Past show Index
Exoskeleton
Paintings by Philippe Janssens, Sculpture and Jewelry by Victoria Skirpa
Opening party May 9th 6-9pm, with DJ KODA (45 Amp Recordings)
Show runs through June 20th, 2009
Electric, synaptic and mysterious,
painter Philippe Janssens and sculptor-jeweler Victoria Skirpa continue
to refine the evolution of imagination and adornment. Philippe
Janssens' paintings are channeled directly from his spirit and
imagination. He gives form to these colorful and odd-shaped
beings. They leave you intrigued and wondering, what
multidimensional universe have they evolved from? What universe do we
step into as we look upon them?
Victoria Skirpa draws from living
forms to create her sculpture and jewelry. Skirpa makes pieces
that are dynamically functional by inter-playing the mechanical and
organic, simultaneously. You will discover elements of living organisms
and symbols encapsulated in the armor of her work.
Philippe Janssens
Janssens
is an artist, certified metal smith and sculptor. His paintings and
sculptures are expressions of the linkage between primitive and
contemporary art, with the intention to remind you of your cultural and
spiritual connections to people from other parts of the world. His
designs are channeled directly from his spirit and imagination. With
the belief that the power of the creative process itself has produced
the artwork he has created.
Born in Brussels, Belgium, he
immigrated to the US in 1968, and has been living in Bali since 2008.
Jansens graduated from the Academy of Beaux Art, Brussels and the Art
& Metiers School in Jewelry Design. He went to work as an
apprentice under a master Jeweler by the name of Gustave De Cock
(famous in Brussels). In 1969 he came to the US and worked as a jeweler
for many years and eventually opened his own business Indigena.
Indigena was recently sold in 2008.
Janssens has exhibited his work
mainly in Northern California and participated at Art Festivals as
well, Mills Valley Art Festival, Marin County Festival, Palo Alto
Festival and at Stanford University.
“In my wide space of heaven
are figures and signs with, which one you can discover the deepest
secrets.” - Philippe Janssens -
Victoria R. Skirpa, Artist Statement
“Though
I am well-known for my futuristic sculpture, in recent years, I have
moved more towards jewelry as a source of inspiration.
Unlike other artistic mediums,
jewelry is a physical experience. It is sculpture, that engages
intimately with the body. My jewelry and small metalwork shows my
preoccupation with the human body, its history of protection, and
adornment.
Jewelry is also a relic that shows
us who we are today and gives us access to memory and history. There
has always been a cosmology for the wearing of adornment, from amour to
earring: in order to please the sexes, to protect from others, to
designate family and tribe, to indicate relationship to God (s), to
protect and identify in battle, and many other permutations. And
these things are still true in the modern world. I am profoundly
interested in this phenomenon.
As a jewelry designer and sculptor,
I am interested in the visual play of dichotomies such as Rough/Smooth,
Fine / Crude, Interior / Exterior, Ancient/Modern, and Feminine /
Masculine, Machine/Organics”
Victoriaskirpa.com, Jewelrybythelake.com
Opening night music by DJ KODA (45 Amp Recordings)
A Rare Alchemy
Pinhole
Photography by S. McGrath Ryan
Glass
sculptures of David Ruth
Last week of the exhibit party April 25th, 6-9pm
With Dijeridu artist Travis Wernet
Exhibit runs through 5/2/09
There is something mystical about the unknown that draws us.
A Rare Alchemy showcases the two very different artists and mediums that dabble
in the mysterious effects of chemistry, with impressive results.

A photographer
who uses a camera with no viewfinder must like the surprise and magic that can,
sometimes, occur. The "one-eyed" box is really a three eye
effort. The negative takes in the light and the movement of the moment
that the artist has chosen. The result paints an emotional layer onto the
physicality of the subject. The image is the final alchemy of choice and
chance
Hot glass is completely magical. It can glow bright orange
and still be transparent. Working it can take place at any number of
temperatures giving many different effects. Glass has been worked for so many
centuries that a huge variety of techniques exist for extremely varied
possibilities. Further, there are many glasses, which have differing
properties, even among those suited for making art.
No
other material has its range of possible looks. It can shine like a diamond in
the light, a beacon of any color and many colors.
S.McGrath
Ryan (Sheila)
Ryan has been a black & white photographer for over 3o years, Starting
in New York City,
Ryan was a "freelance photographer. She has worked primarily in a documentary
35mm style. Her interest in pinhole photography was sparked by Marsha
Scheer at the International
Center for
Photography. It has since become her major focus. . Ryan moved
to California
in 1990. The work presented here is from then to the present.
