Come Perch Awhile

The site starts with a small bird flying through the screen and all of sudden you land in this surreal space where time stops and birds fly and pages turn and odd pieces of soap shaped like hands and made of goats milk welcome the viewer.
Strange and wonderful, curious and brave..a few adjectives to describe Perch, an urban gift and home accent shop located in the Glenpark neighborhood of San Francisco where shot glasses shaped like animals stand ready to work and an extra large wine glass that fits a whole bottle makes a perfect gift for the wine enthusiast.

Perch is located at 654 Chenery Street. Drop by....explore, savor and get inspired.

The Little Publisher That Could

I just discovered the most amazing indie publisher in SF's Mission district. Little Otsu Publishing publishes journals, books, cards, calendars and posters. Each piece is unique and colorful and whimsical to boot. The artist for each card is given credit on the web site including the artistic talents of Englands Kate Sutton, Martine Worknam who's cards are printed right in Oakland on recycled paper and vegetable based inks. Not only does Otsu represent local artists but they print locally as well and are good to our planet.

Little Otsu started as the publishing division of the San Francisco store Otsu, founded and run by Jeremy and Yvonne since 2002. They had already been working with artists through hosting art shows, carrying their handmade goods, and making their exclusive artist t-shirt series. LO began in 2004 as an extension of that, serving as a way to collaborate with like-minded artists to make unique and useful print products using alternative materials like soy-based inks, recycled, and tree-free papers.

Look for Little Otsu at 849 Valencia St.

Studio Gallery moves into its new digs

Studio Gallery on Polk Street in San Francisco has moved out of its charming, yet cramped space into a new space across the street and down one block to 1815 Polk Street. If you haven't been to this gallery please stop by. The artists are all local, amazing talent and the high quality of this collection is actually affordable. Jen and Rab are always coming up with creative shows. One of my favorites is the the Tiny Show held during the holidays where all art is...well...tiny...and pretty small prices as well. In March they will have their annual show that is dedicated to food and drink. This one is held from March 11th thru April 12th. Take a look...you will not be disappointed. And..there's lots of great little cafe's and restaurants nearby where you can grab lunch after your gallery walk.

Cooperative Art in San Francisco

I guess I can't really say enough on how important it is to support your community by supporting our artists - so here I go again. City Art Gallery on Valencia Street in the city is an unexpected jewel in the Mission. Variety abounds from wood block and photography to acrylics and jewelry. In particular don't miss the lino blocks prints by Brad Robinson, Katie Gilmartin and Marisa Escolar. Photography by Glenn Hummel and Trish Tunney are "can't miss" pieces.

828 Valencia St. 415-970-9900.

Another thing - the thumbnails associated with each artist's images offers email and web links to even more of their work. Set aside a time to enjoy, browse and be inspired.

A Santa Monica Gem...

My husband and I discovered the Bergomot Station Art Center a few weeks ago. What an amazing find in an obscure place. Bergamot Station is the historical name for the site on which the gallery complex is located, dating back to 1875 when it was a stop for the Red Line trolley running from Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier. Bergamot is a flower of the mint family that once flourished in the area. We visited the Lora Schlesinger Gallery and fell in love with the works of Robert Ginder. His sublime renderings of LA bungalows are a treat for the eye. Their small size draws the viewer in and you won't want to miss the details such as the rooftop antennas and old fashioned lawn sprinklers. The background of each piece is finished in gold leaf adding a richness to a piece that already gives so much.

The Robert Berman Gallery features fantasy images by Andrew Foster. His nudes are romantically rendered with whimsy and humor weaving in and out of reality.

Don't miss this jewel in the heart of Santa Monica.

Lomography - Low Tech is the New High Tech

Lomography. How do you explain it? A world of low tech photos with bold garish colors or fuzzy undefined objects? Moods come across as anything but subtle and contrast and light have a surreal sensibility. Invented by the Russians many many years ago Lomography makes a comeback with the Diana Camera. Pick it up at Urban Outfitters or Uncommon Goods. No battery required and 120 film. Find out more at Lomography.com. I also find lots of amazing photos on Flickr.

What was Hot in 2008???

What a strange, wonderful, scary and challenging year it was. I got married - so that was fun! The election was inspirational and exhilarating and the theme for this year was......hand crafted items. Cheap knockoffs from China are out and the individual craftsperson/artist was in. Etsy had a lot to do with this so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite artists on Etsy. First we have Kareem Rizk - a truly sublime collage artist who takes thinking outside the box to a whole new level.

Then we have Leah Giberson who's mid-century modern paintings and prints have a Hockney feel. Then there is Polarity with charming industrial style lockets not to mention eco-friendly as well.
Then there is Dada Dreams with retro collages are a must for the ACEO collector. So what's in store for 2009? I'm thinking more handcrafted items. Suuport your local artist! These pieces are great, they are original and creative and they encourage the artist in all of us to continue our craft because maybe, just maybe everyone is tired of that contrived product right out of a factory and what we want in our life is the personal items that were made for the love of it. So right now I am going to contine working on the four paintings I started last week for the love of it. Wishing all of you peace in the New Year.