Loved To Death Taxidermy Memento Mori Jewelry and Antiques

Saturday Jan 7th 2012 Arabella Proffer Opens "Ephemeral Antidotes" In Loved To Death's Articulated Gallery

2012-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Gretchen
“An ambassador’s daughter with a passion for collecting, Gretchen’s menagerie was near complete when her father brought her the gift of a leopard cub from his travels. It was a sweet little thing, soft and playful, abiding to his mistress when she dressed it up in clothes meant for little boys. But, even the smallest of creatures will start to give in to their nature. It was thought that a flock of geese had spooked him during a game of fetch on the lawns. Gretchen was adamant the leopard knew not what he did, that his claws were bigger than his wits when he mauled her at the legs, dragging her before his final release. No potions, no humours, no herbs or witchcraft could save her. The legs would come off, and all one could do was pray. Pray for the surgeon, pray for the tools, and pray she did not die from enduring it all. Gretchen would never be same after that, lost to a world of darkness and time, languishing in bed, never speaking a word except a whisper to her pets.”

Lana
“The spoiled and somewhat devious daughter of a provincial magnate, her coughing fits and coloring were said to have been caused by her 5 uncles incessant smoking. Lana inherited her mother’s chest pains, but this the good doctor knew how to handle: smoke of burnt chicken feathers; a diet of radishes, or radishes rubbed on the skin; and teas made from violets. When the symptoms persisted – irritating her uncles who were now forbade to smoke – a surgeon said to have studied The Hippocratic Corpus, was called upon. Administering violets direct to the veins leading to the heart, he assured the family it would have a calming effect. Lana would perish not a month later, the product of a botched surgery, with flower petals lodged in her chest and much blood lost. The surgeon then conceded he had only skimmed The Hippocratic Corpus.”

Mary
“Believing that abundance was a breeding ground for boredom, she resorted to simplify her life when her parents had passed on, leaving her a modest house and income. Opting for an existence of piety, Mary had all the furniture and objects cleared away, until, ‘nothing but surfaces of stone, wood, and few linen sheets remained’ according to the housekeeper. It was anyone’s guess how she contracted small pox in this environment. The servant’s child? A beggar? The priest? When tinctures of yarrow flower did no good, a cure of wolf skin wrapped around the infected areas was ordered. Believing this to be too decadent, Mary opted for a fox instead. It was not the flies or the raw infection that caused her death only days later, but simply a case of bronchitis. The wise women of the town shook their heads, ‘she should have chosen the wolf skin!’”

Opening this Saturday, January 7th at the Articulated Gallery in San Francisco is the latest solo show from Arabella Proffer entitled Ephemeral Antidotes. Back in 2010 Arabella was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and through the events that followed came up with the concept for this new show.

“After having a section of my leg removed, I began researching medicine from the Middle Ages through the 18th century; this series was a good way for me to work out my anger and be even more thankful that what I’m going through is nothing compared to old remedies and techniques. My art and interests were in the way society lived in the past, but with emphasis on the defiant, glamorous, and eccentric — not daily strife. You could have been rich, important, or beautiful, but if sick, you would still receive brutal or worthless treatment.”

Arabella is flying out from Cleveland and will be in attendance for the reception from 8 – 11 PM, and there is a good chance her new book The National Portrait Gallery of Kessa will be available as well so you can get one of those and have her sign it right there. It’s going to be an amazing show, and a great way to kick off a new year. Make sure you you stop by and check out the work, meet the artist, and have some fun. Below are three preview images of works that will be in the show, and each image has a short biography to go along with it. -Creep Machine

http://www.creepmachine.com/events/preview-%E2%80%9Cephemeral-antidotes%E2%80%9D-by-arabella-proffer-articulated-gallery.html

2011-11-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

"Spirit Board"
Group Show in Loved To Death's
Articulated Gallery
November 5th-Dec 1st
Curated by JL Schnabel

We have an amazing group of artists in the gallery right now.....
all featuring works inspired by the infamous "Ouija Board".
The eclectic collection of works in this show is truly astounding. I am very happy and impressed to have each and every one of these works gracing our gray walls.
Make sure to come by and see the collection soon!
Jennybird Alcantara
Kristin Ferrell
Kukula
Elizabeth Levesque
Jason Goldberg
Heather Gargon
Kelly Louise Judd
Leila Marvel
Karyn Crisis
Eric Eaton
Caitlin Hackett
Jessica Ward
Buddy Nestor
Edith Lebeau
Sienna Freeman
Jon Todd
Allyson Mellberg Taylor
David Miller Weeks
Liza Corbett
Chad Merritt
Jeremy Hush
Margaux Kent
Paul Romano

Caitlin Hackett

Eric Eaton

Karyn Crisis

Jason Goldberg

Buddy Nestor

Prints From Dr. Paul Koudounaris "The Empire of Death" Available at Loved To Death

2011-10-23T13:20:00.001-07:00

Loved To Death is pleased to offer a collection of original photographic prints from Dr. Paul Koudounaris, author of "The Empire of Death" A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses. These prints are beautiful, printed on a metallic photo paper with a resin coating. They measure 19" x 13" and we have a limited amount of them. His work is stunning and these are going fast...... We also have a limited number of signed books.

"Spirit Board" Group Art Show November 5th Articulated Gallery

2011-10-15T12:58:00.001-07:00

Articulated Gallery is very excited to announce our November group art show "Spirit Board", opening November 5th at 8pm-11pm.
DJ's WhITCH & NAKO will be providing the music for the evening.
Curated by Artist / Art Writer / Jewelry Designer JL Schnabel.
Featuring works centered around the infamous "Haunted Boards" from.....

Jennybird Alcantara
KuKula
Edith LeBeau
Sienna Freeman
Jon Todd
Allyson Mellberg Taylor
Dave Miller Weeks
Liza Corbett
Chad Meritt
Jeremy Hush
Darla Jackson
Margaux Kent
Lincoln Smith
Paul Romano
Kristen Ferrell
Elizabeth Levesque
Bird Reynolds
Monique Ligons
Jason Goldberg
Heather Gargon
Kelly Louise Judd
Leila Marvel
Karyn Crisis
Christina Brown
Eric Eaton
Caitlin Hackett
Jessica Ward
Buddy Nestor

Reception will be 8pm-11pm, November 5th, beverages and treats will be served.
Many artists will be in attendance. :)

Jeremy Hush

KuKula

Eric Eaton

Kristin Ferrell

Edith Lebeau

Caitlin Hackett

Jennybird Alcantra

"Voices That Carry" Jeremy Hush & Liza Corbett Art S September 3rd 2011how

2011-08-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Voices That Carry"

This Saturday, September 3rd 2011 we have a very special show opening in the Articulated Gallery. The coming together of two amazingly talented artists, Jeremy Hush & Liza Corbett.
The reception will be held from 8PM - 10 PM. There will be a live DJ set by WhITCH, and fancy drinks for the adults.
Please join us for a night of beautiful art, good company and an inspiring stroll through the gallery.