"The pinhole camera allows things to slow down and catch a
moment unlike another" - Sheila
David
Ruth
Ruth
has been producing custom cast glass for individual collectors, architects, and
designers since the late 1980's. Ruth
has developed a wide range of aesthetic techniques and applications to the
language of Sculpture and Architecture.
As
an artist, Ruth has created a unique cohesion between his more ephemeral
personal sculpture and more site specific, client designed architectural work.
This body of work was influenced by the Iraq war.
www.davidruth.com
"The combination of art, science and alchemy drives my work"
- David Ruth
About the music:
Travis Werne
t
has been playing didjeridu for 11 years and performs in a variety of
groups. He currently fronts the band project also known as 'Outlaw
Dervish' and performs his own original Spoken Word Poetry with musical
accompaniment. One such event gathered the group "Darkshine" for an
evening of sacred music in the popular and highly coveted musical
venue, Grace Cathedral (April 2007). Travis has also appeared with his
band at several festival events in San Francisco, California and
beyond, including Sea of Dreams, Harmony, Spectra Ball and
Howeird. www.cdbaby.com/cd/outlawdervish
What the?
Mixed Media by Lola, sculpture by Brian Young
Opening party January 17th 6-9pm
Show runs through February 28th, 2009
Powerful
mixed media artist Lola, and fresh ceramicist Brian Young speak through
their select mediums, challenging the viewer to recognize, take
responsibility and make sense o
f what they see.
About Lola:
I am an Environmentalist by
default diverting waste from landfills, a self-appointed waste
collector in the business of reuse, an opportunist who exploits the
discarded, seeking its vast potential for creating art. My job
definition is junk collector, dumpster diver, and scavenger; I call
upon all these identities to express myself through my art.
We live in a consumer-driven,
disposable and convenience-oriented society; therefore the resources
for my intent are innumerable. Found objects are incorporated
into assemblage, paper materials are juxtaposed in collage and panels
fabricated from recycled wood inform abstractions. Not only are
the treasures collected integrated into my work but the moments spent
interacting in the salvaged world as well. Collecting materials
is my time to engage with the world, exploring the endless
possibilities it has to offer. I have a route but I am always
exploring to discover new, fruitful locations. I spend hours
walking railroad tracks and days roaming abandoned environments.
Although I primarily travel by car, it is walking in the physical world
I relish in and in this context my creativity soars. For me, it
is where opportunity collides with idea and the creative process begins.
An outdated magazine with
dreamy colorful images of women standing prideful in their kitchens
warms our stomachs and makes us crave the white trash cuisine our
mother's prepared so long ago. Although these experiences are in
brief and intermittent, they are
the inspiration behind my creativity and therefore, do not fade into
oblivion. My work recaptures these moments and preserves their
integrity for others to experience. www.ho-made.org
About this series:
“I have always been attracted to numbers. Not so much for counting and measuring
purposes but for their visual aesthetic as abstract objects. Random
numbers and combinations often appear in my work. They are incorporated
as abstract forms similar, for example, to a circle, stripe or
triangle. The numbers in my pieces do not have meaning or create a
formula. Instead I am drawn to the visual combinations and actual
shapes of these forms. With the absence of meaning, sum or
formula; I encourage the viewer to interpret my artwork based on what
the numbers mean to them. I challenge the viewer to see themselves
through the reflective nature of my work, lost within the meaning of
the numerical combinations” - Lola
About Brian Young:
Brian Young's
ceramic sculptures have an "edgy" tone. Thematically they often
focus on the violence in our society providing a political commentary
on today's issues. Young's earlier work is strongly influenced by
his political and social observations. In later works, he has
utilized the material to express more personal issues, imbuing pieces
with mysterious and private meanings. Young wants that the viewer bring
their own set of judgments and personal experiences to the viewing his
art.
"In the fine art world many say that the use of clay should
be relegated to the realm of craft. However, I disagree with this
judgment, because with it's pliability and manipulative nature, clay is
a perfect vessel for pure expression. My work is influenced by
everything from Picasso's cubist portraits to commercial illustrations
by Jeremy Fish. And I hope to present a fresh new outlook on the
Ceramic Medium."
