David Avery, Art Hazelwood, Roberta Loach, Rik Olson, Patrick Piazza, Anthony Ryan, Jos Sances, Shane Weare, Imin Yeh

April 1- 29, 2010

Reception Thursday, April 1, 2010, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery

1110 Howard Street @ 7^th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 558-9901 / (415) 826-2321

www.backtothepicture.com

“What prevents him who says the truth from laughing?” –Horace

Satire is the art of overturning the ordered universe. It isn’t the same as humor, but it often employs humor as one of its most valuable assets. Nor is it sarcasm with its dry wit dripping off the end of a well placed knife thrust. Neither is it irony, although parsing the difference has become the business of psychologists. No, satire is the great placebo for a great nation. Satire is the antidote to the deep seriousness of an overly top heavy society. Satire is a kick in the pants to the new world order, a slippage of the mask of this happy face world. It needn’t be political, it is just as often mocking the intricacies of fashion, culture and art itself.

Satire and prints have had a long happy relationship… the sordid details of which we need not go into here. Suffice it to say that wherever a society looks in the mirror and likes what it sees there are printmakers making rabbit ears behind the nation’s back. If it were not so it would be left to painters, a sorry lot, that can’t be expected to satirize themselves out of a paper bag. Satire has fallen to the lowly graphic artist as a birthright and like fools and knaves everywhere it is employed as a sharp tool wielded with gusto.

Back to the Picture, in their SOMA gallery is exhibiting the satirical etchings, screenprints, wood engravings and woodcuts of nine artists. The title, In These Great Times, refers to the writings of Karl Kraus, Austrian arch satirist, and points to the importance of literary satire in the work of many of the artists.

David Avery, Roberta Loach, Rik Olson, Patrick Piazza, Anthony Ryan, Jos Sances, Shane Weare, Imin Yeh were invited by Art Hazelwood to participate in this exhibition. Their approaches to satire vary from the knock ‘em over the head approach of Roberta Loach to the miniscule vulgarities of David Avery’s etchings, from the heresies of Jos Sances screenprints to the ethnic consumption satire of Imin Yeh, from the consumer madness of Patrick Piazza’s screenprint paintings to Rik Olson’s linocut farces, from Art Hazelwood’s political screeds to Anthony Ryan’s whimsical apocalypse and Shane Weare’s mythic lamentations. There is something for everyone, no one is spared.

United for Haiti Fundraiser

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery, in conjunction with Seven Carbons, hosted a benefit fundraiser Meet & Greet Evening at Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery to benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Special thanks to all attendees who joined us in disaster relief efforts.

When: Saturday, January 30, 2010

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Where: Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery

934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street, San Francisco, CA  94110

(415) 826-2321

How: $5.00 at the door, donations collected throughout the evening

Light Hors d’Ouvres by Javalencia Cafe-Gracias Marta, Mariela, & Genna

Kippy Marks played classical music on the violin-thank you Kippy!

Special thanks to Gundlach-Bundshu Winery of Sonoma County & Hansen’s All-Natural Sodas for their generous contributions of the evening’s refreshments

On display are works from Back to the Picture’s Private Collection

100% of cover charge and donations will benefit Doctors Without Borders

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery
934 Valencia St. @ 20th St., San Francisco, CA  94110
(415) 826-2321

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Parking is metered Monday through Saturday until 6:00 pm.  Easy parking can be found in the Mission-Bartlett Garage, on 21st Street between Valencia Street and Mission Street, a short one-block walk from Back to the Picture.

BART to 24th Street/Mission Station, 4-block walk north to Back to the Picture

Muni Metro J-Line to the top of Dolores Park at 20th Street, 3-block walk east to Back to the Picture

Muni Lines 14 Mission, 14L Mission, 49 Van Ness to 20th Street & Mission, 1-block walk west to Back to the Picture

The 9th Annual Day of the Dead Art Exhibition, 2009
934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street, San Francisco, CA  94110
(415) 826-2321

In memory of our Dear Muertos who live forever in our hearts

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery thanks curator/artist Calixto Robles for arranging our 9th Annual Day of the Dead Art Exhibition.  Over 25 artists created works and altars to celebrate El Día de los Muertos, honoring friends and loved ones who have passed on.  A joyous holiday, El Día de los Muertos is a time when the lives of the dead are celebrated and remembered, often by the creation of ofrendas, or altars with offerings, which feature items that the departed treasured during their lifetimes.

Our multi-media exhibit featured artwork including prints, paintings, mixed-media, photography, sculpture, assemblage altars, installation artwork, and more.

