Red Branches 1, 2 & 3

Seeing Thea Schrack’s work at the Hunter’s Point Open Studios was a highlight of the day. In her latest works, her excellent photography has been married with encaustic painting to create poetic meditations on nature with a touch of the ancient. Schrack frequently crops her subjects and arranges them in groupings, creating a rhythmic abstraction. The encaustic technique enhances her play on the in focus and out of focus areas.

Red Spheres 1, 2 & 3

To see more of Thea's work, visit her Web site at: www.theaschrack.com

String of Pearls (Triptych)
36" x 48", oil and bronzing powder on canvas, by Ivy Jacobsen

Ivy Jacobsen’s paintings unfold in spontaneous lines and rhythmic, silhouetted forms. Inspired by the decorative arts, her paintings have an aura of magic and nostalgia that capture the imagination.

To see more of Ivy Jacobsen’s work, please visit her Web site at www.ivyjacobsen.com

left: Diptych “Life-f”, 98" x 48"
Acrylic, charcoal, pastel, oil and mixed on panel

top right: Series “Winterreise”- c, 32" x 24"
Mixed medium on panel

bottom right: “Light, mist & whisper”- a, 48" x 72"
Oil, resin, acrylic, pastel, charcoal & mixed medium on panel

Mirang Wonne was the first artist we wanted to see from the San Francisco Open Studios weekend at Hunters Point Shipyard. Her facility for line work attracted us to her garden of bare trees and ancient flowers.

Following is a quote from Mirang’s artist statement:
“This is the image of the “life” I see. To me, life seems like just a short dream or a never-ending illusion. I try to depict this through my art. Sometimes life is so beautiful that it blinds my eyes. I see extraordinary energy around me. Then at one blink of an eye, whole pictures disappear into abstract blankness. I can no longer see the petals, colors and sunshine. All I see is emptiness and a memory of what was once there. I see the instantaneousness of life.”

“Oh, life: A mighty mystery and constant misery… but then, why are you so beautiful?”
– By Mirang Wonne

Visit Mirang Wonne’s Web site at www.mirangwonne.com

The first weekend in May brought the semi-annual San Francisco Open Studios at Hunters Point Shipyard. For those uninitiated, years ago, Hunters Point was a naval shipyard in the Southeastern corner of San Francisco, fronting the bay. In 1974, the Navy closed the shipyard and leased much of the land to a commercial ship repair company. Nothing much happened in the area for many years and the site deteriorated. Beginning in 1980, existing buildings were renovated and artists started occupying the raw spaces.

Many times over the years since the artists moved in, there have been threats to the artists leases. Now the Navy is transferring the Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, but there is still some uncertainty about how the artists spaces will figure in the redevelopment plans. There are two propositions on the June 3, 2008 ballot that will affect the redevelopment. See article in the SF Chronicle about the propositions, and check out www.thepoint.com to see more about Hunters Shipyard.

During San Francisco’s Open Studios, art lovers have found the Hunters Point studios a great place to see many artists at one setting. There are over 250 artists on-site, with 160 artists showing their work this time around.

We took a tour of the studios on May 3rd, seeing as many artists as we could in one day. Amongst the next number of posts, we will feature artists from Hunters Point that we find inspirational.

Ruins
36.75" x 28.75", acrylic, oil stick, pencil on paper, by Bonnie Boren

We found these unique and artistic baskets at Circumference Imports in Healdsburg. They are handmade by a cooperative of women in South Africa by using recycled telephone wires. All pieces are one-of-a-kind. They are available in many different attractive patterns and colors.

To learn more, please visit their Web site.

Botanicals – The Viewfinder Collection, part II
Photography by Alicia Bock

Last month, we featured The Viewfinder collection, vintage photographs by Alicia Bock. It is such a charming collection, and we can't help but showcase it again. This time around, we've collected more from the same collection – feeling blue? Enjoy!

Visit Alicia's web site if you'd like to see more.