Category Archives: paint

CougarHorse & 5733 – piedmont ave’s cool factor soars

A couple additions to Piedmont Avenue have me thinking that this little stretch of Oaktown has gotten way cooler…

The first is the funky little vintage & artisan clothing store CougarHorse. The name alone gives insight into what you can expect to find here… items that are interesting, beautiful, and even hilarious.

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A tiny storefront, barely visible from street (I only noticed it because it’s close to the cemetery I like to walk in), makes way to a tiny shop consisting of three even tinier rooms. Despite its limited size, however, a ton of style is packed in by its owners – brother sister duo Dana & Reed. Oakland natives, in fact their family goes back 4 generations in Oaktown, it seemed the logical place to set up shop.

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Brother Reed is the artist in the family… self-taught, he finds his inspiration in the daily experiences he takes in. All the designs are his and there’s a collection of custom hand-dyed and screen-printed T’s prominently displayed amidst all the other eclectic offerings… vintage shoes and scarves, interesting accessories, wonderful jewelry (both new and old), and a crazy cool record collection, all at really reasonable prices.

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Everything is displayed in creative and artful ways… items pour out of old suitcases… or drape from ladders… or are framed by funky cowboy paintings. It’s like a supercool garage sale where every single thing is a real treasure.

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I asked how they source their vintage finds… Here’s what they had to say:

The vintage pieces are a labor of love. We really enjoy the hunt – taking a day and driving to out of the way places in search of treasures is fantastic. Saturday morning estate sales are tons of fun too. Honestly, we do not have the time to be fully in the vintage game, like the ladies at Mercy Vintage (also on Piedmont Avenue)… they are fantastic curators. The artwork and vintage is just another small piece of what is inspiring to us and something we want to share with others.

Guess I’ll have to do another post on Mercy Vintage!

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Next up is 5733… You know ’em right? Street artist Eddie Colla‘s clothing company – they make just about the coolest T-shirts around. And they’re made right here in Oaktown with eco-ink, no sweatshop labor, and a tag-line you gotta love… “We hope our clothing makes you look good, feel good, get laid… Whatever makes you happy.”

5733 is opening a new retail store and gallery space on Piedmont Ave and the Grand Opening is this Saturday May 1st.  Here’s their plug…

To celebrate our new opening, and as a way to say thanks to all of our supporters, 5733 will be giving away a brand-new, event-exclusive colorway of a new t-shirt in addition to various prints, posters, and stickers to the first fifty guests, additionally, all apparel will be marked down 25% for our grand opening.

Hear that? First fifty guests get a FREE t-shirt. Better get there early!

5733 Apparel and Art – Grand Opening
May 1st – International Worker’s Day
4125 Piedmont Ave, Oakland CA.
Store opens at noon, party begins at 7PM.
Beats by Tibbs and Lankston
Food and drink compliments of Chez Simone and friends

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photo courtesy of 5733

Street Tattoo Mural ~ San Pablo

I’ve passed this mural probably hundreds of times…  Despite its dilapidated state, I’ve always loved it.  It’s not a stretch of San Pablo I typically walk –  under the freeway overpass near the Greyhound Bus Station – so I’m either whizzing by in my car or on my bike.  Today I got out and walked its full length so I could snap these shots.

Created in 1982 (nearly 30 years ago!) by Daniel Galvez with many others (see below), it’s titled “STREET TATTOO”.

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The mural presents a wonderful portrait of Oakland’s diversity, and what I love about it is how happy everyone looks in all of their active and creative pursuits.  You don’t have to walk far down this stretch of San Pablo to see that most real-life folks aren’t singing, laughing, dancing, or juggling.  I wish they were.

But it certainly paints an idyllic picture.  I hope they’ll both be restored one day… the mural, and the “picture.”

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You can’t see because the type is too small, but the number 2 tag on the man in the wheelchair reads “1981 Oakland Marathon”.

oakland resident portraits, daniel galvez

The female firefighter rocks! Oh, and I zoomed in on this man’s t-shirt because I think it’s simply fabulous. It reads “Oakland – The Center of Western Civilization”. I can’t quite make out the design… it looks like Atlas holding a portion of the Bay Bridge, but I’m not sure what else. Anyone?

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My understanding is that all the subjects portrayed here were real people, and I believe he worked from photographs, as in later murals produced (see below).  In fact a friend of mine met a woman recently who claimed to be girl on the tire swing.  She, too, hopes the mural will be restored.

