above, pictured, Tara Tucker at Rena Bransten Gallery, lower left, David Huffman at Patricia Sweetow and lower right, the juxtapositions of Todd Hido at Stephen Wirtz.

The East Bay’s own Tara Tucker stole the whole scene tonight with her third show at Rena Bransten - and frankly, I think it was her best. The work is loose and open, she uses natural linens, pillow-like structures and other non-conventional media as ground for her visionary illustration. Her bears and other spirit-affinities call to me (as they should call to everyone) in a kind of desperate longing for relationship – an aesthetic ecosystem that seems awfully relevant right now. I was so glad to find her because I was getting scared, as I guess I do so often when I walk around the really expensive art – scared of being bored to death. There are many gems though: Patricia Sweetow is hosting the work of painter David Huffman, and that is lose-yourself worthy painting and I am always happy to lose myself. The other big surprise was Todd Hido‘s photography at Stephen Wirtz - it is really rare that I get dumb in front of photography but this show is epic, or should I say Epic! with a capital E and some unnecessary punctuation… Silvery nostalgia and strange juxtapositions make for an experience that is impenetrable yet familiar.

10. David Gregory Wallace at Krowswork ”This Means War is Personal”

I applaud Jasmine Morrhead and her continued efforts to present a different kind of gallery experience for the Art Murmur crowd. This show blew me away with its simple display and it complex narrative. War is a very difficult subject to touch with out being preachy, Wallace does it with a resonant sensitivity that is gorgeously transformative.

9. Alison Tharp at Peter Thomas, “Short Walks on the Beach”

Alternative art spaces are rad. Alison showing in the shop she works at reminds me of Pecker‘s art show from the movie, remember? It’s Fun, with a capital F. Lovely, colorful, disarming, beautifully imaginative and superbly rendered…I am describing Alison’s art and I guess, her. Oh, and crap, broke my first rule, this place is in Berkeley, right?

above, Alison Tharp

8. Nathaniel Parsons at The Hive ”Season’s Over”

Nathaniel Parsons has the singular ability to transform a space into a pitch-perfect environment full of a particular brand of nostalgia for an Americana that has yet to exist. His blend of craft and formal composition is inviting and warm yet always challenging and a little bit painful.

7. Jon Carling at Pretty Penny ”Magic Country”

The clear voice emitting from Jon Carling’s illustrations is so pure and intense that the drawings become kind-of exercises for the fairy tale dreams of youth we are collectively starving without. From the statement, “Guiding spirits and misleading tricksters weaving together intuitions and instinct to help humans, animals and plants form the ideal future.  Imagining the Ether as forms and figures, rather than an unknowable mist.” He takes you there and you are proud to go.

6. Christopher Thomas Haag and Martin Webb at the Compound Gallery “Making the Road by Walking”

These two seemingly disparate young artists came together seemlessly in this show that presented a prolific amount of art, all strikingly consistent in theme and timbre. Haag, an artist who has made great waves this year with a bevy of colorful murals on Piedmont Avenue, works with free-form hieroglyphs that are shockingly original in their graphic essence and freedom. Webb, an artist who uses political allusions to infuse his texture-rich paintings with a subtext that is rarely found in contemporary East Bay galleries, meets Haag half way in this amazing confluence of talent.

Martin Webb and Christopher Thomas Haag at the Compound in North Oakland 

5. David Seiler at Zza’s “California Dreaming”

I did break one of my rules by putting David Seiler’s show on this list, after all I did organize this show, but you know what, it is exactly the kind of show I always want to see: technically masterful with an intense energy that if was containable, could supply all the world’s energy needs for a hundred years. Seiler’s use of classical figuration and indigenous reference is blended together in a way never seen before, nor could ever be again.

4. Cyrus Tilton at Vessel “The Cycle”

The horror of those millions of insects moving as a parable for the overpopulation of the world is burned in my mind. Lonnie Lee has built a wonderful little gallery on 25th Street this year by presenting show after show of brilliantly executed exhibits and this one tops my list. Tilton’s work is preternaturally tremendous – his sculpted figures are full of a kind of animus, a spirit of prana, where we could hardly be surprised if they moved and lived on their own after his touch.

Cyrus Tilton

3. Steven Barich at Branch “Zen with a Kickstand”

Steven Barich continues his inquiry into wisdom and truth in a dramatic, straightforward and refreshing manner in this deceptively simple, beautifully arranged collection. With the hand of a master draftsman, Barich employs simple media to meditate on philosophy and the value of, well, value. Although we lost Branch Gallery this year, Kerri Johnson and team continues to fight the good fight with their BAYVAN project.

