111 Minna Gallery

NEW WORKS by JOHN WAGUESPACK

Daniel — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:10:12 +0000

PAUSE | Acrylic, Oil & Ink

“We are very excited to feature Waguespack’s most recent creations as he prepares to represent San Francisco at Art Basel Miami – one of the world’s premier art events. At 111 Minna Gallery, we have created an ‘art salon’ that offers today’s collector a unique experience. Within our industrial space, art aficionados converge to view the cutting-edge work of local and international emerging artists in an interactive and spirited atmosphere that invites dialogue about the meaning of art in our culture,” explains Curator Micah LeBrun.

MORE: John Waguespack at Second Street Gallery | SFGATE

A firm believer that the creative spirit cannot be caged or limited, Waguespack follows his instincts and moods to create very distinct collections of art. “As an artist, I never want to stop experimenting. Every time I work on a piece, I want to either add something new or learn something. I think great art can be born in moments of madness, compulsion, and impulsiveness,” describes John. “I am excited to showcase works that have been created through this experimental process at 111 Minna Gallery. I feel 111 Minna patrons and collectors will appreciate the diversity in the works as well as the dynamic process by which each piece has come to life,” John concludes.

ABOUT “NEW WORKS”

New Works represents the broad scope of Waguespack’s talent as an artist. Highlighting the exhibit is Pause, an ethereal portrait of Kate Moss looking toward heaven. The haunting portrait is interwoven with abstract layers of acrylic and oil crafted to give texture and dimension to this otherworldly
piece.

Another standout is Giant, which combines the artist’s linear and deconstruction styles, to produce a powerful depiction of Hollywood icon James Dean in the movie, Giant. Waguespack takes a fine art approach to what might be produced digitally to emphasize the human hand in art, celebrating human creativity and imperfection, marked by the subtle lack of symmetry of the lines.

GIANT | Acrylic, Oil & Ink

ABOUT JOHN WAGUESPACK
From the rooftop of his home in San Francisco, Waguespack creates paintings, which often incorporate pop-art icons to address political issues of today and the ’70s. His cutting-edge work ranges from visual commentaries on important moments and movements in U.S. history to abstract expressionism, deconstruction, linear and pop surrealism. Waguespack has been featured on the cover of San Francisco’s 7×7 Magazine.

From the rooftop of his home in San Francisco, Waguespack creates paintings, which often incorporate pop-art icons to address political issues of today and the ’70s. His cutting-edge work ranges from visual commentaries on important moments and movements in U.S. history to abstract expressionism, deconstruction, linear and pop surrealism. Waguespack has been featured on the cover of San Francisco’s 7×7 Magazine.

Big Sur

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Black Alaskan Waters

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Candy Land II

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Ecstasy

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Endless Summer I

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Endless Summer II

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GIANT

In Salvador’s Garden: Butterfly

In Salvador’s Garden: Hummingbird

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In Salvador’s Garden: Rose

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Pause

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Reincarnation

Resurrecting America

Resurrecting Lincoln

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Shire

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Shroud of Liberty

Sunflower Fields

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T.G.I.F.

The Red Sea

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Warhol

The Fantastic 50

Daniel — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:51:50 +0000

The Fantastic 50 at 111 Minna Gallery | Curated by Irene Hernandez-Feiks and Wonderland SF

Show will be up for the month of May | Free Admission and you must be 21+ ID

WORKS BY
Ahren Hertel, Alberto Hernandez, Alec Huxley, Alex Garcia, Amnadalynn, Andrzej Michael Karwacki, Brian Barneclo, Chor Boogie, Chris Leib, Chris W. Stokes, Daniel. J. Valadez, Eric Bailey, Eric Joyner, Eve Skylar, Fred Aquino, Ginaluca Franzese, Henry Lewis, Hilary Williams, Irene Martha Feiks, Jaxon Northon, Jeffrey Nemenzo, Jeremy Mann, John Wentz, Jonah Burlingame, Joseph Martinez, Joshua Lawyer, Kevin Earl Taylor, Kukula, Laura Buss, Lee Harvey Roswell, Leo Bugel, Lucien Shapiro, Mark Campbell, MARCUS, Melanie Alves, Merkley???, Michael Murphy, Micah LeBrun, Monty Guy, Nick Flatt, Rachel Znerold, Renee Castro, Reuben Rude, Robert Bowen, Robert Garcia, Steve Javiel, Telopa, Todd Laby, Ursula Xanthe Young, Xiau Fong Wee

IRENE HERNANDEZ-FEIKS
Irene Hernandez-Feiks founded Chillin’ Productions in 1998, with the purpose of discovering and aiding Bay Area fashion designers, painters, photographers, filmmakers, DJ’s, musicians, and performers. In her tenure as a promoter, Irene made a point of never taking commissions or charging designers to sell their work. In short, all of the money made by the artist goes to the artist. Chillin’ Productions produces four events per year with each event showcasing 80 fashion designers, 200 painters/photographers, 60 filmmakers, DJ’s, and live music.

I want to invite you to an opening reception that means a lot to me. Thanks to 111 Minna Gallery I started my career in the art and fashion 15 years ago. I have dedicated the last 15 years to support our amazing community of artists. Without 111 Minna, Chillin’ Productions and Wonderland Sf would not exist.

This Friday I am curating the Fantastic 50 at 111 Minna Gallery for the month of May. I chose 50 of my favorite artists for this show. It would mean a lo tif you can come by and check out this show. It’s from 5pm-late. It’s free and everyone is welcomed. It’s truly an amazing show!

Check out my 50 favorite artists of all times! -Irene

———————-

Irene has worked closely with numerous arts-related and charitable organizations, including GEN ART, Mexican Consulate (Cultural Affairs), the United Nations and Natural World Museum (art into action), Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art (Miguel Osuna), Art Seed apprenticeship Program Benefiting Bayview Hunters Point Youth, Spindle Desco Continuous Movement Discussion Series: Converging Art, Music & Nightlife: Possibilities (a panel discussion & open forum), and Oracle Open World. Assisting the community is her true passion and focus.

In 2010, Irene opened her gallery, Wonderland SF to provide consistent support and exposure for Bay Area artists. Working with over 5,000 local artists, her goal is to create new opportunities for emerging talent, and ultimately discover that diamond in the rough. Originally from Mexico City, Irene has called San Francisco home for over 17 years and plans to continue her active role in promoting and supporting the local arts community.

MICHAEL GARLINGTON and ART BY JONNY

Daniel — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:52:50 +0000

CONSTRUCTED REALITIES by MICHAEL GARLINGTON in the 2ND ST Gallery
JONNY’S, STAY CALM in the Zappa Gallery

Michael Garlington
The work of photographer Michael Garlington has been described as “David Lynch meets Leave it to Beaver.”

Michael Garlington is an internationally renowned photographer, artist and sculptor who resides and works in his hometown of Petaluma, California. For inspiration and his love of discovery, exploration and the simple treasures of the unknown, Garlington has spent many of his creative years on the road. Roads traveled on, over and beyond in his beloved, Photo Car, a vehicular visual diary on wheels created fittingly on the exterior of his Volkswagan van. From this mobile portfolio, Michael chronicled what he saw as the underbelly of America melding with the common people of society, which he photographically documented as his own dream like fairy tales.

Recently while in Europe, he spent an entire year shooting and printing portraits with another Photo Car that he built in Germany. Michael’s earliest introduction to photography came from his parents who operated a black and white photo lab in San Francisco. After many years of taking photographs, Michael learned to print in his parent’s lab. With his inspiration and experience solidified, Michael expressed a longing to communicate the visions he felt were locked in his mind to people in the outside world. Through his understanding and utilization of portraiture, he feels that he’s finally allowed the world to see his visions freely.

As he continued working, he refined his signature style while building and showcasing an impressive body of work comprised of portraiture, which then gave way to his sculptural practices in the creation of hand made frames, unique to each portrait, that serve as individual doorways into each photograph.

In his main promotional image for the exhibition at 111 Minna Gallery, “Play Boy Bunny On Balloon Horse” Garlington places a woman on a horse made entirely of balloons as if she’s floating up to the sky, while the look in her eye harkens to a timeless longing that tantalizes the viewers imagination.

For his approaching exhibition at 111 Minna Gallery, Michael Garlington has created a site specific sculptural installation inspired by the gates of hell called, “The Gates of Minna.” This twelve-foot archway made up of hundreds of plaster relics will fittingly be erected around the interior of the galleries iconic red entry door.

