SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS

FIRST THURSDAY - 11.01.12 - Part I

(with assistance from Brandi Lee and RWM)



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Jenkins Johnson Gallery : Julia Fullerton-Batten - 2005-2012.

Review by Brandi Lee: The haunting photographs of Julia Fullerton-Batten evoke cinematic stills not only because of their content, but also because of their frozen sense of motion. The female figures seem to float in eerily staged surroundings reminiscent of a twisted 'Alice in Wonderland.'

Comment by AB: For those of you keeping score at home, the location for the Gulliver-esque photographs in this show is a miniature theme park in Great Britain.

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Caldwell Snyder Gallery : Abstractions - Jupp Linssen & Willi Siber.

Comment by AB: Earthy textural abstracts by Jupp Linssen that approximate the look of gracefully aged exterior walls are offset by Willi Siber's whimsical multicolored wall sculptures.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery : John Di Paolo.

Review by Brandi Lee: Dolby Chadwick's expansive walls are filled with the bright, dynamic and expressive works of John Di Paolo. Some art is meant to transport you to another time or place. Di Paolo's work instead invites you to lose yourself in an intoxicating array of color and energy.

Comment by AB: The newly released 125-page monograph, "John DiPaolo: A Forty-Year Retrospective, with essays by Peter Selz & Frances Malcolm" is available for purchase at the gallery.

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Hespe Gallery : Eric Zener - New Work.

Review by Brandi Lee: Eric Zener's aqueous attractions at Hespe Gallery are stunning. These large-scale paintings of underwater action successfully make the viewer feel like they are in the pool as well. In addition to the massive action-packed paintings are smaller, more intimate works on copper leafing. The shimmer of the warm metal under the cool blues cleverly mimics how sunlight dances through water. As you change your orientation to the piece, so do the reflections.

Review by RWM: So cool to take a dive into these invigorating waters. Such a decision may be a metaphor for the artistice process. One is with the subjects as they are engulfed by the chilling liquid. So nice to say goodbye to gravity and plunge into the fun of the water. The necessary air is not that far away.

Comment by AB: Challenging subject matters skillfully and compellingly painted. Worth a look.

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Patricia Sweetow Gallery : Gale Antokal - Blossom; Charles Eckart - Paintscapes.

Comment by AB: Gale Antokal renders a simple scalloped baking mold in various soft subdued colors, perspectives and shadings. You get to wondering about what these objects may once have held, have yet to hold or what comes next in their inanimate lives. Charles Eckart's rich impasto exploits are kind of like the aesthetic equivalent of off-road all-terrain adventures.

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Adler & Co. Gallery : Michael Scoggins - HANG IN THERE [...a decade in the making].

Comment by AB: A decade retrospective of works Michael Scoggins on oversized spiral notebook pages appear at first as childhood doodles, but once you start reading, you realize that they actually comment on everything from wealth and power to art world elitism and motivational aphorisms.

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Siegriest Legacy Gallery : Six Decades of Paintings by Louis and Lundy Siegriest.

Review by RWM: So much abstraction in pastel and nature colors fill the gallery. Rare to encounter so many paintings on the walls all organized here-- exquisite pieces on canvas for sale. If you've already seen some of these places, you'll be happy to be able to see them again.

Comment by AB: An impressive Victorian salon-style tribute to the oeuvres of East Bay father & son painters Louis and Lundy Siegriest. Several eras in California art history can be thoroughly experienced here.

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Robert Koch Gallery : Steve Fitch - Western Landmarks & Diesels and Dinosaurs.

Comment by AB: A romantic look back at the uniquely distinct roadside attractions and overnight accommodations that one would regularly encounter during the glory days of cross-country automobile travel... before being largely annihilated by the oppressive uninspiring sameness of chains and franchises.

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Covering San Francisco's art scene like this is really difficult, time consuming and labor intensive. If you care to support the cause , I'd be forever appreciative.

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First Thursday - October 4, 2012

First Thursday - September 6, 2012

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