Needles & Pens presents,

Energy Descriptions,
an exhibition of new paintings by
Julianna Bright

Opening Reception Friday August 5, 2016 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm.
On display thorugh September 4, 2016.

Energy Descriptions is an exhibiiton of paintings in gouache on paper stained with tea or india ink. Thematically they vary from botanicals to abstract shapes. The botanicals are efforts toward describing generative power and unitive life force almost realistic with something spontaneous and unplanned appearing within each. Alternatively, the abstract pieces represent meditations in which Bright selected a subject, allowing each movement of the brush to draw her deeper inside of it.

Bio:
Julianna Bright was born in Los Angeles in 1971. She grew up in Southern California and received a BA in English Literature from UC Berkeley in 1995.

Julianna’s vivid, delicate works in gouache, watercolor and ink have appeared on album covers, in periodicals and in galleries around North America. Her band – Golden Bears – with her husband Seth Lorinczi, was 2012 alternative pick on iTunes & Amazon. Julianna also makes award-winning children’s music under the name Cat Doorman.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

http://juliannabright.com/

Briar Bonifacio
Michael Sieben

Needles & Pens presents,

WESTERN MIGRATION
New Paintings and Drawings by
Briar Bonifacio + Michael Sieben

Open Reception: Saturday July 9, 2016 from 6:00-9:30 p.m.
(runs through 8/2/16)

Both Bonifacio and Sieben live and work in Austin, TX, creating murals, illustrations, paintings, skateboard graphics, and sculptures. Briar’s drawing style is reminiscent of 1950’s American advertising with household items, animals and food all coming to life: wasabi characters, sushi-roll men, bluebirds, Buddhist bandit cats, Egyptian ladybugs and Gaudí-like birdhouses all have a story to tell you in his paintings. Bonifacio has been painting murals for the past 23 years and has exhibited from Hong Kong to New York. He has worked with Deitch Projects, bringing his characters to life for art parades and has also created a forest of smiling trees with Pope Park in Hartford, CT. 

Michael Sieben is best known for his cast of invented characters, whose portraits mirror our own trials and tribulations of modern-day existence, their weariness and wounds worn proudly as opposed to being hidden. Sieben is currently the managing editor of Thrasher magazine and has a monthly column in Juxtapoz magazine. In addition, he co-owns a small skateboard brand called The Program and is an active member of the Okay Mountain art collective, founded in Austin, TX, in 2006. 

For more information: 
www.dearninja.com   
@dearninja 

msieben.com
programskates.com
okaymountain.com
@sieben_up

See you there!!

Click here to view and purchase works from Heidi Anderson’s Desert Vessels & Cactus People exhibition at N&P. On display through July 4, 2016.

N&P is excited to announce the opening of

Desert Vessels & Cactus People new works by Heidi Anderson

Desert Vessels & Cactus People is an exploration of otherworldly realms and uncovered meanings in drawing and ceramic sculpture by Los Angeles based artist Heidi Anderson.

Opening reception: Saturday June 4, 2016 from 6 – 9 P.M.
On display through July 4,2016.

Opening Saturday May 7, 2016 from 6-9pm
Fridge!
a solo show by
Dave King
Fridge! A strange new installation by Dave King, designer of the Crass Symbol. Carrying a packed lunch and a flask of tea, Dave King wanders off into the bushes in search of an un-marked path. Through dense undergrowth seeded with shards of rusty metal, along canals and past World War Two bunkers, the road spirals towards the infinite. A few inexplicable signposts are visible in the show, photographic ghosts, consumer durables, a smiling Crass symbol and radiant aliens. Out of the fridge and into the trees. No Way. Way!
On display through May 30th

N&P presents,
Outside new paintings by Maria Forde
Opening reception Saturday March 5, 2016 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm
with music by Adam Cimino and Mark Kaiser.
On display through April 3, 2016

All work from the Damien Hoar de Galvan show is now available for online purchase.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

Needles & Pens presents,
OK
a solo exhibition by
Damien Hoar de Galvan

Boston based artist Damien Hoar de Galvan will be exhibiting a gallery full of mixed media wooden sculptural works in first ever California solo show.

