Splendors of Faith/Scars of Conquest In Oaktown

Visited the Oakland Museum for their exhibit-

Splendors of Faith/Scars of Conquest

Arts of the Missions of Northern New Spain,1600-1821

This exhibition had a great span of religious art and iconography, focusing on the scars and casualties of religious zeal. The wars between the Protestants and Catholics and the martyrdom of the devout. Lots of creepy yet breathtaking imagery here; bloody and scary yet fascinating and engaging. Apparently the art traveled to only two spots here in the States and it was nice to see Oakland get a shot at such a fabulous exhibit. I have always loved mission artistry and this show didn't let me down. The Catholic church has produced and influenced many masterpieces, many hidden away in little churches on frescos. Even though I am not religious- the Gothic dark moodiness, the serene emotional expression, the ornate decor of altars and sacred spaces - have always intrigued and haunted me, in a good way. And if you are fond of skull and skeleton art, you can't beat the depictions of "Hell" in religious art.  Included in the exhibit were altar pieces, sculptures, frescos and paintings - a somber, ethereal and beautiful exhibition. The show has now ended, my apologies for not getting to this post sooner - it would have been nice to inspire some extra visitors to the museum. At the very least - here is a virtual look/see for you to visit.

Also on display was a companion exhibit titled -

Contemporary Coda

This exhibit caused a bit of an uproar, (small-minded uproar) mostly centered on one piece by Alma Lopez, which Eclectix posted about here. Her piece was one of the best in this small show but Manuel Ocampo's Diptych blew me away. I have always loved his paintings and it was great to see these up close and personal. Do a Google image search on Manuel, it is well worth it... (couldn't find a website for him). Here is a link for a film about the artist.

Un-Bound and Upcycled, The Painted Books of Mike Stilkey

Eclectix first saw Mike’s work in person at the Art For The New World show in Bristol, UK. It was this huge work that greeted you as you came thru the door (above). A wonderful mound of books stacked on edge and painted with the image of a young gothic bride and groom couple. Just loved it! His characters have a nice old world feel, harking back to the Victorian-Edward Gorey-Poe eras, yet modern with a human sensitivity and compassion. Stacked into sculptures they re-imagine a bookcase full of possibilities.

Mike's Website 

This was originally posted on the Eclectix homepage, May 2011, in the Paper & Arts exhibit and issue.

Checkin' Out The Art Pads at ArtPadSF, 2011

Eclectix visited ArtPadSF, one of the art fairs going on in San Francisco a couple of weekends ago. This was our favorite of the bunch, mainly due to the set up within the Phoenix Hotel.

 A very fun, hip and cool alternative to the traditional fairs which are held in large convention halls - the Pad was set up in the Phoenix, a 1960's era hotel in the Tenderloin. From the outside you wouldn't know how sweet it is on the inside. A lot has been re-done and re-furbished, including a beautiful pool - but they managed to retain the retro base. The sculpture installation over the pool greets you upon entering (see above pic), wonderful light and airy dandelion-inspired suspended pieces. The bar and restaurant area had walls of vinyl to amuse you, with favorite album covers turned outward to display, every so often - a great little decor touch. There was also a really nice red lit back wall installation with large negatives of "mod chicks" screened on the glass. It set off the vintage diner booths and eclectic lighting fixtures with a nice warm glow.

The rooms of the hotel were all turned into mini galleries, (even some bathrooms) - some much more creatively than others. Many of the rooms had the beds removed, they were more open in the traditional "gallery" sense. However the ones with the beds still in them, gave a quirky challenge to the display; some had just laid prints or art on the beds while others incorporated the bed into an art piece itself. The most creative room was the Black Rock Arts Foundation's. They worked  out - covering the walls and furnishings with craft paper, much of which had writing and crayon art, graffiti style. They had paper towels folded in the bathroom and paper sheets on the beds.

Many favorite galleries and artists were represented as well as some new, fresher ones. The following pictures represent our favorite finds, some in detail shots. There were so many great art works here it was just a joy to slowly amble from room to room taking each little "art world" in. There was an enjoyable mix of eclectic tuneage playing in the pool courtyard while you perused.

Wonderfully gooey portrait by Ray Turner

Intricate papercut sculpture, Lyndi Sales

Got see a Brian Dettmer up close and personal!

Jamie Vasta had a number of really wonderful portraits, all "painted" with glitter on wood. Sparkly and spectacular, really hard to capture in a photograph!

 Jamie Vasta

 Jamie Vasta

 Jamie Vasta

Nick Gentry's "floppy disk faces" were another pleasant surprise to see in person...

Nick Gentry

Local Oakland sculptor Derek Weiberg's piece in room

The pink frame on Scott Scheidly's most excellent Hitler portrait just cracked me up.

Brian Viveros and others....

A beautiful piece by Sandi Calistro

Watercolor trees on newspapers by Phillip Hua

Detail, Phillip Hua

Knock out masterpieces by Edward Walton Wilcox

Tatiana Suarez's emotive dame

Kent Williams

Mercedes Heinwein

Linda Vallejo makes 'em all Mexican...

Another new discovery was the art of Lee Harvey Roswell...  his name alone was a riot! These pieces were surreal Dali-meets-angst, sexy street cred with great traditional skills. 

Lee Harvey Roswell

Lee Harvey Roswell

Lee Harvey Roswell

Lee Harvey Roswell

A painted cigar box by Carolyn Meyer

Art filled bathroom in one of the motel rooms

Robert Berman Gallery- "bed" display- love the rumpled sheets!

While we visited there was a synchronized swimming performance in the pool. This performance was organized and produced by Bean Gilsdorf and Tsunami Swim, a local SF team. It was a truly wonderful treat to top off the day.  

American Iconomics at Shooting Gallery, WeekEnd Pick

The works of Akira Beard and James Charles are up at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco thru June 4th. This is a sold show with two interesting and talented artists, well worth  a visit this holiday weekend. The show is aptly titled "American Iconomics" and features faces of America, some famous and some not.

Akira's works have been featured here before on Eclectix - they are deftly painted and drawn portraits, many with writing, on journal paper, complete with wrinkles and tears. The frames have been wonderfully splashed with dripping paint adding to the grunge feel of  his works. A gritty and moving ambiance saturates Akira's works with a very human compassion and appreciation. I have seen many, many portraits of Keith Richards over the years and Akira's is by far the best of the lot. He really captures the weathered skin and character with a masterful result. These pieces really need to be viewed in person, the rubbed and smudged skin tones and the bleeding watercolors are just fantastic.

James Charles - overview of just a few...

James Charles works are witty, satirical and sometimes irreverent portraits drawn and painted on actual US currency. The title of the subject/image is hand lettered at the bottom of each bill, meticulously crafted in the same font style as the original lettering. For instance - the lettering on one of Bush read "War Criminal". He has many images in this show, do to their smaller size, a lot can be packed onto one wall without being over crowded. They are fun and interesting works within a really creative platform.

My favorites were the Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop and the Tin Man as "Heavy Metal". There was even one there of the curator himself,  Justin Giarla. Most of the portraits are monochrome matching the dollar color scheme but a few have added touches of brilliant color. Nice collection and exhibit. For all the images at the gallery's website click here.