Mmmmm, yummy! From ceramics to collages, dumplings to beer… these are just a few of the pieces included in “Potluck”, a totally stacked group show opening at Hashimoto Gallery in San Francisco {804 Sutter St} this Saturday, June 29th from 6 to 9pm. I’ll give you one guess to figure out the theme:

“Inspired by community and connections created around food, this dynamic group show brings together artists working in ceramics, drawing, painting and beyond for a delicious exploration in our relationships with food.

Featuring 28 artists from the San Francisco Bay Area, nationally and internationally, [Potluck] includes a diverse range of experiences culturally, emotionally and conceptually. Drawing inspiration from the community created around gathering for a meal and the preparation of food, each artist brings unique memories and histories embedded in what we eat. Each piece offers the viewer a personal perspective of food, ranging from favorite dishes and places, intimate domestic scenes, celebratory occasions and nostalgic recollections.”

Featuring new works by: Laura Berger | Sarah Carolan | Jeffrey Cheung | Lauren Corden | Brian de Graft (1st shown above) | Amanda Dunham | Nicole Dyer | Dan Gluibizzi | Casey Gray | Liz Hernandez | Celia Jacobs | Sam Keller (3rd shown above)| Katie Kimmel | Ness Lee | Quentin Monge | Rebecca Ness | Kellie Orr | Hilda Palafox | Pedro Pedro | Petites Luxures | Joel Daniel Phillips | Stephanie H. Shih (4th shown above) | Jessica So Ren Tang | Lorien Stern (2nd shown above) | Anna Valdez (5th shown above) | Chelsea Wong | Joey Yu

ps. “Potluck”, curated by Dasha Matsuura, runs until July 20th, 2019.

Ahhh, Los Angeles. Sunny skies, palm trees, and freeways. These oil paintings are the work of British painter John Tierney. He lives and works in the UK, but his muse is LA… clearly.

“John Tierney lives in Durham City in the north east of England. He is a regular visitor to Los Angeles and most of his work takes as its subject matter the urban landscape of the city – the light in LA being of particular importance. Furthermore, the architecture of LA is, to put it mildly, seductively eclectic, taking in old and new iconic buildings and a whole range of small-scale, quirky establishments. 

Working in oils, the basic aim is quite straightforward: to create paintings that provide a strong sense of place, a feeling of what it is like to be there. He visits these various locations as, in a sense, an ‘outside’ observer, one who is fascinated by the differences between them and the urban and rural landscapes of the UK.”

John’s latest show, titled “Postcards from LA”, will be opening in – you guessed it – LA! Stop by Maddox Gallery {8811 Beverly Boulevard West Hollywood} one week from tomorrow: FRIDAY June 28th.

First of all … a Monchichi!? Oh my word, so many 1980s childhood flashbacks. Okay, let’s talk about these beautifully bizarre portraits by Los Angeles based painter Tasha Kusama, shall we? That perfectly painted hair, those dreamy sky-scapes, not to mention titles like “sometimes ima baby, sometimes ima tiger”… GOLD! Tasha’s work is part of a group show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in LA, titled CANNED HEAT, that opens on July 5th {8-11pm} and runs until July 28th, 2019.

What is a hero? Who should be called a hero? These are just a couple of the questions behind this series titled, yes, “Heroes”. This powerful portrait series is the work of New York born, South Africa based artist Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi. It’s a huge series of gorgeous portraits, but I was able to control myself and just picked a handful of my favorites. The people she has selected range from Thenjiwe’s own grandmother, poets and artists, to refugees and civil rights leaders. Powerful, moving, and beautifully painted.

Paintings. All of these are oil paintings… okay, I guess the woman folded on the canvas-looking couch might have given that away, but still, I’m amazed by people who can paint like this. In today’s case, that person is Vancouver based artist Cara Guri. She “re-examines conventions and symbols that are found in historical portraiture by translating them into her current reality.” Yes, yes she does… enter a post-it note mask, spectrum-covered eyes, and of course, the aforementioned folded couch lady. Stunning.

Haunting and beautiful… these watercolor paintings are the work of Chinese artist Mohan Shi (aka Momo). She also works with oil paint, but there is something sad and mysterious about these greyscale portraits that I cannot resist. Monday mood, perhaps? ; )

Um, what section should I put this in? Painting? Textiles? I’m going with BOTH! These paintings, woven from other paintings, are the work of Toronto based artist Elisabeth Heidinga. She paints the paintings, then uses a laser cutter to slice the various canvases into perfect thin strips, and then weaves them together. LOVE! The finished works are gorgeous, but can we talk about those big bunches of colorful strips of canvas before they’re even woven!? They need to be hung in giant knots beside their woven friends, yes? Yes!

Oooh, a beautifully painted peek into the life of Korean {California based} artist Paige Moon. Who needs Instagram when you can capture moments using acrylic on panel! Okay, Paige uses Instagram too, but it’s filled with painted snapshots instead. In fact, according to her lovely feed, that final piece is from an anniversary trip she and her partner took to Palm Springs. Yep, it’s Doug Aitken’s mirror house, aka “Mirage” as seen through Paige’s paintbrush. Love.

{Found via HeyThere Projects, Joshua Tree CA. ps. Their first show opens this Saturday, May 25 from 5-9m}

LOVE! I have written about German {Seattle based} artist Anne Siems so many times, but when I saw these new paintings I just had to circle back around. Get it? Circle? Okay, sorry – here are Anne’s words about this body of work:

‘We Are One’  follows the longing of my heart and the knowledge of my mind about the interconnected web of all life on earth. The deeper we come into contact with this knowledge not only abstractly, but with visceral experiencing, the more urgent need to be the actions we take to protect that Oneness.

When I returned in the fall to my studio I suddenly felt like something new had shifted. I started to depict young women again with transparent clothing, but they were clearly contemporary, sporting tattoos, purses and their hands had become animals. 

Something about this work feels like in these last 2 years I have come full circle – no pun intended – I have have incorporated many of the new abstract markings of early 2017, the bodies are clothed and back in lots of detail, their wardrobe contemporary with a ‘hip’ nod to the 60s and 70s, the time in which I grew up. These young women and children look at the viewer with confidence and possibly daring. You will not mess with them. They are both ‘woke’ and mysterious.

Beautiful.

ps. Anne was on my podcast in 2017. You can listen/look right here.

Mountains of bone-like ceramic tangles … if this work, by California based artist Laura Cooper, doesn’t  make you want to spend the weekend in the desert, well, I don’t what will. How’s that for a segue into the fact that these pieces will be part of the inaugural show at HeyThere Projects in Joshua Tree, California this Saturday, May 25 from 5-9 pm. A road trip to Joshua Tree + work by a whole bunch of amazing artists? You’re welcome. {Other artists in the show: Rob Clayton, Alejandra Fernandez and Carlos Ramirez}

HeyThere Projects is located near the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, and was initiated by intrepid artists and old friends Mark Todd and Aaron Smith … both of whom have been on my podcast! Their gorgeous new gallery showcases emerging and established artists in a setting surrounded by vast natural splendor. 

{Laura’s bio photo by Molly Haas}