2. Yvette Molina and Michael Meyers at Johannsson Projects “Circle Saints”

As if touched by some divine energy, the subtle wave of beauty that exude from these works left me feeling like I had just heard a violin for the first time. Molina’s paintings on glass of natural forms, rot and growth touched something deep and metabolic in some shadow piece of my psyche - an ancient piece of a puzzle that was not yet completed, until snap! there it is. Add to that, the wonder of Meyer’s monuments in wood that defy conventional Newtonian ways and you have one of the best looking gallery presentations in the world, ever.

1. John Casey and Friends at Swarm “Tall Tales”

No artist I have ever met is as true to his own inner vision as is our own John Casey. Lucky for us, his vision has room for all of us – in this epic show he herded 60+ colleagues and did a collaborative drawing with each of them. This wasn’t just any collection of folks with a pencil, mind you, but a roster of brilliant talent that read like a Who’s Who of Bay Area artists. Then, from each, he was somehow able to invoke the signature motif from us all (yes, okay I was one of the artists – I broke the rule again, sue me) to present a surreally perfect snapshot of Art. now. here. That’s John though – a pillar of this strange little community…we were all dying to give him our best. The show didn’t end there, he also presented an entire body of new work that he made in collaboration with his writer-wife, Mary Kalin-Casey, entitled “Call and Response.” This series offered us an inspiringly intimate view into the creative process of a very public artist, by 1) merely switching to pencil from his signature ink-based work and 2) offering an amazingly candid vista of an artist with his wife, and equally as interesting of course, a writer with her husband. Juxtapose all that with an honorably mentioned Jake Watling “Four Directions” in the project space at Swarm Gallery and you have my, hands down, choice for the very best Oakland had to offer in 2011 art.

John and Mary and their little boat, and hat too. 

The photos below are quick, false-color, snapshot details of each of the works as they are installed in the show.

Bacchinae, opens Saturday, December 17th, 2011. 6pm to 9pm. 550 Grand Ave. Oakland. California.

Forest Stearns, detail, false color photo

David Seiler, detail, false color photo

Kelly Monson, detail, false color photo

Hunter Mack, detail, false color photo

Gina Tuzzi, detail, false color photo

Patricia Gillespie, detail, false color photo

Alison OK Frost, detail, false color photo

Holly Wach, detail, false color photo

Alissa Goss, detail, false color photo

Martin Webb, detail, false color photo

Ryan McJunkin, detail, false color photo

Michael Patton, detail, false color photo

Theo Auer, detail, false color photo

It’s funny thing, in the art world, at least MY art world, that the end of things isn’t necessarily a sad course of events. You have to free up energy to let new light in – you have to free yourself to be free. Christopher and Regina, the manager and the owner of Zza’s, have been the greatest, most liberating people to work with: always rolling out the red carpet, so to say for each artist – always letting us do whatever we wanted. When I started this project, I imagined a place where artists and friends could gather once a month and see each other’s work in an informal setting, a round table of exhibits. It worked – almost like something out of another time, turn of the century Paris or something classically modern where wine fuels the wit and everyone has a good, and sometimes strange, time.

More then the art, I am going to miss the gang. We, the Zza’s community, have shared over forty shows of art over the past four years. They have all been solo shows except for RED AND WHITE a couple of years back.  Now, in my second group show here at Zza’s I say farewell – gathering 14 Zza’s veteran for a big show: one night of great wine and brilliant art. As for the big picture? I have no idea what is next – come out Saturday night, get loud in the spirit of Bacchus, and share with me about what you got going on!

Below is a previously unreleased, black and white portrait of each artist – click on the picture to link to their original original studio-visit I did with them back in the day…

Zza’s Wine Bar is at 550 Grand Ave. Oakland, California. The show will be up through January 6th.

artist Holly Wach photo by obi kaufmann

artist Gina Tuzzi photo courtesy of the artist

artist Martin Webb photo by obi kaufmann

artist Ryan McJunkin photo by obi kaufmann

artist Elliot Fredericksen photo by obi kaufmann

artist Hunter Mack photo by Obi Kaufmann

artist Patricia Gillespie photo courtesy the artist

artist David Seiler photo by obi kaufmann

artist Theo Auer photo by obi kaufmann

artist Alison OK Frost photo by Obi Kaufmann

artist Alissa Goss photo by obi kaufmann

artist Forest Stearns photo by obi kaufmann

artist Michael Patton photo by obi kaufmann

artist Kelly Monson photo by obi kaufmann

Pop-up hood is rocking Old Oakland these days. It truly has revolutionized the experience of strolling through those great old buildings near 9th and Broadway. Where just a month ago there were empty store fronts and struggling office-spaces, now brightly merchandised shops display local crafts -  a brilliant turn around full of love and hope.