The work of photographer Michael Garlington has been described as “David Lynch meets Leave it to Beaver.” Michael Garlington is an acclaimed Northern California photographer and master printer. He began shooting his own images while working at Spindler Photography, a high-end lab in San Francisco that caters to the finest photographers working today. His work has been purchased by Yale, Dartmouth and countless private collectors.

Family Cross

Foxes

Kissing Clowns

Odetta’s Cross

Portrait In Cardboard Frame

Shrine For The 99%

The Balloon Horse

The Journey To The Tower

The Performer Within

The Procession Of The Tea Party

Woman In Cardboard Shark

Woman With Paper Hat

CV – 2012 | Ego Project | Burning Man

WHO IS JONNY???

Jonny
A strutter of the streets. A suitcase-seller of stories. ‘Most stories are told in black and white; good, evil. I think it helps the viewer see clear distinctions. We all want to relate to something. In a world of color, black and white kinda stand out.

He paints like a tree exploding through all of its seasons, in the blink of a camera shutter. If you’ve ever burped and whistled at the same time, you may begin to understand a bit of his personality.

“I try to work out the chaos of my communication, with a scientific approach… blind-folded in the dark.”

Nostalgic, a romantic and delusional, Jonny’s latest works encompass all of these qualities and more.

SPECTACLE

Daniel — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:31:37 +0000

Spectacle represents a group exhibition six contemporary artists of varying styles including, Jaxon Northon, Emily Burns, Ben Walker, Josh Thurman, Monty Guy & Nicomi Nix Turner.

A Full Recovery Is Made In Cairo

All Its Teeth Bared

Bob Dylan

Brood

Bruce Lee

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Clairvoyant Illusions Between Travelers

Clint Eastwood

Collisions With Specters

Contessa

Cupid

Dan Aykroyd

David Bowie

Erato

Farewell To Old Fellows Of Flight

Flannel Beads

Harmony, It’s A Kind Of Guitar

Heavy Breaths And Broken Signals

Imbas Forosnai And Black Ponds

In Attempts Of Warding Voids

Languishing Ceremonies And Prophecies Of Restlessness

Lessons In Restraint

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Lollipop

Madonna

New York To Marrakesh By Way Of Automobile

Number 1 Car

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Number 3 Car

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Number 5 Car

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Number 7 Car

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Observations Of Wrath And Folly

Of Squaler And Prose

Ozzy Osbourne

Pathfinders And The Universal Nest

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Philosophy And The Gardenhead

Photosynthesis Of Reason On The Forest Floor

Poisonings And Sympathy

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Portrait Of Crystal

Portrait of Ethan

Portrait Of Jon Shown

Richmond

Slash

Spectacles And Cosmos

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String

Striped Room

Super Nova

The Lost Ring And The Very Resourceful Suitor

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Threesome

Tommy Lee Jones

Twenty One

Unbridled Fusions Under Glass

Untamable Angel

Writhing Bliss

Young Money

Zenmischka

FRACTURED MINDS

Daniel — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:27:49 +0000

The Fractured Minds exhibition two top notch illustrators on display with the incredibly detailed and dark imagery of Nate Van Dyke and Jonathan Wayshak.

Beginning

Bitter

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Black Top

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Cut Here To Remove Contents

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Deb Sue Sketch (Study)

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Deep Sue

Dick

Doubt

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Endings

Fool

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Fractured Mind

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Gestalt

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Hater

High Society

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I Do Hope You Return

I’ve Waited A Lifetime For Your Return

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Leader Of One

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Letting Her Ugly Out

Marilyn Monroe 50th Deathiversary

Mindless

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Plenty Of Fish In The Sea

Ripple

Run With It

Self 1

Self 2

Shogun

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Sucker

Three Heads High

Trio I

Trio II

Trio III

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Ultrabobo

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Until It Sleeps

DAVID CHOONG LEE SOLO EXHIBITION

Daniel — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:50:46 +0000

David Choong Lee
Artist David Choong Lee was born in 1966 in Seoul, Korea. He moved to the USA in 1993 in pursuit of gaining the skills to be a traditional fine artist. He found that he was very interested in the art of young people after his graduation from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, in 1997.

After seven years of focusing on the figure, he began to explore different concepts, such as mixed media, sculpture and graphic design. He’s been influenced by such diverse sources as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Sukdo, and underground music DJ scenes. He ended up creating his own artistic style that is a combination of graffiti, collage, portrait, and classical realistic skill with bold graphic elements. As you can see by the release of his products, he has combined many different forces to create his own, distinctive style.

David’s work has shown at many galleries in San Francisco such as 111 MINNA gallery, BUCHEON gallery, CULTURE CACHE gallery, LEVI’S as well as other places in the US and also in South Korea. He has self-published a number of art books– God made dirt, and dirt don’t hurt, 4 WORDS, DIRT, CONVERGENCE– and some of his books are distributed by Gingko Press and 2nd round productions to Europe and Asia.

He’s been teaching figurative art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for last 10 years (from 1998), and he lives in downtown San Francisco with his wife.

PHOTOGRAPHER | TRACI GRIFFIN

Daniel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:59:50 +0000

111 MINNA GALLERY ANNOUNCES ITS FINAL EXHIBITION OF 2012 & TOP CHOICE OF THE YEAR

Traci Griffin

“When I was young my family moved around a lot. Just recently, I moved here from Portland. I’ve now lived in 8 different states. I have backpacked through 14 countries. I’ve even attended 4 colleges. I’m not sure how this has affected me as a person, for better or worse, but I imagine it somehow reflects on my work as a photographer. Although, I wasn’t one of those “kids with a camera” I think the propensity to make art has always been there. In fact, one of my earliest memories consisted of “figure drawing” when a neighborhood friend and I were caught drawing boobs on paper. It’s debatable, but I suspect, this may have been a game changer for me.

One summer, when I was 7, I learned how to swim. I swam so much that my blonde hair turned the color of chartreuse. To remedy this problem, I decided to construct a wig from Spanish moss. Although my folks warned me of harvest mites, which often thrived in the mossy coils, I opted to ignore their advice. That very next day my scalp felt like rough leather set on fire. The mites managed to creep into the worst imaginable, unmentionable, anatomical locations. My face was swollen. I had slits for eyes. I caught fever and woke up one morning with a wondering eyeball. I like to call my lazy eye a blessing in disguise. It’s why I see the world differently and sometimes without a middle. I failed at describing this to others so I found a camera.

"I’ve been working on this project on and off for almost 4 years. I read about symmetry in art, which seemed needlessly complicated. I learned that exact symmetry cannot be found in nature and allegedly the concept of symmetry in the universe has tormented famous philosophers for centuries. Perhaps this is why the images are slightly disconcerting. Personally, this project for me is simply about seeing something completely different in something so ordinary. It leaves you with a sense of wonderment and the possibility of a brand new synthesis.”

Hair, Rooftop No. 1

Hair, Rooftop No. 2

Hair, Rooftop No. 3

Hair, Sky SF No. 1

Hair, Sky SF No. 2

Hair, Sky SF No. 3

Tree, Colma No. 1

Tree, Colma No. 2

Tree, Colma No. 3

Tree, Colma No. 4

Tree, Portland No. 1

Tree, Portland No. 2

Tree, Portland No. 3

Tree, Portland No. 4

Tree, Reno No. 1

Tree, Reno No. 2

NEW WORKS by JOSH LAWYER & REUBEN RUDE

Daniel — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:07:26 +0000

Both heavily influenced by street art, these two artists share similar techniques in the way they create imagery which makes them a wonderful match for this exhibition although their subject matter and overall presence of their focal points couldn’t be more different.

Joshua Lawyer

A bay area native, this freelance artist is self-taught, with a background in street art. Joshua draws a lot of his inspiration from his street art. He paints people juxtaposed to a grey industrial background, to symbolize the great bright beauty you see in this gray cement world, if you just look hard enough. His subjects are mainly females trying to tell a story through small phrases and images found in the background, the shape of their bodies, the things being done to them, and the look on their faces.

Joshua works in a wide variety of mediums from acrylic paint and pencil, to wheat paste and aerosol. He usually works on found wood and makes them look as if they were new frames, an almost Cinderella story for discarded wood.

