I took it upon myself to devote the entire day today to a celebration of natural endorphins and what I like to call "art-strolling". The former was achieved with a 4 mile run from my apartment, all the way to the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco (the route took me right by the water almost the entire way and into the hustle and bustle of my favorite farmers market). The latter endeavor brought me to the heart of the Mission neighborhood and into a handful of local art galleries and collectives that rest side by side in a complimentary fashion (harboring less competition than what we're use to with commercial galleries). Needless to say, it was a good day.
I stumbled upon Kyle Ranson's solo show at the Adobe Books Backroom Gallery aptly titled Portraits. Interestingly enough, I had heard of Kyle before, through some vague online art blog which name or content I have no recollection of other than the fact that his work struck a chord with me. I've been to his website several times, admiring the intensity of his body of work; its subjects rendered in garish blood red colors, at times invoking a macabre sense of doom derived from our beastly natures. Some of his stuff reminded me of earlier work by the infamous brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman, particularly their 3-d homage to Francisco Goya's Disasters of War etchings.
His show Portraits, however, didn't espouse the same gory effect that I just described. The mood was a different one, produced by these lonely figures with complex histories made real by the expression on their faces. Pretty moving figures actually. I really liked his brushwork and incredible use of color. It got me inspired and craving to attempt a couple of portraits myself. I have to say, living in a city that provides limitless opportunities for art-strolls, just a skip and a hop away from where I lay my hat, is enough to keep those endorphins circulating.It was a good day.
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