Rena Bransten Gallery : Linda Geary - New Paintings and Works on Paper; Dennis Gallagher - New Sculpture.

Comment: Dennis Gallagher serves up a set of hefty Stonehenge-esque white ceramic sculptures (except for one that looks more like like a big shish kabob), notable for their pristine yet primal yet clean yet coarse appearance and, considering their size, their unexpectedly benign presence. As for the walls, they're garnished with Linda Geary pour-it-on let-it-run watercolors, tricky to pull off right, and they're pulled off right here. Considering the delicate tactical maneuvering involved in the creation of Geary's assays in circuitous perfection, I would suspect she has to trash a number of unsuccessful attempts for each one she convincingly completes.

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ArtHaus : ArtHaus at 10 - 1996-2006.

Artists: Andrea Arroyo, Astrid, Suzanne Benton, Serena Bocchino, Brian Blood, Jan Blythe, Deborah Brown, Greg Drasler, Jess Johnston, Marc Lambrechts, Adam Kurtzman, Joanne Landis, Carol Massa, Chris Schiavo, Ricardo Carbajal Moss, Rex Ray, Daria Dorosh, Camille Eskell, Deborah Murphy, Samuel Fleming Lewis, Carolyn Meyer, Don Rich, Karleen Loughran, Deidre Crowley, John Christensen, Barbara Rachko.

Comment: ArtHaus celebrates ten years in business with a group show of gallery and guest artists. Then blend in commendable Asian fusion finger food. It's precisely that simple and no more complicated.

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Aftermodern Gallery : The Anniversary Show.

Artists: Fawn Gehweiler, Katie Humphries, Elise Irving, Jordin Isip, Lisa Kokin, Bernardo Poggi Leigh, Tahiti Pehrson, Ann Toebbe, Becky Suss, Saul White, Ben Woodward, Brion Nuda Rosch, more.

Comment: Aftermodern celebrates its inaugural year (actually a tad more than a year) in business with a group show and an announcement card that entitles the bearer to 10% off all purchases. Er... wait... there's a damn asterisk. Kindly excuse me for a brief moment while I journey to the small print sector and peruse the disclaimer. OK. Here it is-- "Certain artwork excluded from this offer. Offer valid through December 23, 2006."

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Art Engine Gallery : Opposite Order - New works by Joey Piziali.

Comment: Copious commendable display of variously vorticular sanded layered glazed mixed media works which are variously comprised of recycled torn peeling layered billboard paper, tape, paint, steel, concrete, and rust. Off in the distance I spot chief Lincster Charles Linder (not to be confused with Richard Lindner), and he spots me, and we approach, and exchange pleasantries, and get to talkin' smack about the art of Joey Piziali-- good smack-- when all of a sudden he goes neocortical on me with an arcane reference to these 1960's Parisian dudes called Affichistes who also used recycled torn peeling layered billboard paper in their art, the preeminent dude of which, according to Lindner (just kidding-- Linder) was Raymond Hains . And there you have it-- another enchanting intellectual sojourn down antecedent lane.

Meanwhile back at the show, a soundly satisfying endeavor for Joey Piziali, courtesy of Art Engine artist/curator Yuri Psinakis, and worth checking out.

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The LAB : Post-Postcard 10.

Comment: Each year 'round about Holiday time, for the past ten years, tons of artists make tons and tons and tons of postcard-sized art as well as related forms of comparably sized art (the primary requirement being that whatever it is, it fits in a shoebox). Prices range from $1-$30, meaning it's an indubitably affordable way to augment your collection. But you already know that, don't you? 'Cuz you were there.

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Addendum:

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