General comment by AB: We got sort of a schizoid month here with half the gallerys opening shows on the third, half opening shows on the tenth, and the other half not opening anything at all. So for the sake of simplicity, I hearby christen this night Second First Thursday Art Openings.

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Hackett-Freedman Gallery : Jeffrey Ripple - New Paintings; Gallery Selections.

Comment by AB: Stunningly splendid still life paintings on paper by Jeffrey Ripple, remarkable in meticulousness and detail, a mild air of surreality permeating their essence. I mean they're not your typical still lifes; there's something else going on. Maybe it's the consistency of the yellow gold backgrounds, maybe it's the complexity and placement of compositional elements; maybe it's the play of light and shadow; maybe they're just plain prodigiously good. Worth a visit. Check 'em out. In fact, this show snares an undisputed Pick of Second First Thursday.

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San Francisco Museum of Crafts + Design : Randy Shull - Crossing Boundaries.

Comment by AB: Significant twenty year survey of furniture, sculpture, objects, and designed interiors, both functional and otherwise by milti-talent Randy Shull. Catalogue available. Good show; worth a visit.

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Hang Art Gallery and Annex : Tjasa Owen - In Season; A-Class, A Group Show of Recent Fine Arts Graduates.

A-Class Artists: Nicholas Bohac, Rochelle Cohen, Rachel Gillen, Melissa Mattis, Jenna Rose North, Lauren Parent, Bianca Kolonusz-Partee, Eddie O. Rodriguez, David Silverman, Kathryn Van Steenhuyse.

Comment by AB: Serene dreamy coastside landscape paintings by Tjasa Owen at Hang Art; group show of work by recent SF art school graduates at the Annex. Jenna North's got some peppy new abstracts, compositionally rigorous, at the Annex show.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery : Ada Sadler - New Paintings; Dan Jackson - New Still Life Paintings.

Comment by AB: Ada Sadler paints these hypnotic little oil on panel portraits of chairs, 6 by 6 inches in acreage, that collectors practically fight over. I mean the tension is palpable as the throngs proceed from painting to painting, trying to decide which to buy. Miraculously, the overall deportment remains polite and civilized. In the main space, Dan Jackson paints up a peck of oddly engaging still lifes, most starring ordinary everyday objects like an empty sardine can or a lone banana peel.

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Rena Bransten Gallery : Amer Kobaslija - (In) Significant Objects; Creature Feature - Group Show.

Creature Feature Artists: John Bankston, Rupert Garcia, Don Ed Hardy, Baseera Khan, Vik Muniz, Robb Putnam, Tracy Timmins, Tara Tucker. ? ?

Comment by AB: Amer Kobaslija presents paintings of artist studios in bodacious states of disarray, then twists the dagger even further by skewing the perspectives. Yes, they're really good, and yes, they're entirely absorbing, but I'm thinkin' if I dared hang one of these babies in my domicile, after a month or two I'd be screaming, "Will you clean your ferkin' room already?" Kobaslija also shows several cityscapes-- equally proficient. In the rear gallery, the "Creature Feature" group show is essentially self-explanatory.

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Brian Gross Fine Art : Willy Heeks - Recent Work.

Comment by AB: Lively vibrant textural abstracts by Willy Heeks, several of which appear to incorporate what look like stencilled flourishes. Heeks isn't there, so a gallery operative volunteers to stand in for a portrait shot. Artist Chad Buck is there, however, plus he's got a painting on exhibit in the antechamber, plus he's willing to position himself in front of it, so we got one of that. Hey-- it's the best I can do considering the circumstances. Gimme a break.

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Warnock Fine Arts : Jenny Robinson - Urban Monuments.

Review by DeWitt Cheng: Jenny Robinson is a British-born printmaker now living in the Bay Area. Her monoprints of buildings and bridges are pulled from illustration board printing plates which she incises and sands; each print is inked in a different way, and is thus unique within her small editions. The title of this show, "Urban Monuments," describes her vision of our unseen, taken-for-granted infrastructure as heroic. Catalogue available.

DeWitt Cheng writes for Artweek, Art Ltd., www.SanFranciscoArtMagazine.com, www.Shotgun-Review.com, and the East Bay Express.

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Gallery Paule Anglim : Laura Dufort - Integral Whirl; Noel Neri - Sacred Space.

Commenty by AB: As stated in the precis, Laura Dufort offers up a series of "radiant paintings made up of circles floating over a shiny ground." Their soft seductive metallic shimmer will surely transit your psyche to the mellow zone. In the parlour, Noel Neri alternates two photographs of antique religious figure sculptures with two highly polished steel or aluminum wall-mounted polyhedrons, one per wall. What does it all mean? Got me. But the metal sculptures are notably gratifyingly good.