Daniel Galvez, who received his undergrad at California College of Arts & Crafts (now CCA) and Master of Arts and Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, was a powerhouse muralist in Oakland in the early eighties.  He later achieved national recognition, producing his most famous murals for the Department of the Interior in Washington D.C. (Guardians of the Past, Stewards of the Future), and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (Homage to Malcom X), among many many others throughout the U.S.

He was also one of the primary artists on the amazing “Grand Performance” mural by the Grand Lake Theater.  I’m saving that one for a rainy day…

Other artists include: Jamie Morgan, Dan Fontes, Keith Sklar, Eduardo Pineda, Warren NG, Marilyn Gaines, Linda Wolfe, Brian Thiele, Debbie Simpson, and Reynaldo Carranza

Sponsors include: California Arts Council, City of Oakland, Chinatown/Central Community Development, Cal Trans, and others.

“the stylistic confides of lowbrow art…”

What exactly does this mean?

If you went to the Stand Tall exhibit at Old Crow Tattoo & Gallery on Grand Ave. last Friday night, you might have an idea, as that was the essence of their 20-plus artists show.

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Featuring approximately 20 artists – some local, some not – I expected the show to be primarily graffiti aerosol art, but was surprised to find a much wider range of mediums and styles.

Stand Tall references the tall, but narrow, space that each artist had to work with. The two main gallery walls were each divided into 10 equal segments, 3 feet wide by 9 feet tall, providing 20 slim slates to be adorned however each artist saw fit. Some hung traditional canvases (easier for the out of town artists), some painted directly onto the wall, and some created elaborate mixed media installations incorporating, paint, wood, paper, found objects, smaller framed works, and more.

It was almost too much to take in. And while there wasn’t much cohesion between the individual artists’ pieces (everything from classic expressionism to modern graffiti lettering to flat abstract blocks of color to collaged interactive sculpture), the confines of their equally sized individual spaces marching repetitively along the walls did provide a layer of unity.

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Several of the pieces were collaborative efforts. I was able to speak briefly with one of the artists, Dead Eyes, who had worked on one with his co-creator Safety First. He explained that collaboration is frequent in this genre, as local street artists are a close-knit group who all know each other and interact with each others’ work.

I asked how much of the collage was put together from already existing works. He said only a small percentage, and that about 80 percent was created originally for this show, focused on themes similar to those exhibited in their street art… visible throughout Oakland.

I also spoke briefly with Desi W.O.M.E. whose piece was one of my friend’s favorites. Though created within the span of a single day, and simple in layout – spray painted directly on the wall with no mixed media or multiple pieces – it was complex in its content. Layers of imagery overlap each other… a man’s face, seemingly in agony, an aztec-styled skull, a graffiti-writing mask over the two – all obscuring, revealing, and interacting with parts of each other. I don’t know what it means, but it seems… deep.

I could probably do a whole post on each of these panels, but you should just go check it out for yourself…
Show remains up until May 5th. I believe gallery hours are by appointment only.

PS – you can get tattoos there too. duh.

Art Show tonight at Old Crow…

There’s an opening reception tonight at Old Crow Tattoo and Gallery for a new “conceptual exhibition” titled Stand Tall…  I plan to go, along with apparently hundreds of other folks (according to their Facebook page which has links for all 20 artists participating).  Yikes!  This is going to be packed.

Here’s their write-up…

Old Crow Tattoo and Gallery with curatorial support from Barrett Moore, has given simple but rigid parameters to the participating artists for this exhibition. Our hopes are to create an all inclusive visually dynamic result. Spanning the country, and at the same time the stylistic confides of aerosol art; the plan was to keep the conceptual execution at the essence each decision. These artists span the country, and at the same time the stylistic confides of lowbrow art. Each selected for his or her individual efforts, this show will also find grace within the group’s overall presentation. Standing Tall at 3ft x 9ft, each artist will be fully in control to install, hang and paint whatever they choose within this personal space. 10 of these columns will line each gallery wall independently. Around 10 o’clock The Chastities will be playing, the event is scheduled to last until about 11… which means it wont end till at least 12.
Photography from Scott La Rockwell so look swell… it’s going to be a gala.

Four G’s Magazine will be on site with the best Graff Magazine on the newsstands right now. Montana’s will be supplying us with the paint needed to make this happen. Give thanks to Art Now SF for continued support and creative focus.
Wine supplied by Steven Heimoff of the Wine Ethusianst Magazine
Organic beverages from Bionade
Musical Selections from Turntable Terry
Hope to see YOUUU ALL THERE.

And here’s an example of a collaborative piece done by two of the artists participating in the show… Desi W.O.M.E. and Ras Terms. The mural is located on the front of the old Parkway Theater… installed for their recent show at Woody’s Cafe across the street.

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