Made in SF with ❤️
Do you like local SF art? This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to take part in some art at Ocean Avenue’s own SF Open Studios. Thanks to the generous hosting of Ocean Avenue Association (OAA), our self-dubbed “Ocean Avenue Open Studios” was a vibrant 3-day event that was a part of SF ArtSpan’s 50th Anniversary of Open Studios. While this was my first year joining ArtSpan, ArtSpan’s Open Studios is actually an annual event that has been supporting and showcasing local SF art at artist’s home studios, cafes, and more since 1975.
As you may or may not know, I painted the orchid mural at Champa Garden, the mural at Ocean Ale House (my favorite beer spot on Ocean), and have a print of my husband cycling in the window of Ocean Cyclery. I was thrilled to be invited to take part in our Ocean Avenue Open Studios to promote local San Francisco art and showcase some of my non-mural work alongside ten very talented artists that represented a variety of different mediums.
My Fellow Local SF Art Creators!
- Aleeta Van Runkle
- Alyssa Yang
- Beth Foote
- Chi Kong Cheung
- Kate Favetti
- Ellen Lo (I guess you’ll have to message me if you are interested in my art!)
- Gregory Vernitsky
- Jim Thirtyacre
- Lena Lee
- Lorenzo Garde
- Terry Hurley
I was already familiar with the bright and whimsical doodles of Alyssa Yang, a fellow muralist at The Plant Lady SF (one of my favorite plant shops) for Ocean Avenue Association’s last Art and Wine Walk event. I also knew Chi Kong Cheung, my rockstar classmate in City College San Francisco’s Chinese Brush Painting class that tames dragons with his deft brush. Did I mention that City College is awesome? Chi Kong even has his own solo art exhibition right now at the City College Rosenberg library 2nd Floor until the end of October!
However, I loved getting to know my fellow artists and deeply appreciated their work. Lena Lee’s ducks skipped playfully through watercolor ponds in Golden Gate Park while Kate Favetti’s vibrant orange poppies that literally sprung from textured canvas. Jim Thirtyacre and I swapped stories about how we didn’t really belong as teenagers and how he scrambled through gorgeous slot canyons in Utah to get the perfect shot. Gregory Vernitsky’s clay and wood sculptures created so much meaning in small and abstract forms and stood in lovely contrast with the hyper realistic architectural structures from Terry Hurley. Lorenzo Garde’s solo art piece with dancing figures was certainly a talking piece on its own. Aleeta Van Runkle beautifully captured the coastal California landscape and Beth Foote artfully drew tears from a viewer for her portrayal of a slain teenager in her neighborhood many years ago.
Building a Local SF Art Community
I felt like the event was a wonderful opportunity for art enthusiasts and curious residents to engage with the creative process, explore diverse artistic styles, and even take home some unique pieces to cherish. It was also a nice extension of the Saturdays in the City event that took place on Faxon, organized by Into the Streets / Civic Joy Fund / Kid Safe SF. I loved that there was also a kids table to participate in artful doodles and get their creative juices flowing.
Ocean Avenue Open Studios also offered a way for community members to become familiar with the efforts of OAA to revitalize the Ocean Ave commercial corridor and learn about their involvement with cleaning, beautifying the neighborhood with flowers and bistro lights, and bringing people together with events like ours as they come up for renewal this year.
OAA actually has hosted several local SF art shows before, with solo art exhibitions from Ciccio Boles and Allison Smith as well as last year’s Summer Breeze Art Show with Shrey Purohit and Daniella Turner De Lutis. In case you are interested in their next event, they are having an Autumn Wine Walk taking place on Friday October 25th. In fact, you might even be able to browse some of our art at the office when you register to get your wristband and get those first sips of wine!
If you’d like to check out more local SF art, you should check out ArtSpan’s other Open Studios taking place throughout San Francisco until October 19th!
One more thing: SF-themed local SF Art
San Francisco, with its iconic landmarks, vibrant culture, and stunning natural beauty, has long been a muse for artists across various mediums. Do you want to rep San Francisco love with art but don’t just want a San Francisco standard-issue sweatshirt? Here are some of the artist I quite like that do San Francisco themed art. You can often find these artist at farmers markets or craft fairs, but many have their own online shops too!
- Amos Goldbaum: You may have seen Amos’ line-drawn murals at your favorite coffee shop, wine bar, or even your office! He’s got a wonderful simple but easily-recognizable style and does a fantastic job of creating rendering cityscapes. Apparently he owns a trike (the kind that is used by SFMTA to give you a parking citation). He’s got an online shop with shirts, hoodies, bags, prints, and more.
- CULK: CULK collaborates with several artists to create all sorts of San Francisco goodies like beanies, sweatshirts, socks, and totes. I just purchased a CULK sweatshirt of the Sutro Tower for my friend from Siren Boutique, which also features a lot of San Francisco art and carries CULK products. I especially like the poppy flower design.
- Studio Aud: I absolutely love the neon signs of the Sutro Tower and 49 mile drive from this local artist.
- Thirst and Thrive: I’m a big fan of Ukiyo-e prints, and Hope makes wonderful renditions of San Francisco landmarks, local breweries, coffee shops, and more. Her work is also carried at Mission Blue.
Thanks again to Kate Favetti for organizing the Ocean Avenue Open Studios event, Rosendo Betancourt (OAA Business and Marketing Manager) for hosting and supporting us, and to Christian Martin (OAA Executive Director, for his ongoing support of art on Ocean Avenue!
