Albert Reyes just arrived in San Francisco to prepare The Future Is So Bright, opening this Saturday at White Walls. Our unique September artist didn’t arrive empty handed. He entered the gallery carrying a vintage suitcase filled to the brim with original drawings on book covers, all rendered in graphite or ink. He also delivered a bag full of prints on book covers along with a collection of framed prints, with a grand finale of 12 large scale pieces on wood.

We decided to share a few detail shots from Reyes’ plethora of new works, and we can’t wait to see the exhibition come to life on our walls. To see collaborative works by Albert Reyes, Matt Furie, and Aiyana Udesen currently on display, check out The Future Colors of America at Giant Robot SF.

Stay tuned for more teasers and be sure to attend Albert’s opening reception of The Future Is So Bright on September 12th.

We’re proud to be included in Sunset Magazine’s coverage of the San Francisco alternative gallery scene. The magazine’s September Norther California edition is out on stands now and you can find a sweet write up about yours truly on page 32A. They were quick to recognize our “opening receptions are a see-and-be-seen affairs” but that there are plenty other times to visit and fully appreciate iconic works by artists such as Shepard Fairey. Props to Leah Hennen for the thorough inclusion of galleries making a change in our Bay Area.

Casey Gray is pushing the limits of stencil art, which is why we are proud to include him in our October Stencil Show. While he earns his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, Casey is also trying his hand at curating. Next week marks the opening of The First Annual First Show, c0-curated by Casey at SFAI. Details below:

THE FIRST ANNUAL FIRST SHOW

September 1st, 2009, 5 – 10pm.

San Francisco Art Instistute

800 Chestnut Street, SF CA

The show is curated by Casey Gray, Nicholas Miller, Karl Nelson, and Romy Mariano.  It is a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students’ work to kick off the new school year and bring everyone together.

The purpose of this show is to ensure that positive energy is infused into the hearts and minds of the student body through a night of firsts and renewals.  The show features new paintings, sculptures, photography, film, video, performance, installation, and live music by the student community.

And we leave you with an excerpt from Casey’s blog:

For more images of Casey’s printmaking process, click here.

We are excited to welcome Rich Jacobs into our gallery for the September exhibition, Searching by flashlight, for the bright spots on your brain, and such. Rich will be joining forces with Albert Reyes for this two man show opening on September 12th, 2009.

Our publicist, Jillian Mackintosh, recently did a studio visit with Jacobs. Read below for an excerpt from her blog detailing what we might expect from his upcoming show, how he spends his leisure time, and what’s in his personal art collection.

Over the years, Rich Jacobs has surveyed the existence of both figurative and abstract art. Through a mix of drawings and paintings, his new exhibit Searching by flashlight, for the bright spots on your brain, and such reveals the expressive part of himself. I was able to spend some time with Rich and get to know him and his art a bit more. His new exhibit at White Walls Gallery opens September 12th and I for one, am eager to see his installation and most recent works.

Rich Jacobs works free form with no end result in mind. He starts to draw and lets the expression be his result. His art mixes raw, organic form with detailed, tight, pattern based figures. Jacobs abstract pieces are expressive, uncontrolled and free flowing. Repetitive shapes use a visual language of form, line, and color, impulsively capturing the strange and beautiful. Without referencing a naturalistic entity, his work translates it’s own form, creating a composition that exists independently from reality.

Jacobs’ leisure time is spent studying human nature. Whether watching passionate dialogue, listening to what makes people tick, or simply observing the streets, he finds a way to capture the essence. Contrary to his abstract pieces, his figurative faces are representational and very stylized. Odd shaped heads and obscure features explore elements of rhythm, thought and communication. Each gestural drawing tells a story of experience, capturing familiar emotions and opening a window to the soul of a stranger. Jacobs paints with acrylic, fast drying house paint, pen and ink. He uses earth tones, subtle colors, and blues to make expressive patterns, shapes, layers. He collects found objects, wood, Japanese paints, and organic inks to create an eclectic body of work.

Twelve years ago Jacobs began his life as a professional artist, curator and traveler. He attended Otis Parson in Los Angeles, but was shattered to discover the controlled curriculum of art school. Today he is an internationally acclaimed artist with an impressive resume of more than ten years working with the most well known urban artists of this generation. He has exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Some shots from Jacobs’ personal collection:

Stay tuned for more updates on Rich Jacobs at White Walls Gallery on September 12th, 2009.

