Salvaged: Art Based on Recycled Materials at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco

Nearly everyone's concerned about being green these days, but artists have long been masters of reuse. Over three-dozen local artists have contributed pieces based on recycled materials to Salvaged at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco. The show runs from September 13th – October 1st. Work runs the gamut from assemblages and sculpture to furniture, paintings, encaustics and jewelry.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 12, 2006 -- Nearly everyone's concerned about being green these days, but artists have long been masters of reuse. Over three-dozen local artists have contributed pieces based on recycled materials to Salvaged at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco. The show runs from September 13th – October 1st. Work runs the gamut from assemblages and sculpture to furniture, paintings, encaustics and jewelry.

Why do so many artists use recycled materials in their work? Some point to economics, some to politics and others like the creative challenge of transforming the cast-offs of everyday life into treasures with a (second) life all their own. And part of the fun in a show of work based on recycled materials is the surprise: many pieces don't look recycled at all.

“We're especially happy to be displaying work from a number of artists, including Mike Farruggia, who are alums of the popular art program at the San Francisco Dump,” says gallery owner Jennifer Farris. Farruggia literally takes his work to -- and from -- the streets: his witty word pieces are crafted of letters he cuts out of discarded street signs. Farruggia, who drives a cab part-time in San Francisco, says his work mixes “urban artifacts, pop culture, and cab driver common sense and philosophy.”

San Francisco artist MariNaomi is displaying several mixed media pieces fashioned on old windows. “Road Map to My Broken Heart” includes a long painted sea snake, which “slithers its way up through the present and devours the heart of my past. The collage background consists of road maps, each location being one I associate with romantic loss.” The piece is both poignant and empowering, including everything from love letters and emails to a page from a magic wand manual.

The staff and instructors at CraftGym, a neighborhood business that provides craft instruction and studio space, will be displaying pieces, including omiyage gift bags, sea glass pendants and lamps made from recycled Tupperware containers. Jackie Ortega, one of the founders of CraftGym, says, “We use all kinds of fabric for our workshops -- large pieces for pillows, smaller pieces for quilting and even smaller pieces go into our soldered pendants. Omiyage is a way of cherishing even the smallest bit of scrap fabric, turning it into something that is at once beautiful and useful.” Visitors who are intrigued by the pieces can contact CraftGym to sign up for a class to learn how to make the pieces themselves.

Salvaged runs from September 13th – October 1st, with an opening reception on Saturday, September 16th, 4 – 8 p.m. STUDIO Gallery is located at 1718A Polk Street (between Clay and Washington) in San Francisco. Gallery hours are Wednesday – Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday + Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., 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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