Verses From The Abstract
April 8 - May 7, 2023
Please join us for the
Artist Reception
on Saturday, April 15, 2023 from 6 to 9PM.
Verses From The Abstract showcases work that is non-representational yet tells its story with color and shape. Lines, curves, and contrasting or complementary hues commingle to evoke emotions, while subtle gradations create depth and movement. Chad Hasegawa, Evan Venegas, and St. Monci — each with many years of experience developing their craft — present an exhibition of visual compositions that harken Kandinsky’s theory that color, like music, influences the soul.
Evan Venegas uses imagery that is loosely based on the urban, industrial landscape that surrounds him. His creative process is rooted in the recognizable world but expressed by abstract shapes and vibrant colors. He seeks to create an experience that inspires a change in perception for the viewer.
Venegas began painting with oils at a young age, and started developing his technique, of realistic rendering of imaginary objects, in his early teens. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he began his art education at Parsons School of Design, then moved to San Francisco to complete a BFA in Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. He returned to New York in 2000.
St. Monci meanders through the purely gestural and technical applications of abstraction, utilizing his training in street and studio art to create compositions that address perception and matter. He explores the most fundamental elements of art and design, in color and form, and how they relate to each other and the viewer. Dynamic matrices of architectural and graphic elements evoke a visceral reaction to otherwise static elements of flat shapes. St. Monci was born in the United States and raised in Puerto Rico. He returned to earn his BFA and MA at New York State University Oswego and is now based in El Paso TX.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Chad Hasegawa became enthralled with graffiti and the art of the Mission School. He moved to San Francisco in 2000, received a BFA in advertising from the Academy of Art University, and worked for top agencies before deciding to concentrate on creating art. He paints murals on the streets and canvases for both commercial and non-profit gallery exhibitions.
Chris Stokes
May 2023
For more information about the May opening reception and exhibition,
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Chris Stokes uses mixed media to interlace and layer unassuming combinations of color, lines and found materials. Elements from literature, cultural symbols, and architecture meld together to become art that equals more than the sum of its parts. Born in Philadelphia, the long-time San Francisco resident’s recent work is a reflection of his travels, his ever-evolving perspective of the world, and an interest in science fiction. The resulting pieces represent new landscapes and structures that seem barely possible.
Amandalynn, Lady Mags, Gloria Muriel and Carly Ealey
June 2023
For more information about the June opening reception and exhibition,
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Amandalynn is a Bay Area-based muralist, fine artist, conservator, and art director. Inspired by the female form and spirit, she depicts strong, seductive women and illustrates their strength through line work and decorative patterning. Her work can be found in galleries and streets all over the world. She began developing her distinct street art style mural work in 2001, painting alongside infamous graffiti collective The Seventh Letter. She believes that sharing the creative process with others is the key to an inspired life. Amandalynn has a Bachelor's of Fine Art from the San Francisco Academy of Art.
Lady Mags began her art career as a graffiti writer in 2006, when she started painting tracksides in Chicago while pursuing a degree in education. She has travelled throughout the world, painting street art and large scale murals in many of her destinations. She began exhibiting her fine art in galleries while also practicing her PhD in International Comparative Education at Stanford University. She currently resides in Petaluma CA.
Gloria Muriel is a fine artist and muralist whose work celebrates the divine feminine spirit. She is influenced by her inner child and is guided by the beauty of innocence and wonder. Muriel has produced numerous murals throughout the US and Mexico. She has a degree in Graphic Design from Universidad Iberoamericana and currently resides in San Diego.
Carly Ealey
Carly Ealey is an artist from San Diego, California who is best known for her mural installations. Ealey has created several large-scale murals around the world, including in the United States, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand. Her work often features women, the ocean, and celestial objects.
Apexer
July 2023
For more information about the July opening reception and exhibition,
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Apexer, aka Ricardo Richey, is a San Francisco-born and -bred artist whose graffiti sensibility has evolved into a style that is not only typographic but also architectural. Having begun his career as a kid tagging MUNI buses, Apex moved to the wall, then the canvas, and begun careful exploration of abstract letter forms. His pieces are crafted with multiple layers, patterns, and colors that evoke the sense of urban building.
Alec Huxley, Felicia Ann and Paul Lewin
August 2023
For more information about the August opening reception and exhibition,
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Alec Huxley is a painter based in San Francisco. His work, primarily representational, is filled with contrast. Simultaneously stark and colorful, it focuses on landscapes of the American West Coast. Cinematic scenes serve as imperfect records of place, time and architecture for space travellers and wild animals. A self taught artist, his background includes studies in business, graphic design, photography, as well as a career in printing before committing to fine art full-time.
Felicia Ann is an artist and designer based in Oakland CA. She blends her Southeast-Asian heritage, love of lore and mythology, together with her enthusiasm for astronomy, science and technology. Her art is expressed in ethereal portraits, celestial objects and graphic shapes that represent an exploration of human identity and our place and time in the universe.
Paul Lewin has found joy in the process of creating art since he was a child in Kingston, Jamaica. His paintings, which he likens to the ancient art of storytelling, are inspired by nature, science, ancestors, and dreams. The resulting visions include trees, animals, insects and foliage intertwining with human figures to represent the transfer of energy and interconnectedness to the Earth. The figures symbolize Lewin’s ancient, future, and inter-dimensional ancestors from Africa, the Caribbean, and the diaspora. He is currently based in Miami, Florida.
Ursula Xanthe Young
September 2023
For more information about the September opening reception and exhibition,
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Ursula Xanthe Young is a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer whose urban fairy tale images have become a trademark of street culture in San Francisco and beyond. Her fine-lined illustrations and colorful modern paintings exude a style that is unique and appealing to art lovers of all kinds. Young grew up in the green rural dales of Northern England and studied art in New York, Florence, Vermont, Oslo, and London. After graduating from Parsons School of Design , she moved to San Francisco’s Lower Haight district and spent nearly a decade there. Following a stint in Alaska, Ursula has settled in Grass Valley CA, where she now lives and works.
Monty Guy and J. L. King
November 2023
For more information about the November opening reception and exhibition,
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Monty Guy is a painter and illustrator whose earliest memories are drawing in the entryway of his parents' home in Southern California. A true artist, he is constantly compelled to create and hone his craft, seeing beauty and inspiration in everything around him. He appreciates timelessness in his subject matter as well as in his often-used black and white color palette.
J.L. King portrays anonymous figures and everyday objects in curiously extraordinary perspectives. Her paintings reveal vivid scenes through layers, windows, and portals into domains that inspire wonderment and nostalgia. She is heavily inspired by urban nature, her biracial heritage, and the pleasures and experiences of youth. King is a San Francisco native and practices art from her studio in the SOMA district.