Dark Surroundings @ Lower Haters Gallery

2011-07-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Got to go down the street to the lower haight last night for the opening reception of 'Dark Surroundings' featuring the works of Andrei Bouzikov, Angela Casserly, Scott Greenwall and Spencer Gray. It was a pretty cool little group show with a bunch of different mediums being showcased. Andrei's and Angelas art stood out as my favorite of the group. Andrei does natural history pen and ink drawings and Angela does Assemblage clocks and Assemblage Home Decor pieces. If you get a chance to go down to the lower haight neighborhood i highly suggest stopping in Lower Haters and checking out the show. It runs from July 15th - August 4th. Links for all the artists will be at the bottom of the post. Enjoy this preview of the show.

Scott Greenwalt

Angela Casserly

Andrei Bouzikov

Andrei Bouzikov Website HERE

Angela Casserly Website HERE

Scott Greenwalt Website HERE

'Loved to Death' New Works by Nick Chaboya

2011-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

This Saturday the new show 'Loved to Death' New Works by Nick Chaboya opens in the Articulated Gallery here in the Loved to Death Shop. If you havent heard of Nick and His Artwork before prepare to be blown away. Here is a little Bio Nick sent over to us in Preparation for the show...

"Born in 1980 in Santa Clara, California, Nicolas Chaboya's interest in art has been an attempt at communicating visually to his viewers while also creating an environment in which he is comfortable partaking. Searching continuously for the best medium in which to do this has provided a wide range of experiences and knowledge and has included the use of many tools that subsequently have helped to refine his own visual and conceptual vocabulary. Motivated by personal and artistic growth, Chaboya surrounds himself with peers of an extremely high caliber which has brought him to San Francisco. This journey earned him a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts and Crafts, employment at the highly respected Seventh Son Tattoo shop and the position of resident artist at Safehouse Studios. Chaboya's work can be found in public and private art collections in both the United States and abroad, has been seen in numerous exhibitions and on people's skin worldwide."

You can check out all of Nicks Tattoo Work and some of his artwork on his website at www.nickchaboya.com

The Opening Reception will be this Saturday night from 8pm-11pm here at the shop (1681 Haight St San Francisco,CA) Nick will be in attendance for the Reception. We will also have a bar along with some music and visualz provided by WhITCH. We hope alot of you can make it out for the opening as its going to be a pretty incredible show.

'Under the Gun' Group Show opening June 4th in the Articulated Gallery

2011-05-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce the June show in our Articulated Gallery. Josh from Creepmachine took on the task of Curating this show for us and he has lined up some pretty amazing talent. We just received our sneak peek of all the pieces in the show and after picking our jaws off the floor we are writing this little preview blog post for all of you to start getting excited.

'Under the Gun'

A group show curated by Creepmachine.

Featuring the work of .....

Cate Rangel

Chet Zar

Apricot Mantle

Jessica Ward

GodMachine

Jon Macnair

Dan Harding

Patrick Deignan

and a few more...

Show Opens June 4th and runs through July 1st

Opening Reception June 4th from 8pm-10pm

featuring a Dj Set by Dj WhITCH

Preview pics for the show will be posted later this week.

'Of Melancholy and Monkey Business' New works of Art by Jacqueline Gallagher

2011-05-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Loved To Death’s Articulated Gallery is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of Ohio based artist Jacqueline Gallagher. ‘Of Melancholy and Monkey Business’ is a new collection of vibrant yet bizarre oil portraits of sideshow attractions, circus monkeys, hybrid kittens and the undead. This strange menagerie of subjects is threaded through the themes of control, addiction, and the unconscious. The female figures are depicted as either undead, being suckled by bulbous tentacles or as Feejee mermaids, bound in a moment of suspension or stasis by their circumstances. These intriguingly dark portraits are illuminated by the inclusion of luminescent colors that create an electrifying neon lighting effect. These choices further the tension between the grotesque and beautiful, as well as the dark humor infused throughout her smaller works.

Jacqueline Gallagher was raised in the paradise of Hawaii on the Island of Oahu, choosing to relocate to Ohio to focus on her grim narratives. Her oil portraits, often considered self-portraits, focus on the themes of identity within the scope of zombies and other macabre subject matter. Often infusing her work with dark humor, the portraits are testaments to the unknown as much as they are to the human psyche and it’s many complexities. She holds a BFA in painting from The University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Show opens Saturday May 7th with an Opening Reception from 8pm - 11pm. The opening reception will feature plenty of monkey business with an appearance by the artist and will also feature dj sets by SF's own NAKO and Dj whITCH. The show will run from May 7th - June 3rd. All pieces will be up and for sale on the Articulated Gallery website the following week after the opening.

Mark Your Calendars, This One's Going To Be Amazing!! Jackie Gallagher May 6, 2011

2011-04-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

Jacqueline Gallagher
Solo Show
May 7th-June 3rd 2011
Opening Reception May 7th 8:00-10:00 pm.

We are so excited to have Jacqueline and her beautiful works coming to our Articulated Gallery!
Her work strikes many chords in us. This collection will definitely be one not to be missed!
More info to come........

WITCH HOUSE MUSIC

2011-03-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a few fellow SF music lovers, and pioneers in our book (thank you Nako), we have recently realized that we have completely missed the boat on "Witch House Music". Like, didn't even know it left the dock, missed the boat. If you were to look up this genre of music on Wiki you would find. "Chopped and screwed, hip hop, electroclash, shoegaze, chillwave, dream pop, darkwave, ethereal, deathrock, crunk, gothic rock, dubstep, illbient, trip hop.
I spend alot of time in my headphones, designing and making pieces for our jewelry line. Lately nothing seems to have been doing the trick for me in my headphones, I had even turned to facebook friends for suggestions. Finally, I have found the new inspiration I have been longing for through music.
To us, it is some of the most emotion stirring music we have heard in a long time. Particularly, White Ring- "Black Earth That Made Me". As Well as Salem. Both of which will be playing in SF in the next week. We HIGHLY recommend you check out both of these events if you are in the Bay Area.

WHITE RING "IXC999" from ∆ ∆ ∆ on Vimeo.

I Saw the Devil....

2011-03-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

Just now getting around to writing about this but we recently went to go see the movie 'I Saw the Devil' if you are a fan of Revenge movies in the vein of Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, A Bittersweet Life then we would highly recommend going to see this movie. Be warned though as bloody and violent as Oldboy was, this movie takes it to another level of Ultraviolence and Gore. Below is the trailer for your enjoyment. Decide for yourself.

I SAW THE DEVIL (OFFICIAL TRAILER)

Bloggy Blog

2011-03-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

So we have decided to do a little more blogging on our Bloggy Blog. First thing is we want to announce we have decided that since we have had such an amazing response for the "Raise Your Tiny Paws to Heaven" show that we are extending the run of the show. It will now run until May 6th, 2011. If you havent gotten a chance to come and see the show its a showcase of 16 ALL NEW Loved to Death Dioramas. We just finished booking the last show for 2011 and are currently in the midst of booking shows for 2012. If you are interested in showcasing your artwork with us in our Articulated Gallery Please email us thru the www.articulatedgallery.com website.