San Francisco based Young
graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in fine
arts in 2007. In addition to ceramics, Young sketches and creates
cardboard backed paintings; these paintings are regularly exhibited and
sold in the bay area's traveling Poor Mans Art Show.
“Plasma Nation”
Bay Area Artist’s ignite the 4th state of matter
Art can be dangerous, a group show of plasma & neon sculptors.
Show runs through January 10th, 2009
Closing Party with DJ Billy spinning and free plasma educational presentation by Ed Kirshner
Party January 10th, 6-9pm
Plasma sculpture presentation 7:30-8pm
Bay Area plasma & neon sculptors offer a tasty array, of the 4th
state of matter. Plasma is a rare and highly experimental art form.
Using high voltage transformers, hand blown or found glass, these
artists capture not only our imagination, but hold hostage and
manipulate noble gasses to create contained kinetic magic.
What is plasma?
Plasma is commonly described in nature as the fourth state of matter
and is also known as the most widespread phenomena in the universe.
Plasma typically takes the form of neutral gas-like clouds (e.g. stars,
and our sun). It is considered distinct from other lower-energy states
of matter; most commonly solids, liquids and gas, although it is
closely related to the gas phase in that it also has no definite form
or volume.
Plasma rarely occurs naturally on earth, and when it does, its effects
are visually and energetically dramatic. Lightning storms are one
example, another is the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, seen as
energy pours into earth’s atmosphere.
Plasmas have only recently been incorporated into a variety of
sculptural art forms using plasma ionization by high frequency
electrical current. In this way creating illuminated sculptures that
have the ability to display a visual lighting effect of movement and
colors found in no other medium. Although this technology is considered
cutting edge, and in its infancy, much has been learned to be able to
control specific and desired effects. Yet, it is likely that there is
still much yet to be discovered.
Plasma Nation Artists include:
Norman Moore
“My sculpture uses various materials in combination with light to
create a physical poetry borne out of urban experience. I am interested
in the metaphors light and shadow evoke such as life, death,
enlightenment, blood, distraction and lust. I am always looking for the
story behind objects and finding meaning in forms. Walking in twilight,
I see light splashing and reflecting in odd locations that spark my
imagination. The unexpected relationship of light coloring an
object changes my perception of the world”
Ed Kirshner
“Like Dr. Frankenstein in his lab, I hover over my glass and gas
plasma work, spending many hours mixing, balancing and fine-tuning.
Still, the plasma light behaves in a way that I can never completely
control. I can change or direct its behavior by varying the pressure
and mix of gases, or the frequency and the voltage of the power, but I
can never fully predict the detailed effects any of my actions will
have. Though frustrating at times, this unpredictability is at the very
heart of my work. This is the personality, the mystery, the life that I
try to create in my sculpture” www.aurorasculpture.com.
* Ed will be teaching the free educational plasma presentation on January 10th 2009.
Michael Pargett
Is Co-Curator on this exhibit. Pargett enjoys the paradox between the
high energy that creates the illumination, and the slow, sensual
movement of the gas mixtures that can be achieved to present a visual
experience that is as compelling as it is hard to describe. His
expressions are at times humorous and at others inspired by a desire to
honor the basic elements of the gasses themselves. During the filling
portion of the creative process, he attempts to allow the gases
themselves to express how they would like to manifest within the glass.
“They feel as though they have something to communicate, this
medium perhaps gives them a unique opportunity!”
www.theartelectrique.com
Bill Concannon
Concannon has been working with neon since 1973. In 1975 he started his
own neon studio, Aargon Neon, making neon sign props and special
effects neon for the motion picture industry, as well as commercial
neon signs and his sculpture. Bill has worked as an instructor teaching
neon sculpture at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and
the Pilchuck Glass School just north of Seattle. His sculpture has been
shown nationally and internationally since 1977. This past June, Bill
was invited to present his lecture, “Glass Graphics: The Joy of
Signs,” to the Glass Art Society Conference in Portland, OR. www.aargon-neon.com.
David Hollister
Hollister is a woodworker and sculptor who has lived and worked in the
San Francisco Bay Area since 1996. His furniture and sculptures have
been shown throughout the Bay Area. “I graduated from Washington
University in St. Louis. While in school I discovered my affinity
for design and took the opportunity to study furniture and lighting on
my way to a degree in architecture. After a period spent working
in construction and traveling, I left architecture.