Day of the Dead serigraphs, hand-pulled and signed by Calixto Robles, are still available.  Each is unique and is only $30.00.  Drop by Back to the Picture at 934 Valencia Street to pick up yours today!

Participant Artists:
Ana Hurka Robles
Antonio Huerta
Juan R. Fuentes
Patrick Piazza
Alexandra Blum
Art Hazelwood
Gina M. Contreras
Rich Nyhagen
Michelle Gutierrez
Russel Pachman
Sean Nash
Gloria Morales
David Sanchez
Marsha Shaw
Nick Santoro
Nora Aoyagi
Nicole Schach
Roy Ragle
Jen Hewett
Madi Zehrling
Baddy Bates
Bruce Chaban
Daniel Chimowitz
David Avery
Raul Fernandez B.
Hale Guerra
Emilia Garcia

Traditional Sand Painting by Grupo Culturál Pitao Cocijo de Oaxaca
Opening Night Poetry by John Ross and Alfonso Texidor

Tamales Oaxaqueños por Jesus y Amalia Vazquez, tel. (415) 826-7791

9th Annual Day of the Dead Art Exhibition 2009 was curated by Calixto Robles.  Visit www.calixtorobles.com to learn more about Calixto.

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery
934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street - San Francisco, CA  94110
(415) 826-2321

Back to the Picture thanks curator Sevilla Granger for her extraordinary work in arranging this exhibition.  Visit her website at www.villasevilla.com for a preview of her work.

Visit www.wendylmiller.com to see the work of Wendy L. Miller.

To see the work of June Yokell, visit www.juneyokell.com.

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery
1110 Howard Street @ 7th Street, San Francisco, CA  94103
(415) 826-2321 / (415) 558-9901

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery Presents:

Art Glass

October 10 through October 27, 2009

Opening Night Reception:
Saturday, October 10, 2009
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery
934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street, San Francisco, CA  94110
(415) 836-2321

Featured Artists:

Renee Anderson
Kristina Barnes
Katherine Bellevin
Dean Bensen
Herb Dang
Susanne Jette Khawand
Lacy Glass by Anne Hughes & Krista Lohr
Demetra Theofanous
Truck Dog Glass

Back to the Picture is pleased to welcome Bay Area glass artists in Art Glass.  Dazzling hand-made fused, blown, flameworked and hot sculpted glass is on display in both functional and decorative works of art through Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

Many of the artists featured work at San Francisco’s only non-profit glass studio and school, Public Glass.  Public Glass is located in the Bayview District of San Francisco, and has been providing studio space for artists who work in glass as well as instruction for students interested in the medium.  Visit their website at www.publicglass.org.

Renee Anderson
I’ve been working in glass for about 3 years.  I’ve grown to respect that glass mostly does what it wants to do, and no matter what I envision and no matter how careful I am with the medium, it still misbehaves a little.  I love the happy accidents.  I love the unhappy accidents.  I love that I am constantly surprised.  I’ve succombed that glass goes ahead with its own multilingual interpretations of my intentions, without my permission, and that this is both good for me and the glass.

Lately I’ve been looking at how glass can mimic shapes I see in nature.  Again, sometimes this happens with intention, sometimes I learn something new and I see how to apply it to a new design, and then make something that incorporates that new thing.

And still, after 3 years, I lie awake at night picturing the next accident I may try to conquer.

Kristina Barnes
Kristina has been working with glass for over 10 years.  Her inspiration comes from looking at everyday items and interpreting them in glass.  She incorporates various types of glass elements in her work, to create unusual results.

Katherine Bellevin
I like to mix techniques in my pieces, combining kilnformed, flameworked, and blown elements.  I also like to mix colors together - the luminosity of glass is one of the things that inspires me.  I consciously try to keep my pieces simple, so that the characteristics of the glass itself can really shine through.  My pieces often incorporate “windows” through which one can see through the work, or see different angles into the work.

My lighting and glass objects are handmade at my studio in San Francisco, California from glass produced in the western United States.  Lighting fixtures are UL listed and created from recycled hardware.  I have been producing glass art pieces, lighting, and tableware for more than 6 years.  I began working in stained glass, then moved to glass fusing and flameworking.  In 2009, I began creating blown pieces using the “roll-up” technique.  Thanks for having a look!

