posted: February 16, 2010

If you're in the Bay Area, please stop by our new gallery space Casa Treat, for it's maiden show "Where Does the Park Begin: new work by Nathaniel Parsons," Saturday February 20, 6-9 PM. 
 
National Park style refreshments will be served.

Nathaniel is one of my favorite artists, and has long inspired me, as well as countless others.  These are some sneek peaks of a few of the pieces.

*****
"Nathaniel Parsons creates work where the viewer isn't left out. Mining his daily life for materials, physical and conceptual, he constantly is adjusting his perception of what makes the activity of producing art interesting. The work he produces is multidisciplinary always. Having grown up in a small town in Ohio,Chagrin Falls, much of his time there was spent in an inventive space with others.This seen(scene) is in the things he depicts, such as canoes, hoses, picnic tables,recreational vehicles and landscapes. This show has brought all of these interests under one National Natural Roof. Where Does the Park Begin aims to show issues of shared use, memory and good times all with a certain criticality that makes one always conscious of how hard it is to leave no traces and take everything with you."
*****

Nathaniel Parsons          

Where Does The Park Begin
February 20th – March 6th 2010
Opening Saturday Feb 20th 6-9pm

Casa Treat
1081 Treat (at 24th)
SanFrancisco, CA 94110
Available for private viewing

www.ihavebeento.com

Right around the corner from our house, our neighbor has taken advantage of San Francisco's "Store Front Window Program," in which empty store front windows are being used as temporary mini-galleries.  It's been really cool to walk around and see what people have been doing.  Our neighbors had Nathaniel put up a window in tandem with this show.

This is my window, which I had up all last month.  Nice way to utilize framed pieces and books I had laying around!

I know you east coasters are all snowed in right now, so I thought you'd appreciate a shot of the spring that's springing out here.  This is one of the plum trees in front of our house...

posted: February 6, 2010

I wanted to do a post to commemorate the great William A. Berry, who I recently learned just passed away.

Bill was an amazingly talented artist, illustrator, designer and teacher.  He was also a close family friend.

Perhaps Bill will be most remembered for his much celebrated book, "Drawing the Human Form," which continues to be used in classrooms throughout the world.  We used it at Parsons when I was going to school, although I already knew it well as it was on our family bookshelf and my father made sure I read it!

I still have my personally signed art school copy.
Bill studied at U of T in Austin, then got his MFA in SoCal and in Rome.  He later taught in Austin, and was an early art director for the much hallowed Texas Monthly.

He illustrated for all sorts of publications, such as Esquire, the Times, etc., as well as a variety of books.  He also did a fair bit of book cover design work.  He ended up teaching at the U of Missouri in Columbia, becoming the chairman of the department, and that's where my family first met him when we lived there.

Later, when I was going to art school in NY, my father worked as the director of Villa Montalvo Center for the Arts back in California, and along with the job came an apartment there where my parents lived.  I'd come home in the summers and stay there, and artists in residence would come and stay.

Bill and his wonderful wife Janet came out as residents for a few summers in a row, so we all got to spend good time together.  Bill produced these incredible academic drawings while there.  He made them using layered grids of colored pencil, almost like pointillism.

Bill also had many solo shows all over the world.  He was a huge inspiration for me because he seemed like he was always pushing forward, trying new things, not afraid to fail, always questioning things.

He was also a very gentle and kind man, generous and smart and funny.  We'll miss you Bill.  Thanks, man.

An addendum: Today Cynthia and I ran our first half marathon.  Before we started, I dedicated the run to Bill!  It was a beautiful sunny day and the run went well, through Golden Gate park, the Haight and along the Pacific Ocean...although I'm a bit sore now...

posted: February 5, 2010

These are pieces accepted into the SI Book/Editorial show that opens tonight.

Have a blast everyone!  We wish we could be there.
 
Big congrats to Marc, Brian, Yuko, Victor, Leo, and Julia and everyone else I missed.  We'll raise a glass for you here in SF tonight.  Cheers!

posted: February 1, 2010