While visiting many of the structures I had studied in school, I
realized that I felt less of a connection to the buildings than I did
to the furnishings and art. In addition to my artistic pursuits, I am
the wood shop technician at the Crucible in Oakland. I work
primarily in wood and light, but have also created pieces using stone,
metal, and plastics.”
Ken Herrick
“I’m fourth in a five-generation line of artists, but
the art-gene, so to speak, expressed itself late. Only at age 35
or so did I start making art, although from my earliest days I’ve
been a maker of “things" of one sort or another. I completed my
first artwork, an interactive kinetic one, in the early
‘70s. Since then I've made other kinetic works, most of
them interactive. In the '80s I got into incorporating neon in my
work, going so far as to secure several patents on, and license for
manufacture, a neon effect I called “Neon Bubbles”.
I've derived little income from the art, or from the Bubbles for that
matter, but such is life and such is art...”
Allison F. Walton
Curator, and co-owner of the FLOAT Gallery, Walton has been a lifelong
artist and collector She will be displaying a xenon plasma robot head
that is still awaiting a body. www.plasmasculpture.blogspot.com
About the opening party music:
Outlaw Dervish is World Lounge Music with Soul! Enjoy the stylings of
Didjeridu Trip Hop, leaning into Deep Chill and Ambient sound with an
Electro-Acoustic tint, immersed in sweet melodies and infectious
rhythms. The group features Travis Wernet and Special Guests. www.cdbaby.com/cd/outlawdervish
About the painter:
Sally Rodriguez began painting in 2003 while living in Missoula, Montana,
she is entirely self taught, and works in a wide variety of painting styles and
mediums. Her work creates an ethereal experience filled with colorful
characters and festive vibrancy.
Educated at the University
of California Santa Cruz
she holds a Bachelors degree in Women's Studies, with a minor in Latin American
History. Rodriguez, then 36 found artistic expression so powerful, that
she has continued to explore reality through the means of color, texture, and
form. Presently she works full time as an artist and a teacher. http://thefloatcenter.com/archive_415_515.html#gods
This exhibit is in partnership with:
“Poor Man’s Art Show 4: No regrets”
Cardboard Art show - Art priced from: $1-$50
Everyone can be an art collector, spread the love!
Show opens October 13th, runs through November 8th.
Party with DJ Adams & BONSCOTT spinning, October 18th 6-9pm
Breaking
all the rules of showing and selling art, Everybody Get Up (EGU) has
created a powerful street art collective that simply states: Art should
be affordable for all, no exceptions, no regrets!
All artwork is priced
between, $1.00 - $50.00. (Cash or Check only)
What do you have in your pocket? $2.00? $15.00? Whatever the amount,
all you have to do is pick out a piece of art amongst hundreds that you
like. Just rip it off the wall and go to the casher. Nope you
don’t have to wait until the end of the exhibit to pick-up your
work, and yes, you are doing a good thing supporting these artists.
So join us for a free party, with DJ’s Justin Adams “Aka DJ
Adams” & Scott Taylor “Aka BONSCOTT” of
WaxONWaxOff productions who will be spinning funk, hip hop, and jungle
during the event. Oh ya, we will be serving Pabst Blue Ribbon by
donation, it’s all good.
Who are EGU?
Everybody Get Up (EGU) is an ever changing group of artist that want to
spread the message that it’s okay to sell art at affordable
prices. Anybody who enjoys and appreciates art should be able to
own it!
EGU was originally made up of three East Bay Artists: Nobody,
Sumbody and Anybody. These close friends have been working with and
inspiring each other for the last three years. EGU's mission
started with a lot of beers, street shenanigans and the belief that art
can be fun and have a message too. Since its inception, EGU has
made an effort to include and encourage their artistic colleagues in
their mission. Hence the name “Everybody Get
Up.”
When showing work, EGU preserves the soul of street art by never
charging expensive gallery prices. EGU is known for utilizing a
variety of mediums. Their signature medium of choice is
cardboard. Everybody Get Up! And come buy art!
Artists include:
Nobody, Anybody, Sumbody, Dirtbag, Ken Davis, Shannon Jones, Mary J, Radical, Dave Misled
Ryan Flowers, Spencer, Sveta Gayshan, Scott Taylor, Matt 136,
BayTruthSeeker, 2AM, Broke, ESU/Mia, Gats, Jacob Young, Baby-K, Lenny
Kiser, Liv, Marlena Morris, Nurdcyfe, Patric O, Rameen, Shalimar, Terms , S+N and
Newbetter.