Reuben Rude

Reuben Rude was born in San Francisco in 1969, after the moon landing but before the Rolling Stones’ legendary concert at Altamont. Within a few years, his parents migrated north, to settle deep in the woods of Mendocino County. Living in a series of tents, campers and ramshackle huts, without indoor plumbing or a television, he spent the better part of his childhood outside. When it was raining or dark he would read and draw. Because of his lack of development in any other area of study, he chose to attend art school in the city of his birth. He lives in San Francisco to this day, and probably always will. He ekes out a living making paintings, posters, and all manner of commercial art. He never goes camping.

111 Minna Gallery proudly presents new paintings by Reuben Rude and Josh Lawyer. Both heavily influenced by street art, these two artists share similar techniques in the way they create imagery which makes them a wonderful match for this exhibition although their subject matter and overall presence of their focal points couldn’t be more different.

About

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At Sea

Beautiful

Doesn’t Mean Much If You Can’t Put Your Arms Around Em’

Drift

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Empty Boat

Everything For You

Finding Home

Following My Gut

Free

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Getting Lost

Go

Happy

Hindsight Is

In Deep

Judith I

Left Home Redux

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Lil’ Boat

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Lil’ House

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Not Fade Away

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Out

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She the Moon

She the Sunrise

Stay (With Umbrella)

Stay (With Van)

Sunburst

Surrender

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Sweet Hereafter

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The Little Things

Time and Place

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Wherever

CORPOREAL CLUSTERS

Daniel — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:26:06 +0000

New Paintings by Kelly Allen, Xiau-Fong Wee & Melissa Arendt |
On display in the 2nd Street Gallery through Nov. 10th |

111 Minna Gallery presents three unique yet complimentary styles in these three female artists, which combine textile type graphic illustrations accompanied by realistic renderings of figures, animals and objects that act as observers of and within the very paintings themselves. Colorful, intricate, dynamic and whimsical are just a few words that are seemingly conjured in the imagination while viewing the work in the Corporeal Clusters exhibition. We invite you to meet the artists and experience their work on the 19^th.

Kelly Allen

Kelly Allen creates tightly rendered paintings that are based on collage sketches, featuring clusters of animals, plant life, and a variety of colorful forms and objects. Every composition is meticulously hand painted with gouache, oil, or acrylic. The practice of careful, photorealistic rendering is a metaphor for energetic unification with the objects she depicts. Oftentimes her dedication to technique initially fools viewers into thinking they are experiencing a traditional collage until they take the time and energy to explore and connect with the work before them, thus fulfilling the artist’s goal of creating an opportunity for viewers to slow down and take time to look at the world more carefully. The paintings she creates speak to the interconnectedness of all life, and communicate through intuitive, symbolic voices, specific to each person who witnesses them. Kelly Allen lives and works in Oakland, CA. She is represented by Thinkspace Gallery in Culver City and Bold Hype Gallery in New York. In addition to creating original paintings and commissions, she works as a freelance illustrator, having worked for New York Magazine and The Sunday Times UK Edition, Armada Skis, among others. She holds an MFA in drawing from Kendall College of Art and Design and her B.A. in painting from Humboldt State University in Northern California.

Xiau-Fong Wee

Xiau-Fong Wee is really three different artists stuck in one body. Her work branches into three different categories each with a distinct style that covers different ideas and subjects. The images are an alternate dimension, a new world that tells a story, hints at an underlying message, and provides a small adventure for people looking in from the outside. She finds inspiration in the bizarre, and strange, as well as the beauty of what the urban environment and nature has to offer; the challenge is to connect what is unknown with what is familiar and create an altered view of aesthetics.

After acquiring her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Academy of Art University, Xiau-Fong continues to live and work in San Francisco. She works in oil and acrylic paints, as well as charcoal, for her three series ‘Concrete,’ ‘Concept,’ and ‘Crinkle,’ respectively.

Melissa Arendt

Sometimes I find myself wonderfully overwhelmed with all that my eyes see. For years I have kept a list in my purse of images that catch my eye or come to mind. Day after day I add to my list. Appearing on this list are objects, buildings, organisms, places and historical events that intrigue me. Recently, I found that my list was over capacity and so I decided to create an aesthetic clusters with my “data.” This is how my new series came to be.

Melissa Arendt is a California native and currently resides in Sacramento, CA. As a visual artist, she is in a constant state of creation, whether through painting, illustration or graphic design. She attended school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco but had to leave prematurely due to a lack of finances. Though the decision was devastating, it became a situation that conjured an avalanche of creativity by allowing more time for personal exploration and development of style. Stylistically, she enjoys the aesthetics of colorful cells (she refers to as “clusterfucks”) juxtaposed with technically lined pencil drawings. Melissa has been involved in a total of six art shows throughout California. Her work has been featured in Juxtapoz Magazine and Print Magazine.

There are no products in this group.

PEN PAL

Daniel — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:48:45 +0000

Lennie Mace Solo Exhibition |

Drawing a picture by hand and hanging it on a wall, in this technologically advanced generation of iPads and flat-screen 3D TV’s, sometimes seems as quaintly Twentieth Century as long distance correspondence by pen-and-paper seems to texting or email by keyboard-and-monitor. But as long as it’s still an option I’m still everyone’s Pal with a Pen, though in my case the correspondence arrives from afar as visual transcriptions of this overactive imagination…

New artwork created in Japan will be supplemented in this PEN PAL exhibition by other recent artwork not yet exhibited in America, some thirty-odd works in all. Elegantly rendered PENtings on paper and wood will be available for viewing and purchase; fully-realized, painterly environments and portraiture drawn in ballpoint pen. 2011’s PLAYPEN series continues to bear fruit, supplying a variety of content here as well; two super-sized incarnations of my Media Graffiti series seem likely to be highlights of the exhibition, in this case two Japanese subway posters elaborately embellished in ballpoint pen.

Variety is key, in fact; intricate penmanship continues to be an attraction here, but it’s no longer merely pen-on-paper. Along with works on wood, a number of recent pen-works on denim will be included, given new context and hung in the tradition of Japanese scroll-work, although re-imagined using contemporary materials.

My choice of medium has never been the sole attraction anyway; ballpoints became the preferred application, but always in service to the ideas (and mostly due to their ready availability). The imaginative content of the artwork has always aroused an equal share of interest, and a very conscious something-for-everyone approach on my part not only offers scenic alternatives to viewers, it also affords this artist the open doors necessary for further imaginative possibilities. The work can as easily lead into dark alleys or out onto fields of daisies.

Imagination minus the ballpoint-factor will be evident in several dimensional objects, including hand-worked wooden toy-cars and a related car “dis-assemblage” created in the wake of the 2011 tsunami in Japan. A “ribbon” lizard formed from aluminum strips will also be installed alongside corresponding drawings in the exhibition. Fancy Fish and Fire Escapes are among other motifs linking such varying content.

The centerpiece of this exhibition may very well be a large-scale tapestry, “Drool,” the most recent output from an ongoing collaboration with Japanese tapestry maker Hideo Yamakuchi. A woven recreation of artwork commissioned by Sympathy Records for an unrelated album cover, the original ballpoint PENting is now in a private collection and unfortunately absent, but it’s essence is conspicuously conveyed via the tapestry and other artwork borne of the same concept.
Lennie Mace, 2012

I’ve often noted that drawing with ballpoint pen is like walking a tightrope without a net; there’s basically no turning back once pen-meets-paper. But a separate fact which often goes unmentioned is that I continue to commence most artworks without preliminary sketches as well; I sit staring at the blank surface with the idea in mind (or sometimes not any in particular) and, starting very lightly, I add line by line until the image basically starts drawing itself. Over the years this method has the added merit of perfecting eye/mind/hand coordination and instilling a certain amount of self-confidence into line-work both fine and broad…

My denim drawing actually dates back to when I, bored schoolboy, directed my imagination to friends’ and my own blue jeans and jackets, applying ink as both entertainment and decoration. Leather and vinyl have also been utilized in the past…

Lennie Mace is an American contemporary artist, born in New York City and currently residing in Japan. He remains active in art communities of both countries. Lennie Mace is predominantly known for his drawings in ballpoint pen, using them to create fine artwork. His imagination has also served commercial purposes, appearing in print as illustrations and comic art. Art reviewers have referred to him as The Da Vinci of doodlers and the Ballpoint Picasso. A hair salon in central Tokyo, belonging to a Japanese patron, doubles as the Lennie Mace VIEWseum, displaying a collection of original artwork housed within an interior hand-crafted by the artist.

