Bill Silveira - Auto inspired assemblage sculpture
Laurel True - Asphalt Mosaics
Show runs Through 9/9/08
AutoErotica celebration party 8/09/08, 6-9pm
The US, with its love for the car, is fighting the need to become fuel efficient, healthy and green. But no, we don’t want to drive a Twinkie! Huge American cars are in our blood and we aren't letting them go easily.
Each of these three Bay Area artists have their own unique take on the love of the car and travel. They honor our rapidly disappearing, uniquely American, decadent automotive past.
About the Artists:
-Philip Hall
When it comes to capturing the fine art of automobiles, Hall understands that the beauty of light is in the details. For more than 30 years, Hall had looked at light from a different perspective. An award-winning lighting designer, photographer, filmmaker and lighting control specialist, it has always been his medium of expression.
Philip’s lighting projects include; televised visits by The Pope, the Queen of England, 4 Presidents of the United States, celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge, feature films, commercials and thousands of permanent lighting systems in the Bay Area, his favorite being the renovation of the San Francisco Opera House. His work is included in the private collection of Jay Leno.
Ever since Hall focused on the definitive detail in that 1953 Corvette, his subject has been the elements of the automobile. Artist statement: "What intrigues and stimulates me is how shadows detail life, enhancing or diminishing perceptions or emotional reactions to my artwork. Reality is defined in my work by revealing the mystery of an image -- its light and shadow -- through crystallizing or distorting pixels until the inherent beauty of an image is revealed." www.philhall.biz
-Bill Silveira
Slightly curmudgeonly, a bit on the eccentric side, with a maniacal enthusiasm for the automobile since his early youth, Bill Silveira enjoys making art out of discarded auto parts, rusty scrap metal, and other unique items that seem to find their way into his vast collection of interesting and eclectic junk. A business owner and resident of Oakland's Jingletown arts district since the early 1990's, Silveira likes to think of himself as "Sanford and Son-ish with a slightly twisted bent." Owner of Automania, this semi-retired used car dealer is also well known in the film industry as the guy who can provide you with just about anything you need from classic cars to caskets for your photo shoot. Learn more about Bill Silveira on Kim Larson’s blog.
-Laurel True
Laurel True is a Bay Area artist specializing mosaic, mixed media and public art. She is the co-founder and director of the Institute of Mosaic Art in Oakland, CA and principal of True Mosaic Studio, a professional mosaic studio specializing in site- specific architectural commissions and public art.She travels widely to teach and facilitate large- scale, community based projects and maintains artistic or residential bases in Oakland, New Orleans and in Ghana, West Africa. She lectures internationally and has been featured in many books and publications.
"In her new series of mosaic relief panels, artist Laurel True turns away from more traditional mosaic materials such as ceramic, glass and stone, instead creating her works from asphalt, concrete and other roadway detritus collected from her Oakland neighborhood.
True bases her works' designs on random and intentional road markings such as tar lines, cracks and skid marks made from sideshows and car spinouts. True's series is a visual and conceptual investigation of what beauty might be found in urban landscapes, exploring the ugliness, grit, solidity and underlying grace in both her materials and surroundings."
