Bridge Art Space

On May 11, Bridge Art Space will host a reception for Powell St. John, featuring music by Mr. St. John and his friends. It will be a memorable evening of acoustic joy, along with some exceptionally pleasing art.

Powell St. John was formed as a musician in the Austin folk scene of the late 1960s, when he played in a band with Janis Joplin (who later had a megahit with one of his songs, “Baby Bye Bye”). Powell has been inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame, and is a recording artist for Tompkins Square Records.

Powell is also an exceptional visual artist, and Bridge Art Space is proud to be presenting a show of his works on paper in our Store Front Gallery, with works for purchase on display from May 11 through the month of June.

Here are some  images of Powell’s work to whet your appetite:

We’re also happy to share video of Powell’s recent performance of his original songs at Stranded Records in Oakland on March 1 2012. Enjoy!

The show will also feature additional work by famed exotic erotic comic artist (a Bridge Art Space resident artist), Vincent Stephens, also known as Ramstar.

JC Garrett will be showing his work at Bridge Art Space along with Gary-Paul Barbosa Prince (reception on March 22). He has provided us with the following artist’s statement. Make of it what you will.

“Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west, and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now tell me what you know.” Groucho Marx 

I have been asked to provide a few words about myself, my art, or perhaps even about art in general. As you are probably standing in an art gallery while reading this, the question of  whether it constitutes art or whether I am an artist is effectively rendered meaningless by this context. The question remains: Is what you see good or bad art? Am I a bad artist. Of course, I would not venture to say myself. That is, not on your behalf. You may have noticed, somewhere in the room, a numbered list or even small stickers indicating prices or assigned values. These help make clear that the objects displayed here are in fact items for sale in addition to any aesthetic, personal, social, cultural, or other value presented. Perhaps their purpose is just to entertain or to decorate home or workplace. As a consumer, or as I prefer, Enthusiast, you get to exercise your opinion merely through the act of acquiring these things. A purchase by you of one of my efforts is in a form, voting for me as an artist. Electing me, you might say. Notice the hooks and wires for easy  installation. The convenience of size, choice of colors, overall affordability. In a measure, you employ this choice, your choice as a way of expressing your own needs and desires. Of defining self.

But I digress. For I have failed to tell you much about myself or the art. Needless to say, I am an adult, born in 1955, working and residing locally (Northern California) since 1978, and professionally trained and accredited in the visual arts. The works you see are generated (drawn) on a computer and printed in limited editions of five using acid free art papers and pigmented inks employing a laser printer.

* * *

The human epidemic has finally assumed fatally global proportions. It appears that it is now too late to reverse our begotten course. Signs of the illness can now be found in the outer reaches of the atmosphere and in the deepest seas, where they continue to reek havoc and destruction on all living things. As if implanted deeply into our DNA, the civilization of the homo sapiens has truly come full circle. The end of our earthly habitation is historically within sight and there is no  heaven or hell to save us. Perhaps we should use these final days to celebrate our impending demise and the return of a nature free of inquiry. Hoopla!

* * *

Art or pornography or both. The current investigation indulges the prurient in the service  of an aesthetic.  The product of a sick & amoral mind? Perhaps. Desperate times have me re-visiting the sexual politic of previous upheavals (think Germany, Austria, following the Great War, or post ww2 Japan). My soap box, now corrupt, waddles in a form of (anti) therapy. A generalized anger & despair, directed at no one but myself, but images, none the less, crafted for your entertainment. Think what you will. These belong to us not me.

Bridge Art Center is busting with pride to be presenting new work on the Mexican Drug War by Oakland artists Gary-Paul Barbosa Prince and J C Garrett. Mr. Prince was a recent participant in Art Basel, one of the world’s premiere contemporary art shows, attracting collectors from around the world. A graduate of San Francisco’s Art Institute, Prince has shown widely, including over 25 professional gallery shows in the San Francisco Bay Area alone. J C Garrett’s off the wall, highly original pulp inspired comix and graphic art defy description. He states, “I will draw anything, anytime, anywhere, for anyone.” Garrett specializes in digital drawing which he describes as “. . . all the fun of making art without the oily aftertaste”.