Drool (Original Concept Sketch For Woven Tapestry)

Electric Aztec 2

Electric Nubian

Fancy Fish

Fancy Footwork

Fire Escape (Harlem Playground)

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Genie in a Bottle (Black & Blue)

Genie in a Bottle (Rose Petals)

Ghost Rider

Hanae

Horse & Her & Hair

Horsepower (Bariki)

Jamming With John (Stone Roll Image)

Krok Rock

Mari

One Fish

Pachyderm, Study in Blue (Preliminary Sketch for Purple Pachyderm)

Phoenix

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Pink Kawai-Ko

Playing Make Believe: Mommy’s Shoes, Stocking’s & Curlers

PU PU Pair (Naomi Campbell FACIAL)

Purple Pachyderm

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Pussycat Playground Full Moon

Rabbit Ears (Usagi-Doshi)

Ribbon Lizard

Riyu Bunny

Seaside

Skater 1 (Frontal Pose)

The Longer The Drool, The Stranger The Brew My Dear (Installation View)

Two Fish

Year of the Dragon

LEARN MORE ABOUT LENNIE MACE

DR. FLOTSAM & THE CARNY BASTARDS

Daniel — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:10:27 +0000

Mike Shine Solo Exhibition |

Mike Shine is a Bay Area artist who creates paintings, installations and performances that involve the viewer as participant. His influences have been described as “Nordic mythology, Teutonic philosophy, Kubrick, PT Barnum, Absinthe, and his wife.” At the center of his installations stands Pyotr Flotsam, the dark, enigmatic, Mephistophelean ringleader, who seems to be collecting souls in exchange for fulfilling dreams. His show at 111 Minna will explore the characters that surround Flotsam in his travels; The Carny Bastards. Spanning centuries and geographies, the ragtag collection of souls are a mix of gods and mortals, beauty and beasts. The work will be a follow up to Shine’s show at the SF Outside Lands in august, offering an in-depth look at the world of Dr. Flotsam.

Shine has created installations for SFMOMA, the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, Laguna Art Museum, 941 Geary, and is a repeat artist performer at SF Outside Lands.

http://vimeo.com/29826915 (Outside Lands 2011)
http://vimeo.com/15823487 (941 Geary)
http://vimeo.com/4638871 (Stacy Peralta Shack documentary)
Shinelounge.com

SEPTEMBER EXHIBIT

Daniel — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 23:24:30 +0000

NEW WORKS by JUSTIN LOVATO & SCOTT GREENWALT |

Collider

Scott Greenwalt
Scott Harrison Greenwalt was born in St. Louis, Missouri 1974. He is currently operating from within the bowels of a former casket factory in a particularly strange neighborhood in West Oakland, California. Built upon the kind of implausible logic that operates in the realms of cartoons and science-fiction, Greenwalt’s work depicts a glimpse into another dimension where familiar forms take on alien qualities.

Matter

Justin Lovato
Justin Lovato is a working painter from Sacramento. He currently resides in Berkeley, California. He creates dreamlike, ethereal landscapes that reflect his thoughts on nature and our relation to it, human belief systems, the psycho-political-control system, multidimensional concepts, and esoteric symbolism.

His work has been shown throughout the world in cities including Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles CA, Miami FL, Washington DC, New York and Moscow, Russia. A self taught artist, Lovato’s method is more instinctive than learned and more evolved than trained. Through the use of visual communication Lovato applies contrasting opposites, creating an illustrative narrative that aims to capture the movement of ideas and philosophy, people and the detachment from the systems within which we are confined, exploring the ideas of passing and dissolving memory, experience, dreams and expansion of awareness through a personal image mythos mixed among archetypal esoteric symbolism that draws from our past and collective human experience.

LETHAL INJECTION | August

Daniel — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:19:43 +0000

On display until September 15th.

Visit the artshop

Robert Bowen, Isaac Pierro, Philip Lawson & Nicolas Giraud |
Including featured portraits by Jason Mitchell & Stacey Ransom |

The Lethal Injection show opened on the 3rd to rave reviews and a packed house all night long. If you weren’t able to attend the opening make sure you make it down to review this extensive and beautifully crafted exhibition. Lethal Injection will be on display in Zappa until Sept 1st and the 2nd St. portion will remain on display until Sept. 15th.

Aptly titled, this exhibition displays the severe imagery and extensive work ethics of two local San Francisco artists, Robert Bowen and Isaac Pierro as well as the tediously dedicated, Nicolas Giraud, who hails from Toulouse, France. Although these three artists practice a variety of artistic mediums successfully, they primarily focused on delivering paintings for the Lethal Injection exhibition, but special guest artist, Philip Lawson created sculpture consisting of cast resin AK47's.

A Magnificent Shame, Budd

Acid Rider

Alice in Hollywood

Aliens and Monstas

American Ghetto

Aquatic Sabertooth Tiger

Banshee

Butcher

Centaure Megaloblaste – Print

Charity

Colonel Crooked Face Caruthers

Dead Polar Bear With Butterfly Wings

Deda Mutant Sponge

Ether Bunny

Faith

Forgiveness

Fortitude

Ganesha

Gentleness

Hider 3

His Hat Looks Like A Shark Fin

Justice

Keeper Of The Flame

Love Pours In

Lucky Strike

Lucky Strike 15 Turtle Power

Lucky Strike 3 Chambers

Lucky Strike 4

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Lucky Strike 6, Turbulence

Lucky Strike 7 Reef Baby

N.I.M.H.

Piece Of My Heart

Portrait Of The Artist, Robert Bowen, “If You’ve Made Your Peace, The Nose Bleed Is Really A Rainbow”

Prudence

Purple Rain

Saint Suicide Sally

Showdown

Sincerity

Sweet Stuff

Swine Flew

Thunder Clap

Touche Tes Index

Ugly Trooper

Untitled

Voir Midi A Sur Porte

Zebra Keeper

Zoinks

Robert Bowen

The bastard son of 1000 maniacs, Robert Bowen is a San Francisco based artist who watched entirely too much t.v. as a kid. A connoisseur of bad habits and collector of all things wrong, this “artist” feels it is his duty to bombard you with whatever inane and juvenile imagery falls from his hand. Hell bent on world domination, he pauses only occasionally for Mexican food and Lindsay Lohan movies.

“Robert Bowen’s work is a strange, swirling brew of colorful contradiction that is not easy to define or even understand, but that seems quite the point. Throughout his body of work, Bowen takes familiar iconography and handily corkscrews it with his own unique brand of humor and distinct painting style. Bowen’s ability to reappropriate contradictory symbols into unsettling situations puts him in league with greats like Ron English, and Andy Warhol. He continues to walk the line between charming humor and blasphemous sarcasm with symbolic imagery that leaves the viewer both curious and confused.” -Stacey Ransom | PUREBRED

RANSOM & MITCHELL | http://ransommitchell.com

Director-photographer Jason Mitchell and set designer-photo illustrator Stacey Ransom create highly-detailed and visually-lush photographic portraits & scenarios. Their work is narrative in nature and draws upon the darker undercurrent that exists within all aspects of society. They aim to create worlds that cannot exist, through a unique combination of cinematic lighting, theatrically designed sets and an illustrative approach that is inspired by the Italian and Dutch Master painters. Their meticulous mind-set and skills were honed in their years of working on motion picture films and they still often create short films to accompany their photo works. Their debut solo show will be at Varnish Fine Art opening September 8th and running through October 27th, 2012.

Nicolas Giraud

Between innocence and darkness, 100Taur’s work explores the allure of difference and imperfection, by creating a world inhabited by fantastical creatures, half human-half animal hybrids, deformed, tarnished, where every detail is a tribute to the etching’s caption « the sleep of the reason produces monsters », made by the spanish painter Francisco de Goya in 1799.

There’s in 100Taur’s work an assumed fascination for monsters, even a claimed sympathy. Its aim is to dispute the idea of standardization, and to reveal that any standard is monstrous itself.

“Through my childish eyes, I invent nightmare creatures in order to make them my imaginary confidents. I love to pay a particular attention to the tiny details of the backgrounds, offering to my creatures a rich and colorful universe, inspired by mythological descriptions in literature, japanese icons… We must not forget that ‘monstrum’, means, in Latin, a miracle, an incredible thing, also a show. Wonderful, horrible or disgusting. It’s what it’s necessary to see and to show.”

