Emerging Artist-SF Celebration of Craftswomen: Laura De Anna Davis

SD Gallery jewelry artist Laura De Anna will be participating in SF’s Celebration of Craftswomen event, where she has been selected as an “Emerging Artist.” Laura’s work will be available for sale during this event taking place over two weekends. Support female craftswomen and give the gift of art this holiday season.

Celebration of Craftswomen 2009 Event


TWO WEEKENDS: Saturday and Sunday
November 28-29 and December 5-6, 2009

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco


Fort Mason Center is located at Buchanan Street and Marina Blvd

For the past three decades, The Women’s Building Celebration of Craftswomen has allowed Bay Area residents, along with visitors to San Francisco from throughout the world, to discover the work of the nation’s best female artisans and fine artists.

The Celebration of Craftswomen is San Francisco’s largest holiday fine crafts retail fair, and the largest event celebrating the craft of women in the nation. The event is sponsored by and is a benefit for The Women’s Building, a community service center serving women and girls in San Francisco.

Featured at the Celebration of Craftswomen are contemporary and traditional handcrafted items, such as:


• Functional and decorative ceramic and glass vessels
• Sculpted wood and works of metal.
• Polymer clay, beaded, stone and precious metal jewelry
• Woven, painted silk, leather clothing and wearables
• Home furniture and accessories
• Fine art sculpture
• Photography
• Watercolor and oil paintings

The crafts fair will also offer live music, gourmet food, a benefit raffle, and a silent auction.

For more information about this event, please click here.

To see images of Laura’s work, please click here.

Lodi Memorial Hospital Installation by: Joseph Bellacera

Joseph Bellacera just finished installing this multi-paneled painting, "Fields of Light Over Lodi," for the Lodi Memorial Hospital. Below is an image of this beautiful installation and images of Joseph putting the finishing touches on his work.

"(The) Artwork depicts the aerial landscape from the surrounding area of Lodi. These agricultural patterns include marshes, orchards, vineyards, contour and straight set fields as well as irrigation canals and roadways."

- Joseph Bellacera on "Fields of Light Over Lodi".

Fields of Light Over Lodi, 5' x 26' x 8", wood, plexiglass, oil, acrylic, enamel and varnish

To see more of Joseph Bellacera's work through SD Gallery, please click here.

Behind the Scenes: Our Sign

We are settling into our new digs!

This afternoon Edward and his crew attached our Solomon Dubnick sign to our gallery facade. Here are a few pictures as the sign was being installed. Please stop by and see it for yourself...and of course, come inside to enjoy the art!

Wayne Jiang Exhibition: "Everyday San Jose"- Leonard and David McKay Gallery, Pasetta House

Everyday San José: Paintings by Wayne Jiang November 27, 2009 - May 30, 2010 Leonard & David McKay Gallery at the Pasetta House, History Park 1650 Senter Road, San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 287-2290 Saturdays & Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm Public opening: Friday, November 27th, 2009 11am- to 4pm Meet the Artist: Wayne Jiang will be giving tours through the exhibit December 5th, 11:30am and 1:30pm at the Heritage Holiday Event

For more information regarding this exhibition, please click here. To see Wayne Jiang's works through SD Gallery, please click here.

2 New Camille VandenBerge Sculptures

Camille VandenBerge brought in two fanciful pieces last night to incorporate into her show, The Om in Mom- Ordinary Miracle, currently on view.

Please stop by this evening during Second Saturday and see these animal friends in person!

Lucky Dragon, 2009, 30.25" x 7.5" x 22", Ceramic. $7,000

Wall Hooter, 2009, 6.5" x 8" x 3.5", Ceramic. $980

Small Treasures Show Sneak Peek: Laurie Winthers

WATER BECOMES PAINT

OCEAN GENTLY ROLLING IN

PAINT BECOMES WATER

-Laurie Winthers

Laurie is working on a new series of paintings using liquid acrylics on cradled clayboard panel. They still represent the land and the sea, but are somewhat more abstract.

Look for Laurie's new work to be featured in SD Gallery's Small Treasures Show December 10th- 12th in our new Annex space and at the upcoming Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento's annual fundraiser auction on November 21st.

To view more of Laurie's work through SD Gallery, please click here.

Behind the Scenes: Garr Ugalde- Three Graces

SD Gallery sculpture artist Garr Ugalde is busy creating an amazing bronze installation of the Three Graces for the front of our gallery. Mike was able to visit the Art Foundry today where he took this shot of one of the bronze graces being processed with patina. We are eager to install these lovely ladies soon!

Square Cylinder Profile: Peter VandenBerge by David Roth

David Roth of squarecylinder.com has profiled Peter VandenBerge on his online website. For a link to the actual article please click here. Peter VandenBerge's Usual Suspects exhibition will be on view until November 28th at SD Gallery.

