Fun + Games: A show of art inspired by toys, games, sports and fun, at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco

What do artists think is fun? That’s the question behind Fun + Games, a show of artwork inspired by toys, games, sports and all things fun. The answer includes everything from bicycles and guitars to stuffed animals and evil dust bunnies, from the Musée Mechanique to playing on the beach. The show, which runs from November 2nd – November 27th, includes work from 35 local artists.

(PRWEB) November 2, 2005 -- Art in the show progresses from the cute and adorable to the downright wicked. In addition to work depicting toys, sports and games, the show includes a selection of beautifully handmade toys for the kid in all of us. Over 125 pieces are on display, everything from painting, prints, photography, and encaustic, to sculpture, jewelry, and mixed media pieces.

Many of the artists in the show get inspiration from their own toys, or those of their children. Barbara Wyeth, a San Francisco photographer, poses her own dolls on her studio floor; once she’s taken and printed the resulting black and white photos, she hand-tints them, using tiny brushes, cotton swabs and even toothpicks to apply oil paint. Her photo of the “Peace Troll,” shows the little doll, barefoot in a tiny pair of jeans and a fringed leather vest, his little three-fingered hand reaching out, seemingly to shake yours.

Sculptor Dave Higgins makes stunning one-of-a-kind toys that look like they escaped from a world run by Edward Gorey and Tim Burton. Each piece is modeled of resin, dressed in canvas clothes complete with tiny buttons. “Nancy” and “June,” diminutive little girls with upturned ghost-white faces, look innocent enough, except for the cleavers they wield. Higgins says his creations “tell a story of things long lost in dark attics or perhaps a mystic lodge, and spark an immediate sympathy in the heart of anyone who has ever wished to run away and join the circus.”

The show is not all nostalgia. The current popularity of poker shows up in Berkeley artist Jan Wurm’s three paintings of dealers and poker players in Las Vegas. Toby Tover-Krein’s large painting “Out of the Park” depicts Barry Bonds hitting a home run, which is happily still happening, and Jake Hawley’s painted skateboards reflect the influence of comic books and the current popularity of character-based art.

Fun + Games runs from November 2nd – November 27th, 2005. STUDIO Gallery is located at 1718A Polk Street (between Clay and Washington) in San Francisco. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Friday 11 am – 8 pm, Saturday + Sunday 11 am – 6 pm, and Monday + Tuesday by appointment. For more information contact the gallery at 415-931-3130 or http://STUDIOGallerySF.com.

About STUDIO Gallery
STUDIO Gallery was founded in 2003 to showcase the work of Bay Area artists. The gallery features fine art, crafts and home furnishings.

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