With the October Stencil Show quickly approaching, we would like to highlight how each artist is breaking new ground in this budding genre. For example, David Soukup’s paintings are so detailed and realistic that they expand our vocabulary of “stencil art.” However these images help wrap our head around the process behind Soukup’s finished product, which he describes below:

To see what comes after the stencil, see David’s flickr.

Look out for David Soukup at White Walls Gallery for this October’s Stencil Show.

Stencil History X coverage
My Love For You coverage

© Adam 5100

© Adam 5100

© Adam 5100

Photo: Stencil History X

Nothing makes us happier than a sincere love letter. Stephen Powers is giving just that to his hometown, Philadelphia, in the form of a short term mural project. During the month of August, Powers aka ESPO has commissioned 40 international artists to help him paint 50 walls along the city’s elevated Markeet street train. The project is titled “Love Letter,” as each mural includes one phrase. By the project’s finish, passengers of the Market Street train will read the string of murals as one continuous love letter.

Along with hosting free signage workshops to young artists, ESPO is donating signs to local businesses as a part of Love Letter. The project will culminate in a book release as well as a documentary style film. From the images we’ve seen so far, this undertaking combines creative designs with careful execution.

The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage are responsible for funding this program.

See www.aloveletterforyou.com for more details, and look out for ESPO at White Walls Gallery this November.

We commend Sean Desmond and John Elliot: two San Francisco residents who are taking a stand for the Tenderloin. They view this neighborhood through an artistic filter, drawing beauty out of the gray landscape that backdrops the underbelly of SF society. Their mission:

“The Tenderloin Project is an ongoing artistic endeavor focused on one of San Francisco’s most marginalized neighborhoods, The Tenderloin. Utilizing the interactive mediums of photography and film, we aim to capture a compelling and honest portrait of this diverse community.”

This video was created using still photographs by Sean Desmond, documenting our very own Tenderloin neighborhood. Take a moment to see things from a new perspective.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.3233035&w=500&h=375&fv=]

The Tenderloin Project has a traveling exhibition in the works, with San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York on the map. A collection of photographs will also be published in book form to benefit existing arts organizations in the community.

The Tenderloin Project is a sincere endeavor and it’s off to a wonderful start. See http://thetenderloinproject.com/ for more information.

David Young is a good friend of all things Tenderloin, and that includes Space Gallery. On August 8th, he participated in the gallery’s one night Expressions exhibition, curated by Blindfold Music. For this live painting/wheat pasting event, 8 x 12ft panels were suspended from Space Gallery’s walls as a canvas for David Young, Ronnie Budder, and Ed UFO.

Check out these photos from the event and get ready for David Young’s San Francisco Youth Report at Gallery Three this September.

© Sanjin Agic

© Sanjin Agic

© Sanjin Agic

Blindfold Music also sent over these shots of David Young, Ronnie Buders and Ed UFO:

We are proud to open our doors to Erneso Yerena, a talented young artist that holds our attention. As a friend and collaborator of Shepard Fairey, we can draw several parallels in their work. However Ernesto’s “Hecho Con Ganas” project reflects a unique message, focusing on his own cultural heritage. Being Latin American, Ernesto’s imagery focuses on progressive political revolutionaries of South America like Che Guevara and Cesar Chavez. His intention is to encourage fellow Latin Americans to take action as these cultural heroes have done, handing the power to the people.

Ernesto Yerena will be contributing several works to our Stencil Art Show (October) and to our Winter Group Show (December), and in the meantime we are offering original paper pieces in editions of 6. Each piece is hand made with unique collage, over which multiple stencil images are spray painted; reminiscent of the propaganda posters that fueled political revolutions highly admired by Yerena.

Watch this video of Ernesto at work:

Click below for more original pieces from Ernesto available at White Walls.

Che

Stencil collage on paper, edition of 6

30in x 44in, $1,500

Mis Herues

Stencil collage on paper, edition of 6

30in x 30 in, $1,500

Infante Ganas

Stencil collage on paper, edition of 6

30in x 44in, $1,500

Cesar Chavez

Stencil collage on paper, edition of 6

30in x 30in, $1,500

Please contact the gallery for inquiries.