JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk on March 6th from 7–11pm. RSVP

The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk is a self-guided evening tour through galleries, museums, and independent creative businesses featuring eclectic art exhibitions and special performances.

NEW EXHIBITS…

• KALEID gallery – 88 South Fourth St. map

  Artists’ Reception: Join us for a visual tête-à-tête between resident KALEID artists Bryson Bost and Gianfranco Paolozzi in a feature exhibition cohesively entitled: “Languages.” Live music by Casey Wickstrom and his Guitar.

  
  

  “Definitive Gains” by Bryson Bost

  We appreciate when delicious hypotheticals emerge as tangible realities. Progression can be felt, and that is very pleasing to a craftsman.

  
  

  “Journals” by Gianfranco Paolozzi

  Marking on surfaces; moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, year by year…just like a journal.

• Cinequest x Phantom Galleries Live Art Contest at Camera 12 Cinemas – 201 South Second St. map

  
  Michael Borja, Denis Korkh and Frances Marin

  Phantom Galleries is proud to once again partner with the Cinequest Film Festival on the festival’s Live Art Contest held from February 25 to March 7th at the Camera12 Cinemas. This year is our 7th year collaborating and is a special 25th year anniversary for Cinequest.

  The selected artists: Michael Borja, Denis Korkh and Frances Marin, will create their visual interpretation of the festival’s theme: “The Power of Creating”.We encourage everyone to stop by during the South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk, meet the artists painting live and vote for your favorite one!

• Phantom Galleries at Pho69 – 321 South First St. map

  
  

  Phantom Galleries presents “False Color” by Mark Hannah at Pho69.

  Inspired by the color and spatial distortion of vintage film photography, False Color explores subjects from minimalist and architectural to land and seascapes rendering them not as they’re experienced but as they may be remembered. All works were created using vintage cameras, expired film, and infrared film.

• Seeing Things Gallery – 30 North Third St. map

  
  

  Artist’s reception: CIR•CU•LAR by Bryce Kanights

  On the streets of Paris during the summer of 2004 Bryce Kanights began to notice and spontaneously photograph round objects that he encountered. It soon became a regular part of his street photography and many years later BK’s large collection of circular images are being shared through his Instagram feed @orignalbk, where he created the #circularsunday hashtag and a small and growing community of contributors have embraced the weekly showcase.

  Bryce is excited to bring CIR•CU•LAR, his first print show highlighting an assortment of vivid and thought-provoking of disk-shaped images along with some of his classic skateboarding related photographs to Seeing Things Gallery.

• Works San Jose – 365 South Market St. map

  
  art by Rita Norton

  Artists’ reception: “Don’t Draw That: répondez s’il vous plaît”

  Recent events—including the murder of artists by terrorists in Paris, and the calls from many in reaction, including the President of the United States and other world leaders, for artists not to create provocative work on religion or other subjects that might offend—have spurred a wide range of responses from creative individuals and communities. Works has invited artists, cartoonists, designers, poets, etc., to submit work that responds to any aspect or point of view on these subjects: Do images incite hate and violence? Can images counter hate and violence? What should be the response of creative people to attacks on individuals or on freedom of expression itself? Are there other questions that should be posed?

• Art Ark Gallery – 1035 South Sixth St. map

  
  artwork: “Village” courtesy of the artist, Kristin Lindseth

  Artists’ reception: “Cross Pollination”

  An art exhibition featuring the work of Art Faculty and Instructional Technicians working in the Visual Art Departments of Silicon Valley’s six community colleges: Evergreen Community College, San Jose City College, Mission College, West Valley College, Foothill College and De Anza College. Live music by Aaron Lehr.