Behind every drawing, painting, sculpture or installation, a story is waiting to be discovered.

100Taur was born and works in 1982 in the south of France. He has always cultivated a deep curiosity for nature and he find his inspiration in mythology, curiosity cabinets, religious icons, comics, fantastic literature and B movies.

Isaac Pierro

“Most of my work is story based with themes of love, heartbreak, drugs and music. Even the character portraits I do usually have a specific story behind them. Most of my inspiration comes from emotions I have about experiences in the past, present, and also aspirations for the future. My work has a heavy tattoo influence as I am also a tattoo artist.”

Philip Lawson

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida in 1991 and a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with an emphasis in Art Therapy from Notre dame de Namur University in California in 2001.

His eclectic approach to making art has included scoring films, producing music videos, and working in a variety of other media, from painting and sculpture to photography and ceramics.

Philip Lawson has recently returned to the bay area and has his studio on Alameda Island located between Oakland and San Francisco.

Weapons of Light

“My reasoning behind the series “Weapons of Light” is not to glorify the gun but use it’s form as a vehicle to communicate an idea. Weapons of Light are a conceptual series representing peaceful solutions to resolving conflicts.”

The series being shown at 111 MINNA Gallery are representative of the seven Virtues.

Originally the concept for this series came from observing the major conflicts of this century and the end of the last. These conflicts are marked with divisiveness, intolerance and religious fanaticism. The assault rifle is the preferred form of communication between them. I have attempted to transform the same weapon and send a peaceful message. These sculpture are an effort to remind us that the three major religions have a common origin: Abraham. From this one person came Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

These Weapons are cast in resin from the rifle created by Automat Kalashnikov in 1947. The iconic AK47.

SHINKANSEN CONSPIRACY | July

Daniel — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 23:54:06 +0000

Artwork available in the artshop

Publishing the art, writing and photography of the underground for over 40 years

Last Gasp is one of the largest and oldest publishers and purveyors of underground books and comics in the world, celebrating its 41st year in business. Over the years we have published, and in some cases brought to light, some of the most respected and talented artists working today, including R. Crumb, Justin Green, Bill Griffith, Mark Ryden, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Frank Kozik, Todd Schorr, Winston Smith, Spain, Robert Williams, and countless others. Today, we publish 12-20 new titles per year, focusing on ‘lowbrow’ and ‘pop surrealist’ artists, as well as graphic novels and pop culture titles. We also distribute all sorts of weird ‘n’ wonderful subversive literature, graphic novels, tattoo, and art books, supplying them to bookstores and art galleries on six continents.

Featured artists: Rogelio Martinez, Mark Bode, Isabel Samaras, Lee Harvey Roswell, Mark McCloud, Shawn Barber, Justin Green, Michael Hernandez de Luna, Clayton Bros, Jennybird Alcantara, Wilfred Satty, Kevin Taylor, Nicole Buffett, Junko Mizuno, Nora Rodriguez, David Choong Lee, Henry Lewis, Jay Howell, Don Ed Hardy, Doug Hardy, Horitaka, Hal Robbins, Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Paul Mavrides & Kyotaro.

American Gardner

Astrum

Bleed

Bros Ancestor 2

Bros Ancestor 3

Bros Ancestor 4

Bullet Train

Creep Club

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Deranged 1

Elis

Evil Wizard and Wicked Child

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Gorey Style Fur

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High Five Myself

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King Chrome

Loco Lizard and Broad

Lolita Gothic

Lolita Sweet

Multitude of Dudes

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Natura Dominata

Nurse Mercy

Portrait of the Artist Jeff Rassier

Portrait of the Young Richard Rainin

Salmon Spirit

Skull and Friends

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Street Dog

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Sun Moon Couple

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Swastika on Parade

The Backscratchers

The Greae

The Porridge Eaters Baby

The Porridge Eaters Goldy

The Whale Construction II

Top Hat Grim and Buddy

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Train 893

Two Hits of Rons Last Gasp

Where the Wolf Leads

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Ron Turner founded Last Gasp in 1970. Our first publication, Slow Death Funnies #1, came out on the first Earth Day, April 15, 1970. Subsequent comics included the all-women’s comic It Ain’t Me Babe and Skull Comics. Turner’s enthusiasm for underground comics–in particular their autobiographical aspect–has been the driving force behind many groundbreaking publications. Last Gasp published Justin Green’s highly acclaimed confessional Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary in 1972, a book that became an inspiration to many artists now working in the autobiographical style. “Art Spiegelman, who won the only Pulitzer Prize for cartooning, has said he would never have started to do the autobiographical story of his family (in the graphic novel Maus) unless Justin had done it first. And Robert Crumb said the same thing,” said Turner. Read the whole story.

Last Gasp books have been glowingly reviewed in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Playboy magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Juxtapoz magazine, the Guardian, Hi-Fructose magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Austin Chronicle, American Book Review, and the Los Angeles Times. Last Gasp was named “Best Local Publisher” in 2009, 2010, and 2011 by readers of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Our offices are located in the Mission District of San Francisco.

Here’s an awesome in depth and visual perspective of RON TURNER, the founder of Last Gasp:
http://thebolditalic.com/Sasha_Darling/stories/1531-comic-book-hero-

Nurse Mercy

From a very popular WWI tattoo design, The Rose of No Man’s Land. Here the curtains (field hospital tent?) part to show a composite goddess. Her face is blue like the Hindu Kali, creator and destroyer. The calligraphy in upper right is the siddam, script for Kannon, the Japanese goddess of mercy. Her sanskrit mantra Hail! Jewel in the Lotus is on the ribbon below accompanied by five kisses. This mantra signifies the greater consciousness incipient in every being, ready to be nourished. The flower emerges through a tattoo-like cut in the skin”. Tied to her are votive figures made of her same essential thorns. They have buried the hatchet, the war is over. The sky is a mass of whirlwinds drawn in traditional Japanese tattoo style. A golden Jacob’s ladder reaches down from heaven.

—D.E. Hardy, 1995

111 Minna partners with Empty Kingdom

Daniel — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 01:24:12 +0000

111 Minna Gallery is proud to announce that it has formed a creative partnership with Empty Kingdom, one of the leading contemporary art blogs in the world, so as to offer patrons and artists a more dynamic and comprehensive presentation of all things art related. Hosted art exhibitions will consistently feature video footage of artist interviews and studio visits as well as live coverage of art openings beginning with our August 2012 show, Lethal Injection, featuring Robert Bowen, Isaac Pierro, Nicolas Giraud & Philip Lawson opening Friday, August 3rd.

111 Minna Gallery collectively supports Empty Kingdom’s mission to share art across all corners of the earth and bring all global cultures together through a mutual love for great art.

Get familiar with emptykingdom.com and enjoy the visual flavor of their creative team. Until then, check out the following spotlights:

http://www.emptykingdom.com/main/featured/gallery-spotlight/

http://www.emptykingdom.com/main/featured/mike-shankman-interview/

http://www.emptykingdom.com/main/featured/ek-interview-john-wentz/

EK Interview: Mike Shankman

Daniel — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:55:20 +0000

Written by Bunnyman |

Here’s what I know about Mike Shankman. He’s a hard working dude. He is patient. He’s talented. He loves painting deeply. I’m not sure if there’s anything else I need to know. Oh, and I do also know his paintings are a real treat in person! He is currently solo-showing at the prolific 111 minna gallery, so check it out if you’re in the area! You won’t be disappointed.

Where are you from and what do you do?

I grew up in Boulder, Colorado. I currently do many things; aside from being an Artist, I am a dad, a husband, and a working stiff. My son, Nash, just turned 18 months old and my wife and I are gearing up for a new baby in November. One thing I don’t do much anymore: sleep.

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT EMPTY KINGDOM

The Art of Mike Shankman

Daniel — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:08:39 +0000

Written by Nastia Voynovskaya / Hi-Fructose Magazine |

Recently at 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco, Mike Shankman opened his solo exhibit “Superstructure,” a series of large-scale paintings where the artist converts hard, industrial urban landscapes into flurries of color. Dusty pinks, subdued blues and neutrals dominate each canvas; the softened geometric shapes seem to almost melt into one another. Shankman uses a color palette reminiscent of 19th century Impressionism, but instead of capturing high society or the natural world, he concentrates on the vestiges of civilization. His structures are abandoned and demolished, no longer of use to mankind, yet they appear incomprehensible and sublime like incredible natural phenomena. Take a look at some of the works in the show, images courtesy of the artist.

