my love for you.

Alexis MacKenzie.

I was first introduced to Alexis MacKenzie's work last month at the second show of Guerrero Gallery's here in SF. Her lithograph like collages are gorgeous, spelling out words, that if you don't look closely enough one can miss. Alexis' natural typography seems as if it's been plucked from another era. Haunting and beautiful. Alexis has a few shows coming up, check out her selected exhibitions to find out where you can see her thoughtful work.

MASH SF at Project Space.

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't own a bike. And although cycling is not something I cover on the blog, I know how much we all love our bikes, so I'm taking a little departure from the typical art show opening to share with you these rad photos my friend Blake VonKnopka shot over last night. A member of MASH SF, Blake, friends and other MASH members drove down to LA to help with the install and for the opening of their show: Revisit MASH Tour of California at Project Space. The show documents and catalogs the 2009 rogue tour MASH SF set out on:

"In 2009 MASH set out to crash the 2009 edition of the Tour of California on their track bikes. For nine days, they ascended on the same .750-mile course as international cycling teams on bikes with one gear and no brakes, battling the horrendous rains and traversing some of the steepest hills in California."

Sponsored by Incase and Arkitip, Revisit MASH Tour of California runs through June 6th, 2010. Prints are and bikes available, contact: projectspace@arkitip.com

Studio Visit: Ben Venom.

Last Sunday I headed over to Ben Venom's home in the Mission, it was a sad day for him and many others around the globe as the news of Ronny James Dio's death had started to spread. As I walked up to Ben's house he was waiting for me outside, his phone in his hand, I asked if he was in mourning and should we reschedule, teasingly. Ben shrugged it off, laughed good naturedly and said he had been texting all day about it. I was about to get a real understanding of the true metal fan he really is.

I had heard about Ben's work right around the time that I had moved back to SF. A few people had mentioned to me that I would really appreciate his sewn and printed work. Each person made it a point to mention the quilt he had designed and sewn from 35 metal t-shirts. The overall quilted pattern on the blanket? A pentagram, naturally. Obviously I was immediately intrigued! Who wouldn't be?

Born in Charleston, South Carolina and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Ben's interest lay in marrying traditional handmade crafts, Heavy Metal and his heritage from growing up in the south. He's also the second half of Dee's Nuts. His and Kevin E. Taylor's endeavor to help spread the deep south's delicacy of boiled peanuts. Which I can now attest to the goodness first hand.

What follows are images from my afternoon spent with Ben at his home and studio. It was rad checking out and witnessing how deep his passion runs. I was truly impressed. You can see the whole visit on the blog's flickr page.

More images after the JUMP!

above photo courtesy of Ben Venom.

Ben carefully tells me the significance and meaning of each specially placed metal t-shirt.

Ben was especially inspired by an exhibit he had seen of the women of Gee's Bend, here he shows me a book of the quilts from the collective.

The beginning of one of his many appliqued pillows.

Alastair Mackie.

I stumbled upon Alastair Mackie's sculptural pieces a few weeks ago through All Visual Arts' site. Immediately taken with Alastair's intense and meticulous work, I asked him to share a few images and descriptions of his haunting pieces with us, and a little bit about himself and his upcoming shows:

Untitled (sphere), 2009 (above and below)

Mouse skulls, wood, glass.

40cm x 35cm x 35cm

Having swallowed its prey whole, the owls digestive system will extract any nutrition. The indigestible parts are then regurgitated as a compressed pellet. From these the skulls are extracted and the sculpture is built.

Untitled, 2000 - 2008 (above)

Mouse skull sculpture re-united with its place of origin.

Untitled (+/-), 2009 (above and below)

Mouse skeletons, mouse fur, and other mixed media Dimensions variable.

Over a period of one year barn owl pellets have been collected and processed in to their raw components of mouse fur and bone. The fur has been spun in to yarn and, with the use of a loom, the yarn has been woven in to a sheet of fabric. The skeletons have been left as a heap, the size of which correlates directly with the size of the sheet of material.

all photos by Tessa Angus courtesy of All Visual Arts.

Born in 1977, Alastair Mackie has shown his work extensively in the UK and abroad and is widely collected. In 2004 Charles Saatchi purchased a number of pieces for his ‘New Blood’ exhibition at the Saatchi gallery, which lead to his first solo show with Max Wigram later that year. Last year he had his second solo show, Not Waving But Drowning, at The David Roberts Art Foundation. Concurrently his first public out door piece, Mimetes Anon, commissioned by The Contemporary Art Society was exhibited at the Economist Plaza in St. James's, London.

Group exhibitions this year include Dead or Alive at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York (which runs until 24th October) and Living in Evolution at The Busan Biennale 2010 in South Korea.

Alastair lives and works in London and Cornwall and is represented by All Visual Arts.

New Clocks from Chroma Lab.

My good friends Tony and Alicia from Chroma Lab just released a whole batch of new clocks. They're looking super sharp! For those of you who need numbers on your time pieces...Chroma Lab has 'em for you! If you like some mystery with your clocks or humor, they have an answer for all your timely needs. Plus, you can now get them directly from Tony and Alicia in their brand new web store. What's more is the clocks are priced nice and easy for the pocket. Perhaps one for every room?