  Participating Artists: Barbara Allie, Gary Barten, Michael Bashista, Cheryl Battiato, Judith Bell, Marcia Briggs, Ingrid Brook-Kothlow, Heidi Brueckner, Jason Challas, Kimberly Cook, Lee Crowley, Chris Cryer, Mark Engel, Mitra Fabian, Julia Feld, Michelle Gregor, Ron Guzman, Andrew Hedges, Jeremiah Jenkins, Kate Jordahl, Dave Kempken, Deborah Kennedy, Rachel Lazo, Kristin Lindseth, Lesley Louden, Mark Nobriga, Michael Pauker, Diane Pierce, George Rivera, Juliana Kang Robinson, Yori Seeger, Lynne Todaro, and Gary Tolome

• First to Market Restaurant – 399 South First St. map

  
  

  Artist’s reception: “Details” by Jennifer Bullock OwYoung

  I’m honored to be asked for a return exhibit at The Craftsman (formally First to Market.) Photography is a hobby of mine and my work spans many subjects, not focusing on any particular style. I enjoy shooting everything from sweeping landscapes to detailed macro photos.

• TechShop San Jose – 300 South Second St. map

  

  Artist’s reception: “Sketches to Sculptures” by Lindsay Balfour

  Sketches to Sculptures is a showcase of creative process and the interpretation of scientific observation translated into as a series of drawing studies and paper sculptures. The installation is a beautiful medley of textures and shapes inspired by Siphonaphorae, animal colonies made up of a massive amount of marine organisms.

• Vyne Bystro – 110 Paseo de San Antonio Walk map

  

  Artist’s reception: “Grape Minds” – Wine Inspired Noggin Toppers from Chimeric Millinery

  Short synopsis of the show: Like a good glass of wine you don’t need a special occasion. Life is an occasion. Tuesday is an occasion. Good friends, good food, they are all an occasions worthy of celebration. Similarly, the hat MAKES the occasion, it doesn’t need to wait to be worn. These hats are inspired by wines of all kinds, wine terms and even wine regions. They are intended to be worn anywhere and in any way you wish, and when they are not topping your noggin, they can brighten up a bookcase, vanity or serve as center piece on a dining room table. Cheers!

CONTINUED EXHIBITS…

• Anno Domini // the second coming of Art & Design – 366 South First St. map

  

  Taco de Ojo by Latino Toons Collective

  Latino Toons is a Latin American collective of comics, art and poetry with collaborators from the Rio Grande all the way down to Tierra del F­­uego. Influences stem from underground comics, street art, indigenous art, and various forms of counter-culture. They embrace a diversity of styles and backgrounds as a heterogeneous group of proponents of the line. Their varied works reflect a collective interest in an experimental approach towards both the subject matter and technique employed in generating a dialogue that seeks to transcend borders and boundaries.

  Taco de Ojo is the name of their self-published anthology, and this exhibit, both of which showcase the best work from the collective. Taco de Ojo is slang for “eye candy,” and is synonymous with “getting an eyeful” in Spanish. The Latino Toons Collective aims to serve a meal for the mind and eyes with flavors from all over Latin America.

  Featured Artists: Enid Balam (Cuernavaca, Mexico), Muriel Bellini (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Matías Bergara (Montevideo, Uruguay), Miguel Det (Lima, Peru), André Ducci (Curitiba, Brazil), Charles Glaubitz (Tijuana, México), Raúl III Gonzalez (Ciudad Juarez, Mexico/El Paso, USA), Tomás Ives (Santiago, Chile), Luto (Cali, Colombia), Cristian Mallea (Moron, Argentina), Marcelo Mosqueira (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Juan Nava (Mexico City, Mexico), Rita Ponce de León (Lima, Peru/ Mexico City, Mexico), Javier Medellin Puyou “Jilipollo” (San Luis Potosi, Mexico), Jorge Pérez Ruibal (Lima, Peru), Marco Tóxico (La Paz, Bolivia), Renzo Vayra (Montevideo, Uruguay) and Oscar Zalles (La Paz, Bolivia).

  Live music by Sonido Clash

  Turbo Sonidero Futuristico is a music producer hailing from San Jose, CA who blends Rap/Hip-Hop with Mexican Cumbia Sonidera to create a new sound he calls “Tumbia”. In 2010, he moved for a few years to his fathers hometown in Puebla, Mexico to immerse in the Cumbia Sonidera Culture. While in Mexico, he played and toured all over the country. He has played shows with acclaimed artists/DJ’s such as Ana Tijoux, Kool A.D., Los Rakas, Toy Selectah, Ozomatli, Trill team 6, Chico Sonido, Antwon, La Santa Cecilia, Nortec Collective, Mexican Institute of Sound, etc.