Read the entire article…

SUPERSTRUCTURE | June

Daniel — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:25:04 +0000

Mike Shankman Solo Exhibition | Reception Photos

111 Minna Gallery proudly presents “Superstructure.” This impressive solo exhibition by artist, Mike Shankman marks his first show with 111 and features his latest oil paintings of urban decay and weathered architecture, which clearly reflect his penchant for painterly brush strokes that confidently display his understanding of the medium, the importance of technical application and the power and utilization of sharp color contrasts.

Mike Shankman has shown his work nationally and internationally, including 2010 shows at the Riverside Art Museum and Joshua Tree National Park, where he was Artist-in-Residence. His work has been featured in Harper’s Magazine, Guernica Magazine, Southwest Art, and New American Paintings.

From bright urban landscapes to dystopic wastelands, modern suburbs to ruined homesteads, Mike Shankman’s paintings explore cycles of collapse and regeneration, entropy and development. As part of this show, Shankman explores the innards of newly demolished interior spaces.

180 Degrees No 5

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5 gon

90 Degrees No 2

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Assemblage

Boardwalk

Brooklyn Wilderness

Canopy No 1

Canopy No 2

Dining Room

Dream Home

Exurb

Feast of Tabernacles

Gowanus Expressway

Hexie Afterlife

Hidden Machinery

House

Interstate

Mine

News from the War

Palm Springs

Paradise

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Pine Street

Plein Air No 11

Plein Air No 4

Prospector

Ross

Shell

Spilled Brushes

Superstructure

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To Nature

To Nowhere

Waterfront Ice

Xmas Tree Farm

SUPERSTRUCTURE Reception Photos

Daniel — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:23:35 +0000

ArtPad 2012 Photos

Daniel — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:42:39 +0000

SYNTHESIS | May

Daniel — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:02:17 +0000

John Wentz Solo Exhibition | Opening Reception Photos
Sponsored by emptykingdom.com | EK Interview: John Wentz | Hi-Fructose Magazine Review

“My process involves taking seemingly disparate images, which are derived from dreams and memories. These images are then synthesized on the picture plane to form a language or narrative. A systematic form of geometry is then used to give the pictures structure and unify the images giving them integrity with the rectangle that holds them.”

"In this new body of work I am viewing my own childhood through the lens of psychology and mythology. The images are a result of intense psychological exploration and automatic responses to memories and dreams of childhood. The settings are often bleak and somewhat dystopian representing the vastness of the human psyche. In continuing with the theme of the archetype, I am interested in the synthesis of the child with the archetype of the hero figure in both mythology and psychology." -JOHN WENTZ

1.618 Flamingo

1.618 Study

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Abandoning Idleness

Anima

Animus

Apotheosis

Bardo Thodol

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Colophon

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Concatenation

Crow

Crow 1.618

Crow in an Overlapping Root 5 Rectangle

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Flight

Genesis

Ghost

Into the Quiet

King of the Bardo State

Murder of Crows

Murder of Crows 1

Murder of Crows 2

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Murder of Crows 3

Murder of Crows 4

Murder of Crows 5

Owl 1.618 Red Yellow Blue

Siren

Sojourn

The Moment of Death

The Trapeze Artist

Vestigial

“Each individual component is viewed as a piece of vocabulary and when put together develop as language. Elements of comic books are used as the vocabulary of my youth while the predominantly achromatic figures allude to the psychological or dream state. The image of the crow is repeated as a symbol of a particular time of my youth. As a child, I regrettably hunted birds: shooting and burying them. They represent the cycle and ritual of birth, growth, discovery and death.”

EK Interview: John Wentz

Daniel — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:49:06 +0000

By the blind architect

John Wentz is a teacher at the Academy of Art in San Francisco with a perspective that all teachers would do well to adopt. As an artist he pushes the envelope, challenging the manner in which we, as a culture, view heroes, the idea of archetypes and the effect on future generations of depriving them adequate heroes and stories. His interview blew my mind. Read it.

Introduce yourself, what is your favorite, sandwich, have you ever died your hair, are you right or left handed? You know, the usual…

Howdy. I’m a native Californian born and raised in the Bay Area. Don’t know about a favorite sandwich, but I sure do like Mr. Pickles sandwich shop and it’s close to my studio. I’ve dyed my hair every color imaginable and I used to have dreadlocks down to my ass. Right handed because left handed is of the devil. I’ve been doing art most my life. I actually used to work in the art department for Tower Records back before the digital print explosion. My job was to reproduce record covers on a large scale.

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT EMPTY KINGDOM

ALL THE GO INBETWEENS | April

Daniel — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:22:07 +0000

Alec Huxley Solo Exhibition |
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | RECEPTION PHOTOS |

Alec Huxley continues to explore a wide range of subject matter through a detailed but softened figurative style. His creative skills were honed while drawing inspiration from living in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square and southern industrial neighborhoods. This combined with his love of light and shadow, the geometry of structures and spaces, as well as the innate and oftentimes enigmatic drama of life and art. A self-taught painter, he captures cinematic-like cityscapes and intimate, familiar interiors. Ghostlike figures wax and wane through the scenery and at other times, well-dressed men and women donning space helmets drift amongst the distinctive architecture of San Francisco. Working methodically through photographs, many works are filtered by a dominant color, contemplating the diffusion of light through each space.

After many years in the Pacific Northwest he recently transplanted to San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood. His background includes graphic design, photography, studies at The School of Visual Concepts and The Photo Center Northwest, both in Seattle, a BA from the University of Puget Sound and a career in the printing industry before committing to art full time in 2009. Alec is also the founder of Adult Flavored Pudding.

Alec Huxley anchors this body of work with his signature style of iconic and suit clad figures which seem to be suspended between dimensions or speak to ones consciousness slipping from reality to that of a lucid dream all the while traveling through and viewing these scenarios through the lens of a vintage space helmet. Conceptually, Alec’s subjects seem to be sourced from historical Americana and subcultures that exude a renegade ambience when remembered, like the beatnik movement or the whisky runners of the prohibition era. His ability to seamlessly overlap conceptual ideas, create a similar illusion like that of a locomotive resting on the ocean floor.

And That’s That

C’mon and Attract to What?

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Calm of the Storm

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Can You Sense the Impact?

Cook Your Little Souls

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Day of the Tarantula

Dusk of the Vulture

Eve of the Scorpion

Everything Can Change on a New Year’s Day

Exactly as I Remember

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Fillmore Sleeps

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I Remembered You Were Incredible

I Want More Life, Fucker

Just as I was Getting Used to…

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Mobile Park, Nite Park

Never Know When to Quiet Down

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Night of the Jackalope

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Nothing Left to See

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On the Edge of Grace

Plains Game II

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Princess Release

Restaurant Bar & Sluts (All the Go Inbetweens)

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Sing Loud for the Sunshine, Pray Hard for the Rain

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Something You Got

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Split Animus

The Beach

The Ferryman

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Way Back Then

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EK Spotlight: 111 Minna Gallery

Daniel — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:38:50 +0000

The first amazing gallery spotlight we’re shining is on 111 Minna Gallery, a San Francisco institution that has been around since 1993, specifically known for its focus on underground, low brow, edgy and often controversial art. Micah LeBrun, the curator of this laid back gallery, speaks with us about their selection process and the interplay between art as art, art as business, and the internet.

Hey Micah, can you tell us about the vision or philosophy behind the 111 Minna Gallery? Do you think it has or will change over time?

I think Eiming’s original vision was to provide a low-key, warm, non-pretentious and family oriented environment to patrons around art and music. He initially made the gallery a place that felt like home to him and offered that freely to the community. Over time, 111 Minna became a meeting place for local talent that included all types of artists, designers and musicians and would later grow to gain international acclaim among more underground and urban art scenes around the globe.

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW AT EMPTY KINGDOM

NEON KNIGHTS | March

Daniel — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:56:33 +0000

Featured artists: Henry Lewis & Lango Oliveira

Henry Lewis
As a tattooist, my painting work pokes fun at the social, cultural, and political issues in the tattoo community. I execute my ideas by deconstructing traditional Americana and “flash art,” giving new life to these antiquated images. For this body of work I am teaming up with a longtime brother in arms, Lango Olivera.