Dean Bensen
I use my love for nature, intersected with my passion for the arts to expand beyond the boundaries of environmental awareness and beauty.  I dive deeper into the cycles of nature and the footprints, or historical markers, it creates as it evolves.  I expand upon themes of environmental preservation to highlight the cycles and characteristics that make nature not only beautiful, but awe-inspiring.  Through these various concepts, my goal is not to preach, but to evoke curiosity.  My hope is in piquing one’s curiosity, perhaps the viewer will walk away with a deeper understanding of the workings of nature, questions about its ability to persist, and an appreciation for the many miracles it holds within.

Herb Dang
I produce art that is functional, wearable and that brings beauty into our everyday life.
I play with glass and metal to get texture, color, and surprise.
What I expect from my creations is:
Creating texture in unexpected ways,
Depth in 2-dimensional objects,
Joy from the creation of everyday objects of beauty.
Embrace Change
Play with Fire
Make Art

Herb Dang, 2009

Lacy Glass - Krista Lohr and Anne Hughes - San Francisco
Krista Lohr and Anne Hughes share a love of scavenging in junk yards. Both have a long and checkered history in arts, crafts, and construction. A serendipidous find of fabulous glass at a salvage yard led to this collaboration of working with fused glass.

Their pieces are created using salvaged glass and recycled building materials. Patterns are made using enamels and frits as well as copper and brass inclusions and then kiln-fired.

Join us at Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery for the Opening Night Reception, Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  Meet the artists and admire their visions in the form of art glass.

Susanne Jette Khawand
If simplicity is the art of taking away the unnecessary so that only beauty remains, I am a true believer in the axiom that less is more.  For me, the proper conduction of colors and shapes is an emotional expression that creates beauty in the eye of the beholder.  Without color, the world is indeed a bland place.  But the right colors bring the world to life - and that is the essence of my work.

Demetra Theofanous
Demetra’s sculpture is inspired by the beauty of nature.  More specifically, her work centers on metaphorical bridges between nature and human beings.  Her work explores themes such as relationships and notions of protection, independence, and change.

She operates a private studio in San Francisco.  Her work has been exhibited at places such as San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design and San Jose City Hall, and has been highlighted in publications like The Flow Magazine, Palo Alto Weekly, and the San Jose Mercury News.

Truck Dog Glass - Dean Bensen and Demetra Theofanous
The birth of Truck Dog Glass is dedicated to the passing of our beloved dog Hoodoo.  An adorable black lab with an incredibly loyal spirit, Hoodoo went everywhere Dean went, always riding in the back of his truck.  Although Hoodoo is no longer with us, her spirit lives on, as we seek continued inspiration from the world around us.

Glass, at its very core, is a fragile medium with unpredictable outcomes.  Every day is an adventure, and the tenuousness of the creative process reminds us that things here today can be gone tomorrow.  Our company is an ode to Hoodoo and a reminder that life, like glass, is fragile and something to be treasured.  We want the radiance of glass art to enrich your life, and invite a moment of appreciation for the little things we often overlook in the hustle of our every day lives.

Parking is metered Monday through Saturday until 6:00 pm, free on Sundays along Valencia Street.  Easy parking is found at the Mission Bartlett garage on 21st Street between Valencia and Mission Streets, and costs roughly the same as the meters.

Art Glass is curated by Randy Figures.

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery
934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street, San Francisco, CA  94110
(415) 826-2321

Unnerving Conceptions

The Art of the Uncanny

Featured Artists:
Liz Aragon
The Magnificent Miss F.
Missy Feigum
Chris Guarino
Stephanie Inagaki
Myndi Yarbrough

September 3 through October 2, 2009

Opening Night Reception:
Thursday, September 3, 2009
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery
1110 Howard Street @ 7th Street - San Francisco, CA  94103
(415) 558-9901 / (415) 826-2321

uncanny
adjective(-nier, -niest)
eerie, unnatural, unearthly, preternatural, supernatural, otherworldly, ghostly, mysterious, strange, unsettling, abnormal, weird, bizarre, surreal, eldritch, creepy, spooky; come see some art that will get under your skin.

Unnerving Conceptions is curated by Crystal Dent.

Parking is metered until 6:00 pm and is abundant on Howard Street near Back to the Picture\SoMa.  One-hour parking is available on Folsom Street, one block south of Back to the Picture.

Monday through Saturday - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

City Subject: San Francisco Urban Studies

Glenn Caley Bachmann - photography
Ezra Cattan - photography
Randy Figures – drawings and digital prints
Peter Kupfer - photography
Sarah Newton – etchings and woodblock prints
Trish Tunney – photography on canvas
Hilary Williams - serigraphs

April 2 – May 1, 2009

Opening Night Reception:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
6:00 to 9:00 pm

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery welcomes artists Glenn Caley Bachmann, Ezra Cattan, Randy Figures, Peter Kupfer, Sarah Newton, Trish Tunney, and Hilary Williams in a group exhibit of artwork celebrating the City of San Francisco. In multiple media, each artist studies the urban landscape of the city and its inhabitants, rendering landmarks as icons and presenting uncommon views of everyday life in the City by the Bay.

