Sowing Seeds features originals and reproductions of selected works by urban contemporary artist Norm “Nomzee” Maxwell (1969-2016). Created between the years of 2002-2015, these works are among his most colorful and positive, reflecting his growing family, fond memories of his Philadelphia youth and metaphysical aspirations. Despite his passing, his work remains not only relevant but also visionary.

The Norm Maxwell Family Foundation will be releasing three limited edition framed prints on canvas in conjunction with this exhibition, featuring Maxwell’s well-received paintings, Pop's Shop, Oh Snap! and Jumping James. Also on exhibit will be small works for sale, open edition prints on canvas and not-for-sale originals.

Born in Philadelphia PA in 1969, Norm Maxwell was fully susceptible to and influenced by street life, finding his expression in writing graffiti in the 1980s as “Ice”. Mentors and peers encouraged him to pursue an art degree, and his career began in Los Angeles’ Skid Row in the early 1990s alongside urban art legend Doze Green and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Clarence Williams. Maxwell was a prolific artist whose skills and subject matter spanned the extremes of painting. From acrylic spray to oil brush, street life to ancient myth, and urban strife to family life, Maxwell addressed both the evil and beauty of humanity -- a duality that he personally struggled with during his short and magnificent life. He garnered commissions from patrons in Los Angeles, Paris, Seoul, Berlin and Dubai.

Delineation is Daniel Chen's latest collection of oil paintings chronicling his travels to and memories of places like Taipei, Paris, Portland and San Francisco - places he loves and holds dear, like an old faded photograph.

The works trick the mind’s eye with their abstract geometric rendering of city- and landscapes that become more amorphous the nearer you get to them. Chen likens this to human memories, which are fallible. They hold hard engrained truths that often become hazy and blurred through time.

Analog is an artist's visual chronicle of the swinging tides of the global pandemic. Daniel Chen did not cope well in the beginning, living alone and consumed by negative thoughts compounded by the news cycle and societal upheaval. He attempted to numb himself through a fog of escape but the more he curtailed his inner dialog, the louder it became.

This collection of paintings exhibits his personal journey through shelter-in-place, and his eventual acceptance of things that are out of his control. Chen created each of the paintings with a set grid, which he used to study color, balance, and cadence. The body of work is a progression of emotions that shift from darkness to light.

Note: Analog was originally scheduled for 2021 but canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. We present it alongside his 2022 exhibition, Delineation.

Visual Indulgence is a foray into color and process with paintings by Ingrid V. Wells and Heather Robinson that are simultaneously playful and serious; simple and complex. Vibrant patterns are immediately inviting yet crafted through a deliberate and extensive process that involves modeling, masking, layering and more.

Wells' work in this series, titled Spectacle, begins as still-life decoden, composed of tiny plastic objects undulating in fake frosting and sparkles, that are manipulated and enlarged into bright, bold oil paintings. The feminine imagery investigates American pop culture aesthetics of joy as simultaneously oppressive and empowering.

Robinson’s work is from her series called “Pattern Seeking” which seeks optimism in times of increasing chaos and uncertainty. Her goal is to evoke positive emotion through repeating textile patterns in multiple layers that are meditative, soothing and satisfying, representing the push and pull of order and disorder.

THHE AUCTION is an annual event to benefit the neighborhood artists of Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program, San Francisco’s only free art studio. The city’s oldest human services agency, Hospitality House offers six programs that strive to tackle the root causes of homelessness. The Community Arts Program (CAP) offers creative self-expression and a vibrant community to low-income artists, and allows them to exhibit and sell their work.

This year Luna Rienne Gallery, Mothbelly Gallery, Fleetwood Annex, analogSF, and HH Community Arts Program are offering their walls to exhibit the auction pieces, generously donated by nearly 100 artists.

THHE AUCTION takes place from April 1-6. More information at thheauction.org.

With Unnatural Selection, Robert Bowen presents a new body of work addressing his unanswered questions about biomimicry and the sanctity of nature. He continues to play mad scientist in a laboratory that should never really exist, fusing high technology with nature. To juxtapose these prophetic tragedies, he has also painted a series of creatures with a precious stone/gem element, based on the concept that people should protect nature in the same way they safeguard their most prized jewels.

Little Wonders is a collection of small-scale works by 11 of our exhibiting artists. Accustomed to producing larger work — some on walls up to 6 stories tall — these artists are also able to translate their style and craft to smaller surfaces, a skill that is sometimes underestimated.

Nocturnal Diversions addresses the feelings that emerge when the sun goes down, both literally and figuratively.

Joshua Lawyer’s pieces explore the negative events that lead humans to build defense mechanisms as a way to protect themselves, which then perpetuate and affect others. They may, at first glance, intimidate the viewer but eventually reveal beauty and complexity. MJ Lindo-Lawyer’s series revolves around gerascophobia, which is the fear of getting older or aging, and whether it is a desire or necessity to hold on to childlike tendencies. Ursula Xanthe Young offers a group of paintings that celebrate the feminine energy of the moon, the magic of nightfall and the endless possibilities of the dreamworld. Lunar cycles, celestial energy and nocturnal vibes pervade in her gorgeous portraits and cityscapes that celebrate the night.

20/20 Vision features work created by painters Anthony Holdsworth and Beryl Landau since shelter-in-place was issued in San Francisco in March of 2020. Initially confined to their Bernal Heights neighborhood, there are a number of pieces painted from their vantage point on the north slope of Bernal looking towards downtown. Streets and freeways that were typically filled with cars are captured sparsely populated. Greenery and blue skies and waters take up the space around the urban architecture instead of crowds of people.

Anthony Holdsworth paints a series of paintings from the top of Harrison Street under four different skies – morning, afternoon, night and that smoke-filled day in September when the sun never came out. As the city reopened, he made his way back to the Mission, capturing new and old murals as well as quintessential intersections of the neighborhood. During this time, he also created one painting, Waiting In Line At Sun Fat, completely in his studio from a series of sketches done on-site.

Fairy magic is all about connecting to oneself, to each other, and to the planet. Fairies have been around for thousands of years and bring creativity, magic, connection and positivity wherever they go. This Earth needs fairy magic now more than ever.

All of the original paintings from the illustrated children's book, How to Know You Are a Fairy by Amandalynn & Lady Mags will be on display, as well as a group exhibition with some of their favorite fairy artists.