Lango Olivera
My artwork is made out of the necessity and urge to express myself outside of the tattooing world. With each piece I plunge into a new, unexplored dimension where fantastic beasts fight through mythological scenarios representative of the human experience. After years of working together in the tattoo shop, sharing a studio, and spending long nights seeking inspiration from heavy metal, Henry Lewis and I now join forces to see what hybrid creatures we can create.

Renowned tattoo artists, Lango Oliveira and Henry Lewis from the local San Francisco ink studio of Skull & Sword, have created an epic and powerful body of work for their latest exhibition, Neon Knights, which opened to a packed house of wowed viewers on March 2nd at 111 Minna Gallery. These rock star artists sold nearly half their work on opening night, so drop by the gallery or view the work in the art shop before it’s all gone.

Black

Blakonious Maximus

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Children of the Grave

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Children of the Sea

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Chondromalicious Oni Patella

Descaralhado Voador

Electric Eye

Good Times Oni

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Governor Island

Helm

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Kurikara Revenge

Lady Evil

Lonely is the World

Malone Called, Wants His Dragon Back

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Neon Knights

Night Crawler

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Pedra Do Bau

Rainbow in the Dark

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Reaper

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Ride Out

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RIPRJD

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Rock of Ages

Shiny Diamonds

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Solitude

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Stargazer

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The Arrival

The Baby

The Mob Rules

Warriorism

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Wraith

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Zoster

Henry Lewis

Daniel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:52:54 +0000

As a tattooist, my painting work pokes fun at the social, cultural, and political issues in the tattoo community. I execute my ideas by deconstructing traditional Americana and “flash art,” giving new life to these antiquated images.

Black

Blakonious Maximus

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Electric Eye

Helm

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Lady Evil

Lonely is the World

Neon Knights

Night Crawler

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Ride Out

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RIPRJD

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Rock of Ages

Shiny Diamonds

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Stargazer

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The Baby

The Mob Rules

Warriorism

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Wraith

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HARUM SCARUM

Daniel — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:32:11 +0000

Featuring: David Ball, Jesse Balmer & Katherine Brannock

Harum Scarum — Teaser #4: Translation from Shaun Roberts on Vimeo.

David Ball

David is a collage/ mixed media artist located in San Francisco. His interests range from observed relationship dynamics and social commentary to more introverted personal works, all in surreal, other-worldly landscapes driven by character and narrative. David creates both fine art and illustration works with the help of his talkative cat, Cho Cho and lots and lots of coffee.

Katherine Brannock (below)

ART WORKS AS AN AGENT,
COMBINING OUR SENSES IN WAYS THAT BROADEN
THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR EXISTENCE.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
TO COMMUNICATE WITH ART
FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF OTHERS,

AS I ATTEMPT TO UNCOVER AND UNDERSTAND
THE DIALOGUE THAT DEFINES
OUR TIME AND PLACE IN HISTORY.

WORK WAS DESIGNED FOR THE FUNCTION OF ALL PEOPLE
IN THE WAY A GEAR WAS DESIGNED FOR THE FUNCTION OF AN ENGINE.

WE ARE INTENDED TO CONDUCT AND CONSTRUCT OURSELVES
IN A WAY THAT PROPELS US FORWARD,
WHEREVER THE DESTINATION IS NECESSARY.

MY WORK CONSTRUCTS COMMUNICATION
FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING CONNECTIVITY.

REACHING TOWARD OTHERS ON A COMMON GROUND
IN ORDER TO IGNITE AN ATMOSPHERE OF EVOLUTION,
IS NECESSARY TO ME.

Jesse Balmer (below)

“I’m always trying to convey my general distaste toward civilized society’s planet-sized shit storm we get to look at and take part in every single day – and the inherent helpless feeling that comes with being one in 6.5 billion. I’m also interested in mortality, and whether or not I should think it sucks.”

http://jessebalmer.com/

Kelly Nicolaisen

Daniel — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:18:23 +0000

The photographs of Kelly Nicolaisen speak of her penchant for precise composition and extraordinary sense of color. On a higher plain than traditional photography, the painterly qualities present in her work, balanced by an apparent confidence within her creative process, are just a few reasons why she was chosen to be the sole photographer to conduct collaborations with fourteen artists, widely known as painters, but moreover for their consistent progression and iconic styles throughout the Bay Area, nation and internationally.

Almost There

Bingo

Circus

Doggie Treat

Drawing the Line

Geisha

Girl Under Board

Go Girl

High Tide

Let Me In

Let’s Boogie

Let’s Ride

Lucky Charms

Over the Fence

Peace

Red Guitar

Roll in the Hay

Shattered

Smoke Break

Snow Angel

Snow Queen

Spare Me

State of Mind

Table

Through the Woods I

Through the Woods II

Twisted Sister

Warm Up

BRAZIL IN THE SIXTIES

Daniel — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:08:05 +0000

Peter Solmssen began his career as a photographer for LIFE magazine, working with such photographic icons as Alfred Eisenstadt and Andreas Feininger. In the 1960’s, while serving for five years as an American diplomat in Brazil, he photographed and filmed the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador, capturing the very distinct personalities, cultures and people of these three very different communities.

While Rio and São Paulo are only some 200 miles apart, Peter found that moving from one to the other was like moving from one country to another. The climates, populations and activities are markedly different. Rio is the capital of “tropicalismo”, with life centered on the beaches and samba and a very fun-loving people. São Paulo is cooler, less colorful and focused on its role as a major industrial center. Peter felt that Rio wanted to be photographed in color, while São Paulo seemed to call for black and white. Each was tremendously stimulating in its own way, he found.

Peter concluded his long diplomatic career as Deputy Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural Affairs in the U.S. State Department, guiding major international cultural efforts such as the King Tut and Chinese Bronze Exhibitions. He became the founding President of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and continues as its President Emeritus.

Lango Oliveira

Daniel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:42:07 +0000

My artwork is made out of the necessity and urge to express myself outside of the tattooing world. With each piece I plunge into a new, unexplored dimension where fantastic beasts fight through mythological scenarios representative of the human experience.

Children of the Grave

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Children of the Sea

Sold

Chondromalicious Oni Patella

Descaralhado Voador

Good Times Oni

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Governor Island

Kurikara Revenge

Lady Evil

Malone Called, Wants His Dragon Back

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Neon Knights

Pedra Do Bau

Rainbow in the Dark

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Reaper

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Rock of Ages

Solitude

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The Arrival

Zoster

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Daniel — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:32:57 +0000

A group exhibition featuring the uniquely different styles of: Alphonzo Solorzano, Josh Lawyer, Wednesday Kirwan, Ryan Malley, Tim Dangaran, Crystal Sylver & Lindsey Kustusch

Crystal Sylver | csylver.com

Native to the San Francisco Bay Area, Artist and Designer, Crystal Sylver paints colorful, exotic women with a dark side and a secret. Using Oil and Encaustics on wood, her emotional and erotic figure paintings are an expression of life and beauty, inspired by Couture Fashion, dramatic costumes, color, and design. Her work is as refined as it is expressive.

Lindsey Kustusch

Lindsey Kustusch’s work is a study of observation, a perpetual search for balance between “realism” and the infinite abstract harmonies shaped by form, color, and space in which it’s created.

She’s inspired by the seemingly endless possibilities of paint and the city that she lives in. The streets of San Francisco have been a favorite subject of hers for years. Whether it’s drifting below the wires along an iconic SF street, the silhouette of a crow, or a Friday night arranged neatly behind the bar, the daily influences are impossible to ignore. Every encounter is reflected on the canvas.

“The Northern Raven found all over the bay area are one of my most favorite subjects to paint. They’re opportunists and survivors, a force of nature with a presence that commands respect.”

Each subject is engulfed with it’s own mood, executed with it’s own set of tools, resulting with a unique life of it’s very own.

Ryan Malley

Ryan Malley uses a decidedly realistic approach to spotlight subjects that we often overlook in our everyday life. These are the people and objects that create the world around us, sometimes literally. In our culture we are so often wrapped up in digital chatter that we don’t acknowledge the importance of these things that make life possible. Malley seeks to remind us that every thing has a story to tell.
Ryan was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his BFA from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco in 2003. Malley currently lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Wednesday Kirwan | photo credit: Purebred Studios

Wednesday Kirwan’s work plays on classic painting genres from turn of the century portraiture to pin-up art of the 50′s but with a whimsically dark twist on the subject. The female protagonists of her paintings display varying mixtures of comeliness and fierceness, interacting with the viewer, not as passive beauty to voyeur but as predator to prey. This current series is inspired by pop culture zombie films, a field rife for the exploration of the themes of beauty, decay, attraction and repulsion. Wednesday studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute and works in San Francisco as a fine artist and illustrator.