Human Remains
Art influenced by the Iraq war
A Group art exhibit, with war poets
Show opens September 11th, runs through October 11th.
Requiem & Performance September 13th 6-9pm

Graphic by Bill Stoneham, Photography by Janeyce Ouellette
Not since the
war in Vietnam has the United States experienced such raw emotion
evoked by unnecessary loss, deep political division and economic waste.
The Human
Remains exhibit offers an avenue for Bay Area artists and poets to
fully express themselves around these events. Regardless of whether you
are pro war or anti war, you can’t help but feel the emotional
impact of the artists’ work. During the opening party we will
assault the eye and surround the viewer with mixed media, film and
spoken word.
Artists included in the exhibit: Bill Stoneham, Collin Harris, Marty McCorkle , Melissa Sweat, Janeyce Ouellette, Tess Kavanagh, Peascaror, Diego Marcial Rios, Anastasia Winter Schipani, Bernard Rauch, Heather Whitehead , Jennifer Eye and Marisa Handler.
Mediums include:
Paintings, works on paper, camouflage
ball gown, mixed media, music video, animation video, filmed
performance and spoken word from War Poets and poetry influenced by the
Iraq war.
So, come join us for a glass of wine and absorb — flag pins optional
AutoErotica
"It's All About The Car"
A Group show…
Phillip Hall - Digital light painted photography
Bill Silveira - Auto inspired assemblage sculpture
Laurel True - Asphalt Mosaics
Show runs Through 9/9/08
AutoErotica celebration party 8/09/08, 6-9pm
Let’s face it…. Big old beautiful cars are sexy!
The US, with its love for the
car, is fighting the need to become fuel efficient, healthy and green.
But no, we don’t want to drive a Twinkie! Huge American cars are
in our blood and we aren't letting them go easily.
Each of these three Bay Area
artists have their own unique take on the love of the car and travel.
They honor our rapidly disappearing, uniquely American, decadent
automotive past.
About the Artists:
-Philip Hall
When it comes to capturing the
fine art of automobiles, Hall understands that the beauty of light is
in the details. For more than 30 years, Hall had looked at light from a
different perspective. An award-winning lighting designer,
photographer, filmmaker and lighting control specialist, it has always
been his medium of expression.
Philip’s lighting
projects include; televised visits by The Pope, the Queen of England, 4
Presidents of the United States, celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge,
feature films, commercials and thousands of permanent lighting systems
in the Bay Area, his favorite being the renovation of the San Francisco
Opera House. His work is included in the private collection of Jay Leno.
Ever since Hall focused on the
definitive detail in that 1953 Corvette, his subject has been the
elements of the automobile. Artist statement: "What intrigues and
stimulates me is how shadows detail life, enhancing or diminishing
perceptions or emotional reactions to my artwork. Reality is defined in
my work by revealing the mystery of an image -- its light and shadow --
through crystallizing or distorting pixels until the inherent beauty of
an image is revealed." www.philhall.biz
-Bill Silveira
Slightly curmudgeonly, a bit
on the eccentric side, with a maniacal enthusiasm for the automobile
since his early youth, Bill Silveira enjoys making art out of discarded
auto parts, rusty scrap metal, and other unique items that seem to find
their way into his vast collection of interesting and eclectic junk. A
business owner and resident of Oakland's Jingletown arts district since
the early 1990's, Silveira likes to think of himself as "Sanford and
Son-ish with a slightly twisted bent."
Owner of Automania, this
semi-retired used car dealer is also well known in the film industry as
the guy who can provide you with just about anything you need from
classic cars to caskets for your photo shoot. Learn more about Bill Silveira
on Kim Larson’s blog.
-Laurel True
Laurel True is a Bay Area
artist specializing mosaic, mixed media and public art. She is the
co-founder and director of the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, CA
and principal of True Mosaic Studio, a professional mosaic studio
specializing in site- specific architectural commissions and public art.
She travels widely to teach
and facilitate large- scale, community based projects and maintains
artistic or residential bases in Oakland, New Orleans and in Ghana,
West Africa. She lectures internationally and has been featured in many
books and publications.
"In her new series of mosaic
relief panels, artist Laurel True turns away from more traditional
mosaic materials such as ceramic, glass and stone, instead creating her
works from asphalt, concrete and other roadway detritus collected from
her Oakland neighborhood.
