Bay Area Townie: The Photography of Peter Tonningsen

Second In a Series on Bay Area Artists:

Inspired by the "This Town" Exhibit at Eclectix Gallery, Thru August 16th

Peter Tonningsen is a fine art photographer, living in the SF Bay Area. His work runs truly eclectic - historical documenting, street portraits, scientific archiving of postmortem birds, to found art collections from the shorelines of the San Francisco Bay. The one common thread through-out all his works is his impeccable technical skill and luscious printing, beautiful statements on the past and current world we inhabit. From a look at his mother's dressing table and it's daily decor, to desolate naval stations, to street punk rockers and abandoned buildings, he captures the moods and feelings with graceful artistry.

In his "Flotsam & Jetsam" series; things that were discarded, left-behind or washed ashore become discovered anew. A rubber ducky, an old jar or a lost glove- poetic symbols of our culture arranged in hauntingly beautiful, specimen-like presentations. A fun and unique approach to re-cycling our memories and appreciating our histories.

See the "Flotsam & Jetsam" series and four of his street portraits in the "This Town" exhibits, thru August 16th, 2009 at Eclectix Gallery.

A Look at Laurie Hassold's Art, Meet the Artist, June 20th

Laurie  Hassold's masterful works cry out in their own little wiggly world. At first glance, I was struck by their symmetrical, flowering grace and elegant composure. Somehow, one knows a woman created them, both beautiful yet somehow painful. At closer look, the juxtapositions in her imagery start to smack you around. They are delicate yet grisly, feminine yet macho, organic yet mechanical, cerebral yet sensual, fun but also dead serious. The ying and yang of her works are reflective of life itself and it is her singular creativity, which holds our interest and makes us want more. Sculptures which resemble organic creatures of the Alien variety, they are composed of sometimes humorous, often symbolic and always strangely wondrous recycled items. 

"Their elaborate bone-like structures give the appearance of predatory fossils from the future, aggressive bodies without minds that leave one to ask “what will reign at the top of the food chain after the human race has become extinct?” In my artistic practice, I explore the symbiosis of apparent opposites to suggest that the tension between mind and body is precisely what makes us uniquely human."

It seems she begins with a formed wire base, molded with epoxy clay and florist tape. From there the piece evolves into it's own incarnation and along the way, items are incorporated. Enamel paints, life casts, fur, chiffon, jewelry, elephant tusks, toys, found objects, lace, dolls, beads and skull parts, to name but just a few.

"My core interest in making art lies in blurring the boundaries between art, science, literature and psychology, by focusing on how these disciplines each negotiate the split between mind and body. Growing up in a physician’s household, I was exposed at a very young age to the body’s visceral workings, and by the age of eleven had witnessed a range of surgical procedures, from minor mole excisions to full hysterectomies. I continue to be fascinated with our complex, yet efficient biology, and how we, as a species, mediate our corporeal existence within an increasingly advanced technological world. Technology enables us to surpass the limits of our physical form, but how does it affect our psyche, our spirit? By using the body, both literally and symbolically, I fuse scientific with artistic practices in an effort to blur the boundaries between my own mind and body."

Laurie currently has four pieces on display in the "All-Gurlz" Exhibit at Eclectix Gallery. A Southern California resident, she will be in town at the Closing Reception on June 20th, from 6 to 8 pm.

For more info: http://www.eclectix.com