SFMOMA ARTISTS GALLERY - JANCAR JONES - EDO SALON

SKULLZ PRESS - RARE DEVICE - LAKE GALLERY - PARK LIFE

(with assistance from DeWitt Cheng, Kristin Farr and RWM)

09.04.09

SFMOMA Artists Gallery : David Ivan Clark, Kerri Lee Johnson, and Emily Payne; Kirk Crippens and Max Lawrence in the Loft Gallery.

Review and images by DeWitt Cheng: David Ivan Clark presents abstract landscapes in oil on stainless steel. Kerri Lee Johnson makes humorous surreal drawings and scrimshaw-- carvings on ivory (or faux ivory, these days). Emily Payne shows paintings on paper and wire sculptures that present an abstracted, schematized view of natural forms. Upstairs in the Loft Gallery, Kirk Crippens shoots highly magnified photos of the cathode-ray, LCD and plasma screens that are gradually taking over "meatspace," and has published a book of his images. Lawrence's work is in progress, and I don't get a chance to talk with him, but stay tuned.

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Jancar Jones Gallery : Sean Talley.

Comment by AB: Sean Talley tells me part of his art-making involves developing a relationship with his materials, which he accomplishes admirably commendably well, fabricating plaster, particle board, and graphite powder into pristine reductive geometric forms. The finished works approach perfection from a technical perspective, and considering the delicate nature the ingredients, that makes them even more impressive. Priced $200-$1500. Good stuff. I'll call it a buy.

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Edo Salon : Jeremy Forson - The Lost Fight.

Comment by AB: I'm here early, but the kind folks at Edo Salon are nice enough to let me in. Thank you for that. This time around, Jeremy Forson, essays on life in San Francisco-- elegant, genteel and Victorian for the most part, but sometimes it can be a long hard night. His tattooed tarts appear to basically update the Patrick Nagel idiom. Nice quality work overall.

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Skullz Press : Mike Giant.

Comment by AB: Mike Giant's Skullz Press revives after a five-year haitus with a fine exhibition of both vintage and contemporary works-- originals as well as limited edition prints. But I gotta digress for a moment here and talk about Mike Giant. Not only is he a standout artist, but he's also savvy about how the business works, believes in keeping his prices affordable and his collectors in the game, and on top of all that, he couldn't be nicer. For Mike Giant, making art and getting it out there is what counts-- not a hint of ego or talking only to the "right people" or acting important or lame shit like that. Like it! (Sorry about the image quality-- it's dark in here!)

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Rare Device : Masters of the Impossible - Work by Steve MacDonald.

Review by Kristin Farr: On the heels of art shows and Bicycle Film Fests in Chicago, NY, and Austin, Ramblin' Worker a.k.a. Steve MacDonald returns to SF to present a clean and tight exhibit of his signature embroidered works on gilded canvas in Rare Device's closet-sized gallery. Bikes, soup cans, and text are rendered expertly in thread by the mad sewer, who included some pieces with overlapping red and blue lines that might look even more awesome when viewed through 3D glasses. This show is a good place to start your Ramblin' Worker collection. Keep an eye out for MacDonald's window designs at Huf Shoe stores, and his upcoming solo show in White Walls Gallery's upstairs space.

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Lake Gallery : Ryan Coffey - Everything's Invisible.

Review by RWM: Ryan Coffey's work challenges American iconography. His archetypes are under assault. Color explodes on the canvas creating discordant images. Displayed is a mixture of collage and bright abstract colors, the overall effect intensified with rainbow sparkles of silver and color fields of gold. His self-reflecting cowboys are caught in time and do not seem quick enough to the trigger.

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Park Life : Andrew Schoultz, Chris Ballantyne, Mark Mulroney - A Collaboration.

Comment by AB: This creative display is purely about art and making art together, as Andrew Schoultz, Chris Ballantyne and Mark Mulroney collaboratively mural up the entire gallery space at Park Life. Three collaborative stand-alone works of art are also for sale, but that's just a sidelight. It's a full house here tonight, so that's why the images tend to show more people than art.

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Addendum:

Superb car hood bandshell (formerly known as The Panhandle Bandshell because it was originally installed in Panhandle Park) now calls Fort Mason home. It was conceived and created by The Finch Mob arts collective, REBAR, CMG Landscape Architecture and Scene 2, and came into existence as part of ScrapEden SF, a Black Rock Arts Foundation Program, along with support from the San Francisco Department of the Environment, and the North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association, and the Neighborhood Parks Council. So there. Everybody gets their props.

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