Urban Forest

While walking to work down Market Street the other morning, I came upon this beautiful installation just past 6th Street. In what is an otherwise bleak and fairly depressed area, this little urban oasis brightened my day.

A Recent Trip to Puerto Rico

A recent visit to Puerto Rico was the perfect way to start off 2010. What I realized about taking a trip first thing in January is:

1. work is notoriously slow that time of year anyway

2. creates a positive outlook for starting off the new year

3. clears the mind of holiday madness just passed

4. traveling this time of year is cheap.

Therefore, this very well could have started a new tradition for me.

During the 8 days we traveled the island, we hiked through rainforests, swam in waterfalls, explored beaches and surf towns, slept in treehouses in the middle of a bamboo forest, endured some rainfall, enjoyed the PR beach scene, ate copious amounts of seafood, and drank from coconuts. Lastly, traveling with a local was a definite plus and allowed us to experience some of the local flavor we may have otherwise missed.

VIN12's HOLIDAY SOIREE: POP THE BUBBLES!

WAGNERPAINTINGS and VIN12 PRESENT: POP THE BUBBLES!: Champagne, Prosecco and Sparkling Wine

Please join me at The Solarium for VIN12, San Francisco's most popular monthly wine event, for an evening of fantastic art, fabulous wines, and good friends. I will be showing some brand new smaller work, priced reasonably, perfect for holiday gifts.

Browse artwork while tasting over 50 different wines by select VIN12 producers from throughout California.

Tickets are $25, and include access to the event, unlimited wine tasting and food provided by local SF restaurants. Please purchase your tickets online at: http://www.vin12.com/
or at the door. Feel free to email me for additional information.

When: Thursday, December 17, 2009

Time: 5:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: 55 Second Street, San Francisco CA

Info: www.vin12.com or facebook

8th Annual Open Studios

I am proud to have just participated in my 8th Annual Open Studios. This was our 3rd year at Clara Street Studios, featuring 5 great artists: Jerry Veverka, Jackson Fahnestock, Nif Hodgson, Ellen Heck and myself. As always, it was an amazing weekend and great to be part of a show with such talented artists. Despite the economy, we had a very good turnout with a constant flow of guests, and the feedback we received about what we are doing over at Clara Street was very positive. We look forward to doing it again next year!

Rich Jacobs at White Walls

The same night, next door at White Walls was the opening for Rich Jacobs and Albert Reyes. I will always love these giant graffiti style heads of Rich Jacobs - I remember seeing these ever since I've been here... so when I see them - I think San Francisco.

Terrestrial Syndrome

I visited the opening for Terrestrial Syndrome at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco the other weekend and was blown away. I loved the paintings by Kevin Taylor, his large scale oil on wood paintings were so well done. What I found most intriguing is how the creatures he portrayed were not animal, but not human - almost a combination of the two. The way the creatures interacted with one another reminded me of Hieronymus Bosch, one of my favorite painters from classical times.

The show also featured artist Eric Otto, who uses more recycled materials and found objects to portray images of destruction. I particularly liked this installation, the different sizes and shapes all clustered together with the use of geometric shapes and warm colors was extremely effective.

Patrick Dougherty

The other day I was headed into City Hall when I noticed these structures up in the trees right in the plaza. It immediately brought back memories of college in Ann Arbor and how the the same, twisting nest houses greeted me as I entered the Diag, and I could wander my way through them. This time they are up in the trees, floating above the tree line, as if they had fallen out of the sky. I was so happy to see them, almost 15 years later.

Patrick Dougherty has been creating these environmental sculptures since the early 80's, some are more complex than others - I personally love the more simplistic forms - as if they somehow formed themselves.

His latest installation will be found in Connecticut, at the Florence Griswold Museum.

Flora Grubb

For most of us living in San Francisco, Flora Grubb is a household name by now. She has a beautiful nursery in SF which has an abundance of rare, exotic plants, succulents, and palms. No matter how much I see or read about her, I cannot help but get completely inspired each time I visit the gardens or see a new project somewhere... her work is absolutely beautiful. I adore the composition & texture of her "living art" made of succulents. (And anyone who has been to my house knows I have a certain obsession with succulents - maybe because it's the only thing I am successful at growing...?)

Recently I paid a visit to the nursery and found my new favorite project: the Vertical Garden in a Woolly Pocket. Apparently they are inexpensive (probably not the one featured here), lightweight, and can go indoors or out. Even more - they are made out of recycled water bottles. What is there not to like?

Third Annual UofM Alumni Show

Last week I visited Michigan and paid a visit to Ann Arbor and The University of Michigan. The Art & Design School holds an annual Alumni Show each year, which I have been participating in since the beginning three years ago. This year I was lucky to have attended the show and to see all of the great artwork in person. It was so fun to see so many alumni - graduates from so many years ago through recent - all coming together for this event. This year I was fortunate to win a "People's Choice Award".

Spring Open Studios

This weekend was Spring Open Studios in SOMA. Slowly over the years the artists of SoMA are putting ourselves on the map. It's nice to have consistent participation from a core group of studios in the area. Although I went on a solo mission this weekend and was the only artist in my building participating, a surprising amount of people made it by to say hello. It's always a bit slow when you go it alone, but I find it important to continually open my doors whenever possible in order to heighten awareness of the artist spaces in our neighborhood and keep people coming back. More importantly, it is a great chance to get together with friends and hear feedback on current work. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

working on some new collage pieces here, incorporating influences of scientific illustration