City Subject was curated by Randy Figures.

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery
1110 Howard Street at 7th Street - San Francisco, CA  94103
(415) 558-9901, (415) 826-2321

934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street, San Francisco, CA  94110

(415) 826-2321

Back to the Picture thanks curator María V. Pinedo, featured artist Adalberto Pérez-Meillón, and all who viewed Northern México Artistry:  Transcending the Fence, a group exhibition of artists living on the United States and México border, for their hard work, enthusiasm, and combined talent making the exhibition a smashing success.  Pérez-Meillón, whose painting style draws inspiration from the ancient and contemporary designs found on pottery in Northern Chihuahua and Mata Ortíz, México, exhibited alongside pottery of Mata Ortíz, traditional pottery of Baja California’s Pai Pai tribe, and woven baskets of Baja California’s Kumeyaay tribe.  Collectively, the exhibit represented a wide range of artistry and craftsmanship being created in Northern México today.

Northern México Artistry:  Transcending the Fence was curated by María V. Pinedo of Galería Agave Rojo, San Francisco, in partnership with Galería Pérez-Meillón of Ensenada, BC, México.

]]> http://www.backtothepicture.com/2009/04/05/northern-mexico-artistry-transcending-the-fence-59-530-2009/feed/ http://www.backtothepicture.com/2009/03/16/in-the-warrior-spirit-522-60609-bttp-soma/ http://www.backtothepicture.com/2009/03/16/in-the-warrior-spirit-522-60609-bttp-soma/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:33:17 +0000 rfigures http://www.backtothepicture.com/?p=88 In the Warrior Spirit Benefit Exhibit, 2009

Paintings by Leonard Peltier

Curated by Bird Levy of Polu Manu Productions

Opening Reception:  Friday, May 22, 2009 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

ART AUCTION CLOSING NIGHT:  Saturday, June 6, 2009 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm

Auctioneer:  Michael Horse

Curator’s Statement:

Leonard Peltier, Native American Activist and Political Prisoner, has now spent one half of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit.  New strategies have come to light, a parole hearing is forthcoming, Leonard’s attorneys are hard at work to see if a release can be forthcoming.  With this work in progress funds are needed.  Leonard’s Defense Committee consists of his sister, Betty Ann Peltier-Salano, and Kari Ann Cowan.  By attending this event and the events pertaining to the show, you can help to raise funds for the LPDOC (Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee).

Please visit this website to learn more about Leonard Peltier: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info

We will have Native American performers and speakers for the opening night, May 22.

Image may not be reproduced without express written permission.  All Rights Reserved.

Special thanks to curator Bird Levy of Polu Manu Productions

Back to the Picture\SoMa Gallery
1110 Howard Street @ 7th Street - San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 558-9901

February 28, through March 27, 2009

Stills from the Opening Night Reception on YouTube

Walking Path (detail), by D. Franzini - Insects IV (detail), by V. Kirby - Interlude (detail), by C. Cariati

Back to the Picture welcomes artists Christine Cariati, Deborah Franzini, and Victoria Kirby in a three-part show in which each artist explores nature in her own media.  Through use of texture, juxtaposed subjects, color, and technique, the artists invite the viewer to contemplate what it means to observe and be inspired by the natural world around us, even as we dwell within cities and constructed environments.

Vuillard’s Garden (detail), by Christine Cariati - All Rights Reserved (click to enlarge)

Christine Cariati - Gouache

We behold the face of nature bright with gladness. We do not see, or we forget, that the birds singing around us live on insects or seeds, constantly destroying life.”  -Charles Darwin

Birds, insects and flora populate the landscape of Christine Cariati’s paintings. These are not representational depictions of nature, instead they are creatures of the imagination presented in a stylized theatrical format. These intimate paintings explore the ways in which we re-imagine nature, finding beauty in chaos and wildness.

The viewer glimpses a natural world where birds play the role of messengers and guides presiding over moments of transformation in our human world. The garden paintings explore the balance of natural forms–the interplay of plants, flowers and insects through shape and color.

The intense use of patterns, line work and intricate detail in Christine’s paintings reflect her background as a textile designer. The viewer sees the subjects of the work through dense tangles of vines, leaves and thicket. The complex layers of the image hint at the darker dramas behind the comforting, beautiful surface.

