Hayes Valley Market, 580 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102: Samm Hawley - A Retrospective.

Comment by AB: According to the briefing, Samm Hawley's paintings fall into four distinct categories-- meditatiion, landscapes, "social-political-environmental," and food fantasy. But isn't the third category actually three categories lumped together? I'm gonna have to go to the judges for a ruling on that. Anyway, one thing for sure about Hawley's paintings-- there's plenty of 'em.

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Market Street Gallery : Tatiana Lyskova, Nina Binnington, Inna Razumova - Mythographics.

Comment by AB: Metaphoric prints by Tatiana Lyskova, abstract drawings by Inna Razumova, and my favorite, antiqued gilded glass pieces by Nina Binnington.

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Electric Works : Iva Gueorguieva - School of the Adjusted Plan.

Comment by AB: Abstract and semi-representational paintings and works on paper by Iva Gueorguieva, the exhibit firmly anchored by several splashy tornadic abstracts.

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Live Worms Gallery, 1345 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133; 415.307.1222: The 5th Annual PanOpticon.

Artists: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Matt Gonzalez, Jack Hirschman, Momo, Ronald F. Sauer, Rebecca Peters, Agneta Falk, Jessica Snow, George Long, Tony Vaughan, Fanny Renoir, Dominic Angerame, John Dowling, Betty Fergusson, Alex Miloradovich, Joie Cook, Rosemary Manno, Roger Strobel, James Redo, James Cha, John B. Shaw, Sherry O'Donnell, Jeff Grove, Ed Brooks, Nancy Calef, Jeffrey Thompson, Alan Geller, Elizabeth Ashcroft, Riki Chen, Tina Tarnoff, Howie Whitehouse, Catz Forsman, Mary Ann Scanlan, Shelley Weisbrich, Samantha Kopf, Jessica Loos, Nicole Lomangino, Kush, Klara Bobaly, Kenny McGough, Jack Freeman, Mery Bernard, Lynn Alcorn, Marsha Bellavance, Vince Storti, Carrington, Kent Barichievich, Anna Poole, Jean Dierkes Carlisle, Kristine Brown, Katharine Snyder, Torrey Nommesen, Michael Pedroni, Andy Katz, Amy Carr, Jon Van Coops, Ken Roe, Edward Millet, Bill Mercer, Constantina, Jon Van Coops, Janet Butler, Zabrina Tipton.

Comments by AB: Beatniks, hippies, peaceniks, bohemians, iconoclasts, mavericks, eccentrics, free spirits, nomads, advocates, anarchists, visionaries, cat lovers, stamp collectors, cheese doodles, and everything in between and on either end shows up for this one. Don't forget your party hat 'cuz this olde skoole hoedown honks. Special added bonus-- avalanches of affordable art.

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D-Structure : Aaron Nagel - Icons.

Comment by AB: Sensual sirens-- above and beyond your basic cheesecake-- entirely ably painted by Oakland artist Aaron Nagel.

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Edo Salon : The Green Show.

Comment by AB: A whole bunch of art by a whole bunch of artists attracts a whole bunch of people.

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Triple base Gallery : Todd Bura - Misfits.

Review and photos by Libby Nicholaou: Todd Bura's paintings and right angle wood sculptures are part minimalism and part abstract formalism.? A white canvas with a hint of two lines crossing off-center in the background, an upside down "T" cut made from wood stuck in the wall's corner, among others, comprise materials and concepts he uses every day.? The actual frames he made for several works on paper repeat the shapes on display inside their respective frames, and play into the art of the entire piece.? Displaying the architectural wood sculptures in precarious locations gives you a reality check. They remind you that familiar shapes have various meanings whether found in painting on canvas or lying on the ground.

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Ghost and Bread Gallery : Halide - projecTILES.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: A French Noir photomontage on ceramic tiles.? Black & white and color photographs assembled together in various formations.? The movement and blurring within the photographs makes for mystery and attracts your imagination.? The performance piece, quoted at 20min, lasts much longer and loses some folks' attention, considering the strong turnout.? In the end, it's interesting to see a new form of developing prints.

Comment by AB: Halide, self-proclaimed urban terrorartist, insults the audience when they refuse to be absolutely quiet for his stated 25-30 minute performance which, when I leave an hour later, is still going on. The performance, by the way, involves Halide producing a photograph on ceramic tiles, and requires that the gallery be lit like a darkroom, so you can barely see anything anyway. Erk.

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Space Gallery : Oral Sect 2.

Artists: David Young V, C3, Brandie Grogan, Jerry Chang, James Gregg, Jason Liekhus, Chris Tregiari, more.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: Oral Sect 2, curated David Young V, is a mixture of the frightening and frivolous. Artists in the exhibit are given the subject, "mouth," as a prompt for their art.? It's great to see many different mediums represented, from a pile of plastic teeth (some hairy!) to oil paintings.? In looking for depth among these pieces, the three beards by James Gregg stand out.? They're complex with the textures created by the strokes of their various small lines; they don't yell out at you but invite you to take a closer look.? This show is filled with some fun creativity, great for the space it's in.

Review by Jennifer Mullen: Fifteen artists create work about the human mouth using sculpture, painting, mixed media, and printmaking. A sequel to Oral Sects, a show featuring the same concept and many of the same artists. Great to see a an interesting concept revisited, with many original and creative ideas expanded upon.

Comment by AB: David Young V, also a participating artist in the show (and whose business card states that he's a bounty hunter), celebrates the evening by giving away all kinds of art including signed prints, posters, stickers, and patches. A genuinely generous artist-- now there's something you don't see every day. And he's good, too.

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Addendum:

Preview reception at Le Trianon Gallery for a forthcoming banned books show to be organized by San Francisco Center for the Book and the African American Museum & Library at Oakland .

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