Opens November 6, 2015
6:00-9:30 p.m.
(and runs through 12/31/15)

Artist Statement:
For the last 5 or so years the work I have been making has been smallish wooden sculptures. The wood I use is almost always found or reused/recycled or whatever term is most en vogue to describe art material not bought for that purpose. There is a practicality to working like this but it is also often an aesthetic choice as well, wood or other material that is old or used is generally more visually appealing to me and often gives me a starting point to begin a new work. The act of making something is the way I have found to be the most useful and satisfied to myself at the end of the day. It is probably as simple as that, a way to keep myself busy and feel like I’m being productive in some way. I begin with small bits of wood, painted or not. Then it is a matter of playing with them until I can see some way they will start to fit together. It’s sort of like a puzzle with no picture to use as a reference. Visual and structural problems often quickly arise and it is then that a piece will begin to develop. I suppose I almost seek out the problems in order to continue making them, it all becomes a way to stay interested and motivated to work. I describe the process of making here in this statement because that is much of what the work is about. It is process based work and it took me a long time to come to terms with that (I’m probably still coming to terms). It is the act of making that satisfies and frustrates me. It is dealing with my own personal emotions and feelings while making that I suppose the work is about. Maybe this is why I titled the show “ok”, because ok for me describes a strange ambivalent satisfaction. The way life is, up and down but hopefully (for me) ok. If I can work the way I want to and feel good about myself at the end of the day then I think that is probably a worthwhile endeavor.
– Damien Hoar de Galvan

Friday September 4th 6-9pm

N&P presents,
Push Periodical Release Party with photographs (from the magazine) by Richard Hart, and Ben Gore; along with artwork by Mat O’Brien.

PUSH PERIODICAL is a new skateboard magazine from UK-born, SF-based photographer Richard Hart. Richard’s work has been published in many magazines over the years, including Slap, Transworld Skateboarding, The Skateboard Mag, Kingpin etc.

Push is limited to 700 copies, some will be available on the night.

Live music will be supplied by Smokin’ Ziggurats.
www.pushperiodical.com

Friday, August 21 at 7:00pm at N&P

Join the editors and contributors of Selfish magazine at N&P for a night of readings and discussion.

Selfish was created as a means to tackle the continuing lack of female presence in publishing as well as encourage women to engage in creative truth-telling. This night will involve a talk about the project//women in publishing// the benefits of collaboration – and we’re encouraging female attendees to bring out their own work with the intention of publishing pieces collected on the road in our third issue to debut next January. Issue one contributor Lauren Crew Photography will join the discussion!

Coming to N&P Saturday August 1st, 6-9 pm:
3 P A I N T E R S: Ashley Fundora, Lauren D’Amato, Holly McHugh
with D.J. Sauvecito Souldies spinning soul jams.
Please join us in welcoming three emerging artists to the Bay Area
for a viewing of recent paintings.

The self-awareness gained being an identical twin informed this painting series and my investigation of one-self. These paintings explore the relationship between our socially curated digital identities and the reality of being. Through experimenting with different painting processes, techniques and color these works paint a portrait of who we are as a result of these contrasting systems and influences. As well as, blurring the line that divides our actual being from our preconceived virtual versions. Creating a conceptually layered work that questions the place of self in today’s equation. – Ashley Fundora

My work has aesthetically grown from the influence of my family’s craft of sign making. I’ve enjoyed adapting their traditional and western styles to examine and process my own relationships to the imagery I grew up on. Some of it is personal reflection, but it’s all about the process of production which keeps me happy. Knowing I’m picking up somehow where they left off. – Lauren D’Amato

I use figure studies combined with found images, drawings, photographs and memory to piece together compositions that have a semblance of narrative. – Holly McHugh

Join us on Monday July 13 from 7:00-9:00 P.M. for a Reading, Signing, and Book Launch with Anders Nilsen and Marc Bell at Needles And Pens! The authors/artists will be at N&P to release their latest Drawn & Quarterly titles: Anders Nilsen‘s Poetry is Useless, and Marc Bell Stroppy. Not to be missed!