Profile: Peter VandenBerge

Posted on 11 November 2009

At CSUS Annex Gallery with "Ace", 2007, ceramic 15" x 32" x 9.5". Photo: David M. Roth

Behind the Scenes: Installation Assistance- Chris Botta

Ever wonder how we get our shows set up every month? Alan Dismuke, our Gallery Director lays out the exhibition and with the help of Chris Botta, the two of them get busy lifting, moving and installing the show. Chris Botta is an amazing help and a wonderful guy. Thanks Chris for all your help!

Mr. Chris Botta

Camille VandenBerge- The Om in Mom- Ordinary Miracle

Today: Art on the Wildside (Shasta Wildlife Rescue)- Fred Gordon

Ceramic artist, Fred Gordon, will be participating today in "Art on the Wildside," in Anderson, CA. Art on the Wild Side is a fund raiser to be held for Shasta Wildlife Rescue at Shasta County's new eco-friendly hotel. This event hosts talented artists of the North State with an emphasis on artwork of wildlife and their environment.

All proceeds from the Art On The Wild Side fund raiser go directly to buy food, medical supplies, and other items for the treatment and care of our animals until their release back to their natural habitat.

Fred's ceramic fish are always a fun gift for animal lovers and art collectors. Please stop by this event if you are in the area. For more information please click here. To view Fred's work through SD Gallery, please click here.

Maija Peeples Bright Paintings!

We recently got our hands on some fun art for resell. These two brilliant paintings below are by Maija Peeples Bright. We wanted to give you the first look here.

Emuthiasm, Oil on Canvas, 1988, 14" x 18" $600

Fern-for-All, Oil on Canvas, 1987, 29.75" x 24" $900

We'll have some more various resells to post shortly, so stay tuned!

John Tarahteeff: 2 New Works!

John Tarahteeff just walked in a moment ago with two new paintings. These were out of the area before John's last show- Seaworthy, BUT they are here now. Come by to view these beauties!

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter, Acrylic on Canvas, 2009, 38" x 24" (sold)

Our Town, Acrylic on Canvas, 2009, 28" x 36.75"

Special Workshops and Exhibitions: John Tuomisto Bell

Bronze figurative sculpture artist, John Tuomisto Bell currently has two exhibitions and upcoming workshop events happening in Arizona. Pouring bronze with John would be an amazing opportunity! Details below.

"Faces" -- Explore a wide range of artistic and scientific approaches to exploring faces, including traditional portraiture to contemporary renderings and the technical understanding of the human face in new media and science. At the Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe Arizona thru February 2010. John has 9 pieces in this show.

“Fire in the Night”, A foundry and Art exhibition to be held at the Night Gallery in Tempe Center for the month of November. This show is in conjunction with the American Foundry Societies annual conference held in Tempe Arizona this year. The show is co-sponsored by Arizona State University and Scottsdale Community College.

"Night pour", bronze pour, studio tour, presentation on casting bronze @ Tuomisto Bell Studio Foundry, Phoenix Arizona, November 10, 6 pm for Creative Connect, a group dedicated in bringing creative people together.

"Artists and Small Casting Foundries: Making a living in a volatile and global market", presentation by John Tuomisto-Bell at the AFS (American Foundry Society) 2009 Art Casting Conference at the Four Points by Sheraton in Tempe, AZ / The School of Art – Herberger College of the Arts at Arizona State University, November 12-13, 2009.

Please contact John for workshop information: John Tuomisto Bell and to see John's works through SD Gallery please click here.

Gary Dinnen, Maureen Hood and Ken Kalman Exhibition- 3 More Days

There are 3 more days available for you to view our current group show.

Please stop by SD Gallery to see these works in person.

*Click the links for images.

Gary Dinnen - Kiln Treats

Gary Dinnen, The Thinker, Ceramic, 34.5" x 23" x 13, 2009 $2600

Maureen Hood- PostCards

Maureen Hood, Composition in Red, Blue, and Black, Mixed Media on Canvas, 2009, 30" x 24" $2400

Ken Kalman- Objects Mapped and Riveted

Ken Kalman, Fingernail Clipper, Aluminum Sheet, Rivets, Paper, 2009, 10" x 16" x 30" $3000

Jeff Nebeker's Rootbeer Floats!

Today we had a special treat- a visit from Jeff Nebeker and 2 of his ceramic rootbeer floats! Each of these delights made us smile. If you are addicted to sweets, Jeff's new ceramic works are a calorie free alternative. Who doesn't want a rootbeer float that won't make your hips big and can offer some fun to your art collection? Thanks Jeff for the visit and the fat free treats!

Jeff Nebeker, Ceramic Rootbeer Floats - $200 each.

