I was invited by some friends to attend an opening in North Beach at the beautiful Bonnafont Gallery. A show was being hosted forVesta Kirby's latest body of work; a watercolor series called Wave Markings. And that's just what they were! Vesta kindly explained, and showed site photos, of how she used ocean waves and black Sumi'e ink to create these stark, expressive, and cosmic-star-stuff looking paintings. To learn more about Vesta and her Wave Markings scroll down.
Low Art. Low Fi. Low Budget. Low Down & Dirty Art Show.
There were jewelers, builders, painters, crafters, printers, weavers, photographers, musicians, sculptors and chefs at the event. The lighting was sub-awesome, dim industrial, it made it hard to see some of the vendors work. It was totally cool for a dance party. I went there Friday (opening) night and it was sparsely populated. People were still setting up, a la Burning Man style; making it happen, putting it together, some were more prepared than others.
The most attractive feature of the evening was a huge glassy puddle of water or…? It was behind the gallery stands, unlit, except for the light that came in through nearby windows. Many people gathered around it, gazed, and tried to photograph it. It appeared to be a natural wonder. The massive glossy puddle flawlessly mirrored the whearhouse ceiling and created an abysmal illusion, one of falling deep into a dark cold linear hole. It was awsome! and difficult to photograph with my iPhone.
Below are the sampling of photos I came away with.
I attended the Farm Stand Rock n' Roll potluck party. I brought the obligatory chips and salsa to the potluck as did many other attendees. My date and I discovered the best seeded dried fruit cookies we've ever eaten, and, I scarfed down A LOT of the skinny white and purple french fries that were being served up by the owners of the Gospel Flat Farm.
The two acts, The Domestics and a Jeff Manson outfit, were excellent. The Domestics were a tight, driving, pop/rock duo with wry lyrics about relationships gone awry. Jeff and his group were loose, free, thoughtful, clever and fun. I was digging the guitar playing, the free spirited dancers, the mellow crowd, and the sun-kissed vibe of the entire scene.
There was also an impressive large scale photo portrait show on display at the gallery that coexists with the 24 hour roadside farm stand. It wasn’t an easy show to look at, yet it fit into the gallery and its surroundings beautifully. It was a strong and daring contrast to Bolinas’s bucolic country side. Ethan Rafal was the photographer/artist and what he created was TOTALLY ART.