"Raise Your Tiny Paws to Heaven..."

2011-02-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

March 5th - April 8th, 2011 Loved To Death will be presenting their first solo art show. This show entitled "Raise Your Tiny Paws to Heaven..." will feature 17-19 all new taxidermy diorama's. There will also be about 4 miniature dioramas at a lower price point. We welcome everyone to come out and join us for the Opening Reception which will be on March 5th from 8pm-10pm. The show will run from March 5th - April 8th and will be open in our Articulated Gallery (upstairs in the shop) everyday. All of the pieces will be available for sale the week after the show on the Gallery website at www.articulatedgallery.com

"From the Needle to the Brush" Art Show Opening This Saturday Feb 12th.

2011-02-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

"From the Needle to the Brush"
A Collection of Fine Art from Tattoo Artists from around the world.

Show Opens February 12th with an Opening Reception from 8pm-10pm

Show Runs February 12th-March 4th

One of the artists that will be featured will be Dave Fox.

Dave Fox is a tattoo artist out of Philadelphia, PA.
Drawing from the influences of heavy metal album artwork and very, very funny cartoons, Dave Fox creates an eclectic, contently-confused mix of scary monsters, pretty girls, twisted flowers, and disturbed animals that have been known to send the viewer home laughing or leaving cross-eyed with a feeling of pure meaninglessness. His artwork takes you on a journey through the depths of your psyche, bringing out the good times and the bad, the peaceful times and the horrid, and, most of all, the dumbest things you’ve ever done. But it’s all in good fun...(taken from www.davefoxtattoos.com)

Dave just released a book that is available HERE

We hope to see all of you out for this amazing collection of art from some amazing tattoo artists. Other artists that will be included in the show will be :
Lynn Akura
Eric Eaton

Jason Goldberg

Troy Timpel

Patt Whelan

Kate Collins

Joe Leonard
The Gus
Tamara Waite-Santibanez
Kevin Quirke

Loved To Death x Bloodmilk

2010-12-13T00:08:00.001-08:00

We are very proud to announce a beautiful and very sweet collaboration between Loved To Death™ and Bloodmilk jewelry lines! We have been feeding a flourishing pot, overflowing with ideas and have our first few pieces just about ready to unveil. We are so happy to be working with such a special artist on this marriage of two visions. It has come together rather seamlessly and with such a uniquely complimentary vision that we can't wait to see how it is received. Pieces are slated to come out within the next 2 weeks and will be online and in the Loved To Death Shop. We will be posting pictures as soon as they come out of the cauldron!

These will be limited, and very special. Made with lots of love, between two women with similar blood, sweat and tears pouring from their hearts, pores and windows to the soul.

"The Birds of Yore" New Works by Mark Hamer

2010-11-30T10:11:00.001-08:00

Mark Hamer's New Solo Show "The Birds of Yore" opens THIS saturday Decemeber 4th. There will be an opening reception from 8pm-11pm. We are super excited for this show all of Marks pieces from the first group show we had in the gallery sold out. So Mark has come back with 18 New Victorian Bird Paintings. Come Join us on Saturday for the opening and check out an amazing up and coming SF artist.

Growth is Inevitable....

2010-11-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

Almost 3 years ago we started out our 'Loved To Death' endeavor online originally through Etsy. After about 6 months or so we decided we needed to also have our own website to go along with our collection. So after searching and searching and going through several web designers we settled on a designer to put together our very first website. It was pretty simple which above all else is something we wanted. Now skip to over 2 years later and with the opening of our brick and mortar location along with the opening of our gallery we decided that it was time to up the ante and completely revamp our website. This time we decided to go with our good friend and Amazing photographer Le Mew Photography to design our site. She is not only a super talented photographer but she does web design on the side and we thought who better to do the site than the person that has 'Gotten it' from the start. We are super excited and proud to announce that our new website is now officially launched. With the new website we are hoping to be able to put up even more of the unique and unusual gifts and pieces which we get asked all the time..."is this on your website?" We will be putting up a lot more of the Taxidermy mounts that we are becoming "known" for on Haight St. (they will only be available to be shipped within the US) The Website is going to be a lot more reflective of the Brick and Mortar location going forward. Of course the main focus and inspiration with Loved To Death is, and always will be , our Original line of Taxidermy Memento Mori Jewelry and Art.
We are also going to announce VERY soon an amazing collaboration we are doing with one of our Favorite Designers here at Loved To Death that is going to be in the store just in time for Christmas.
www.lovedtodeath.net

Darker, My Love---J.L. Schnabel and Danielle Vogel

2010-11-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

J.L. Schnabel is a Philly based artist who was born and raised on Long Island, the strange fish shaped island just east of NYC. Her visual work centers around portraits of psychically disturbed women, all afflicted with a touch of the supernatural. Schnabel is also the creator of Bloodmilk Jewelry and is a contributing writer to Hi-Fructose magazine.

Danielle Vogel dreams of the narrative that, in its syntactical flickerings, is able to collect and reimagine the damaged body of a girl. She is the author of lit, and her writing has appeared most recently in Trickhouse, The Collagist, and Sidebrow. In August 2010, her scrolls were exhibited at Amberella Gallery in a conjoined show with J.L. Schnabel titled Planchette. Danielle received her MFA in Writing & Poetics from Naropa University and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Denver where she is investigating divinatory poetics, hypnosis, trauma therapies, and madness. Danielle grew up on the Long Island Sound and currently lives in Denver with her partner, designer and writer, HR Hegnauer.

‘Darker, my love’ is a series of paintings and writings inspired by a recent road trip taken by J.L. Schnabel and Danielle Vogel. This summer, the two embarked upon a pilgrimage to Lily Dale, New York, to question if it is truly possible to commune between this world and the next. Lily Dale, a Spiritualist assembly nestled within the forests of upstate New York, is the largest community of mediums in The United States. ‘Darker, my love’ is an exhibit of what occurred after the pilgrimage. It is the purging of deeply set grief, as well as a meditation on what gets carried across and what gets left behind when we communicate with our dead.

The conjoining of Schnabel’s paintings with Vogel’s writings question how and why we move between worlds. These worlds are the neitherworld, a term adopted from the Beetlejuice cartoons, a cartoon that both Schnabel and Vogel were obsessed with as children. The neitherworld suggests the place that is neither the physical or spiritual plane, but an in-between place that allows for dialogue and relationships among planes to continue.

