Visual Aid in cooperation with Micaela Gallery : Joel Hoyer - Pacific Rim Series Opening Reception.

Comment: Joel Hoyer employs a process called "water gilding" to make art, which entails applying a thin layer (1/2300th of an inch) of gold leaf to select surface areas of his compositions. The work is mainly abstract; the Pacific Rim tie-in is that a number of pieces in the show incorporate painted bark from New Zealand, called tapa, I think (it's hard to remember all this stuff).

The opening is at the offices of an organization called the Business Arts Council on the 12th floor of the historic Russ Building . I've never heard of the Business Arts Council, but then again, I don't get out much. So I go to their website to find that they support "the diversity and stability of the Bay Area's rich non-profit arts landscape." They're holding a major benefit celebration at The City Club on October 6 (First Thursday) in conjunction with The City Club's 75th Anniversary. You think they'd be on top of the scheduling conflict.

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Le Trianon Gallery : Grand Opening Celebration.

Comment: Le Trianon Gallery specializes in 19th and early 20th century American and European paintings. They also sell antiques, have been in business over 25 years, and have a main location in Sheffield, Massachusettes.

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ArtSpan : Private Preview Benefit Event for San Francisco Open Studios .

Artists: Over 700 of 'em.

Comment: San Francisco Open Studios, produced by ArtSpan and celebrating its 30-year Anniversary, is The City's largest free arts event with over 700 participating artists, attracting over 50,000 people, and lasting the entire month of October. Here's how it works-- ArtSpan divides San Francisco into quadrants, with all the artists in each quadrant getting an entire weekend to show their art, on a quadrant-by-quadrant basis. (Hey-- I don't get to use the word "quadrant" that often-- gimme a break.) But wait; there's more. ArtSpan publishes and distributes a 96-page full-color magazine-sized catalog listing all 700+ artists, quadrant by quadrant, including contact information, images of their art, maps to their studios, and dates that each quadrant's studios are open. Isn't that just easier than falling off a log? All you have to do is belly up and buy.

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Juice Design : Kari Byron and Laura Flippen.

Comment: Photography by Laura Flippen ($350-$500); mixed media sculpture by Kari Byron ($150-$600).

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Live Worms Gallery , 1345 Grant Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133: Striking 12.

Artists: Mario Joel Lopez, John Dowling, Roger Strobel, Rebecca Peters, Susan Birkeland, Katherine Oxman, Flicka McGurrin, Vince Storti, Rosemary Manno, Ronald F. Sauer, Sherry O'Donnell, Riley O'Donnell.

Comment: Bohemian lifestyling is alive and well in North Beach. The one-night group show is presented by Rebecca Peters and Ronald F. Sauer.

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Anja van Ditmarsch Gallery : Andy Skaff - Impressions of France.

Comment: Plein air France according to Tahoe traditionalist Andy Skaff.

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Space Gallery : Cross Street Directory - 1000 Photos by SF Bike Messengers.

Comment: Espresso Delivery Systems hands out over 100 disposable black-and-white cameras to various San Francisco bike messengers who get a week to take whatever pictures they want-- no rules. Space Gallery's got the results-- an extensive honest-eye view of San Francisco, compliments of our bike messenger subculture. We get to see what they see in the ways that they see it (and they get around), so come on down outta them Pacific Heights manses and learn all about where you really live-- not where you think you live. Excellent show, nicely presented, and I entirely recommend it.

For more information, contact Ray Morrone at Space Gallery, 415.377.3325, or Sparx at Espresso Delivery Systems, 415.391.9026.

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The LAB : Fabulandia - Terra.

Artists: David Hamill, Carrie Lederer, Philip Ross, James Sansing, Tonya Solley Thornton, Genevieve Quick.

Comment: Fabulandia, curated by Lauren Davies, is a two-part exhibition that speculates on the world of the future. My favorites are a wall/floor/corner installation anchored with a great big wonderful plantastic painting by Carrie Lederer, a weird sculptured plastic plant communion by Tonya Thornton, and a columnar mini-brick architectural assemblage extravaganza by James Sansing. And the rest is good too.

I gotta tell you-- I've been inside numerous domiciles of the fiduciarily fortunate, and the interiors overwhelmingly sport the same furniture, the same art, the same decorator decor, the same constraint. Perhaps some of you monetarians might consider stepping out and devoting smidgie little bits of your acreages to items delightful, atypical, individual, whimsical, imaginative, heartening, and most importantly, without obvious material payoffs. Your friends may wonder what's gotten into you, but I'll tell you one thing-- your kids will thank you for it. Every single day, they'll behold your bring-backs from the creative realm and dream dreams that anything is possible.

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Gallery Lux : San Francisco Biennial 2005 - A Juried Exhibition of RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) Alumni Work in All Disciplines.

