Show runs through February 28th, 2009
Powerful mixed media artist Lola, and fresh ceramicist Brian Young speak through their select mediums, challenging the viewer to recognize, take responsibility and make sense o
f what they see.
About Lola:
I am an Environmentalist by default diverting waste from landfills, a self-appointed waste collector in the business of reuse, an opportunist who exploits the discarded, seeking its vast potential for creating art. My job definition is junk collector, dumpster diver, and scavenger; I call upon all these identities to express myself through my art.
We live in a consumer-driven, disposable and convenience-oriented society; therefore the resources for my intent are innumerable. Found objects are incorporated into assemblage, paper materials are juxtaposed in collage and panels fabricated from recycled wood inform abstractions. Not only are the treasures collected integrated into my work but the moments spent interacting in the salvaged world as well. Collecting materials is my time to engage with the world, exploring the endless possibilities it has to offer. I have a route but I am always exploring to discover new, fruitful locations. I spend hours walking railroad tracks and days roaming abandoned environments. Although I primarily travel by car, it is walking in the physical world I relish in and in this context my creativity soars. For me, it is where opportunity collides with idea and the creative process begins.
An outdated magazine with dreamy colorful images of women standing prideful in their kitchens warms our stomachs and makes us crave the white trash cuisine our mother's prepared so long ago. Although these experiences are in brief and intermittent, they are the inspiration behind my creativity and therefore, do not fade into oblivion. My work recaptures these moments and preserves their integrity for others to experience. www.ho-made.org
About this series:
“I have always been attracted to numbers. Not so much for counting and measuring purposes but for their visual aesthetic as abstract objects. Random numbers and combinations often appear in my work. They are incorporated as abstract forms similar, for example, to a circle, stripe or triangle. The numbers in my pieces do not have meaning or create a formula. Instead I am drawn to the visual combinations and actual shapes of these forms. With the absence of meaning, sum or formula; I encourage the viewer to interpret my artwork based on what the numbers mean to them. I challenge the viewer to see themselves through the reflective nature of my work, lost within the meaning of the numerical combinations” - Lola
About Brian Young:
Brian Young's ceramic sculptures have an "edgy" tone. Thematically they often focus on the violence in our society providing a political commentary on today's issues. Young's earlier work is strongly influenced by his political and social observations. In later works, he has utilized the material to express more personal issues, imbuing pieces with mysterious and private meanings. Young wants that the viewer bring their own set of judgments and personal experiences to the viewing his art.
"In the fine art world many say that the use of clay should be relegated to the realm of craft. However, I disagree with this judgment, because with it's pliability and manipulative nature, clay is a perfect vessel for pure expression. My work is influenced by everything from Picasso's cubist portraits to commercial illustrations by Jeremy Fish. And I hope to present a fresh new outlook on the Ceramic Medium."
San Francisco based Young graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in fine arts in 2007. In addition to ceramics, Young sketches and creates cardboard backed paintings; these paintings are regularly exhibited and sold in the bay area's traveling Poor Mans Art Show.
f what they see.About Lola:
I am an Environmentalist by default diverting waste from landfills, a self-appointed waste collector in the business of reuse, an opportunist who exploits the discarded, seeking its vast potential for creating art. My job definition is junk collector, dumpster diver, and scavenger; I call upon all these identities to express myself through my art.
We live in a consumer-driven, disposable and convenience-oriented society; therefore the resources for my intent are innumerable. Found objects are incorporated into assemblage, paper materials are juxtaposed in collage and panels fabricated from recycled wood inform abstractions. Not only are the treasures collected integrated into my work but the moments spent interacting in the salvaged world as well. Collecting materials is my time to engage with the world, exploring the endless possibilities it has to offer. I have a route but I am always exploring to discover new, fruitful locations. I spend hours walking railroad tracks and days roaming abandoned environments. Although I primarily travel by car, it is walking in the physical world I relish in and in this context my creativity soars. For me, it is where opportunity collides with idea and the creative process begins.
An outdated magazine with dreamy colorful images of women standing prideful in their kitchens warms our stomachs and makes us crave the white trash cuisine our mother's prepared so long ago. Although these experiences are in brief and intermittent, they are the inspiration behind my creativity and therefore, do not fade into oblivion. My work recaptures these moments and preserves their integrity for others to experience. www.ho-made.org
About this series:
“I have always been attracted to numbers. Not so much for counting and measuring purposes but for their visual aesthetic as abstract objects. Random numbers and combinations often appear in my work. They are incorporated as abstract forms similar, for example, to a circle, stripe or triangle. The numbers in my pieces do not have meaning or create a formula. Instead I am drawn to the visual combinations and actual shapes of these forms. With the absence of meaning, sum or formula; I encourage the viewer to interpret my artwork based on what the numbers mean to them. I challenge the viewer to see themselves through the reflective nature of my work, lost within the meaning of the numerical combinations” - Lola
About Brian Young:
Brian Young's ceramic sculptures have an "edgy" tone. Thematically they often focus on the violence in our society providing a political commentary on today's issues. Young's earlier work is strongly influenced by his political and social observations. In later works, he has utilized the material to express more personal issues, imbuing pieces with mysterious and private meanings. Young wants that the viewer bring their own set of judgments and personal experiences to the viewing his art.
"In the fine art world many say that the use of clay should be relegated to the realm of craft. However, I disagree with this judgment, because with it's pliability and manipulative nature, clay is a perfect vessel for pure expression. My work is influenced by everything from Picasso's cubist portraits to commercial illustrations by Jeremy Fish. And I hope to present a fresh new outlook on the Ceramic Medium."
San Francisco based Young graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in fine arts in 2007. In addition to ceramics, Young sketches and creates cardboard backed paintings; these paintings are regularly exhibited and sold in the bay area's traveling Poor Mans Art Show.
Ed Kirshner
Outlaw Dervish is World Lounge Music with Soul! Enjoy the stylings of Didjeridu Trip Hop, leaning into Deep Chill and Ambient sound with an Electro-Acoustic tint, immersed in sweet melodies and infectious rhythms. The group features Travis Wernet and Special Guests. 
Sally Rodriguez began painting in 2003 while living in 
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." 
Laurel True is a Bay Area artist specializing mosaic, mixed media and public art. She is the co-founder and director of the 
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.” 
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. 