Made by You: Cons/N&P Zine Release + Exhibition
June 27, 2015
6:00-9:00 pm

Needles & Pens collaborated with Converse to create four new publications by Bay Area artists: Mat Obrien, Kyle Ranson, Ted Pushinsky, and Pacolli.

Join us on June 27 for the release of all four zines along side an exhibition of work by the artists with musical performances by Kyle Ranson and Electronic Death Registry (Wendy Farina and Kelly Ann Nelson) – a two piece minimal sandwich wave band.

In addition, food will be provided by Bicycle Bánh Mì.

*200 copies of each publication has been created and will be available for free during the event to those in attendance.

Direct from Tokyo, it’s 4NOW A group show featuring Rich Jacobs, Tim Kerr, Yusuke Hanai, and Hi-Dutch

Opening reception Saturday June 13, 2015 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
On display through June 26.

“Rich Jacobs is a master of west coast street art. Tim Kerr is an artist who was a guitarist for the pioneering 1980s hard core band Big Boys. Yusuke Hanai is a young illustrator who represents Japan. Hi-dutch is an artist who creates three-dimensional works of art using wool and resin.
These four artists who have continued to produce work from within the countercultures of punk, skateboarding, surfing, and more will be exhibiting together their work “for now.” (text from Beams Culture in Tokyo)

Friday, May 29 from 6-9pm

Zine Release & Photo Show:
Trepes Las Cochinadas de Tijuana
w/ Stefan Simikich, ADEK and RESQ

Trepes – Las Cochinadas consists of hundreds of photos taken between 2003 and 2006 by Stefan Simikich, ADEK and RESQ documenting the unique style of bombing in Tijuana, Mexico. Trepes is a form of bombing born in Tijuana in the late 90s that is characterized both by it’s style as well as its approach, especially hangover roll-call tags across the tops of buildings. Trepes – Las Cochinadas provides an immersive look at Tijuana’s graff culture at its grittiest and most intense. Published by YOFC Press, 2015.

Limited to 500 copies. 8″x10″, 134 pages.

Join us on Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. for an in-store reading/event by D.I.Y. MAGIC author Anthony Alvarado!

You’re not going to want to miss this.

D.I.Y. MAGIC is not so much a how-to magic book in the traditional pulling rabbits out of a hat sense, but more a guide to exploring and pushing the boundaries of ones internal/external perception of reality. The book teaches techniques on lucid dreaming, building tarot decks, going on vision quests, creating memory palaces, and getting lost in a familiar city. Anthony Alvarado provides readers with a collection of techniques for accessing deeper levels of creative thought—for hacking into their subconscious. From Salvador Dali’s spoon technique and ornithomancy (divination by crows), to bibliomancy and using (legal) stimulants, the exercises in this book will help anyone chasing the muse—from artists and musicians, to writers and more—as they tug at the strings of everyday reality and tap into the magic of their own minds. It’s a truly excellent publication, and if that wasn’t enough it’s got illustrations from 30 of todays best contemporary artists including: Aidan Koch, Kevin Hooyman, Ron Rege Jr., Edie Fake, and Luke Ramsey

Be there or be square!
(Anthony has rumored that there will be home-made beer samples)

Coming March 19 to N&P, a book release and art show from SF’s Joe Roberts.

Joe Roberts has worked as an artist in San Francisco for the last decade. His mixed media work has been released in various formats over the years and shown nationwide to great acclaim. The tenth title from Unpiano Books is a curated survey of his career thus far in the form of a softbound 160-page book featuring 142 full color reproductions of his work. As an independent publisher, Unpiano Books aims to support and promote lesser-known artists with specialized small-run releases both locally and across the country.