After Lily Dale, Schnabel revisited these cartoons and wove a sequence of questions and images to inspire this exhibition. Schnabel, as she began her paintings, sent her questions to Vogel and asked that she translate her responses into a series of mini-narratives. In the cartoon, Lydia is able to communicate with the dead and has an intimate relationship with Beetlejuice. This strange romance and altered state of consciousness, is reflected in Schnabel’s eerily present women, the inverted tensions between black and white colors, and the ways in which the ghost, or Beetlejuice, manifests through symbols: the black and white snakes, the dark clotted hearts. Vogel has created a series of handmade narrative scrolls to be in conversation with Schnabel’s women. After writing, Vogel prints the stories, page by page, onto cloth and then hermits herself away in her writing room to embroider the scrolls with various threads. Vogel, a synesthetic, reads the words within each piece aloud to see what colors arise and then embellishes the narratives with colored thread. In Schnabel and Vogel’s version of the story, Beetlejuice—like the dead and our pasts—is elusive and rises in symbols, dreams, and hallucinations. These paintings and writings echo this elusiveness while offering a glimpse into the world of the girl as she waits in the gray, unnavigated areas of herself.

‘Darker, my love’ is the continuation of Schnabel and Vogel’s last conjoined show ‘Planchette’ at Amberella Gallery in Philadelphia. It, too, explored the possibilities of communication between what is lost or forbidden. Their collaborative hallucinations will be exhibited for the month of November in Loved to Death’s Articulated Gallery. You can purchase all pieces at the gallery or online at www.articulatedgallery.com

New Website Coming Soon

2010-10-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are in the final stages of getting a new website all set up! It's being put together by Miss Jennifer Garcia who is Le Mew Photography and has been doing all of our photography since day one. We are sooooo very excited for the launch of this new site. As we have been growing with the store , that we have now had for over a year, the need for a new revamped and up to date website has been LONG overdue. We have been holding back putting some AMAZING things that we have strictly had available in the store for the launch of this new site. So those of you out there that are fans and are too far away to visit us in the shop will get a better taste of how the shop is with the new site.

Below is a sample of some of the amazing photography and design work Miss Garcia has been doing for us for awhile now. Please visit her website for an inquiries about using her design skills or photography skills. www.lemewphoto.com

Artists We Love.....Laurie Lipton

2010-10-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

www.laurielipton.com

Peter Beste 'True Norwegian Black Metal' Opens this Saturday Oct. 2nd

2010-09-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

The time is finally upon us. This Saturday Peter Beste's 'True Norwegian Black Metal' Photo exhibit opens in our Articulated Gallery. The opening reception for this show is this Saturday from 8pm-10pm. Peter is doing something very special for this exhibit and we are very very excited about it. Peter is not only flying in for the opening reception , BUT he will also have for sale with the rest of his photos some VERY limited One of a Kind Antique Framed photos. Some of these photos he actually has never shown before so its going to be very special. The best part is they are going to be very affordable for those that want one of Peter's photos for their very own. We have seen all of the One of a Kind photos and let me say there are some AMAZING photos that are going to be available. Along with the OOAK photos we will have the 'True Norwegian Black Metal' book that was put out by VICE for sale along with some 'True Norwegian Black Metal' T-shirts. Peter is also bringing a brand new design for one of the shirts which he has said is one of his favorites so far. For those that cant make it for the opening reception all of the pieces for the exhibit along with the One of a Kind photos that are still available after the Opening Reception will be up on our Articulated Gallery website on Sunday.

Below are a couple of preview pics of the One of a Kind photos that will be available. Enjoy and Hope to see a lot of you on Saturday. Info for the gallery is after the preview pics.

Articulated Gallery

(inside Loved To Death)
1681 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-551-1036
www.articulatedgallery.com
www.lovedtodeath.net

Peter Beste 'True Norwegian Black Metal' Photo Exhibit

2010-09-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Next Month starting October 2nd and going through October 29th. We will be showcasing the work of Peter Beste in our Articulated Gallery. Peter will be exhibiting photos from his 'True Norwegian Black Metal' book that was put out by Vice. Getting this show and having Peter come out for this exhibit has really been a labor of love. We have been HUGE fans of Peter Beste for many years now. We first saw Peters work about five years ago when we went to his showing of his black metal photos in Los Angeles at the Black Market Gallery and we left completely speechless. To now have him showcasing his photos in our own gallery is truly mindblowing.
For this show Peter is going to be showing some never before exhibited photos and he is also going to have some smaller photos in one of a kind antique frames. Peter will be here on October 2nd from 8pm-10pm for the opening night reception and he will be signing copies of his book. We will have copies of his book available for sale along with a small selection t-shirts for sale. We hope to see alot of people out for this night because it is truly going to be EPIC. If you have any questions about this opening and exhibit please send them to info@articulatedgallery.com

INTERVIEW W/ ALEXIS TRICE

2010-09-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Alexis Trice has her painting studio in Williamsburg Brooklyn, where she has created a career in painting portraits of animals. She is especially known for her infamous dog portraits, which can be found in an online gallery on her website at http://welcometothedoghouse.net/. Her playful, yet powerful narrative works are painted with incredible facility. In every one of her pieces one can see that she is enjoying her process and the outcome truly speaks of her natural ability to express through painting. I n the interview, we get a chance to meet Alexis and understand her process a little more and where she derives much of her inspiration!!

S: Can you just write a bit about your influences, early, present..

A: Throughout my life, flora and fauna has always played a huge role in my aesthetic development even though I grew up in NYC. I have had a fascination with all things wild, natural and beautiful.

I am an avid collector of vintage taxidermy, antique lithographs, and chromolithographs. John James Audubon and Walton Ford are my two main squeezes at the moment.

S: What inspires you to create?

A: Fur and feathers. Origin and anatomy. Tangled trees, rotting leave and grey.

S: What goes through your mind as you paint??

A: Devotion, anguish, despair and tenderness.

S: If you could describe the Ox painting and what you were thinking,

A: The painting of the Brahman bull is a narrative of the sacred being destroyed, of beauty and purity being dismantled. It's a scenario of anguish and despair, the white holy cow beguiled on a island surrounded by albino crocodiles awaiting his fate. At the same time, it's a force by nature, a natural act that cannot be averted.

S: what motivated you to come to the west coast to show?

A: I've always been a fan of Loved To Death's work and we became Friends and fans of one another over the years. One thing leads to another and once they opened their gallery I was invited to show my work and I was honored.

S: What kind of environment do you work in and how does that help you

make your work?

A: My studio is filled with objects of love and admiration. Old photos, weathered prints, found plants, antique taxidermy, bottled specimens and bones. Other art, magazine tear outs, music, and the love of my life, my dog Una.

S: Where do you see yourself/ your art going or how do you see your work evolving?

A: I'm not entirely sure, how can one be? But I want to continue to travel, and document my adventures for inspiration. I also want to own an old farmhouse, and have a menagerie of goats, sheep, piglets and strays that need a home and love. I want to harvest my own food, and become self-sustainable all around. I want to continue perfecting my craft, as well as broadening my spectrum of creativity through other mediums.

S: Do you ever experience artists block or are you always flowing creatively?

A: Constantly. Pressure to create something pure, beautiful and emotional can be paralyzing.

S What do you do for fun!!???

A: Visit museums and galleries, lay listless in the park, indulge in stinky cheeses. I spend a lot of time reading, watching films and sipping fine bourbon.