Alphonzo Solorzano

Alphonzo Solorzano is a visual artist whose current work can be traced to early ideas and themes found from his creative explorations as a child. His earliest drawing experiences would include comics, animation and endless drawing sessions with his 2 brothers. From these experiences, the use of graphic line work, typography, and the element of narrative would emerge as major components to many later works.
His current work is interested in creating objects that explore the relationship between early memory and its context on present day. These works provide a bridge that foster reflection, celebration, and understanding in these memories that exist independent of time. He hopes that they may serve as a vessel towards a state of time travel, to a place of childhood wonderment.

Alphonzo Solorzano currently resides in San Francisco where he continues to experiment with new medias that combine illustration, fabrication, three dimensional elements and other technologies.

Tim Dangaran

People often comment that my work looks like a photograph, and though I do use photographs as reference material, I don’t consider my work to be photorealism. As an artist I observe the unique details of the subject. I will deliberately omit undesirable effects and imperfections while enhancing those that I find important. My process begins when I take photographs for reference but my observation and interpretation of the reference photograph as I create the final art is what makes it unique. I do not draw what I see exactly. In fact I often use several photos in creating a single piece. My work is a combination of the information from the reference material and the emotions or feelings for the subject that are not captured through the lens. It’s the unique little details that I strive to capture in my art. I focus on those particulars of the subject that a camera cannot distinguish as important. The transformation results in art that cannot be created by a camera.

Joshua Lawyer

ZZZ???

Daniel — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:10:37 +0000

Solo Exhibition by Merkley???

like the zzz’s we catch when we check into the tripleZ hotel. that’s where all the fun shit happens, also the murderous shit and the shit where you are naked at work or on the bus. People sometimes say, merkley???, i’d give anything to have a brain that could go nuts and be ridiculous. I like to ask them for a few texts worth of details what they did last night while they were snoozing.

Yeah we all have brains like that. ALL OF US.

What I did last night + what she did last night = ZZZ???

BORN AGAIN (AGAIN)

Daniel — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:57:14 +0000

ROB REGER | solo exhibition | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | VIEW THE ART

Born Again (Again) is a transformative and figurative mixed and multi-media art exhibit featuring the collage work of Rob Reger.

Rob Reger – creator of Emily the Strange

The 3 STATES of BORN AGAIN (AGAIN)

Original collage state: (mortal, shortest life span, the child)
2D prints on wood and panel with original paint: (mortal, long life, sometimes larger than life, the adult)
Collage animation: (new spiritual life, digital, freedom, the spirit)

“Select areas of imagery are first dissected, then carefully brought back to life one connection at a time through the surgical practice known as collage. This life, as these frankensteined “originals,” is similar to childhood- finite in time that it exists, given the nature of the materials used. That childlike existence is then captured and brought into adulthood when I create a second life as these “characters” are re-imagined and printed and painted on wood. Finally, if their Creator is inspired enough by their previous existences, they make it into the spirit-world through film and animation. It is here they are finally allowed to move and have everlasting life. I am interested in taking these collages to a “larger than life” place by physically reproducing them on a large scale, and animating and projecting them. In the past, similar collage works have only been shown in small frames with a magnifying glass. Now the work will be accessible from anywhere in the room.”
-Rob Reger, artist

*SPECIAL GUEST: Winston Smith collaboration (1-3 pieces)

“I invited Winston Smith to collaborate on a few collages with me. [The] collages he created for the Dead Kennedys shaped how I created collages from an early age. Over the years, Winston has become a good friend, and continues to inspire me through his own work. I invited him to join with me to “play” God, and give new life to imagery we find worthy of the cause.”

Punk Surrealist Collage Artist Winston Smith first became famous for the logo and artwork he created for punk legends Dead Kennedys, and is more widely known for his Green Day album cover and his published work for magazines such as The New Yorker, Playboy, and Spin. Winston has designed over 60 album covers and most recently collaborated with recording artist Ben Harper for Harper’s Relentless 7 album “White Lies for Dark Times” (Virgin). Winston works on custom commissions and special projects from his North Beach Studio. To view more of his artwork please visit: WinstonSmith.com.

James Dirschberger is an independent animation and filmmaker who runs Eighty Four Films, a Los Angeles based production company. His goal is to create original films and animations through collaborative efforts with other emerging artists and filmmakers. To date James has produced over 75 films including the animated web series The Forest City Rockers, The Seafarers and Hot Garbage. His first feature film “Honest Man: The Life of R.Budd Dwyer” was release 2010. For more information, please visit EightyFourFilms.com

Biography

Born: Anaheim, CA, 1969
BFA, Printmaking, University of California Santa Cruz 1993
MFA, Printmaking, San Francisco Art Institute 1995
President of Cosmic Debris Etc., Inc.
Creator/Creative Director of Emily the Strange
Lives and works in Berkeley, CA

Solo Exhibitions

2011
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Born Again (Again)
La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Hollywood, CA, Encyclopedia of Hallucinations

2010
Switcheroo Gallery, Pasadena, CA, Facing Strange
Ooma, San Francisco, CA, Recent Paintings

2009
Varnish Fine Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Change of Strange

2008
Accident Gallery, Eureka, CA, Live? Strange!

2007
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Strange Beasts
Sistyr Moon, Hong Kong, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Jackal HQ, London, England, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Sydney, Australia, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Melbourne, Australia, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Brisbane, Australia, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show

2006
Colette, Paris, France, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
WWA Gallery, Culver City, CA, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Comic Con, San Diego, CA, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Neurotitan Gallery, Berlin, Germany, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Galleria The Arts New Italica, Milano, Italy, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
OSLO, Mekaniske Verksted, Oslo, Norway, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show
Shock, Gothenburg, Sweden, 13^th Anniversary Emily Art Show

2003
Emily/Tygun Store, Tokyo, Japan, Emily vs. Tygun
Matt Gonzalez Office, San Francisco City Hall, Recent Paintings

2002
The Hideout, Tokyo, Japan, Strange Art For Strange People

2000
Rite Spot, San Francisco, CA, World Premiere

1999
Rite Spot, San Francisco, CA, Short Stories
Rite Spot, San Francisco, CA, Recent Paintings

1998
Carmichael Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Humes

1997
Gallery Alafi, Albany, CA, Walls with Art

1996
Diego Rivera Gallery (SFAI), San Francisco, CA, Metamorphosis
- Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA, MFA Show

1995
Vesuvios, San Francisco, CA, City Scapes

1994
Center for Psychological Studies, Albany, CA, Worlds Apart

1993
Porter College, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA, BFA Show

1992
Café Stevenson, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA, Things I’ve Seen, Places I’ve Been

Group Exhibitions

2011
Gallery 27 (Brooks Institute affiliate), Santa Barbara, CA, One Night Stand

2010
Creative Growth, Oakland, CA, Strangerous
Gallery Extraña, Berkeley, CA, Art of Emily the Strange
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Excellent Condition
Gallery Extraña, Berkeley, CA, Show & Tell – My Summer Fantasy

2009
Varnish Fine Art Gallery, San Francisco , CA, Project Wrecking Ball
Smokey’s Tangle Gallery, Oakland, CA, Beatlenuts

2008
Harold Golen Gallery, Miami, FL, Subjective Reality
Fabric 8, SF, CA, Landmark Show
ArtHouse, McCallen, Texas, Before My Rushing Heart
Gallery Extraña, Berkeley, CA, Defiant Optimism
WWA Gallery, Culver City, CA, Where the Wild Art Is
Harold Golen Gallery, Miami, FL, Kaiju Monster Invasion: Miami

2007
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 20×20
Artistic License Benefit Show, Pasadena, CA

2006
111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 20×20
Gallery LeLe, Toys Save Children Benefit Show

2005
Rite Spot, San Francisco, CA, Strange Art for Strange People

1999
Mission Badlands/Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Balazo Group Show

1998
Mission Badlands/Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, CA, American Pie
Tomo Gallery, Arcata, CA, Land’s End
Artists Television Access (ATA), San Francisco, CA, Highwired

1997
Six Rivers Brewing Co., McKinleyville, CA, Figure 4