Above, left,  Papa Llama’s awesome dreamcatchers…yes, I like dreamcatchers (at least awesome ones like these) at Piper and John General Goods, 465 9th Street. Above, right, Scott Macleod’s amazing boat at Holidayland in Marion and Rose’s Workshop, next door.

Some of the talented ladies of Pop-Up Hood. Left, Sarah Swell and Kate Ellen of Crown Nine at 461 A 9th Street. Then right, Alli and Sarah Filley, on of the co-counders of Pop-Up Hood.

Check out this great video documentary by Eva Kolenko that tells the whole story. The grand opening party was last night, so get down to Old Oakland and explore all the goods.

The torch that is Live Art in Oakland has been picked up by Alison Tharp and Sal Bednarz of Actual Cafe in North Oakland. The first event was held on December 1, 2011. Sal says “Our first Live Drawing night was a blast! We loved it, and the artists did as well, so we’re turning it into a regular monthly event here…starting in January, we’ll be hosting Live Drawing on Third Fridays from 7:00-10:00. We’ll extend our Decompression Sessions (DJs and happy hour prices) through the entire event. We’re excited to have this event here – it’s been something we’ve been trying to pull together for a long time. “

above, floor mural of “Thunderman” and candlelit installation of THUNDERBIRD, the debut of over twenty new paintings by Obi Kaufmann at Victorian Rat Gallery, Oakland, California, 11/19/11

Thunderbird opens this evening.

Victorian Rat Gallery, 3758 Manila Ave, Oakland California 94609

Web: http://victorianrat.squarespace.com/

Show dates: 11.19.11 through 12.18.11

ARTIST RECEPTION: Saturday 11.19.11, 6pm to 9pm

“…Painting in a cave by candlelight…”

 Victorian Rat Gallery is proud to present the paintings of Obi Kaufmann in a solo show entitled THUNDERBIRD. After recent sold-out exhibits in both Oakland and Seattle, and on the heels of last year’s popular WARFLOWER at San Francisco’s Five Points Art House, Kaufmann brings his most savage paintings to date back home to North Oakland.

In THUNDERBIRD, Kaufmann continues his exploration of what he calls The Gothic Nouveau, or the romanticizing of figurative archetypes into a graphic language of expressionist motifs and graffiti-like illustration.  DeWitt Cheng, while reviewing Kaufmann’s work in 2010 for artbusiness.com, called it “meditational and (serving a) ritual function,” while Todd Kerr, in the Berkeley Times, said that Kaufmann’s paintings are “primal and pure…could it get any more real?” When confronting the sometimes dark imagery of Kaufmann’s work, the artbusiness.com writer known as RWM said “there is injury there, but also a connection with the tormentors.”

Victorian Rat Gallery is run by husband and wife David Seiler and Brianna Brandow-Seiler. They invite you to join them for the candle-lit reception of THUNDERBIRD on Saturday, November 19^th, 2011 at 6pm.

“The Thunderbird paintings, of course, come from my own vision of the mythic figure – the form and bodily proportion as a thought-construct, a creative landscape inhabited by non-personalities who exist in a sexless voice, a genderless place. I exercise a ton of graphic license with the model and insist the rendered personality only exist in the picture plane – to exist in only a kind of non-narrative dream-place; the human figure itself, as its own landscape, ornamented with textual perifera that serves, specifically, to both inform and distract.” – Obi Kaufmann, 2011.

above, work by John Ruszel

In my continued quest to collect and document interviews and interactions with locals who work behind the scenes to make Oakland art happen, I sought out Lonnie Lee. Lonnie is the owner of Vessel Galley and in two years, has built a solid reputation as a staple on the Murmur route. I realize that my current portfolio of art-scene makers and doers is mostly artists on this website, that may be changing in 2012 as I am not organizing the venues as I have for so long now, in any regular way, ie, the wine bar, et al. I am very pleased to begin the new chapter of Swee(t)Art with a chat with Lonnie about her gallery and the beautiful show that hangs there now, with work by Gordon Glasgow and John Ruszel.