True bases her works' designs
on random and intentional road markings such as tar lines, cracks and
skid marks made from sideshows and car spinouts. True's series is a
visual and conceptual investigation of what beauty might be found in
urban landscapes, exploring the ugliness, grit, solidity and underlying
grace in both her materials and surroundings."
Art of the Cotton Mill Studios
Paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media by:
Keiko Nelson, Bill Stoneham, Susan Tuttle and Elizabeth Tennant
Closing party 7/12
6-9pm
On display at the artist owned and operated FLOAT Gallery will be hand-picked, select group of Cotton Mill artists who live and work in the building: Keiko Nelson, internationally accomplished sculptor. Bill Stoneham, painter, sculptor and animator, Elizabeth Tennant, painter and Susan Tuttle photographer and mixed media artist.
Dreams and Distortions……
The series of visions currently showing at the
Float Gallery at the Cotton Mill Studios is a swim through a dreamy underworld.
Bill Stoneham’s tortured figures are emotions flayed raw upon the canvas, their
crisp outlines and sharp textures inviting a meticulous examination. Elizabeth
Tennant’s gentle monsters glow with the fever of a child’s imagination. Rising
for breath, the viewer finds the gentle humor of Susan Tuttle’s photography,
which captures daily life in striking clarity. The majestic and fluid forms of
Keiko Nelson’s stone, bronze and water sculptures provide an anchor, giving a
still point where the real meets the unreal. After an hour in the gallery, the
viewer will feel as if she has been gone for days, moving in a sea of dreams.
About the Artists:
Keiko Nelson
Keiko Nelson is an international artist, who has exhibited her
works and lectured about her art in the United States, Japan, Germany,
Ecuador, Hong Kong, Egypt, Thai, China and Mexico. She was an artist in
residence at the University of Chiapas in Mexico for the International
Sculpture Symposium, and given a grant for a one –person
exhibition by the Ministry of Culture in Egypt. She was given in the
Artistic Achievement Award by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New
York in 2002, among her interests range from sculpture through fine
art, design and textiles. Her works feature the subtle flow of natural
force. Her work has been described by the Curator Emeritus of the Asian
Art Museum of San Francisco as “a unique fusion of the East and
West, the retrospective and the progressive and delicate and the
dynamic.” www.keikonelson.com
Bill Stoneham
Bill Stoneham's professional art career began in 1972 at
Feingarten Galleries in Beverly Hills, CA. Feingarten bought Stoneham's
paintings for two years and hosted a one-man show that was reviewed
with statements like "...at their best when at their weirdest" and "The
best works here deserve the attention of collectors". In 1992
Stoneham started working at ILM, sculpting in the creature shop,
building feature film sets. When art went digital, Stoneham followed,
mastering digital 3D modeling and cinematic production. During his
career, Stoneham created inspiring digital and fine art for many
entertainment companies including Lucas Arts Entertainment, Cyan
Worlds, and Crystal Dynamics. Today Stoneham is painting and creating
digital art and animations - all in surrealist style - exploring
figurative and textural concepts influenced by the urban environment
and the social/political forces at work in our world.
www.stonehamstudios.com
Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle moved from the East Coast to San Francisco in 1978.
She is the Director of Montclair Gallery in Oakland, which she founded
in 2003 with East Bay glass artist Janet Thompson. Susan is a
photographer and jewelry designer, and her jewelry designs are on
permanent display at Montclair Gallery. She graduated from Ithaca
College in 1976 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a minor degree in Art
History. She studied graphic design at the Academy of Art College
beginning in 1982 and was involved in the profession for 20 years. She
participates in the annual East Bay Open Studios, San Francisco Open
Studios, well as other juried and non-juried exhibits in the San
Francisco/Bay Area. From 1999 until 2004, she was involved with San
Francisco’s ArtSpan, proofreading the annual San Francisco Open
Studios Guide. In addition, she is an associate director at San
Francisco SOMA’s new GarageGallery, where she has also exhibited
her photography and jewelry designs.

Elizabeth Tennant
Elizabeth Tennant is a native California artist with a BA in
studio art. Working in oils exclusively, she is committed to magical
realism and the craft of painting. Her lifelong interests in psychology
and mythology give her a perverse, fantastical visual language that
conveys deep emotion. Her works can be found in collections throughout
California and on the East Coast. www.ElizabethTennant.com
Opening party music:
Daniel
Berkman is a San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist who has played
with artists ranging from Essence to the San Francisco Ballet. Well
known for his inspired West African kora playing, he will be flexing
his electronic muscle as Colfax, releasing his debut electronic album
later this year.