Interview by Sarah Sharrow

Artist We Love....Alexis Trice

2010-08-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Alexis is a born and raised New Yorker, and graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Illustration. She has been painting with oils for many years, and animals have always been her subject of choice. She began her company WelcomeToTheDoghouse.net creating custom pet portraits after she discovered that her combined love for dogs (inspirational muses, Una and Thea) and art could be a rewarding career.

Alexis Trice has been featured in online and print publications such as Dog Fancy Magazine, The NY Daily News, Pampered Puppy, Pedigree.com, City Rag, L Magazine, Fortune Magazine, AOL's Paw Nation, Jagazine Magazine, Animal Planet's Dogs 101, and Wag Magazine. She has had work exhibited at P.P.O.W Gallery, Clover’s Gallery, Mighty Tanaka Gallery, Niagara Gallery, 323 Gallery and currently has pieces on an international tour with Fuse Gallery.

Alexis finds inspiration and admiration in rouge and Victorian taxidermy, wunderkammer, preserved fetal animals, insects, wax anatomical studies, Walton Ford, pinstripes and polka-dots, conjoined twins, backpacking through foreign lands, daguerreotypes and most of all the love of her life her boston terrier, Una.

We have been in Love with Alexis's work for many years now and have always coveted her to be the one to do an original painting of our two lil boston terriers, Turtle and Varg. Alexis is going to be having a solo show here in our Articulated Gallery entitled ' The making of melancholy' it opens September 3rd and runs thru the 3oth of September. Opening Night is the 3rd and will be from 7pm-9pm. Come out and support this amazing artist and check out her new works of art. Trust us we have seen the entire collection and its MINDBLOWINGLY amazing. We <3 Alexis Trice.

Interview with DISfunkshional Magazine.

2010-08-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Click on the Link below for the very cool interview i just did for DISfunkshional Magazine.

http://mydisfunkshion.onsugar.com/DISfunkshional-Loved-Deaths-Audra-Dance-9853230

Cremaster Cycle

2010-08-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Just noticed in the examiner today that Matthew Barneys Cremaster Cycle is playing at the Roxie Theater all week long. If we had time we would be here every night watching each cycle. But as it is we are in the middle of moving to the city so we will only be able to go on sunday. If you are in the city and able to go you should definitely take a look at this visually 'take your breath away' stunning film cycle.

Heres a small sample of this epic "film".... We Love you Matthew Barney!!!

San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of The Bay 2010 for Loved To Death

2010-07-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.sfbg.com/specials/best-bay-2010-editors-picks-shopping

We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves listed in this years San Francisco Bay Guardian Best of The Bay!!

What a nice way to start the day today!!!

Loved To Death Announces the Opening Of our Art Gallery!! ARTICULATED GALLERY

2010-07-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

ARTICULATED GALLERY
Come join us on Saturday July 31st for the opening of our Art Gallery!
We have been working for over a month to set up our new space and are very excited for the absolutley amazing artists we have lined up for the opening and the rest of the year.
Mark Hamer will be showing his new collection of anthropomorphic Victorian inspired paintings, Alexis will be showing pieces from her beautiful "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" collection, and Loved To Death will be showing new Taxidermy works of art.
Located upstairs in our Haight Street shop location at 1681 Haight.
Gallery opens at 8:00 pm and will close at 10:00pm Saturday night.
Then will be open during store hours from here to eternity!

Artist We Like....Michael Hussar

2010-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

We at Loved To Death have always been big fans of Mr. Hussar. At one point in our lives we had 3 Hussar paintings being stored in our house in Hollywood that he did of 3 of our friends. haha. We should have let them forget they were there so we could have kept them. Oh well eventually we will be able to buy some of his artwork and maybe convince him to do a show in our gallery till then we can just drool over some of these images

Michael Hussar

Artist We Like....Ray Caesar

2010-07-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

www.raycaesar.com

Artist We Like....Peter Beste

2010-07-03T01:18:00.000-07:00

www.peterbeste.com

Artists We Like...Natalie Shau

2010-06-27T23:36:00.001-07:00

http://natalieshau.carbonmade.com/

2010-04-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Queen Victoria had the best jewelry, hands down.

She held the longest reign as a Queen with 64 years under her corset.

Most of her fabulous pieces were made for her (by jewelers) as a token of love by her Prince Albert.

Victoria and Albert were first cousins (her mother, Princess Victoria, and his father, Duke Ernst, were brother and sister) and their marriage in 1840 was a legendary love match. Even though an incestuous one. The prince showered her with custom jewelry.

She wore a gold and green enamel brooch made from her first daughters milk tooth.

Gorgeous Elk Ivory earrings set in gold.

Another piece Albert had made for The Queen was a gold and enamel necklace containing 44 teeth from stags hunted on the royal estate at Balmoral. Each of the teeth is engraved with the date on which the animal was killed while the clasp contains the inscription: 'All shot by Albert'.

Queen Victoria and her prince Albert produced nine children before Albert's tragic death in 1861 at the age of 42, which left his wife utterly inconsolable. His death spawned the much coveted fashion style now known as Victorian Mourning . She remained devoted to his memory throughout her long widowhood, wearing all black and insisting everyone else follow suit. She was buried alongside Albert when she finally passed away in 1901. Remaining in mourning the entire time.

2010-04-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Loved To Death accessories and jewelry were featured in a beautiful story styled by Erin Fredrick! We love these shots and the feel of the whole shoot!
Urchin Necklace and Coyote Vertebra Necklace

Bird Wing Hair Comb & Pigeon Wing Hair Comb (Available custom)

Pigeon Head Brooch and Black Sparrow Head Cockade Rosette Brooch

Full Story Here
RevampLa

Very happy to be featured! Coming in print soon.................

2010-03-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Such an honor to be interviewed by the amazing lil gem Ana Finel Honigman for the fancy fashion blog of Diane Pernet!

http://dianepernet.typepad.com/diane/2010/03/ana-finel-honigmans-infatuation-with-loved-to-death.html

A Nice NY Times Magazine Blog Mention

2010-03-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

Victorian Inspired Human Tooth Brooch
$140

Baby Teeth
Red Pearl Earrings

Human Tooth Rosette
Lapel Pin

Baby Tooth
Victorian Inspired Necklace

Human Tooth Ring
$110

Human Tooth Victorian
Pendant Necklace
$110

A nice little mention in the NY Times Magazine Blog.

It's nice to see that there are alot of people who actually appreciate the beauty in teeth!

More New Work Up, More coming too!

2010-03-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sterling Silver
Squirrel Foot Brooch Hat /Pin
$80

Taxidermy English House Sparrow
Ostrich Plume Feather
Headpiece
$175

Taxidermy English House Sparrow
Rosette Cockade Brooch
$130

Articulated Badger Paw
24K Gilt Claws
$140

Just a handful of the many new pieces we have in the shop and on the website right now! More to come. xo

Here we grow once again.....