Artists: Alexander Abajian, Lizzi Akana, Lesley Baker, Gary Bogus, Julie and Frank Cavaz, Aron Cohen, Madeliine De Joly, Marci Easterbrook, Eric Engstrom, Sandra Enterline, Christine Hanlon, Jeffrey Hantman, Bosco Hernandez, Sarah Hirneisen, Svea Horton, Matthew Hrudka, Madeline Kibbe, Coon Lam, Cherie Pinsky, Christina Seely, Michael Silva, Antonio Sindorf, Steven Strong, Ashley Wolff.

Comment: Design-side art, as you might expect, in a variety of mediums, every bit of it clean broad-appeal low-cathect competent. RISD has quite a contingent out here in SF-- I've been to a handful of their shows over the years, and they're always a pleasure to attend.

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Making Impressions ; 415.621.5999: Salon of the Forgotten - Salon des Oublies - An Art Benefit Hosted by Making Impressions Fine Printing Salon.

Artists: Joseph Becker, Christelle de Castro, Crystal Dent, Isaiah Dufort, Diana Heom, Nicki Ishmael, Stella Lochman, Morgan Mauduley, Simone Meltesen, Owen Partridge, Tahiti Pehrson, Monica Pena, Lily Robert-Foley, Dominic Santos, Matthew Sartain, Tyson Siddle, Tanya Wheeler and Shawn Whisenant.

Comment: Professionally staged multimedia event with plenty of art-- young talent-- see tomorrow today. I was in and out early, but from the upbeat energized atmosphere, I'll guess it evolved into an excellent art party.

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Receiver Gallery : The Young Man's Game? Nathan Fox & Corey Goering.

Comment: Receiver Gallery again pillages the Midwest for talent, this time swiping Corey Goering from Kansas City, MO and Nathan Fox from Milwaukee. From what I understand, Goering and Fox have recently had kids (well, actually their wives had them), so life as they've known it is over. The show celebrates that. The art's excellent and cheap, most in the $300-$400 range, so I'm putting every piece in the show on my best-buy list. Among my favorites (and there's plenty)-- a large original cut linoleum block (I think) for $400-- usually a block looks like a block, but this one doubles as art.

Yes, Receiver Gallery is out there in the tundra, but so far they've put on 100% good shows-- even the one about killing birds. And that Irving Street corridor is worth a visit too-- it's always fascinating to see how other peoples live.

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Hayes Valley Market , 580 Hayes St. @ Laguna: Ephemeral Transformations.

Artists: Tonya Thorton, Frozen Lava, Tara Lisa Foley, Brian Caraway, Julia Aviva Bernstein, Bert Bergen.

Comment: "Each artist will address the theme of transforming, and owning space, that was designed for commerce, while embracing the ephemeral aspects of space ownership that are par for the course in modern day existence." That's what the liner notes say, so I guess that's what the show's about. Call me obstreperous, but what are the "ephemeral aspects of space ownership?" And which of those aspects are "par for the course in modern day existence?" And which aren't?

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Varnish Fine Art : Frank Garvey - Children's Crusade.

Comment: A dark carnival of paintings and kinetic robotic sculpture, several of the sculptures being collaboratives between Frank Garvey and artists Aaron Edsinger, Jeff Weber, Todd Camill, and Carl Pisaturo. The highlight of the show by far is a fantastic phantasmagoric Bruegelesque political "Day After" installation of paintings and sculptures called Wall of Ashes ($100K) prognosticating on where we're headed, assuming we're not there already. The art disquiets the demeanor of anyone entering the gallery, and when art does that, it's the good stuff.

Meanwhile, several of us stand outside the gallery talking about cigarettes, public speaking, and selling art when one of the talkees offers up this little gem-- that catbox liner ArtWeek refuses to list Varnish's events because Varnish sells wine which supposedly renders it not an art gallery, and therefore not qualified to appear in the publication. Hey, ArtWeek-- is this how you legitimize the pretentious twaddle you call content? By kangaroo courting what is and what isn't?

Varnish sold over 40 pieces of art at their last show. So if they're not an art gallery, what are they? And as for ArtWeek, when you base your reputation on what isn't, you have no reputation at all. I'll stand corrected on any of this-- email me.

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Drat. Missed "13 Artists" at Red Ink Studios . (Jenn Clark, Jessica Cusik, Jake gabel, Will Hamersky, Andrew Klein, Uri Korn, Joanna Scheier, Tracy Timmins, Catherine Ryan, Billy Kroft, Syniva Whitney, Emily Wright-- only 12, I know, but it's all they listed.) I found the postcard announcement on the floor of my office the next day. Please, media mavens-- put the DATE AND LOCATION OF YOUR EVENT IN THE SUBJECT LINE of an email. In the computer age, it's your single best shot to get me (or anybody) there.

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Addendum:

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