Beneath The Surface
Visionary Paintings & Works on Paper by Liz
Mamorsky
Interactive
Assemblage Sculpture by Paul Baker
Closing art party will celebrate the FLOAT Galleries 2nd
year anniversary
DJ BONSCOTT of WaxONWaxOff productions will be spinning funk, hip hop,
and jungle during the event.
Saturday 5/17, from 6-9pm

The
capabilities of the human mind like the creative process, is nothing short of
astonishing. Beneath the Surface gives us a taste of that brilliance, telling
stories from deep within. During this two month show we challenge the audience
to experience their own path through paintings, works on paper and assemblage
sculpture that utilizes found objects to stir memories.
Our
closing party will mark Float’s 2nd year anniversary in business and
participants will have the ability to win a free floatation session every ½
hour during the event.
Liz Mamorsky
An artist all her life Liz Mamorsky was a child star back in New York
and currently does voice work for radio, television and games, including Sims
2, Sam & Max, and AVampyre Story. She is also the narrator for the recent
PBS documentary, The Remarkable Red Hat Society. Since graduating from Bennington College, Mamorsky has exhibited her
unique recycled-materials sculpture, studio furniture, and visionary paintings
and drawings nationally and internationally. Her work resides in numerous
public and private collections including: The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San
Francisco; The Spertus Museum, Chicago; The Oakland Museum of California, Sony
Corporation, Nektar Therapeutics, First National Bank of Arizona, Santa Clara
Medical Center and Paramount Pictures for the set of Star Trek:Voyager. You can find her hard at work in her amazing LizLand Studio in San Francisco
Paul Baker

Paul Baker is an assemblage artist who creates interactive sculptures.
His ongoing series: Machines for Living are built intentionally to help us examine our lives and evoke
memories, though insight and humor.
A native of Boston,
Baker moved to San Francisco
ten years ago. He has been producing art in different mediums for the past 15
years; in 1991 he settled on assemblage sculpture, perhaps latently influenced
by a boyhood passion for collecting shelf after shelf of what his mother called
"junk".
His background includes exhibit design at the
Cleveland Museum of Art; art instructor; bird house entrepreneur; and a stint
as a sales clerk in a large department store. His education includes extensive
travel abroad and a Masters degree in Medieval Art History from the Courtauld
Institute of Art, London, England. Baker works as an
advertising copywriter by day. www.Paulbakersculpture.com
“Material
Evidence”
Mixed media work of
Peter Boyer, and Master Plasma sculptor Ed Kirshner
Closing Party March 15th 2008, 6-9pm
Closing night will showcase a live performance
by Oakland reed
renegade Cornelius Boots


Enter a world were materials come alive in an inspiring array
of elements, both elegant and serene these masters of design transform materials
designed for constructing buildings, into creations that seem to take on a life
of their own.
Included in the display are the compellation plasma
jellyfish sculptures by Ed Kirshner and Bernd Weinmayer, a master flame worker from Austria. www.weinmayer.at
Peter Boyer
Boyer's art deals with physical and material elements. He
builds paintings by successive applications and deletions of various materials:
canvas, muslin, linen, paint, gesso, charcoal and graphite. His is a process of
working and reworking the surface by tearing off and reapplying his materials
until the work attains what he has described as "presence".
Peter Boyer was born in New York in 1948, moving to the West Coast
with his family in 1960. He studied art in California
and Oregon, receiving his BA from San Francisco State University
in 1977. He also studied architecture at The Southern California Institute of
Architecture. Boyer operated a small design/build business in the 1970's, which
acquainted him with the materials and techniques of building construction. Much
of this knowledge has been applied to the process he follows in creating his
mixed media works. www.peterboyer.com
Ed Kirshner
Artist statement:

Like Dr. Frankenstein in his lab, I hover over my glass and
gas plasma work, spending many hours mixing, balancing and fine-tuning. Still,
the plasma light behaves in a way that I can never completely control. I can
change or direct its behavior by varying the pressure and mix of gases, or the
frequency and the voltage of the power, but I can never fully predict the
detailed effects any of my actions will have. Though frustrating at times, this
unpredictability is at the very heart of my work. This is the personality, the
mystery, the life that I try to create in my sculpture.
Ed Kirshner of Oakland, California was born in New York City in 1940. He studied architecture and sculpture at Cornell University,
the University of California at Berkeley and the Oskar Kokoschka School
of Vision in Austria.
