Foggy Fort Mason, the venue for FOG Design + Art

FOG Design + Art Field Trip

January 20, 2015 in Field Trip, Artists & Art Shows, Events

I wanted to attend FOG Design + Art 2015 and my sister needed to be picked up from the airport in SF, so it was the perfect excuse to head up the Peninsula and kill two birds with one stone. Since art school, I have been into David Zwirner, a New York City gallery. They have shown some of my favorite artists including Mamma Andersson (currently showing), Marlene Dumas, Neo Rauch, Kerry James Marshall, Jockum Nordström, Raymond Pettibon and Luc Tuymans. How one gallery could have such taste has driven me to frequently check the site over the years and also the main reason I wanted to attend the fair.

We started the day by heading out to foggy Sausalito for breakfast at Fred's. If you haven't been here yet, you're missing out. Here's how you know: the guy eating across from us ordered TWO BREAKFASTS! Yes, you heard that right. He ordered the deep friend french toast with millionaire's bacon along with a Benedict since he couldn't decide. I'll let you use your imagination on our breakfasts. You'll have to go to know just how good it is. Perfect after a hike on Mt. Tamalpais.

Sausalito was a bit foggy and cold to stay too long, so we headed back over the Golden Gate Bridge to FOG Design + Art. I really felt like I was back in art school while at the fair. For one, absorbing high-end contemporary art in person has not been something I have been doing as much in these last few years. Two, there were many works of art from my art school textbooks. Three, they had a great bookshop, with the best art and design books. When I was in college, I would check out up to 80 art books at a time from my school library (we were allowed up to 100 for research).

I instantly recognized this Molly Hatch plate installation from the entryway of the building. I love the way she is influenced by historical decorative arts and makes something of her own. I recently attended her spectacular online course Pattern Design: From Hand to Screen to Surface.

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson (above), Mamma Andersson below

Jockum Nordström and Mamma Andersson are a couple of my favorite artists who also happen to be a couple. This Swedish pair never cease to mesmerize me with their color palettes and narratives. I was so happy to find this wall from Crown Point Press.

These sculptures stopped me in my tracks. The somewhat naive quality and beautiful textures were so beautiful in person and hard to capture in a photograph. When I read the label it was like, "Of course! Kiki Smith." Her creativity and inventiveness has always fascinated me. If you haven't seen her section of Our City Dreams or this episode of Art 21 with Kiki Smith, please do yourself a favor and change that.

I've been a fan of Stefan Kurten since art school. His detailed and nostalgic works provide a world of depth and texture from another era. The gold paint in this piece added a sunsoaked vibe to the gorgeous thin layers of ink.

Stephen Hannock, titled Paul's Rocket at First Light

I like the surprise of light in this landscape by Stephen Hannock.

Hiroshi Sugimoto photograph of a theater

The photography series of theaters by Hiroshi Sugimoto is stunning with silvery white details glowing in a dark room. These photographs almost appear as paintings. The glowing white screen, deep blackness and emptiness of the room create a mysterious setting.

This gorgeous textile made such an impact in person. Animals and trees circulate within a celestial backdrop. I searched around to find a label, but never found it. I'll update when I find out who the artist is.

Don't you love these everyday objects in ceramic by Matthias Herkel Hess?

I was immediately drawn to these objects by Matthias Herkel Hess. The milk crate and laundry basket (unseen here) were among my favorite of these usually boring everyday objects. In 2006, I created a painting installation of everyday rooms with furniture and objects, so these resonated with me. You can read more about his work in this NY Times article.

Installation by Misha Kahn for Friedman Benda

Misha Kahn's work is fun, inventive and excessive to the point of creating a new and strange soft and textural world. Definitely a show stopper with lava rocks, inflatable sculptures, working ceiling fan and full tile floor to entice you. I love the imagination and bizarreness of this world. I thought it would be a good one to end with.

There were a lot of other great artists at FOG Design + Art: Raymond Pettibon, Paul Wackers, Lawrence Halprin and more. This field trip turned out to be awesome: breakfast, art fair, a little shopping, ice skating at Union Square, dinner and, oh yes, a pickup at the airport. The best thing about attending the fair is that I wanted to go home and make work. Lots of it.

Until the next field trip...

Art, Art, Art Weekend in San Jose

April 18, 2014 in Artists & Art Shows, My Art Shows

Whew! Last weekend was something else for art in San Jose. Despite having to spend every waking moment wrapping up my taxes, I spent a little time checking out some exciting things in San Jose. The Silicon Valley Contemporary art fair had a diverse group of work from galleries across the country and attracted many visitors. It started on Thursday night and ended Sunday. I had a chance to pop in on Friday night and had passes for the VIP room for some free wine. Although I could only make it for a one-evening visit, it was really fun and I saw works by everyone from Andy Warhol to Chris Johanson. I didn't get to photograph too many artists, but there were so many great familiar and new artists to see.

Alex Katz - one of my all-time favorite artists

I also debuted my first full-sized art installation for the Shelter show at The Citadel Gallery. It was nice to be part of this dual exhibition at The Citadel Gallery and Works Gallery while the art fair was taking place. As you may have seen in my previous post, I have been working for the last few weeks on this piece. It was an incredible experience, to build something up and let it evolve naturally at that scale. It sort of told me where it wanted to go and the result is what you see here. No rulers were used and everything was drawn freehand. A real chair and hanging bulb are the only tangible objects. All else is ink and paper. The show closes on April 26th.

