavel.
After graduating with a BFA from Boston University, College of Fine Arts, Fayette moved to Greenwich Village for a year before migrating to the West Coast. Moving to Los Angeles in 1975, Fayette received an Assoc. Degree in Photography at LATTC and has gone on to work as a Photographer, a Costume Designer for Film and Theatre and a Stylist for performers such as Bette Midler, and The Manhattan Transfer.
http://www.drkrm.com/cockettes.html
The Public Works of Sargent Johnson
Photographed by Duane Conliffe
January -February 2012
http://www.DuaneConliffe.com
http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-sargent-johnson-11474
Nature in the City
An Exhibit of Photography, Painting & Sculpture
September 1-28, 2011
Barb Oplinger, Paintings boplinger.com/art
Julie Jaycox, Botanical Photography juliejaycox.com
Miriam Owen, Sculpture miriamowen-driftwoodsculpture.com
F. Joseph Butler, Watercolors fjosephbutler.com Facebook: The Little House Committee
Mel Solomon, Photography melsolomonphotography.com
Richard Zimmerman, Photography rezphotography.com
Timothy Armstrong, Installation Photography curbworker.com
August 1 -29, 2011
Essence of Luminescence
Barb Traub
Daughter of a photographer father, Barbara launched her career in 1987 with a solo show at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute and first place win in the Baltimore Sun Magazine annual photo contest. Her early work was influenced primarily by the poetic aesthetic of street photographers who portray people and things in their own milieu at decisive moments. In the early 90s she was introduced to the photographs of Ralph Gibson, whose attention to detail, use of high-contrast, and sense of the surreal further influenced her style. Traub went on to shoot freelance for publications, work in darkroom and computer labs, assist for other photographers, and teach film and digital at the university level while continuing to pursue her personal vision.
Barb’s photos have been exhibited at venues such as the Arts Commission, 111 Minna, Scott Nichols, and SFCW in San Francisco, Cooper Union, CB’s 313 and 4th St. Photo Gallery in Manhattan, Bert Green and MoNA in LA, CPA in Carmel, Xerox PARC in Palo Alto, School 33 and UMBC in Baltimore, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, International Fotofestivals in Texas, Belgium and France… and are included in public and private collections worldwide.
1994 was her first time at Burning Man. She worked several times on assignment for Wired and was chief photographer for their 1997 book Burning Man. Around the turn of the millennium, she switched to digital and discovered much to her surprise that the camera's shutter could be programmed to mimic the specific click of her mid-70s 35mm rangefinder (both the Leica and Konica were made in conjunction with Minolta). 2006 marked the publication of Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning Man Photography(Immedium). Time declared the image on the book’s cover to be an iconic photo. The revised edition Desert to Dream: A Dozen Years of Burning Man Photography relaunched 7/7/11 at The McLoughlin Gallery in San Francisco along with ‘Every Reverie’, an exhibit of her photography.
http://home.earthlink.net/~traubleaux/
July 1-23, 2011
Wilma van Mierlo
Color Play
Wilma was born in the small village of Zundert, in the south of nederland (same birthplace as van gogh!). Her interest in art has spanned over 4 decades, in which she has studied all forms of expression, but her love comes back to the canvas. She has also traveled all over Europe, and America in her endless study of the Dutch and European painters to Native American art structure. Each of her paintings explores the emotional, exhibiting nuance and energy. You need to explore it yourself, and feel the underlying sense of depth and deep heart. Wilma has studios in Breda, Nederlands, and Lake Arrowhead, California. Continuing to hone her skills, she still fosters her love of adventure and travel.
Wilma's education started with De Beeldenaar Art School (3 years). She has also had private art classes from Dutch painters like Hendrik van Dijk (7 years), Frans van Veen (6 years) and Margriet Oomen (6 years) and Mart Mous (8 years). Currently she is studying with Helga Batman-Koplin.
She still seeks out new insights with Breda Art Studies and with Mart Mous. Wilma continues to develop her own style, expanding on all themes including; nature, flora, landscapes, abstract and nudes.
Wilma has exhibited her artwork in such places as the Utrecht Exhibition, a few Zundert Exhibitions and Library of Breda Exhibition. Her latest Exhibitions in 2006 & 2007 were at the Burnt Mill Beach Club, Winter Show, Lake Arrowhead, CA. She is also represented at 'Blue Jay Gallery' in the Blue Jay Village, Lake Arrowhead, CA. Additionally Wilma was a board member of Kreatief Centrum (Creative Art Center) of Zundert.
http://mysite.verizon.net/nuaa/vanMierloo