2010-02-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

About 8 months ago Loved To Death moved into a tiny little space in the corner of a Flower shop/shabby chic vintage clothing store....We were very excited to finally have a brick n mortar location after being online for a little over a year and a half. After about 2 months we outgrew our area and took over a bigger portion of the store which amounted to about half the space. We have enjoyed the past 6 months in the bigger spot but with the store being as busy as it has been we have quickly been growing out of our current space...
SO we are very pleased to announce that as of March 25th we will once again be expanding our store and will be taking over the entire space (with the exception of our lovely flower shop still located in the corner of the store)

What that means is that we will be completely revamping the store and after closing for a few days on the 25th of March to remodel a bit. We will be re-opening on the 27th of March with a brand new store which will be Haight Streets only Antique Curiosity/Taxidermy/Flower Shop. We will of course still be located at 1681 Haight St in the Upper Haight. We will be having a re-grand opening cocktail party that will be an invite only lil get together that day from 7-9pm that will be for friends, shops on the street and our amazing customers that come in and visit us everyday...We are sooooo very excited to re-design the store and want to show you our TRUE vision of what we have wanted this space to look like from day one. Everyone will be pleasantly surprised....

“You control your destiny, make your life what you want it to be”

2010-01-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

Was just featured in the Noblivity.com blog with a feature interview...

Audra Dance ‘Loved to Death’ | Emerging Designers

very cool blog and very good article/interview....enjoy. :)

You Must Create.

2010-01-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce that 'Loved To Death' jewelry is now available in London at the YMC flagship location. YMC will be carrying a very nice
selection of the current line. We can't begin to tell everyone
about how excited we are about being available in London now but we are also very excited about being in such amazing store and working with such a great fashion label.

Wisconsin Death Trip

2009-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

I read this book a long time ago and was pleasently surprised to see that director James Marsh had made a documentary based on the book. If you have never read the book its a fascinating account of what happened to the small town of Black River Falls, WI during the late 1900's. The documentary is a bleak but at times humourous account of alot of the true stories that happened during this time. Its the photography from that time intermixed with reenactments of individual stories. If you have netflix i highly recommend this documentary.

The Suicide Forest

2009-11-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Recently we had a customer in our store that was talking with us about this forest , Aokigahara , in Japan that is a big destination spot for people wanting to commit suicide. Upon doing a little more research on this location we found that it is the 2nd most popular suicide location after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. This forest at the bottom of Mount Fuji has become known as 'The Suicide Forest' or 'The Sea of Trees'. It has become a popular suicide spot due in large part to a novel that was written by Seicho Matsumoto titled Kuroi Jukai , in which the ending of the book culminates in the characters taking their lives in this forest. The forest has become such a popular suicide location that the town outside the forest has to have crews go thru weekly to clean up the bodies of those that have taken their final walk into this 'enchanted' forest. The forest has been featured on the TV show Destination Truth and was featured in a swedish documentary called 'The Perfect Place..."

Audra Dance of Loved to Death Handmade News Featured Artisan

2009-07-18T08:58:00.001-07:00

Audra Dance of Loved to Death Handmade News Featured Artisan

Posted using ShareThis

NEW SHOP COMING TO HAIGHT ST IN SAN FRANCISCO!

2009-07-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

We have been soooo busy trying to juggle everything but it is all about to pay off! We have our own little retail shop on Haight Street in San Francisco opening this week. We are moving into Neda's Gifts and Flowers at 1681 Haight st, Upper. We have been renovating and getting it ready and it looks like we will be open for business Monday or Tuesday! We will carry the entire jewelry and accesories line as well as the dioramas and other art pieces we make. We will also have a selection of Victorian and antique items. Lots of Victorian mourning jewelry, medical oddities, a much as we can fit in our little space! come see us! There will be a grand opening soiree, we will let you know when we decide on the date!

Our Work Will Be In the Upper Haight Art Walk May 29th

2009-05-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

New Items Up Now!

2009-04-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

We have new pieces up now and in the works!! We were lucky enough to rescue some domestic birds that had died of natural causes from a breeder. They were piling up in her freezer and now they are on their way to becoming beautiful memorial works of memento mori art. This piece above is a Glouster Canary and is very sweet!

We also are having a BIG sale in our Etsy store. We have many new pieces we need to make room for. We also have some very exciting dioramas in the works as wel. So many pieces, so little time!!!

2009-04-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Our newest piece is finally finished!! Go check it out on the website or at etsy.com!! It's #1o!

This is a OOAK Anthropomorphic Taxidermy "Chop Shop" butcher shop mouse diorama. There are two genuine professionally taxidermied mice, one customer and a butcher in this piece(irony intended). She is wearing a handmade gingham dress and pillbox hat complete with real feather. He is wearing his butcher apron and hat and has made quite a mess. There is a meat case featuring all handmade meat, with a cash register, scale and butcher paper roll. There is a butcher block with two trays of meat and a meat tenderizer mallet, and a real porcelain sink. On the walls hang a handmade price sign, wooden wall phone, hanging meat and pheasant. The ceiling features two ceiling fans that light up and plug into the wall. The floor is a checkerboard pattern and there is a bit of blood from the butchers knife pooled at his feet. The box is a high quality handmade box with a white framed glass front. It hangs on the wall with two white corbels. It measures 21" long x 19" tall (including corbels on the bottom 4") and 10 1/2" deep. There is a custom engraved "Loved To Death #10 2009" brass plaque on the front. $975

The price includes free UPS insured shipping!

Loved To Death #9 "My Hearts Best Treasure"

2009-03-28T18:44:00.001-07:00

We just listed our newest piece!
This is a OOAK piece of anthropomorphic taxidermy art. It is made with genuine taxidermy squirrel parts that have been professionally preserved. She is in a custom made wooden box with beautifully decorated walls. She is clutching her golden heart (genuine preserved squirrel heart in 24K gold gilding), "Her Hearts Best Treasure". Her dress is trimmed in fur and she is wearing a ruby heart pendant on a gold chain necklace. Atop her head is her rhinestone crown. On the wall hangs a framed painting of her beloved family. The floor is rich black velvet and the ceiling is painted gold with black Victorian accents. The box is framed in an antique style glass covered gold frame and measures 14" x 11" x 7" deep. It has hooks on the back to hang it with and is finished in black. It has a Loved To Death 2009 #9 gold plaque on the front. She was made is in honor of the squirrel Queen Victoria. When she lost her love Prince Albert in 1861 she went into a long period of mourning. She started the "Victorian" mourning period and her styles and mourning customs were of great influence on her court and people she ruled over. This period started the mourning customs and style we still see today. It is said that after her mourning period she became close to a gentleman by the name of John Brown. John Brown accompanied the queen everywhere. He looked after her preventing many assassination attempts. He remained a life long bachelor causing great speculation about his relationship with the Queen.January 1, 1877 John Brown received a picture from a maid with the following verse. “I send my serving maidenWith New Year letter laden,My words will prove my faith and love.TO YOU MY HEARTS BEST TREASURE, Then smile on her and smile on me and give me pleasure”. Below it said: To my best friend J.B from his best friend V.R.I in Victoria’s own handwriting.

