Press

Shadowshine

Gallery Exhibition

Self-portraits and other explorations of the self by the visual artists of San Francisco’s Creativity Explored

May 3 – June 14, 2007
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

SAN FRANCISCO…Creativity Explored studio artists reflect on the age-old question “How do I look?” and get face to face with themselves in a new exhibition of self portraits and other explorations of the self entitled “ShadowShine” on display at the Creativity Explored Gallery May 3rd through June 14th. The show opens with a reception featuring live music and a chance to meet the artists on Thursday, May 3rd from 7:00 to 9:00 pm The gallery is regularly open Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, and Saturday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. All artwork is available for purchase.

Some of Creativity Explored’s more than 100 studio artists like Pablo Calderon have always been their own favorite subject. Calderon’s now widely recognized saucer-eyed, curly-haired visage appears on everything he paints. Others, however, are not used to drawing themselves and so instructor and “ShadowShine” curator Megan Saperstein handed them mirrors and asked them to draw what they saw. Interestingly, this was not always their own reflection. “People began telling stories about themselves,” she says. “They talked about where they came from, their families, all sorts of things. We really went beyond the self-portrait into narrative.”

Walter Kresnik’s self-portrait is a view from the driver’s seat of his father’s 1965 Mustang. Two hands grasp the wheel. They are Walter’s own. It turns out that he learned to drive many years ago, and cherishes the image of his days behind the wheel. Gordon Chin contributes a colorful, abstract map of the United States on which the train journey that brought him from Brooklyn to San Francisco many years ago is plotted out in detail.

Artist Steven Geeter created two portraits. The first was made from observations using a mirror and shows in great detail every wrinkle on his smiling face. The second was drawn from memory. …Literally. In it, Geeter is a handsome 16 years old and has on a fancy purple shirt and lots of “bling.” Asked which one he prefers, Geeter says, “Oh, I like the way I look now. I’m aging nicely.”

This candid self-evaluation is evident in the work of several other artists as well. Jason Hunt’s series of portraits express his emotional ups and downs – each image happy, sad and mad in varying degrees. Sara O’Sullivan, one of Creativity Explored’s most outgoing personalities, sums it up with the words “The $15,000 Mouth” etched over her small grinning face painted on a round of wood.

Personal statements like these are a prominent feature of the exhibition as well. Guest artist/instructor Alison Pebworth worked with several studio artists in a special sign-making workshop to explore the language of self. On street-sign sized lengths of wood, artists wrote their own, very unique ‘I’ statements. Yolanda Ramirez minces no words with “You think I love you.” Walter Kresnik’s sign reads “Good work, Walter.” While Camille Holvoet admits “I have a grudge every day.”

For further information about the exhibition, call (415) 863-2108, or visit www.creativityexplored.org.

Calendar Listing

Shadowshine

GROUP EXHIBITION AND OPENING: Creativity Explored studio artists reflect on the age-old question “How do I look?” and get face to face with themselves in a new exhibition of self portraits and other explorations of the self entitled “ShadowShine.” Artist Pablo Calderon has always been his own favorite subject. Calderon’s now widely recognized saucer-eyed, curly-haired visage appears on everything he paints. Jason Hunt’s series of portraits express his emotional ups and downs – each image happy, sad and mad in varying degrees. Sara O’Sullivan, one of Creativity Explored’s most outgoing personalities, sums it up with the words “The $15,000 Mouth” etched over her small grinning face painted on a round of wood. Artist Camille Holvoet explores the language of self with a boldly painted sign on which she admits “I have a grudge every day.”

What

ShadowShine – A group art exhibition of self portraits and other explorations of the self at San Francisco’s Creativity Explored

When

• Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm
• Exhibit Dates and Times: May 3 – June 14, 2007, Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Saturday 1:00 to 6:00 pm

Where

Creativity Explored Gallery
3245 Sixteenth St. at Guerrero, San Francisco

Creativity Explored is a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.

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Press Contacts

Nina Sazevich: (415) 752-2483
Amy Taub: (415) 863-2108

# Posted on April 5, 2007