Obi: How did you come to a career in the art world? Is Vessel your first project?

Lonnie: I grew up drawing on paper napkins as a child in my family’s Chinese restaurant. From there I studied art seriously throughout high school, then proceeded to study architecture, and painting. I finished college with a major in visual communications + design with a minor in photography. Coming from a very traditional immigrant family, I was misunderstood in my pursuits and I had to make a choice to be practical in my studies and career.  I had a design firm for 10+ years doing works for galleries, installations, fashion, VC firms, branding, packaging.  After kids, I took a break, then took the opportunity to redefine my energies and move back to fine art.  I opened Vessel Berkeley 7 years ago.  1.5 years ago I expanded that project to my current gallery location in Oakland, my home base since 1982.

Lonnie, in front of Vessel

Obi: When you opened Vessel a couple of years ago, there wasn’t a whole lot going on 25th was there? How did you decide to open Vessel there?

Lonnie: I was in search to expand my gallery space, while wanting to simplify my life by localizing it more.  My kid goes to an OUSD school, and I live in Oakland. I really wanted to work and own a business here. So I searched high and low all over downtown for a potential gallery space. In fact, I know so much about Real Estate in our city that one realtor said I should go into RE as a profession. No thanks. I was really compelled by the interesting architectural spaces that were all over Oakland.  I’m a bit of a compulsive hunter/scouter, and I love digging – I enlisted friends to be on the look-out as well. I called lots of people and looked at many spaces. I consistently found myself drawn to spaces that were overlooked, much too tattered and had POTENTIAL.  I saw a sign on the 25th Street, viewed the space and instantly fell in love.  It did not look the way it does now.  It had a makeshift staircase to the second story – the walls and pitched roof ceiling had 3 millimeters of patina dust, the floors had so much grime on them you couldn’t even see the wood beneath. I was madly in love.  Like a “bad boy” boyfriend that you want your friends and family to love, I brought everyone I knew to the space, including my artists, my clients and my family. They all said “Are you crazy?” followed by “Are you serious?” Because of their disapproval, I tried and tried to shake the gravitational pull I had for 471 25th Street. 3 months later, I was still thinking about the space, and my 16 year old daughter said to me, “Mom, I don’t understand, you keep asking for validation, you know where you want to be.”  From the mouth of that wise babe and her faith, I decided it was okay to trust my instinct, and my heart. I contacted Drew Mickel (long time friend of landowner Matt Igleheart) and they trusted in my vision and supported me through the remodeling and opening of my gallery. The relationship we’ve built is much like that of a family. That space was a family business for 60+ years, and all of these elements added up to feeling right.

above, work by Gordon Glasgow

Obi: The new show in your gallery is beautiful, Can you talk about how this show came about?

Lonnie: This is a show that focuses on artists new to my stable, sort of emerging but not really – each are very practiced artists. Assembling shows is sometimes a very organic process. Connecting of dots and the desire to reveal certain notions with a show / exhibition.  I know Gordon from my days in Berkeley, through two mutual artist friends.  Gordon approached me to view his works.  I was very impressed with his sensitivity towards the work and wit + humor revealed: I knew instantly I wanted to show it.  John Ruszel’s work I had seen at an Arts Benecia show and took a note that I wanted to learn more about the work and artists. It wasn’t until meeting his brother Kevin who came to help with an installation that I learned who his brother was.  More dots began to connect, John came by, and we began working together.  Marirose Jellicich approached me after visiting Vessel on a walking tour.  In this show I am drawn to the artist’s use of materials, but more importantly the artist’s use and approach to the subjects.  There is a similar viewpoint toward structure be it figural or geometric design of form.  IMO together Gordon, Marirose, and John present a beautiful counterpoint. In “Structure, Object and Truth Discerned,” these artists use expert skill and keen insight in creating their work, revealing the balances between pre-meditated design and human intuition, interdependence and independence, isolation and connectivity, as a subject or as a record.

There is a quiet and restrained quality to the work presented in “Structure, Object, and Truth Discerned” these attributes made me want to show these artist’s works, together.  I like to shake things up and make my programming unpredictable.  My hope, my desire, is to evoke a range of emotions, show to show, from the audience, be it intrigue, surprise, provoking new thoughts courageous, reflective, or meditative.  This show to me is unlike the previous show and unlike the next.  I guess I think of programming and curating as a narrative, and as a progression.

all photos taken by Obi Kaufmann, with permission from Vessel Gallery.

