Room for Painting Room for Paper : Joseph Hughes - Selected Paintings; Nina Zurier - Recent Photographs.

Comment by AB: According to the dossier, Joseph Hughes' "radical color" paintings "reward slow looking." Sadly, I have no time for slow tonight-- perhaps at some later date. (Between you, me, and the fencepost, I'm not particularly enamored of art with viewing instructions that include time constraints.) Meanwhile, over in the Room for Paper, Nina Zurier's absorbing photographs effectively attenuate boundaries between abstract and actual.

***

San Francisco Camerawork : Book Release - Four Books, Four Authors.

Comment by AB: It's a four-author book signing. Debra Bloomfield signs "Oceanscapes by Debra Bloomfield," a meditation on the ocean at rest; Jona Frank signs "Right - Portraits from the Evangelical Ivy League," a portrait of politically far-right youth; David Maisel signs "Library of Dust," an essay on death and remembrance via images of corroded unclaimed cremation urns; Jo Whaley signs "The Theater of Insects," a selection of artistic insect photography. The sad news? I'm too early. Don't believe me? I got proof...

***

Sculpturesite Gallery : Bay Area Glass Sculpture, An Invitational Survey.

Artists: Marvin Lipofsky, David Ruth, Latchezar Boyadjiev, Randy Strong, Bella Feldman, Duncan House, John Lewis, more. Juried By George and Dorothy Saxe.

Comment by AB: A juried selection of fine art glass sculpture by 23 of the Bay Area's most accomplished practitioners, from emerging to established. Good show; recommendend viewing.

***

Museum of Craft and Folk Art : The Shape of Things - Paper Traditions and Transformations.

Artists: Gene Apellido, Michael Arcega, Jiyoung Chung, Adriane Colburn, Robert J. Lang, Jennifer Falck Linssen, Linda Mihara, Gina Osterloh.

Comment by AB: A paper arts extravaganza, all good, a good percentage of it better than good, and some outstanding, to wit Mike (Michael) Arcega's life-sized manila folder conquistador, Adriane Colburn's expansive mural-sized factory scene constructed from thin cut paper strips, and my favorite-- orgami insects by Robert J. Lang. I mean, like I'm perusing the caboodle when I look across the room, see these framed insects mounted under glass, and think to myself, "Self, this show's supposed to be about the paper arts. What's with the bugs?" But you see, dear artsters, they're not bugs. They're folded paper. And they're remarkably convincing-- even up close, you can barely believe your eyes.

***

John Pence Gallery : David Larned - Recent Oil Paintings; Peter Van Dyck - Recent Paintings and Drawings.

Comment by AB: Classic representational art at its finest. This time around, David Larned presents portraits, landscapes and still lifes-- the still lifes definitely getting my vote-- while Peter Van Dyck proffers figure paintings and drawings, interiors, and city scenes, with his expertise being a mastery of light, shadow, and atmosphere.

***

Center for Sex and Culture : Erika Meriaux and Ellen Stagg.

Comment by AB: Erotic art times two featuring modernist figure paintings by Erika Meriaux and tasteful nude and fetish photography by Ellen Stagg. The show is produced in conjunction with Femina Potens.

***