Another SF open studios season has passed! Luckily, I’m here to recap for you. I’ve decided to put the last two weekends into one post as the venues I visited for each weekend were similar: Fort Mason for weekend 4 and Hunter’s Point Shipyard for weekend 5. Both locations offer large, multi-room buildings with a military past that now house artists and/or arts organizations and give you the opportunity to see the work of dozens of artists in one place.
Fort Mason was first. I brought along my sister (who was visiting) and my friend, Eric. I was a bit disappointed with the venue (I think I was comparing it unfavorably to the Hunter’s Point location, which I will get to). I did, however, see one artist in particular whose work struck me: Shilo Ratner. Ratner admits being drawn to German Expressionism and this is the main influence I see in her work.
In Ratner’s paintings of faceless figures, emotion and mood is conveyed with color, shading and figure positioning. Her pieces exude a depth of feeling that is almost shocking at first. But the initial shock gives way to curiosity as you analyze the work and are drawn to its seemingly elusive emotional center.
The Hunter’s Point Shipyard is my favorite location and is the most dense presentation of art of all the SF Open Studio weekends. Maybe this is why they save it until the end. There are so many great artists at this location that I had a difficult time narrowing my focus to just two for this post. But here I go!
Carol Aust is our first stop on the tour. I remembered her from last year and was no less taken with her endeavors this time.
Her paintings possess a playful lightness that borrows from the best of surrealism with a touch of Henri Rousseau’s world of dreams. Her pieces make me want to float and soar with the subjects of her work!
Another artist whose work is light in a different way is Paula Clark. Her pebbles and stones of varying sizes and weights defy gravity as they float in matrix of steel.
Clark shared the story of a recent commission where she constructed a one-ton piece that moves on Teflon casters to give the piece a deceptive lightness that allows it to glide across its home. Her ironic approach to the limitations we place on stone and steel is what makes her pieces unique and enchanting. Whether hovering on a wall, near a ceiling (she also does mobiles) or over a floor, Clark’s work, as all great art does, defies our expectations.
If you didn’t get a chance to go to any of the SF Open Studios weekends this year, mark your calendar and go next year. You won’t be disappointed!