Christine works exclusively in gouache on paper. Gouache is a heavy, opaque water-based paint that has a reflective quality. This medium allows her to create a multi-layered, dense and matte finish. The small format of her paintings creates an intimacy with the viewer, they can be held and read like a book.

Open Space (detail), by Deborah Franzini  - All Rights Reserved (click to enlarge)

Deborah Franzini - Quilted Textile

My view of life and the things around me have alway been represented through cloth and stitch. My recent work has been inspired by the daily routine of walking my dogs Lenny and Wally through the forests and across fields, in both urban and rural landscapes.

Quilting is a wonderful, realistic reminder of the creative/destructive process that happens in our natural world. My  way of working now is improvisational in design and construction. I let my time in nature inform the final composite of textures, colors and forms. Existing fabric is taken apart and sewn together in new arrangement by machine and then quilted by both machine and by hand. Current pieces include hand dyed fabrics, handmade wool felt, hand stitching and beading over the quilts surface developing the lushness present in nature from the ground up.

Tree Elements IV and Summer Insects, by Victoria Kirby - All Rights Reserved (click to enlarge)

Victoria Kirby - Prints

I began to be interested in including trees – the colors, textures and patterns of tree barks and the incredible shapes of pods and seeds -– in my prints when I became a volunteer with the Friends of the Urban Forest helping to care for San Francisco’s street trees. This led to including drawings of insects, then to inking pine needles, grass, pieces of bark, and other bits from nature to create patterns in my prints and finally to using them to imbed texture into plaster plates that I started making in 2008. Trees led to birds, their feathers, nests and skeletons. I have been employing solarplates (etched using sun and water only) for over six years, alone and combined with inked plexiglass plates and hand-made plaster plates.  Many of my prints also include chine collé using Japanese papers and, sometimes, hand-dyed fabric.

Bird Vessel II, by Victoria Kirby - All Rights Reserved (click to enlarge)

Getting to Back to the Picture:

Driving From:
Golden Gate Bridge, North Bay: Lombard Street to Van Ness Avenue, turn right. Van Ness becomes South Van Ness at Market Street, continue on South Van Ness to 20th Street. Right on 20th, left on Valencia Street.
Bay Bridge, East Bay: I-80 to Cesar Chavez West. Cesar Chavez to Valencia Street, turn right.  Follow Valencia up to Back to the Picture, between 21st and 20th Streets.
101, South Bay: 101 North to Mission/Duboce exit. Proceed forward one block to Valencia Street, moving to the left lane within that block.  Turn left on Valencia, follow to 934 Valencia between 20th and 21st Streets.
I-280, Daly City: I-280 to 101 North interchange, follow above instructions.

Motorists Please Note: Valencia Street sports bicycle lanes between metered parking spaces and the traffic lane.  Please be aware of and yield to bicyclists while driving on Valencia, and check your rear-view mirror before opening car door when parked at metered street parking spaces.

Parking is metered Monday through Saturday until 6:00 pm, free on Sunday.  Metered parking is limited to one hour, and costs .25 per 10 minute interval. Easy parking can be found at the Mission Bartlett Garage, on 21st Street between Valencia & Mission Streets, a short 1.5 block walk to Back to the Picture.  Cost is roughly equivilent to metered parking, and no risk of parking tickets.

Pedestrians Note:  Please exercise caution crossing Valencia Street.  Valencia Street is heavily used by bicyclists, pedestrians, commercial vehicles, buses, automobiles, ambulances, fire engines, and police cars.

BART:  24th Street/Mission Station, exit BART, walk west on 24th St. one block to Valencia St., turn right and enjoy a brisk four-block walk to Back to the Picture.

Muni Metro:  J Church to Dolores Park @ 20th Street (the top of the park).  Walk eastward (toward the bay) down 20th to Valencia Street, a short & scenic 3-block walk.

Muni Bus Lines:  14, 14L, 49 on Mission Street.  Deboard at 20th, walk one-block west to Valencia.  26 Valencia to 20th Street.  14L (Limited Stops) riders beware:  14L does not stop at 20th Street.  Bus stops at 22nd Street & 18th Street.  Deboard at either of those, walk one block west to Valencia, then two blocks to 934 Valencia at 20th.

Images are copyrighted by the artists and used with their express permission.  All Rights Reserved.

Paint, Print, & Stitch:  Reflections on Nature is curated by Randy Figures.

Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery
934 Valencia Street @ 20th Street - San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-2321