• Higher Fire Clayspace & Gallery – 499 South Market St. map

  
  

  Cave-Kiln Man by Shawn Felts

  Home-brewing, cooking, wood-working, gardening and 5th century pottery – all modern-day obsessions of Shawn Felts, San Francisco potter. Shawn’s ceramic art works are fired for 30-90 hours in an Anagama (literally ‘cave kiln’). This February we feature Felts’ rustic, wood-fired works – born out of holiday firings at the Spring Valley Anagama & Noborigama kilns located in Milpitas, CA.

  Wood ash from the kiln builds up on the surface of each piece during the firing, creating unique glazes, blushing, flashes, and textures. Each piece is literally one of a kind and can not be re-produced exactly even if Shawn wanted to. The clay, firing, type of wood used, and placement in the kiln could all be repeated, but the kiln would still choose to “glaze” and fire the piece differently.

  Shawn will be on hand at 8pm to discuss wood-firing in Anagama & Noborigama kilns. He will also demonstrate how to make flasks and oversized, large bowls.

• MACLA Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – 510 South First St. map

  
  Image credit: Ester Hernandez, La Niña Anais, 2010. Pastel on paper.

  Chicana/o Biennial, an exhibition and public forum to reflect on the critical edge and aesthetic interventions within contemporary Chicano art.

  Work by Juana Alicia, Carmen Argote, Jesus Barraza & Melanie Cervantes as Dignidad Rebelde, Adriana Garcia, Wayne A. Healy, Ester Hernandez, Judithe Hernández, Miguel “Bounce” Perez, Tony de los Reyes, Celia H. Rodriguez, Sonia Romero, Alex Rubio, Shizu Saldamando, Ana Serrano, Patssi Valdez, and Linda Vallejo.


  
  

  Performance by Jaranon y Bochinche, 8pm

  Jaranon y Bochinche is a unique repertoire consisting of dance and music from the Afro-Peruvian and Andean cultures of Peru. This is one of the Bay Area’s most original performance groups. Arrive at 7pm for a pro dance instruction by Lydia Soto and enjoy the dance party brought to you by MACLA and the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest.

• Phantom Galleries – 95 South Market St. map

  
  

  Phantom Galleries presents: A Journal in 3D – “Marrcord” I Remember by Gianfranco Paolozzi

  “What i remember of those small italian towns where i became what I am.” ~Gianfranco Paolozzi

• ZERO1 Garage – 439 South First St. map

  
  

  ReBioGeneSys – Origins of Life by Adam W. Brown and collaborator Robert Root-Bernstein

  ReBioGeneSys – Origins of Life is a hybrid installation that combines sculpture, chemistry, alchemy, and conservation to evolve an extreme minimal ecosystem.

  What if one could create a sculpture that actually could become alive? The question of biogenesis remains one of the biggest philosophical, spiritual and scientific enigmas. Drawing on experimental research from scientists such as Darwin, Oparin, Haldane, Miller, Deamer and Szostak, ReBioGeneSysGeneSys combines all the research on origins of life into one “mashed-up” environment that could theoretically lead to the formation of self-organizing chemistry necessary to produce semi-living molecules, protocells and perhaps even biological life itself.

• Caffé Frascati – 315 South First St. map

  

  First Fridays is Caffe Frascati Opera Night presented by First Street Singers, with the Bay Area’s finest opera singers performing your very favorite classical arias and duets live in the cafe!

• Circle-A Skate Shop – 108 Paseo de San Antonio Walk map

  

  1980’s Pics by Derf

  The 80’s skate punk culture had its own style, San Jose stood on its own, I’m very proud to have been a part of it and DERF was there to take some pics! This show is guaranteed to bring you back. Vinyl will be spun and stories will be shared. Music by: DJ Bs

• Downtown Yoga Shala – 450 South First St. map

  
  Dwell, acrylic and metallic pigment on canvas, 48″x30″

  Join us after Candlelight Yoga (5:30-7pm) as we open our doors to welcome the Art Walk patrons and the downtown community. Our featured artist is painter, mother, yoga practitioner and volunteer Melissa Kreisa who helps new refugees adjust to life in the Bay Area. Proceeds from the exhibit will benefit local non-profit organization, Refugee Transitions (www.reftrans.org)