WWW.LOVEDTODEATH.NET

VICE Germany Rules

2009-03-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

VICE Germany did a lil write up about us in their Blog. Its in German, translated by Babel fish.

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvice.typepad.com%2Fvice_germany%2F2009%2F03%2Fdead-rats-are-a.html&lp=de_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

Talons Of Christ

2009-03-09T23:31:00.001-07:00

This is a life size crown of thorns made with taxidermy bird legs. There are 24 rock dove, pheasant quail and chukar bird legs that have been hand gilt in 24K gold and have glistening blood drops dripping from the claws and pheasant spurs. The crown measures 7 1/2" x 10" and is wearable (carefully). It is mounted in a Victorian era Last Rites Exorcism box that has been painted black and lined in red velvet. The doors are adorned with crosses and the box measures 10 1/2" w x 15" h x 6" deep.

http://www.lovedtodeath.net/product.php?category=Art&id=295

After many many hours of gold leafing many many lil and big bird legs and claws, it is finally finished. Just in time for your Easter Sunday, your very own crown of thorns, complete with blood. Because what good is a crown of thorns without blood, really.

Our Newest Piece Cabinet of Curiosities Taxidermy Case

2009-03-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

We have listed our first Cabinet Of Curiosities! We have been gathering pieces for this for awhile now and finally have it completed. In fact, we may have another soon! It is numbered #6 in our Loved To Death taxidermy art series and is available now at www.lovedtodeath.net and on Etsy.

It includes.....

from top left to right : taxidermy coyote leg, opossum articulated tail bone, a raccoon heart, a coiled rat tail, a skunk paw, a turtle foot, an articulated partial skunk vertabrae, a pot bellied pig toe,a baby chick foot, a snake embryo wet specimen, and a partil fox mandible. All professionally cleaned, preserved and mounted in this black cabinet. It measures 15 1/2" tall and 11 1/2" wide. The only loose item in this collection is the snake embryo specimen. This will be packaged seperate for safe travel. It is lined in Victorian inspired burgandy and gold fabric and is ready to hang!

$200

Good Times, Bird Wings and A Queen

2009-02-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

We have big things in the works! We have added #5 to our taxidermy art collection, Queen Magdelene. Shes a sweet lil tart of an Ermine and is dressed up in her best dress and crown. She was a vintage taxidermy rescue and wanted to be more than a dusty run down neglected mount. So we have gussied her up and she is like Cinderella coming out for her first ball! We have lots more coming in our collection of numbered Taxidermy Art!

We also have a new vintage hat, great black velvet coils forming a classic pillbox Jackie O style. It is adorned with a professionally cleaned and preserved beautiful rock dove pigeon wing and a little genuine finch skull, covered in a chrome color with freshwater pearl eyes. There is a mourning veil attached to the front and it is truly one of a kind

Last but not least...... We are very excited for this fun event that we will be vending at, that just happens to be in my old neighborhood! It will be goodtimes...... Come out and say hi!

Fragile

2009-01-25T02:45:00.000-08:00

Life is more fragile than we like to admit or realize on a daily basis. I have seen 4 car accidents in 24 hours. One kinda shook me up, on the Golden Gate Bridge last night at 2:30 am on the way home from the Edwardian Ball. One hours ago on the freeway. I thought about how sad for the police officer who was the first to the scene. Only after zig zagging across traffic to stop and walk up to the accident. Something my dad has done many times. I asked him how it felt to be the first to the scene in a situation like that. How do you steel yourself to that? Walking up on people on the verge of death and having to calm them down and assess the situation without losing it and freaking out. Blood and sadness and tragedy. And you are the one to try and remedy it. Get help. Calm. Stop the bleeding. He says you become detached. You have to. You are the calm. But then there is a thawing period. Later. Where you are walking down the street and a certian noise reminds you, and you can't see, can't talk or you willbreak up. You remember and it hits you. Things happen so fast. Petty BS seems to fall by the wayside when you step back and look at the big picture and how small we are in it. You just never know. We are mortals in a cruel world with no conscience. My dad told me an hour ago about a friend who just lost his 37 year old daughter. She was visiting him and her mom with her husband and went into San Francisco to visit friends for the weekend. They got back to the hotel after a night out and she complained of a back ache. He gave her a back rub and a kiss goodnight only to wake and find her dead beside him. 37 years old. You just never know. Embrace this life and know that we are lucky to be here. Life can be a mysterious thing. and death is always looming.
Morrissey says there is another world, there must be a better world.
I like this one just fine. I love my life. Just gets sad sometimes.

Edwardian Ball 2009 San Francisco

2009-01-20T22:29:00.000-08:00

We will be peddling our wares at this years Edwardian Ball in San Francisco, verrry excited for this. First off, we are very excited to be back in the Bay Area. What better way to bring Loved To Death out into the public eye than a fancypants ball? Lots of good people, beautiful costumes and overall madness! We will have some pieces available that we are making just for this event. We have been invited to come back for the Sunday Gorey Sunday part of this event as well. We will be selling with Sunday Mourning and hope to see you there!

New Items Up! More Coming....

2009-01-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

Phew! It's been a busy week but managed to finish up some pieces that have been lingering in the studio. Listed the first of a new series of fascinators that are coming. Getting ready this week for the Edwardian Ball! WOo Hoo gonna be good times with a great group of people. We are making some pieces especially for this event. Lots of pix to come!! ZGo to the website http://www.lovedtodeath.net/ or http://www.lovedtodeath.etsy.com/ for all the new pieces.

Pocket Full of Posen

2009-01-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

Zac Posen is a style icon. He creates classically influenced, beautiful, timeless pieces that you don't soon forget. His last collection to make me swoon was his more extravant Spring 08 collection, photos above. The pieces were fancy with lots of tulle and frilly petticoats he captured the romanticism of the Victorian era with a twist of present day flirtiness.

His December Pre Fall 09 collection is one that recognizes the beauty of classic 40's glamour, while living in the times of the great depression. A play on our current economic state? His current colllection is definitely more wearable and a bit less dramatic than his last. Beautiful. Noir. Fashion.