Gina Tuzzi will be showing in November of 2011 at Zza’s Wine Bar Gallery. Gina is that star you remember burning across the sky when you were twelve, right after sunset, laying on your back in the warm summer glow. With an illustrator’s mind-set, Gina’s imagery empowers us to not take ourselves so seriously – to take it easy.  I could not be more proud than to present the work of this brilliant local talent as the last of my solo-artists-in-Oakland tenure at Zza’s. Come celebrate a post-Halloween opening reception of her new work on Saturday, November 5th, 6pm to 9pm. 550 Grand Ave, Oakland, California.

I asked Gina a couple of questions after visiting her studio, trying to get to the bottom of things.

Obi: In my mind, there are three motifs I think of when I think of Gina Tuzzi’s work: crazy-trailers, eighties song lyrics and beards. Is that at all fair? Do you see that too? Where does that come from?

Gina: Man, reading those three motifs together back to back like that makes me feel like all creative credit concerning those particular facets of my work goes to my Dad, who made and traveled in custom vans in the 70′s (his van was named Vandago, my momma was the foxy co-pilot). He has an epic beard and taught me almost everything I know about music (he used to quiz me while listening to the radio as a kid). His spirit and cultural influence  are most definitely in parts of the work and probably always will be.

Obi: Can you sum up your biography and how you came to art in three sentences?

Gina: I come from the west side of Santa Cruz. I was raised by a carpenter/marine biologist/book doctor momma who’s an amazing gardener and a salesman papa who’s an incredible musician. I’ve been drawing since I was a little girl. I taught myself how to render by copying simple album covers from my parents vinyl collection – the Divine Miss M by Bette Midler, for example, and Phoebe Snow’s self titled, I remember copying those.

Obi: You have been showing your work a lot in the past couple of years, right? What’s next?

Gina: I have had the luck of some great shows this past year: 2 collabs at Swarm (one with John Casey and one with Ethan Worden), the diRosa auction, Basel Miami with Hello Kitty, a solo show at my favorite record store on the planet, group show with some of my heroes at Electric Works in SF, staff show at my beautiful place of work, Creative Growth. Damn, I am waaaaaay blessed! Next up in the art world for me is working more with the altar structures, hopefully allowing my work to become more devotional and ceremonial. And more tattooed figures, which in their own way also feel devotional and a lot like prayers. And most immediately in my art future…… in honor of the last year of the Mayan cycle, it’s time to make a new calendar.

Nathan Goodman at FM.

Goodman invents a beautiful, microcosmic world where simple robots seem to vie for life and struggle with their own clanky machinations. The world does not concern itself so much with refinements as it does with its own formal practicality. The name of the show is In Electric Slumber, which resonates to me as a reference to how we can never turn off, or power down the modern world, even when we sleep.

Cyrus Tilton at Vessel. photographed with permission.

The large installation that fills the gallery space is a kinetic work that is successful, even without the political denotation in the artist’s statement, maybe even in spite of it. Tilton’s vision is full of proportion and harmony and his rendered figures and fields are almost magnetically appealing.

Wayne Armstrong at Manna Gallery. Left. Stephen Whisler at Chandra Cerrito. Right.

Part of the artist-run Manna Gallery, Wayne Armstrong exhibits a series called Botanica Artiphonius, in which he imagines a world where artists have designed the plants instead of nature. Armstrong’s watercolors are stunningly realized. Watercolor is medium that is so often trapped in provincialism, when in the hands of a talented illustrator, it can be so much more.

Stephen Whisler at Chandra Cerrito. I’m actually not sure if David Ireland made these pieces of Stephen did. The statement was kind of ambiguous. I love this piece though. Probably most of all, the title: “A couple of pages from Ulysses soaked in my last cup of coffee.”

Michael Steffen at FM studios.

I met Michael while he was gallery sitting at FM. His oil painting landscapes remind me of photographs shot through hard-focused lenses that oscillate between foregrounds of hyper detail and distast, empty horizons.

Charlie Milgrim at Mercury20.

Milgrim is one of those artists who lives in a kind of Platonic, parallel universe of pure ideas and immaculate, artistic execution. I don’t need to write about his work: the feelings, the implications, the messages, it is all there and it is great.