After thirty years of developing and
financing affordable housing, he returned to study art at the California College
of the Arts in Oakland as well as at Pilchuck
and Corning glass schools and Northlands
Creative Glass in Scotland. His glass and gas plasma sculptures have been
exhibited throughout the U.S.
as well as in Taiwan, Japan, Australia,
Austria, France and Turkey. His work, “Cone of Chaos”,
was a Corning Glass selection in 2000 and is included in Corning's recent book "25 Years of New
Glass Review." His piece,
"Java High," was a recent acquisition of the di Rosa Fine Arts
Preserve in Napa, California.
Ed has taught glass and gas plasma workshops in the U.S. as well as in Asia and Europe and is on the
faculty of The Crucible Fire Arts School in Oakland
and the Glass Furnace in Turkey. He is also a Trustee and the Treasurer of the
Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Los
Angeles. www.aurorasculpture.com
Cornelius Boots
Closing night will showcase
a live performance by Oakland
reed renegade Cornelius Boots. A progressive rock composer, bass clarinet
performance specialist, wu wei woodwind instructor and Zen
flutist. Founder of Edmund Welles. Boots is currently undertaking more
large-scale, primordial, avant-orchestral compositions. Recent pieces include a
commission by Chamber Music America
and Yerba Buena Center
for the Arts.
The live performance
for Material Evidence will reflect the elements of earthiness, experimentalism,
and unpredictability found in the artwork. A primarily improvised ambient
set which will combine the usage of the robot bass clarinet—an amplified,
effected, mutated bass clarinet—and the sounds of the mendicant bamboo
flute-playingcharacter "Shunyata Wu-xi" (wizard of the void), utilizing
shakuhachi and staff flutes in addition to tape loops, and voice to create
minimalist industrial-new age and existential blues. www.corneliusboots.com, www.edmundwelles.com

ROBOTS ARE
ART
DIY Show
& Contest
Show runs through Jan 17th, 08

The robotic art was judged by Monty, from ANYBOTS the first humanoid robot of it's kind.
+++++
KTVU Video Link
NOVOSCENE image link
Gallery Pics



12/15/07 Robots Are Art opening party showcased, Monty the first humanoid robot of its
kind, who judged the robotic art in this DIY Art show and contest. It was his first
open to the public appearance. A few Pleo’s (baby Camarasaurus) wandered through the crowd as critics. Pleoworld.com
Robots served beer,
painted paintings and even a disgruntled beggar robot will is on
display, so expect robotic diversity to be a cornerstone of this art
show.
A presentation on the history of robotics by Frank
Garvey was shown at 6pm, along with spin the robot raffle
prizes and free robotic magazines. ( The premier raffle prize will be a cool robot toy from Boss Robots & a visit to ANYBOTS to spend time with Dexter & Monty in thier own natural setting)
This
event will encompass a diverse group of robotic artists including mixed media,
painters and kinetic artists. The contest will be 100% violence free,
and will focus on form, function, and fun. Prizes will be given for categories
such as overall artistic esthetics, unusual functionality, robots as a
reflection of society, and incorporation of unusual objects to name a
few.
Judging the robotic art will be, Monty
the first humanoid robot of its kind along with Trevor Blackwell, Ph.D. Founder
and CEO of ANYBOTS and David Calkins, President
of the Robotics Society of America,
and founder of the international RoboGames. www.Anybots.com, http://robogames.net/index.php
Robotic Artists:
Cheryl Finfrock - Painter
Camp Peavy - Robotic artist
Mike Wilder - Robotic Artist
Willy Matsuno - Mixed Media (Prize Winner)
Max Chandler - Robotic Artist
Paul Gibson - Painter (Prize Winner)
Christoper Palmer ( CTP) - Robotic Artist (Prize Winner)
Mark Murry - Mixed Media (Prize Winner)
Scott Wiley - Painter
Liz Mamorskey - Mixed Media
James Lovekin - Mixed Media
Paul Baker - Kinetic Artist
Nemo Gould - Robotic Artist (Prize Winner)
Al Honig & Dr. Johnathan Foote - Robotic Artists
Mark Galt - Robotic Artist
Frank Garvey - Robotic Artist (Prize Winner)
This is a not to be missed show!
Spo
nsors:
Anything, Anytime, Anywhere
Boss Robots, Berkeley
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Served by a Robot

New Era for Edutainment Robot