Really, folks, this is going to be a great show!

On 2-16-13, Bridge Art Space hosted a reception for “Jamie Erfurdt: Horses and Other Paintings”.

Jaime  Erfudt is a published poet, a printmaker and an educator. She has been working and showing in the SF Bay Area since the 1980′s . Her artwork has been shown in dozens of exhibitions locally, across the United States and internationally.

Jamie’s show at Bridge Art Space, “Horses And Other Paintings” features both larger and smaller work, figurative and abstract. There are also a number of reasonably priced signed prints available.

Jamie’s beautiful work remains on display in our Storefront Gallery through the end of March.

On 2-16-13, Bridge Art Space hosted a reception hosted a reception for Jamie, and we are delighted to share the following video:

On New Year’s Day, Daryl Henline, manager at Bridge Art Space, hosted a bell ringing ceremony to herald the New Year. It was a celebration of community and the bells could be heard for miles around. Along with the good company and good food, members of the community were invited to share poetry and performance and indeed they did. The videos that follow capture some of this joyous occasion, but to really feel it, you needed to be there of course. Happy New Year to all our friends, and we do hope to see you in the coming months. Ring the bells that still can ring!

[Note: We have divided the video into four short segments, but to best capture the feeling of the day, we recommend you set some time aside and view them all at once. If you find yourself a bit teary at the end, don't say we didn't warn you.]

Daryl Henline, Charles Kruger and Richard Loringer:



Richard Page, Richard Stone, Amy Tobin and Tom Stolmar:



Bridge Art Space neighbor Doria and Mimi Heft:



Rusty Rebar accompanied by Richard on the sitar:



East Bay artist Charles Kruger works in a studio at Bridge Art Space. Would you like to see YOUR work posted here?(charleskrugerart.com)

Our goals at BAS include building community and promoting artists. If you are a Bay area visual artist — especially in the East Bay or Marin County — we would love to show off your work, and hope you will help us build our community as well.

Send a GIF of your work with a link to your art website to charles@bridgeartspace.com. We’ll publish the GIF and the link. All we ask  in return (and it’s not required) is that you like us on FB and consider subscribing to our blog. And we hope you’ll send your art-related events for us to announce on our Arts Calendar.

Sound good? Hey, really, now, it can’t hurt.

Excitement is in the air as Bridge Art Space prepares to participate in the annual East Bay Open Studios this Spring. During the first two weeks in June, East Bay  Open Studios connects the public with over 400 artists in 14 cities in the East Bay. This is the largest art event in the region, reaching over 60,000 people.

If you are an artist who plans to participate, we would like you to join us at Bridge Art Space. We can support you in several ways:

o If you already have a studio with us, and sign up to participate in Open Studios, we will reimburse $60.00 of your open studio fees.

o If you do not have a studio with us and decide to begin renting now, we will deduct the first month’s rent if you sign a six month contract (which would take you through the first two weeks in June.)

o If you do not wish to rent a studio, but would nevertheless like to show your work at BAS during Open Studios, we will provide a space for $10.00 a day for each day of Open Studio (only $30.00 if you join us for all four days).

Artists who show at Bridge Art Space during Open Studios will have the benefit of our advertising (including our freeway visible banner), an opening and closing party, an office equipped to handle all sales by credit card, check or cash, and an enthusiastic and supportive community. On top of all that, Bridge Art Space will be treated as a networked group of artists, which means we will receive a free ad in the 2013 East Bay Directory of Arts (the Open Studios catalog published by ProArts). This goes into effect with a small ad for as few as five artists. The more artists sign up, the larger the ad, up to a full page (for 50 artists).

To sign up for Open Studios with Pro Arts, click here.

To take advantage of the opportunities at Bridge Art Space, contact Daryl Henline at daryl@bridgeartspace.com.