Dispatches from the Field

This weekend Los Angeles is hosting Art Los Angeles Contemporary at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. HANG ART director DJ Harmon took the short trip to Southern California to take a peek at the fair, check out some galleries, listen to lectures, and connect with colleagues. Armed with a smart phone, she is taking photos, and making comments on what she sees. We will be posting her images and comments here all weekend so check back for more dispatches from the field.

01/29/10, 2:56pm Banana sculpture w friend.

12/29/10 No Comment

Q&A: What is F.E.V?

Do you have a question that you have always wanted to ask a gallery, but felt too intimidated? Well if you have a question, preferably related to art and the gallery world, please drop us a line at blog@hangart.com, or in the comments below.

Olivia Brown, "Baryogenesis", FEV on canvas 73" x 71"

Q: What is FEV?

A: F.E.V. is an acronym for French Enamel Varnish. We abbreviate it because “French Enamel Varnish” is just a little too long to print on the wall tags.

Olivia Brown, "Momentum Quell" in it's new home.

FEV is actually equal parts denatured alcohol and shellac tinted with pigment. The result is an extremely fluid, very vibrant, slightly translucent medium. HANG ART artist Olivia Brown uses FEV as her primary medium. The fluidity of the medium is able to capture her movement. Another HANG ART artist Piero Spadaro uses it to add layered depth to his surface.

Sunday Morning Surprise

While we were enjoying our Sunday ritual of coffee and the Chronicle we saw a familiar face. On the back page of the Home & Garden section there was Siddharth Parasnis’s painting lovingly displayed in a beautiful house.

You can read the whole article, and check out the rest of the images on the Chronicles website here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/16/HO0L1AVG2C.DTL

Gather Around

During our January opening reception we had the opportunity to catch up with HANG artist Anthony May. It turns out he has been keeping himself busy painting a sign for the brand new Berkeley restaurant Gather.

Anthony was kind enough to send us pictures of the sign in progress. You can even get a sneak peak of the new work he is planning on bringing in later this month.

We haven’t had the opportunity to view the sign in person, or try the food. However, as we have found out from experience, its hard to go wrong when you source everything locally and sustainably.

A Really Emerging Artist

The opening reception for American Pastiche: Choose Your Own Adventure was packed full of people, and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

One person in particular seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. We were inspired by their dedication and focus to art even during a raucous opening. Her finished product rivaled that of many art school students. Check out more drawings below.

Top Posts of 2009

Twenty-Ten is quickly approaching and we thought it would be a good time to drag up the top nine posts of 2009. These are the posts that get the most hits, if you have your own list of the best posts on the blog then post it in the comments below.

9) Studio Visit – Tim Yankosky

Showing only local artists definitely has its perks. One of which is that we get to visit with our artists, on their turf, in their studio. Check out our visit with Tim in anticipation for his February 2010 show, Measure Twice, Cut Once.

8) Jose Arenas Mural

The work you see in the gallery is just a portion of what our artists create. Jose Arenas spent his summer working on a mural in San Jose.

7) Jennifer Damas Interview

Jennifer had an exciting year. In addition to graduating from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she also purchased her first home, got hitched, and changed her last name from Damas to Hendricks. In the mix of all that madness she took time to answer some questions about her art.

Jennifer Hendricks, "I am Here" 58" x 58"

6) Open Studio Visit – Ed Calhoun

During the month of October artist studios all across the city throw open their doors to welcome visitors. We checked in on Ed Calhoun to see what he had going on in his studio – and he had a lot going on.

5) Anne Stryke Studio Visit

We show a lot of paintings at HANG ART, since Anne is a sculptor it is always a special surprise to see what she has cooking in her kiln.

4) Katja Leibenath Studio Visit

Katja submitted her work for review through our submission guidelines. When we saw the work we got excited and knew that she would be a good fit at HANG ART.

3) Exposed Peter Dimick | Daniel Ochoa

Our two person figurative show, Exposed hit a chord with a lot of people. Daniel moved on to other galleries, but Peter Dimick continues bring us great paintings.

2) Artist Anthony May Studio Visit

Our studio visit with Anthony May was one of our first posts. Seeing the boxes upon boxes of Anthony’s source materials was amazingly insightful.

1) Interesting Ways to Hang Artwork

It is fitting that the number one post for 2009 is a post about hanging art. We were having fun rearranging the gallery when we hung a grouping of Fain Hancock’s paintings flush and asymmetrical.

Gonna Find Out…

David Fullarton, "Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty or Nice"

Happy Holidays from all of us at HANG ART!

The gallery will be closed December 24-26 in observance of the Christmas Holiday.

The End to Infinity

Isn't the painting just handsome?

We were delighted when we were approached by Infinity Towers to hang art (get it, HANG ART) in the lobby of their buildings. We placed Old Iron by Lea Feinstein in building D and From the Top by Piero Spadaro in building B.

We received a lot of positive response from the residents, but all good things must come to an end. Beginning on February 1st these two painting will be returning home, so if you want to see them in situ, you better hustle on over.

Stryke & Keelan

HANG ART artist Anne Stryke is in a two person show this month at Scott McCue Gallery 88. Also in the exhibition is the work of her friend and colleague at the Academy of Art University, Margaret Keelan.

Anne’s work never fails to impress, be sure to check out the show.

Jose Arenas Studio Visit

The light seeping into the studio

Before an exhibition we like to pop on over to the artists studio and take a look at what they have cooking. It is a great opportunity to get some insight into their work as well as just catch up.

In January HANG ART will be featuring the artwork of Jose Arenas and Phillip Hua in an exhibition titled, American Pastiche. Keeping with our habit, we stopped by Jose’s Oakland studio right before Thanksgiving.

Tupperware, good for Thanksgiving leftovers and paint.

What we saw in his studio was an exciting mix of imagery, color, and texture. Jose’s recent mural in San Jose seemed to have spurred him on creatively.

Bees and bell weights

Maybe a couple of months of painting on hot brick got him hooked, Jose had several pieces that incorporated rough and found surfaces.

The best looking bee-house on the block

Honey bees are a reoccurring theme in Jose’s work, often weighted down by weights. Jose even created a bee-house for the exhibition.

A sneak peek of what to expect in the exhibition.

American Pastiche, Choose Your Own Adventure will be up in the gallery January 1-15. We will be hosting an artists reception January 7, 2010 from 6pm-8pm.