Joe creates artwork which represents a variety of mixed media formats and is reminiscent of work from Jean-Michel Basquiat and Joseph Cornell. Collage, paintings, diorama and figurines all play a role in the world he has created and is constantly reinterpreting.

“ …It is in Joe’s work that we can best see this influence of family, and this deeply veined exploration of the afterlife, the sublime. Childhood caricatures mingle with one another in cavernous hallways and catacombs, float weightlessly in starry skies. Watches stop, time stops, time circles around and we are back at the beginning. Back to what we share with the ones who are gone.”
– Myla Dalbesio, 2014

“Joe Roberts’ journey to the unknown is dotted with the protective guardians of childhood nostalgia. These come in the flavors of films, comics, candies, logos, and branding of the 80s and early 90s, not to mention latent countercultural references from 60-70s. This is the bulk of the content in his works and it is these references that place him in his time period and in a group of people bent on breaking through the illusions and finding themselves.”
– Matthew Ronay, 2014

JOE ROBERTS (b. 1976) grew up in in Madison, Wisconsin. Comic books made up the bulk of his childhood reading material, and their influence persists in his current work. Joe attended San Francisco Art Institute, where he claims he mainly learned about drugs. Through the use of crayons, paper and found objects, his work creates a world of cartoon imagery laced with personal symbology and humor. Joe currently lives and works in San Francisco, California.

UNPIANO BOOKS (Publisher) is an independent book publisher based out of New York. They specialize in photo and art books and currently operate on a timeline of seasonal releases. Since publishing Sandy Kim’s first monograph in 2009, Unpiano has sought to publish both emerging artists and artists from previous generations who never before had the opportunity to give their work a wider audience. They have worldwide distribution and cater to a variety of brick-and-mortar bookstores, museums and art spaces as well as online booksellers. In addition, they self-distribute via their retail website and at book fairs across the country. Artists released through Unpiano Books include: Sandy Kim, Jay Howell, Mel Kadel, Casey Jones and Arthur Pollock among others.

MYLA DALBESIO (Introduction) is an American multi-disciplinary visual and performance artist and curator. Her work is greatly influenced by religion and ritualistic practices, the mystic patterns of the natural world, nostalgic tendencies, American trash culture, and the underlying sexual perversions within all humans. She is currently located in New York City where she also models as the one of the faces of Calvin Klein.

We’ll be tabling at the LA Art Book at the end of this month and our publishing imprint & Pens Press will be releasing two new zines for the occasion: First one by Olympia Washington based musician/visual artist Arrington de Dionyso and another by the LA based artist duo Sumi Ink Club. We’re stoked! See you there.

It’s the Needles & Pens / Curator
HOLIDAY PARTY!
Friday, December 5, 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Come ring in the holiday season with us at our new location and enjoy some tunes by:
MALE GAZE (ex. Mayyors, Blasted Canyons, The Mall)
and Nashville to SF post-punk transplants the
USELESS EATERS
(music starts at 7:30)

In celebration of the Valencia Street Holiday Block Party Curator will be offering 15% off all items the entire evening.

Needles & Pens/Curator, 1173 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

*Flyer by Mr. Ron Regé Jr.

Coming to Needles & Pens Thursday November 13, 2014

PULP ATLAS, a series of exhibitions featuring the work of 12 artists experimenting with the book form and zines.

Participating Artists Include:
Michael Bartalos, Morgan Cahn, Matt Coors, Edie Fake, Christopher Kardambikis, Mark Lander, J. Pascoe, Vanessa Roveto, Jim Rugg, Tim Schwartz, Mary Tremonte, and Imin Yeh.

Artist book reading and discussion on the night of November 13 begins at 7 P.M. with Michael Bartalos, Christopher Kardambikis, and Tim Schwartz. Discussion moderated by Roberto Trujillo.

*Also – Tim Schwartz will be parking the STAT-US trailer outside Needles & Pens for thew night! Mark Lander will be on hand via Skype from Ipswich to talk to visitors about the books! This show is going to be AWESOME!

pulpatlas.tumblr.com