My Shelter installation at The Citadel Gallery

Empire Seven Studios had their 6 year anniversary party and boy, it was fun! Many friends came out of the woodwork to celebrate their amazing influence they have had in San Jose. They showed work from artists who had shown their before and artists they would like to see in the future. Artists included Jason Adams, Jason Arnold, Ken Davis, Jeremy Fish, Jayde Fish, Mitsy Avila Ovalles, Kyle Pellet, Jai Tanju and a whole lot more. One of my favorite pieces was a black and white pyramid that you could sit inside of. It was all drawn in black and white. You can guess why I'd like that, huh?

Seeing Things Gallery showed work by Lance Cyril Mountain, a mix of oil abstractions, mixed media and photographs by the son of Lance Mountain. Last weekend was the closing party for the show.

Just before writing this, I came across this Forbes article about Cherri and Brian from Anno Domini. It's a nice read if you want to learn more about who I consider to be hometown art heroes.

The energy around town was pretty great. San Jose has come a long way!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Chris Johanson at the Silicon Valley Contemporary art fair. He was born in San Jose.

Jeremiah Maddock at Anno Domini

March 10, 2014 in Artists & Art Shows

Jeremiah Maddock is one of my favorite artists that has shown multiple times at Anno Domini. I have to say I love finding artists who don't have websites. Contrary to the modern popular belief that you have to put yourself out there, I find it to be so pure (or lucky?!). If you want to find out more about him, check out Anno Domini's site or this interview on Beautiful Decay. Jeremiah Maddock's show We's Gonna be Fine was spectacular. His intricate line work and details are amazing. Surreal and symbolic, you can fall into his work and find more information the longer you look. The images I have included here are just an example of his work. He also focuses on figures, but my phone was too full to take more photos:) Here are a few images from the show.

Rey Giese, sign painter show at Kaleid Gallery

February 27, 2014 in Artists & Art Shows

I was relieved I was able to make it in to Kaleid Gallery before the closing of the Rey Giese show. If you don't know, Giese was a sign painter from San Jose. We don't have too many claims-to-fame here beyond computer chips so it was a real pleasure to pop in and see the walls covered in vintage signs painted by Giese. If you have the time, the show is open until tomorrow, February 28th noon-7pm.

Rey Giese installation. You can see the incredible variety here.

Rey Giese was incredibly prolific. Born in San Jose in Sept. 25, 1919, Giese passed away just last year. He worked his way through a career in sign painting and it seemed if you were walking downtown in the 1930s, you would easily spot one of his signs. There is just something about dedicating your life to mastering a craft that I find so honorable. The focus and steady hand needed for sign painting is something to be admired as well. You really should go see this legend's work before the show ends.

The show also features some local artists and their super interpretations of Giese's work.

Read the write-ups in the images below for more information on how he got started. You can also read this article to find out more about Rey Giese.

How nice would it be to only have to use the Yellow Pages and your signature as advertisement?

Caique Oarsmen, 1886 — *Caique Oarsmen*, 1886

SF Art Shows: Anders Zorn, David Hockney, Karen Barbour

January 14, 2014 in Field Trip, Artists & Art Shows

I have been trying to get up to San Francisco a bit more to see art shows. Every single one has been totally worth it. I'll run through these not-to-be-missed shows, but I am featuring Karen Barbour's work since I was actually able to get photos of the exhibition. I'll list the shows at the bottom of this post with their closing dates.

One of the things the three artists have in common is being prolific. I think that is a very important quality for artists, since you get less precious about the work and the more you experiment, the more you learn. These three artists reminded me to keep experimenting with materials, especially as I work toward an upcoming installation in April.

Back in November, I saw the Anders Zorn show at the Legion of Honor because that's what my mom wanted to do for her birthday. It can be hard to tear myself away from the studio, so this was the perfect opportunity to get up there. I had never heard of Anders Zorn, Sweden's master painter. His most jaw-dropping works are his watercolors. They are so masterful and really give you a sense of the world he lived in.

David Hockney, Yosemite I, October 16th 2011 — David Hockney, *Yosemite I, October 16th 2011*

In December, I saw one of my favorite artists, David Hockney. His work has always resonated with me with his incredible sense of color and boldness. The show, David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition, has gotten a lot of publicity and rightfully so. He is a very prolific artist, creating everything from work on paper to iPad drawings. I won't say much more about this show, except that you must go. It's a great show for kids too.

On Friday, I headed up to San Francisco to see the California Printed show at Rare Device. It was the perfect excuse to get out of San Jose and get inspired by seeing some new work. I had not been to Rare Device before, but I'd heard about it for years. It's a great little shop with handmade goods and the California-based art prints were fun. Before I left the house, I decided to check and see if there were any other shows worth going to. I stumbled upon a show by Karen Barbour at Fouladi Projects. What a stumble it was!

Figures with multiple sets of eyes, eyelashes or blue eyeshadow. Figures on stages or at tables posed. Karen Barbour works in a variety of media from oil to collage, but the work that most attracted me was painted in gouache and ink. There was something equally fresh and laborious in the work, with layers mixed with gutsy lines of paint. Acidic colors and blacks sit side by side and it all evokes a different reality. Her work is playful and I loved that her back wall was an installation of paintings and collage, which reminded me of my drawing wall at my show last month. No material is left untouched, including thread and glitter.

Please visit the links below for museum and gallery times., but try not to spend too much time looking at the work online. All of these shows are completely different in person. Please leave a comment below if you know of any shows that I need to see!

The List

Anders Zorn: Sweden's Master Painter closes February 2, 2014

David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition closes January 20, 2014

Karen Barbour: No Should Be As Friendly As Yes closes March 1, 2014