• Psycho Donuts – 288 South Second St. map

  
  Artwork by Valery Milovic

  Psycho Donuts in downtown San Jose is a quirky donut shop and art gallery. The gallery displays top local artists and has an ongoing exhibit featuring the work of Nicolas Caesar, Murphy Adams, Christine Benjamin, Michael Foley, Michael Borja, Valery Milovic, Carlos Villez, Eric Joyner, Laura Callin Bennett, John Hageman and John Cloud!

• Sliding Door Company – 355 South First St. map

  The Sliding Door Company and Highrises.com invite you to come see our fabulous artists for the South First Fridays Art Walk.

  
  

  Photographer: Edward Nowak

  I’ve built a career in industrial sensors and controls, a field that I greatly enjoy. But my passion for photography was kindled in high school when I joined the camera club, used a 35 mm film SLR for the first time, and learned how to use the dark room. As a young man I acquired my own gear and studied everything I could about making good photographs. My passion waned for many years until about two years ago when I decided to seriously explore digital photography. My passion has bloomed anew, and it’s been very satisfying to apply modern imaging technology to the fundamentals I learned long ago. I seek to make images that evoke a positive emotional response, that are genuinely pleasurable to look at, and that are technically proficient. And since I have a good mechanical aptitude and I’m particular about details, I also love making my own large prints in both color and black-and-white. I live in a high rise condo in downtown San Jose, from which I have photographed several gorgeous sunrises and dramatic sunsets. As one person commented in reaction to one of my online photos, “Who knew that San Jose could look so good?” It’s very satisfying to be able to share my vision of the natural and manmade beauty we have here.

  
  

  Artist, Supraja Kolluri & Shishyia Art

  “Shishya”, a Sanskrit word for students, symbolizes the wealth of knowledge and skills one can gain through formal education. ShishyaArt creations is Dedicated to benefiting underprivileged children in India by helping them obtain an education. All profits from each painting sold are donated to ventures in Inda that are striving to give impoverished rural children a strong education to ensure bright futures. Shishya Art Creates encomapss many forms of art, from paintings to other decorative items like picture frames.

  
  

  Also we are excited to add a new artist this month

  James ‘Solo’ Taylor is an up and coming artist with years of experience but very little exposure. His works have been compared to M. C. Escher due to his use of optical illusions, incredible detail and his focus on black and white pieces. All of the artwork has been created in California, most of which was done here in San Jose.

• Studio Climbing Gym – 396 South First St. map

  
  

  Stone Paintings by C. Buck Reynolds

  Before the written word, there was art. What was it for? We’ll never know for sure. In some ancient art we can still find meaning today—lions stalking prey, galloping horses, a group of antelope—but many other symbols have wide open meaning. I try to assemble the animals and symbology that were so important to our ancestors in fresh ways. Some of my paintings are new compositions based on cave and rock art, others attempt to make deteriorating images from actual rock walls look as they might have freshly painted.

  I have been creating and showing art throughout the bay area for over 35 years, and have been researching, and experimenting with cave art for the last 20 years. I spend hours at the stone yard, hunting for unique colors and textures of stone, looking for the forms of animals or people that lie in them. I shape the rock with a hammer and chisel. Once I’ve roughly shaped a stone, I rub it with another stone to smooth the surface and edges, brighten the colors, open the pores and give the stone a weathered ancient feel. I use the same painting techniques that paleolithic artists used, although my paintings are smaller than the originals for portability. I use the same earth-based pigments, and carving techniques and constantly explore ancient art imagery and symbols, trying to recreate ancient communication and images from nature on stone.

• Third Space Fitness – 550 South first St. map

  

  Erik Bakke: A Site Specific Installation for ThirdSpace

  The exhibition is a series of interrelated paintings, banners and objects created for display in ThirdSpace. The works have as their origin Bakke’s studies into numerous topics including the early communities of California; the dawn of the quantum age; society’s creative and self-destructive impulses; and the historical quest for peace through balance.