Oscar Grant R I P

2009-01-09T00:24:00.000-08:00

I can not help but speak out on this situation. The situation that has become the most tragic public display of blatant disregard and disrespect for human life that I have seen in a long time, if ever.
On new Years day at approx. 2:00AM in Oakland, CA Oscar Grant was shot, in cold blood, by a Bart Transit Police Officer. In the back. Execution style on his stomach, face down. In front of his friends. This is my take after watching many different angles from many different cameras. He was PLEADING to not be hurt. He was unarmed. He was being restrained by two armed Bart Transit Police Officers. These are facts that i have seen for my own eyes. The bullet from the "officer"s gun went through the back of Grant, riccocheted off the clay colored bart terminal floor and went back into his body only to go through his lungs to kill him in seven hours. One video witness recalls looking IN HIS EYES and seeing him in pain. AFTER taping him telling others to calm down and be cool. The shooting officer holds his head in his hands briefly, and receives a look of shock from another transit officer standing next to him. He just killed Oscar Grant, seven hours and counting.
This Officer may as well have been a crazy guy riding the bart drunk with a gun. To not have the wherewithall to NOT shoot someone, unarmed, restrained and pleading for others to be cool and just cooperate with the officers, in the back. He is a crazed murderer. I know that is a pretty pointed finger. But is there no justice? And to read the flimsy excuses of others trying to compare plastic tazer guns to heavy, metal GLOCKS. Is disgusting. And will lead to more anger and unrest if this ever goes beyond media speculation.
This man needs to go to jail. He needs to pay for the life he took. From a man with a 4 year old daughter.That will never be held by her father again. It is wrong. And I am Pissed. I am reminded on a daily basis by news vans and police cars that this situation is real, and still very alive. It will fall away from media eyes soon. And then will fade from the immediate memory of most. Not for the BART passengers that take this bart daily. Not for the grieving mother and family of Oscar grant. Not for those that think past the mundane thoughts of simple daily life. Not for me. It is tragic, unfair and very sad. I hope I live to see this situation rectified. Will being jailed and possibly tortured help this man to realize how wrong it was to take Oscar's life, while being disguised in a "police" uniform with a GUN? Probably not. Will taking this man away from his newborn baby help his baby? Help this wife? Is it a cruel twist of irony that this officer fathered a new child within days of taking the life of another childs father? WRONGLY.Unfairly. I can't help but want to see justice served on this man. On behalf of Oscar Grant, His Family, His Friends, and ME and YOU. It is only fair. What else is there?

2009-01-02T00:46:00.000-08:00

While strolling around Etsy I came upon quite possibly the most amazing bracelet. Ever. In a fancy lil shop http://chezvous.etsy.com/. They have a gorgeous Victorian era Scarab beetle bracelet. I love how the victorians were open minded enough to use insects in their jewelry making. I'm amazed when people don't see the beauty in these beetles, as they are living jewels. I'm sure that people were more freaked out by wearing "bugs" back then. Or maybe not, as the Victorians were so far ahead of them selves, that they still haven't caught up.

2008-12-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

Blue Skies

Artwork by Mark Hamer

January 5th

7pm-10pm

DALVA SF
3121 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 252-7740

Mark Hamer is an up and coming San Francisco based artist that is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Up and coming only after a short hiatus from well on his way due to the priorities of breeding, nesting and everyday life. His paintings are often of dogs and are always moving. His style varies from expressionist to cubist to abstract expressionist to one all his own. He has a way of capturing honest emotion with the spec of glimmer in an eye or a drip of paint from a bike spoke. His simple approach of subject matter quickly turns complicated under the layers of often cubist paint strokes. His very diverse painting style is always enthralling and leaves you wondering what he will do next.

I asked Mark to answer 5 questions about Blue Skies and his influences and surroundings.

1) in 5 words describe your influences for this collection

- well the show's called Blue Skies, so I'll say Blue Skies, awkward people and ornery dogs. That's six words I guess.

2) what are your necessities when you have a painting session?music if any?

- I need a quiet private place with no interruptions, which is hard to find with a kid running around the house so I usually end up painting at night. I like to listen to music, nothing too disruptive or loud just something to drone away in the background.

3) top 3 fave artists at this time

- I like figurative artists, usually with a stylized or illustrator-y approach. Lately I'm into Gary Baseman, Camille Rose Garcia, and Jenny Saville.

4) if you could live in any time period which would it be and why?

- Next week, so I'd be done with my paintings and just enjoying the show. Ha ha.

5) when will you unveil the highly anticipated and mysterious works of La Ruby Ramona Alaniz-Hamer? Do you see a collaborative work in the near future?

- Yeah, I'd like to do a collaborative show of paintings I do based on her drawings. I've done a couple and they were a lot of fun and turned out pretty cool. I'll have to put her to work cranking out drawings.

Miss Ruby Ramona is the adorable offspring of Mark and his amazing wife Michele. She has already started to show signs of the painting disease. Lets hope they don't find a cure.

See you on the 5th!

Sandy Skoglund

2008-12-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Sandy Skoglund

MA, NY, NJ

Skoglund's work from the late 80's early 90's stands out for us.

The Green House 1990

Skoglund contracted a professional upholsterer to cover the sofas,chairs, and pillows in "The Green House." She remembers that the job was very expensive.
She considers dogs to be a reflection of the way humans have made animals in their own image. Skoglund deliberately created a variety of dogs rather than a single type as with the foxes in Fox Games. They may not be visible in reproductions of "The Green House," but two small green animal skulls lie under the coffee table and a large green roach rests on top of the coffee table.

Gathering Paradise 1991

Art critic Eleanor Heartney characterizes "Gathering Paradise" as"nature's revenge against culture." She further remarks that "the title of this work underscores its irony. The suburban ideal--a life balanced between city and country is a carefully domesticated setting--is undone. Nature in the form of the horde of cute little squirrels, refuses to accept its role as decorative accessory, instead it blindly multiplies, mocking the suburbanite's dream of order and with it all our fantasies of mastery and control."

Fox Games 1989
In "Fox Games," gray foxes invade an elegant restaurant, which is painted red -- red walls, red chairs, red tables, red table cloths, red dishes containing red buns. In the photograph version, the room is gray, the foxes red.
"The foxes are leaping around," Ms. Skoglund says. " . . . The tables are invisible to them, functionally. They're just platforms to stand on. They will eat the food but ignore the paraphernalia." What foxes ignore, people need.

Radioactive Cats 1980

Her most famous is "Radioactive Cats," showing two elderly people in a run-down gray room filled with 25 bright green cats.

While art critics read both- the interpretation of nuclear war and it's aftermath or- the insensitivity to the aging, Stoglund comments...
"I like the idea that people are attracted to the image without thinking about how or why it came to be, or whether it's art or not."

The people in "Radioactive Cats" are neither professional actors nor professional models. They were Sandy Skoglund's neighbors and lived in the same apartment building in New York City.

Sandy Skoglund has a brilliant way of seeing things, in two colors. She is a photographer, sculptor and installation artist with a fascinating way of presenting the fleeting visions of her mind.

Until the Light Takes Us All

2008-12-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

Recently we went to go see a documentary that was beyond amazing. It was called "Until the Light Takes Us". We would like to encourage anyone that is a fan of black metal to go see this movie if you have the chance. The story behind the rise of Black Metal in Norway is a pretty incredible tale. There hasn't been a movie yet that has been able to expose as much as this one has. There is alot of footage shot from jail with Varg Vikernes of Burzum (something that no one has ever really been able to do before). The screening that we went to in Los Angeles had a Q and A afterwards with the directors and it was very interesting to hear the story about how this documentary even got to be filmed. They were admittedly not black metal fans at the beginning of this project. By the end they had gained the respect of and persuaded the elusive Varg to give multiple interviews with them. In any case if you like black metal , casual fan or diehard fan, this is an excellent peek behind the scenes of a genre of music that is very misunderstood at times and frightening at others.