Jessica Dunne's New Book Available Now- Craft: Shaping a Surfboard

SD Gallery Artist Jessica Dunne has recently released, Craft: Shaping a Surfboard. Jessica's etchings are featured in this beautiful book that merges Jessica's imagery and text from Dave Parmenter, the surfboard creator himself. Please take a look at this link for more information: Craft by Jessica Dunne

Jessica Dunne, Hose
Three-plate spit-bite aquatints, 6 x 6 inches, 2009

Jessica Dunne, Skil

Three-plate spit-bite aquatints, 6 x 6 inches, 2009

From the book Craft: Shaping a Surfboard 2009, eight spit-bite aquatint etchings and letterpress, 17 pages, 13 ” x 12”

The idea of putting words with images to create an interaction between them has always fascinated Dunne. This is her first artist book after years looking for the appropriate text. Dunne’s father, Philip Dunne, was a screenwriter, and her grandfather was Finley Peter Dunne, the political satirist. With this background, she realized that to put words and images together required the right text. She found that text in the writings of Dave Parmenter.

Dave Parmenter is a renowned surfboard shaper, writer, and former professional surfer. He writes personally—and often furiously—about shaping boards, surfing, and contemporary surf culture. In his dedication to his craft, Dunne found something akin to her feelings about her own work. His article in The Surfer’s Journal about shaping a surfboard, with all the considerations that make it function in dangerous situations, is excerpted in this book.

Dunne grew up in Malibu, and her partner of many years, Mark Renneker, is a devoted big-wave surfer. She has lived for years with as many as forty-five surfboards of varying lengths and silhouettes. She is not a surfer, however. But it wasn’t the sport of surfing that caught her attention as being the motive for shaping a surfboard. The craftsmen involved in the task, their tools, and the terminology all fascinated her: the shaper, the glasser, a downrail.

The craftsman holding out against technology and mechanized efficiency is a driving force in the author’s monologue. And the prints evoke the working environment of the surfboard shaper. People involved in fine crafts have more in common than not. Since the industrial revolution began, craftsmen have been skulking around, sensing, and maybe enjoying, impending obsolescence.

Craft consists of blocks of text excerpted from the article “A Shaper’s Fugue,” originally published in The Surfer’s Journal 13:4. Each page of text faces a spit-bite aquatint etching. Each of the eight etchings was created at Eastside Editions in San Francisco. The spit-bite aquatint is a technique of painting acid on an aquatinted plate to produce rich and soft tones. Dunne is well known for her spit-bite aquatints in black and white. In this project, however, she created color prints using multiple plates.

This book is about shaping a surfboard, but it is also a tribute to craftsmen, including those who contributed to the book itself: Dave Parmenter the writer, David Avery the etching printer, Jonathan Clark the typesetter and letterpress printer, and the binder Klaus-Ullrich S. Rötzscher, at Pettingell Book Bindery.

I spent a lot of time nosing around in Dave’s San Luis Obispo shaping-shack when he wasn’t there, ogling the strange tools and stranger claustrophobic space. Then I watched him shape a board and envied his skill. A painting or print does not have to perform physically, as does a board, but the pressure on Dave to create a perfect object, his ability to create this great curvilinear shape out of a hunk of foam that will also withstand the force of a large wave, was humbling.
–Jessica Dunne

Jian Wang at Capital Public Radio

Currently on view at Capital Public Radio:

Jian Wang, "A Chinese Painter in California"

Jian Wang, Beach Scene, 2001, Oil on Canvas, 48" x 72"

Courtesy of Solomon Dubnick Gallery

Capital Public Radio

7055 Folsom Blvd

Sacramento, CA 95826

916-278-8900 capradio.org

Capital Public Radio is located on the south side of the Sacramento State campus, on the corner of State University East Drive and Folsom Blvd.

Ceramic Pets Looking For Good Homes

Kiln Treats by Gary Dinnen

10/8-10/31/09

Gary Dinnen has created a wide variety of ceramic pets for his current show Kiln Treats. There are dogs, cats, and other little guys that all need good homes. They don't require their shots, cleaning up after, and they'll always be around to keep you company! Come by and pick out your own Dinnen pet or one for someone you love. These guys need good homes!

Take a look at this link for more images: Gary Dinnen Kiln Treats

New Jewelry by Laura De Anna Davis!

Our wonderful jewelry artist Laura De Anna Davis has just finished some new stylish pieces. Laura creates unique hand crafted sterling silver jewelry that incorporates a variety of stones and materials. Laura's work will be featured in our December show- Extraordinary Objects.

Please take a look at her site to learn more about Ms. Laura and her unique designs.

http://www.lauradeanna.com/biography.html

Our Current Exhibition: Gary Dinnen, Maureen Hood, and Ken Kalman

Gary Dinnen- Kiln Treats

Maureen Hood- PostCards

Ken Kalman- Objects, Maps and Riveted

October 8-31, 2009

Gary Dinnen, Surpassing Understanding, 2009, Ceramic, 47.5" x 21" x 20 - $3200.

Maureen Hood, 2009, Shop Girl, Mixed Media on Canvas, 32" x 50"- $5600.

Ken Kalman, Bi-Plane, 2008, Aluminum Sheets, Rivets and Paper, 60" x 24" x 8"- $3000.