Art of the Cotton Mill Studios Paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media by: Keiko Nelson, Bill Stoneham, Susan Tuttle and Elizabeth Tennant

Closing party 7/12
6-9pm


On display at the artist owned and operated FLOAT Gallery will be hand-picked, select group of Cotton Mill artists who live and work in the building: Keiko Nelson, internationally accomplished sculptor. Bill Stoneham, painter, sculptor and animator, Elizabeth Tennant, painter and Susan Tuttle photographer and mixed media artist.

Dreams and Distortions…… 

The series of visions currently showing at the Float Gallery at the Cotton Mill Studios is a swim through a dreamy underworld. Bill Stoneham’s tortured figures are emotions flayed raw upon the canvas, their crisp outlines and sharp textures inviting a meticulous examination. Elizabeth Tennant’s gentle monsters glow with the fever of a child’s imagination. Rising for breath, the viewer finds the gentle humor of Susan Tuttle’s photography, which captures daily life in striking clarity. The majestic and fluid forms of Keiko Nelson’s stone, bronze and water sculptures provide an anchor, giving a still point where the real meets the unreal. After an hour in the gallery, the viewer will feel as if she has been gone for days, moving in a sea of dreams.

About the Artists:

Keiko Nelson

Keiko Nelson is an international artist, who has exhibited her works and lectured about her art in the United States, Japan, Germany, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Egypt, Thai, China and Mexico. She was an artist in residence at the University of Chiapas in Mexico for the International Sculpture Symposium, and given a grant for a one –person exhibition by the Ministry of Culture in Egypt. She was given in the Artistic Achievement Award by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York in 2002, among her interests range from sculpture through fine art, design and textiles. Her works feature the subtle flow of natural force. Her work has been described by the Curator Emeritus of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco as “a unique fusion of the East and West, the retrospective and the progressive and delicate and the dynamic.” www.keikonelson.com


Bill Stoneham   

Bill Stoneham's professional art career began in 1972 at Feingarten Galleries in Beverly Hills, CA. Feingarten bought Stoneham's paintings for two years and hosted a one-man show that was reviewed with statements like "...at their best when at their weirdest" and "The best works here deserve the attention of collectors".  In 1992 Stoneham started working at ILM, sculpting in the creature shop, building feature film sets. When art went digital, Stoneham followed, mastering digital 3D modeling and cinematic production. During his career, Stoneham created inspiring digital and fine art for many entertainment companies including Lucas Arts Entertainment, Cyan Worlds, and Crystal Dynamics. Today Stoneham is painting and creating digital art and animations - all in surrealist style - exploring figurative and textural concepts influenced by the urban environment and the social/political forces at work in our world. www.stonehamstudios.com



Susan Tuttle


Susan Tuttle moved from the East Coast to San Francisco in 1978. She is the Director of Montclair Gallery in Oakland, which she founded in 2003 with East Bay glass artist Janet Thompson. Susan is a photographer and jewelry designer, and her jewelry designs are on permanent display at Montclair Gallery. She graduated from Ithaca College in 1976 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a minor degree in Art History. She studied graphic design at the Academy of Art College beginning in 1982 and was involved in the profession for 20 years. She participates in the annual East Bay Open Studios, San Francisco Open Studios, well as other juried and non-juried exhibits in the San Francisco/Bay Area. From 1999 until 2004, she was involved with San Francisco’s ArtSpan, proofreading the annual San Francisco Open Studios Guide. In addition, she is an associate director at San Francisco SOMA’s new GarageGallery, where she has also exhibited her photography and jewelry designs.



Elizabeth Tennant

Elizabeth Tennant is a native California artist with a BA in studio art. Working in oils exclusively, she is committed to magical realism and the craft of painting. Her lifelong interests in psychology and mythology give her a perverse, fantastical visual language that conveys deep emotion. Her works can be found in collections throughout California and on the East Coast. www.ElizabethTennant.com

Opening party music:

Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist who has played with artists ranging from Essence to the San Francisco Ballet. Well known for his inspired West African kora playing, he will be flexing his electronic muscle as Colfax, releasing his debut electronic album later this year.