You Knew This Was Coming, at Park Life in San Francisco

Hello!!!

it is my great honor to have curated a small group show for one of my most favorite spaces in the country (yes- seriously!): Park Life, in San Francisco. the show is titled You Knew This Was Coming, and features the work of eight artists: Sahar Al-Sawaf, Sadie Barnette, Rich Bott, Mike Calway-Fagen, Thomas Helman, Vince Manganello, Clare Parry, and myself! the show turned out absolutely terrific, and i'm really excited for you all to see it.

the work is all loosely tied together with the concept of patterns: sometimes literally, as in the pattern paintings of Clare Parry, the processing utilized by Thomas Helman, or in the brickwork of my drawings and wall painting; at other points, "pattern" is more about the weaving of our social fabric- see the work of Sadie Barnette, Mike Calway-Fagen or Sahar Al-Sawaf. lastly, there's a hilarious grid comprised of the quasi-Warholian jam that is Rich Bott and Vince Manganello's collaborative collage/paintings, which poke fun at celebrities-turned-painters.

if you're in San Francisco, stop in and take a look at the show. talk to Jamie Alexander and Derek Song, Park Life's wonderful owners- they'll be sure to fill you in on all the interesting details of the show, their favorite San Francisco exhibitions, or the finer points SF Giants baseball!

at any rate, enjoy- and be in touch! i'd love to hear your thoughts!

and, uh.... get 'em while they're HOT!

-louis

p.s. the show runs through October 17, 2010. if you would like to see closer details or check the availability of specific works, please contact jamie@parklifestore.com, or myself: louismschmidt@hotmail.com.

click on the pics!

here's Jamie and wonderful artist-employee, Marina Luz:

you can see Rich & Vince's work from the street... it looks SO awesome!

Sadie Barnette's works on paper start off the clockwise rotation, followed by Thomas Helman's print, then the first of two paintings by Clare Parry:

after Clare's painting, we see the grid of six collaborative works by Rich Bott and Vince Manganello, next to which is Mike Calway-Fagen's large print:

following Mike's print is Clare's second work in the show, then a triptych of insanely detailed ink drawings by Sahar Al-Sawaf. lastly, you can see the edge of my own drawings, which i hung over a brickwork pattern i painted directly onto the wall:

here you can see half the show: Sadie, Thomas, Clare, Rich & Vince, and Mike. Sadie's works variously utilize spray paint and collage to amplify/offset acutely rendered, completely meticulous graphite drawings:

Thomas's piece (at center), a one-off digital print titled come and knock on our door, is just one of the outcomes of his many years applying original, digital processing techniques to found-footage imagery. if you like this print, you should see his incredible video work....

though hard to really tell, the surface of Clare's painting (on the right) has been beautifully built up with dripped wax:

Rich & Vince's work features heavily impastoed acrylic figures on flatly-painted backgrounds, with the eyes and mouths of celebrities-who-paint collaged in... who are these celebrities? let the titles of the works leave you guessin': sly, joni, billy, tony, christie and peter.

Mike's photo is of a chalk drawing which reads "i was here but now i'm gone". the drawing is on Tennessee highway, the photo taken from an overpass high above.

here's the other half... Clare, Sahar and myself.

Sahar's triptych of ink drawings are indescribably detailed: figures cling to a monstrous ocean wave composed entirely of innumerable human bones- a wave which finally crashes down upon those too dumbstruck or terrified to flee it's tragic implications:

one side of my installation:

here's the other side of my installation, followed by some details:

Reception for You Knew This Was Coming, at Park Life

there's Jamie Alexander (one half of the Park Life duo) in the background, chatting with some gentlemen at the beginning of the evening:

one of the cutest little kids ever, doing what kids do best:

some peoples start arriving:

Rich Bott (whose collaborative paintings are in the background) and his special lady friend Anne McGuire:

Rich Bott, ladies and gentlemen:

Rich Bott, Chris Kardambikis:

Mike Calway-Fagen in the immediate foreground, and near his piece:

an early view, from the front of Park Life:

i see a certain artist's parents:

artist Clare Parry, in the far back:

Sadie Barnette:

it was Jamie's birthday! Derek's preparing some candles:

Rich Bott and.... what was your name? you were awesome!

Clare Parry, in front of her piece (which is obscured by the gent she's chatting with)... note Thomas Helman's awesome print on the left:

Mike Calway-Fagen chatting with an art appreciator:

i see... Sadie & Mika, Mike and.... who else?

on the way to the after party:

still on our way... looks like Chris and Sadie here:

Sadie, myself and Chris:

Cheers! Rich and Jamie:

Derek and great SF artist Ian Johnson:

gnawing Chris:

looks like the good times are rolling... Chris and Rich:

night's winding to a close...

Jamie... did you see the girl passed out behind you?

Clare Parry and friend whose SFAI performance we coincidentally stumbled into a couple days prior:

Sadie? i take offense, madam!

a classy end to a classy evening... the cab ride home...