Two New ARTWorkSF Exhibits In The New Year

Well folks, it is a new year and hopefully all of you made it through safely.

After a brief rest, The Shadow continues his mission to bring to you some of the best artists and works of art in the San Francisco Bay Area.

On January 3, 2008, The Shadow made his monthly visit to the ARTWorkSF Gallery to view two new exhibits for the month of January.

Work by artist Ann Simms on display at ARTWorkSF Gallery

In Gallery One (which is the room you step into when you enter the ARTWorkSF Gallery), artist Ann Simms is presenting a solo show entitled "Dark Horse in a Pretty Dress".

Artist Ann Simms (in black holding wine glass) talking with a friend at reception

Ann's work has always been of interest to The Shadow because of the techniques that she uses and the many ways that her work can be interpreted. The curator's notes on this exhibit are as follows:

When Ann was a child, she believed the grass could feel and the stones could hear. She believed things were mostly not as they seem and that the ghosts of the past walked in the present and influenced today. Her work demonstrates her intrigue of the ambiguity of meaning and reality. One minute we think we "have it" for certain but this certainty is never for long. Her images invite multiple meanings and offer possibilities, not in directing the viewer. She is interested in the layering of experience & meaning, in juxtapositions, and in discovering the more that is there, beyond conscious intent to what is unseen but there nonetheless.

Ann's work is definitely worth reviewing -- and buying!

In Gallery Two and Three was ARTWorkSF's Group Show "On Your Mark: New Works in Abstraction".

A work from the Group Exhibit "On Your Mark"

Artists participating in this show are:

• Chris Lawrence
• Pat Koenigsberg
• Maria Bartolo Majia
• Susan Ashley
• Fong Fai
• Jean Wu
• Judy Johnson-Williams
• Kathryn Arnold
• Karen Gutfreund
• Barbara Landis
• Louis Bording
• Lois Llewellyn
• Mira White
• Melissa Karam
• Aisjah Hopkins
• Alis Cummings
• David Rose
• Anthony Anchundo
• Sara Kornacki
• Daniel Newman
• Alana
• Dan Pask
• Judi Morales Gibson
• Sona Holman
• Sandi Miot
• Beryl Miller

Artist Melissa Karam with one of her works at the reception

As with any work in abstraction, the interpretation is up to the viewer. The works are good, techniques are superb, and it was a great way to start the year.

Another work from the Group Show

ARTWorkSF's Chief Curator, Matt McKinley, describes the show as thus:

By definition, creating in a purely ‘abstract’ way frees the maker of the necessity to allude to external referents. In this space where imagery exceeds concrete reality the abstract image or object maker enjoys the freedom of pure expression to convey the concentrated essential qualities of an idea or thing more extensive or more general, or of several things combined. Emotions, spirituality, and the human condition are but a few of the many universal themes addressed through abstraction. ‘On Your Mark’ refers to remnants of the artist’s presence evidenced in the final iteration of an abstract image. Not calculated, just happenstance – a metaphor for the artist’s inclusion with and connection to the idea they are exploring. Subtle evidence of a mark’s hand made origin reinforces the connection between artist and viewer.

Both Ann Sims show "Dark Horse in a Pretty Dress" and the Group Show "On Your Mark" will be on display at the ARTWorkSF Gallery, 49 Geary Street, Suite 249, through February 2, 2008. Viewing hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Despite the stormy weather, many patrons of the arts were on hand for the reception

As always, all work presented in the gallery are available for purchase or rental (for 3 months). For information, call the gallery at 415-673-3080 during the above hours.

For more pictures from the reception, click here.