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Varnish Fine Art : Eunkang Koh and Michelle Knox.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: Eunkang Koh's gouache and ink drawings have traces of labyrinths and medieval mythical creatures, all constructed with fine detailed lines and bright popping colors.? Art deco patterns cover blocks and passage ways through which orange hybrid ostrich birds and small headed insects crawl in, out, and through.? It's an adventure. His work is an interesting pairing with Michelle Knox's graceful minimalist glass and bronze sculptures.? Enlarged jewelry and Native American forms, are what come to mind upon first seeing her work.?

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ArtHaus : Joanne Landis - Outward Appearances, Portraiture; Figurative Works by Gallery and Guest Artists.

Figurative Works Artists: Astrid, Deborah Brown, Carole Austin, Camille Eskell, Suzanne Benton, Pamela Merory Dernham, Adam Kurtzman, Jess Johnston, Jan Blythe, Michael Kerbow, Andrea Arroyo, Carol Massa, Chris Schiavo, Caren Scarpulla, Greg Drasler, Barbara Rachko, Kenney Mencher, Jefferey Ketcham, Samuel Fleming Lewis.

Review and images by DeWitt Cheng: A big group show of figurative work of various styles/media. (How'd they fit all this art in? And make it work? Kudos to James and Annette!) It's crowded, and challenging to photograph the artwork, however, the show is up til Sept. 27, so you'll likely have fewer biosculptures to contend with when you go.

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Fecal Face Dot Gallery : The Benefit Show.

Artists: Ben Tour, Ferris Plock, Jeremy Fish, Kim Cogan, Gary Baseman, Maya Hayuk, Henry Lewis, Cody Hudson, Hilary Pecis, Andrew Schoultz, UPSO, Jason Reamer, Paul Urich, Kelly Tunstall, Matt Furie, Kelsey Brookes, Mel Kadel, Tiffany Bozic, Travis Millard, Ryan Scott Shaffer, Mars 1, Brendan Monroe, Jay Howell, Michael Sieben.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: A group benefit exhibit features artists who are regular guests on the Fecalface website.? You'll enjoy theatrical scenes portrayed with gestures, symbols, and color, and much more of what is popular right now. Several artists' pieces stand out in particular, Tiffany Bozic's among them.? All are well priced.

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Mina Dresden Gallery : wINK [women in ink].

Artists: Seiko Tachibana, Vinita Voogd, Amanda Knowles, Sandra Kelch, Leslie Lowinger, Donna Sharee, Ellen Markoff, Susan Belau.

Review by DeWitt Cheng: Eight West Coast women printmakers (Women in Ink) in a nicely curated show. Abstract with figurative elements, or at least hints. Ends July 31. A related show takes place at a.Muse, July 17-24.

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Photo Epicenter : The Low Road - Black and White Photographs Taken While Traveling Outside the United States by Ted Pushinsky.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: Ted Pushinsky's black and white photo exhibit encompasses images captured over decades of travel outside the United States.? Above all, he establishes real human connections by capturing a wide variety of facial expressions.? He somehow works his way inside decorative celebrations, and also has a knack for meeting people on personal levels in mundane situations.? Some of his images seem like they could almost be movie stills but, they're entirely stills from real life.

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Renner Gallery : Robert John Guttke - Sculpture on Paper.

Comment by AB: Classic nude photography, buff males and females in resolute poses, by Minneapolis sculptor-turned-photographer John Guttke. Considerable selection; priced reasonably-- in the $500-$700 range depending on whether you want framed or unframed. I miss the opening, unfortunately, but get there barely in time to document the content (pun intended).

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Rare Device : Julia Rothman and Caitlin Keegan - Home.

Comment by AB: The joint's crammed to the gills with twenty-something girls, verging on tribal frenzy, and leaving absolutely no doubt that Rare Device has that particular demographic nailed down. For art, we've got able works on paper by Brooklyn artists Julia Rothman and Caitlin Keegan. Rothman concocts cute upbeat arrangements of everyday objects like lightbulbs, keys and handbags, and also pictures of knickknack-infested interiors, while Keegan depicts similar objects in more fanciful circumstances. Priced real favorable-- low hundreds or less buys most anything.

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Oxenrose Salon : Daniel Newman - Iron Motion Past.

Comment by AB: Photographer and San Francisco native Daniel Newman basically journeys around town discovering and documenting all manner of surfaces and textures. They're abstract in appearance, but he'll tell you exactly when, where, and what they represent.

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Woah! Wait a minute... Since I officially declared tonight Second First Thursday, that means I get another chance to say this . And I thank you.

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First Thursday; June 5, 2008

First Thursday; May 1, 2008

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