Uncertainty, Prints by Besarion Khidesheli & Industrial furniture and sculpture by Jeff Ritter

Artist Party November 14th 2015, 6 to 9pm

Show runs October 25th, 2015, through December 26th 2015

Two Oakland artists working both in and from uncertainty - The lack of certainty, a state of having limited knowledge where it is impossible to exactly describe the existing state, a future outcome, or more than one possible outcome.

Besarion Khidesheli - Artist

"My name is Besarion Khidesheli, I'm a 24-year old self-taught artist from Tbilisi, Georgia, currently based in Oakland, CA. I have been moving from place to place every two years since I was 15 years old. I have been lucky enough to spend good chunks of my late teens and early adulthood in Georgia (the one in Europe), different parts of California, Mali, and Spain. At first, such movement made me anxious -- there are many uncertain aspects to upcoming adventures. Eventually, this anxiety transformed into excitement. My most recent project titled 'Illusions' is centered on the theme of uncertainty. In terms of technique, I first draw by hand, then scan my drawings, digitally adjust these images, and finally re-print them on canvases. I usually find the most interesting details of a given work once it is done, as each step adds a new level of complexity. Also, the viewer can never be certain of what the piece represents. Different angles invoke different emotions and understandings, making my work quite introspective. I have come to appreciate uncertainty in most aspects of life, and I hope to convey that feeling in other humans as well."  besartion.com,   https://www.facebook.com/besartion

Jeff Ritter – Industrial furniture design & sculpture

Jeff Ritter a self-taught artist living in Oakland Ca. Ritter uses reclaimed steel along with different mediums creating functional industrial furniture, and sculpture. Custom orders available.

Drunken Octopus

Stephanie Rigsby - Photography
Jeff Ritter - Industrial Furniture Design & Sculpture

Opening Party June 14th, 6 to 9pm

Show runs June 9th though July 19th 2014

Two multi-faceted local artists living and working in the San Francisco bay area. Their work embodies the daily life and remains of the industrial era. In rediscovering and redesigning the beauty of our surroundings they reclaim our past and what we know, and love about Northern California.

Stephanie Rigsby – Photography

Occasionally, the ephemeral, presents itself as visible. Surreal couplings of shapes, saturated layers of color, illuminated light and its refraction- all exist beyond a simple surface of what we register. Often, such aspects pass undetected. Transformations in lines or shadows may flicker into view for mere minutes. It is within these precise moments, Rigsby, endeavors to capture the life of her subjects. To capture these subjects in an organic state, her photography is not modified. This allows the images to reveal a duplicitous nature of their own accord. Perception has a natural tendency to rationalize that which contradicts a usual bias. By presenting unaffected subjects in their natural state, viewers may discern themselves, if the surreal has potential to coexist with reality. Primary themes in her work include architecture, industrial landscapes, performance art, haunted locations, and curiosa. More of her work can be viewed from her artblog: colorchrome.blogspot.com

Jeff Ritter - Alchemist, Mad Man & Industrial Furniture Designer

Jeff Ritter a self taught artist living in Oakland Ca. Ritter uses reclaimed steel along with different mediums creating functional industrial furniture, and sculpture. His work is available for special order.

"Viscosity" Showcasing the sculpture of Michael Sturtz & Benjamin Cowden

Opening Party Saturday February 25th, 6pm – 9pm
Show runs February 20th through April 14^th , 2012
Local singer/songwriter Drea Roemer will be Performing live.

Viscosity is a mix of kinetic and found objectification art, mimicking and expanding beyond the human experience.

Michael Sturtz:

As a fixture of the Bay Area arts community, Michael has worked as a sculptor, a teacher, and as a facilitator since the early 1990s.  As the founder of  The Crucible  , a non-profit industrial arts education facility and gallery, he is known for his innovative creativity and ability to make challenging artwork and ideas possible.

Michael’s pieces address concept and form through the visualization of fused biological and mechanical elements. His sculptures are hybrids of impossible pairings and momentous environments coming together to radiate destructive and re-constructive energy.

His art showcases a strong juxtaposition between materials including; metals and glass, stone and kinetics, fire and liquid, 3D objects and video.  By contrasting natural functions with industrial and technological processes, Michael has formed a body of work that is incapable of stagnation, and instead explores the exponential evolution of medium and concept. MichaelSturtz.com

Benjamin Cowden:

Benjamin Cowden began working with metal during an undergraduate anthropology project in Cameroon in 1997, where he studied how Baka Pygmies turned worn machetes into utility knives. He later worked with street-jewelers in Costa Rica, learning small metals techniques, before taking a more formal route to education by attending blacksmithing workshops at the John C. Campbell Folkschool in North Carolina. Benjamin was an Artist-in-Residence at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee from 2001 to 2003, during which time he focused on utilitarian forged ironwork, including furniture and kitchenware. Cowden began earnestly making sculptures in 2004 when he entered the Master of Fine Arts in Metals program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Making work which viewers can touch and use remained central to Cowden’s work, and throughout his graduate studies Benjamin focused on interactive mechanical devices which addressed human experience. After receiving his M.F.A., Mr. Cowden relocated to Oakland California, where he is continues to explore the depths of mechanical sculpture. His current fascinations include pseudo-random and 3-dimensional movements, as well as 3-D printing in metal.  Twentysevengears.com

Opening Night Music by Drea Roemer:

Drea Roemer is a local singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist who is currently working on  her first album. Her songs have been described as a textured and dark-edged, with palpable emotion and mood. Songs can be found at: Soundcloud.com/drea-muldavi