Eclectix Interview With Artist Christine Benjamin

Christine is a true local, home grown in San Jose, one of the original Berryessa clan. A fantastic artist and all-around great person - full of life, vitality and cheer. She is a painter, illustrator and art doll maker; creating colorful, quirky and vibrant imagery of all sorts. Space women, skeletons, monsters, sock monkeys, robots and mod girls - all in various playful antics. Accomplished in so many medias, it’s hard to pin down her one strength....

For the whole interview & gallery go here - LINK.

Christine's Website - LINK

For more Eclectix art goodies go here - LINK.

Our Top Picks From "Light/Dark" at the Berkeley Art Center

Eclectix visited the packed opening of "Light/Dark" at the Berkeley Art Center. There are a large number of really nice pieces in this show, we selected only our favorites here. ( Of course, favorites are once again edited by the ability to get a good photo.) From the Center's info for the show - "Chosen from a submission pool of nearly 100 members of the California Society of Printmakers and selected by renowned Bay Area printmaker Enrique Chagoya, this exhibition features 53 works from 53 artists encompassing a range of styles and approaches based in the print medium." There were images representing almost all printmaking techniques - etchings, woodblocks, mono prints, lithographs, silkscreens and so much more. This eclectic and worth-seeing show is up thru May 29th, check the website for hours.

Artists Exhibiting: David Avery, Peter Baczek, Priscilla Birge, Karen Brussat Butler, Gary Comoglio, Noriko Constant, Jessica Dunne, Beth Fein, Peter Foley, Barbara Foster, Linda Fribley, Dan Harrison, Art Hazelwood, Maj Britt Hilstrom, Nif Hodgson, Jack Jacobson, Elizabeth Jameson, Debra Jewel, Mike Kimball, K. Kuster, Dixie Laws, Anthony Lazorko, Peter Leone McCormick, Roberta Loach, Leslie Lowinger, Janet Mackaig, Valerie Magee, Maggie Malloy, Luz Marina Ruiz, Barbara Milman, Julia Nelson-Gal, Russell Pachman, Adam Pitt, Carrie Ann Plank, Pat Prosek, Jenny Robinson, Deborah Sibony, Robynn Smith, Maryly Snow, Sylvia Solochek Walters, Herlinde Spahr, Barbara Strikker, Toru Sugita, Elizabeth Tana, Susana Terrell, Jerry Theobald, Susan Trubow, Fran Valesco, Katherine Venturelli, Peter Villasenor, Mark Welschmeyer, George Woodward, Mark Zaffron.

A JellyBelly Mona Lisa, A Step-By-Step With Artist, Kristen Cumings

Local artist Kristen shares some experience and a step-by-step photo history of her latest JellyBelly adventure. Making the Mona Lisa out of jellybeans! Almost edible if it wasn't for the spray mount... For a cool look at this masterpiece redux and the sticky process details, check out the Eclectix site blog here: eclectix etc.

Bay Area Townies: San Francisco Academy of Art's Spring Show

Third In a Series on Bay Area Artists:

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

This is a little late in posting, but the local art is just as fresh now as it was then. The SF Academy of Art's 2009 grad student exhibit in May was the most exciting of all the art school shows I attended. Hats off to all the wonderfully talented students out there! Room after room of countless images were worth blogging and seeing. One of the best things about student shows is how truly eclectic they are. Traditional and newbrow, sculpture, painting, you-name-it! - all media and mediums in any given art avenue. There was awesome steam punk jewelry (some with dental pieces as pendants), steam punk sculpture, incredible landscapes, paper cut works, killer fashion photography (the glass on them, made it impossible to photograph, however), traditional ceramic sculpture, classic oil portraits, fantastic sci-fi influenced illustration, and on and on... Time restraints will force me to unwillingly edit, so enjoy what fits!

http://media.academyart.edu/springshow2009/index.html

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.

Bay Area Townie: The Art of Attaboy, "A Touch of Evil"

First In a Series on Bay Area Artists: Inspired by the "This Town" Exhibit at Eclectix Gallery, Thru August 16th

The artist Attaboy just finished his solo show in LA's China Town (everybody Wang Chung tonight!), which unfortunately we were not able to see in person. Thanks to internet travel, one can see it was a kick-ass, professional, clean and well-thought out exhibit, hung with a sharp and yummy eye.

Attaboy is a local SF Bay Area artist, known for his graphic, pop-art characters such as the "Brine Queen" and his fun, twisted, vinyl toys, such as the "Axtrx". Co-founder of our fave art mag, Hi-Fructose, as well a cutting-edge designer of multiple artist's books. A friendly, humble, gentle and un-pretentious person, he is a joy to interact with, in the sometimes, all-too-ME-ME-and-ME art world. His "Touch of Evil" resides only inside his paints, exploding in an exciting push and pull of fantasy worlds.

The exhibit consisted of meticulously handcut shadow castings, spray varnished, stenciled plastic pieces; elaborate "exploded view" drawings and a Gooberry Patch in the back room, where visitors could pick an un-ripened, talking, pull-string Gooberry Plush.
Atta's style is rough yet polished, sharp black ravaged edges against brilliant saturated hues, creepy-monster yet still cute and cuddly, child-like and darkly adult. Just the kind of ying and yang that exists in life, (we must embrace it all or go crazy) and this Atta does, spawning truly contemporary, creative, original art.

Attaboy's Site: www.yumfactory.com
Hi-Fructose Magazine: www.hifructose.com
Photos: Thanks!! to dailydujour.com

"This Town", Images of Northern California, Art Exhibit

Our Northern California: People, Places & Things
If you are looking for some great images of the local area and something "hometown" to do over your vacation, this show is for you. Stunning art of the cities, people, cultures and landscapes that inhabit our diverse Northern California environs. Featuring works by more than 25, known and unknown, local artists with photography, painting, sculpture, mixed media and drawing. Not your typical exhibit of tourist landscapes! Images of costumed San Franciscans, sleek sky scrapers, Oakland Hell's Angels, cool coffee shops, the majestic Golden Gate, thirsty deserts, happenin' neighborhood scenes, and even the Bay's landfill -- all compose an exciting, beautiful and eclectic look at our local world.
Artists: Don Albonico, Joanne Corbaley, Alicia DeBrincat, Maria DeRoy, Paul Graf, Joe Hayama, John Howard, Aaron Johnson, Larry Jones, Eric Joyner, Joanna Katz, Boris Koodrin, Sonia Melnikova-Raich, Patrushka, Crystal Morey, Chuck Mitchell, Fletcher Oakes, Christopher Peterson, Kurtis Rykovich, Andrew Jay Schlussel, John Seabury, Laurie Search, Strephon Taylor, Cynthia Tom, Peter Tonningsen, Katherine Westerhout
Exhibit Dates: July 3rd- Aug.16th, Opening Reception: July 3rd, 7-10 pm, Live Music by "Eclair de Lune"
Voted “Best Gallery” in the Bay Area by SF Chronicle’s ‘Best of the BayList’
Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530
For Hours and More - Please go to: http://www.eclectix.com