Hi Fructose Captures Images of Dan Quintana's "Zero Instruments" Opening

Opening Night: Dan Quintana’s “Zero Instruments” at Varnish Fine Art

by Nastia VoynovskayaPosted on May 28, 2013

Stacey Ransom of Ransom & Mitchell, Dan Quintana and Alex Pardee

Last Saturday, Dan Quintana (featured in our current issue) debuted his solo show “Zero Instruments” at San Francisco’s Varnish Fine Art. For this body of work, Quintana stripped down the baroque style he is known for, presenting a new series of oil paintings and charcoal drawings imbued with a ghostly pallor. Rendered with an icy color palette, the new paintings bring about philosophical themes of the ephemerality of life with figures that billow and dissolve in the wind. Take a look at our exclusive photos from the opening reception below.

Dan Quintana and Junko Mizuno

Ken Harman of Spoke Art and Chuck Sperry

Dan Quintana's Solo Exhibit "Zero Instruments" at Varnish Fine Art Opening This Weekend -- Press Previews

Dan Quintana: Zero Instruments Opening this Saturday May 25, 6-9pmWe're very pleased to present this solo of new work by Los Angeles-based artist Dan Quintana who has never before shown at Varnish. This exhibition showcases Quintana's oil paintings and charcoal drawings, featuring bold figures set in allegorical landscapes. Zero Instruments… these (musical) devices will serve as an allegory… Our hearts and minds are a concerto of one. In this case, zero. The essence has and will always remain. Savage.  -Dan Quintana Please call us if you'd like to reserve artwork. We are available to speak with you directly, during our regular hours Tues - Sat, 11am to 6pm PST. Preview Online Press Previews Focused and soft, with hints of the ethereal, Quintana’s newer paintings are a definitive practice in restraint and deduction. Paring away at his luscious canvases until only lines, hues, single figures remain-his new canvases feature mere shadows of a once rich and hedonistic world. -Hi Fructose Magazine, Jennifer Pappas (April, '13) Drawing influence from Bosch, Quintana’s compositions are rife with leering gremlins and demons meshing with his Mel Ramos-esque girls into works that deserve a second look. -Arrested Motion (May 21, '13) Hi Fructose Magazine article 16 Jessie Street, #C120, San Francisco, CA 94105 (415)433-4400

Varnish Exhibits and Events Through the End of May

Final Days of DECADE-1DECADE-1 is a group exhibition of fourteen artists to celebrate Varnish Fine Art's first ten years. Artists: Jennybird Alcantara, Robert Bowen, Victor Castillo, Chris Mars, Christian Rex Van Minnen, Lee Harvey Roswell, Isabel Samaras, Ron Garrigues, Brian Goggin, Jessica Joslin, Lucien Shapiro, Ransom & Mitchell, Rob Reger, Chuck Sperry. Nice to see the fantastic and fabulous work commemorated. There have been tens years of awesome and sometimes dark work on display. The amazing visions have been iconic in San Francisco with all manner of narratives. Fun to look at some of these stories even if a few are from the darkside. The works are emotional and occasionally a bit personal; you may have been there and understand. Great show and memories.- ArtBusiness Review View the DECADE-1 Exhibit Online Dan Quintana Zero Instruments Opening Reception: May 25, 6-9pmVarnish Fine Art is pleased to present Zero Instruments, a solo exhibition of new work by Dan Quintana, opening on May 25th, 2013. This exhibition showcases Dan Quintana oil paintings and charcoal drawings, featuring the bold figures set in allegorical landscapes that Quintana is known for. Zero Instruments… these (musical) devices will serve as an allegory… Our hearts and minds are a concerto of one. In this case, zero. The essence has and will always remain. Savage. –Dan Quintana Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, painter Dan Quintana channels a style reminiscent of the late Hieronymus Bosch, but with a modern twist. The tones, brushwork and overall technique of Quintana yield a result which pays homage to the great 13th century master, but it is his subject matter, and re-imagining of today’s “earthly delights” that puts his work in a class all of its own. Collectors Preview for Zero Instruments The H18 Project Chuck Sperry Print Release Thursday, May 30, 6-9pmWhere: Hangar 18 Studio 1428 34th Street Oakland, CA 94608 "Argentina" by Chuck Sperry(2013) Edition of 100 21" x 24" 7 colors on archival cream paper Signed and Numbered Join us for an evening reception and sale of art prints by Chuck Sperry including his latest (shown left) at the H18 studio. This collaboration between Varnish Fine Art and represented artist Chuck Sperry showcases his artwork in the unique setting of Sperry's screenprinting studio in Oakland. The H18 Project is an ongoing pop up gallery where we present collectors with a unique studio experience, visiting the iconic Bay Area artist Chuck Sperry. The new Chuck Sperry art print will be released live at this H18 event on Thurs May 30th, followed by release online at an undisclosed time on Friday May 31st via Sperry's website. Please contact us for more information. Learn More about Chuck Sperry 16 Jessie Street, #C120, San Francisco, CA 94105 (415)433-4400

Peeling Back the Layers: An Interview with Chris Mars

Self-taught artist Chris Mars seeks to create a voice for the voiceless; to offer love to the unloved and mercy to the condemned and banished through his work. With his highly developed technical craft, Mars conceptually challenges preconceived judgment; be it one of beauty, hideousness or the nature of truth.

Prior to gaining critical acclaim as a painter, Mars became internationally known in the music world as the drummer for the Replacements. He has added to these accomplishments with growing admirers in the filmmaking world for his animation and live-action shorts.  Mars’ oil paintings are in the permanent collections of many museum collections, and feature prominently in museum exhibits throughout North America. In 2011 a selection of his film shorts was screened at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and his paintings were exhibited at Halle St. Pierre, Paris, France, where he will be returning in 2013. Mars lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Chris graciously answered some questions for us about his work and process, revealing the complex layers of thought, craft and expression that go into his creative outpourings.

Level 5 (2012) Oil on Panel 24 x 28"

"The collection at The Louvre is epic, but as an artist I was struck by the reality that so many pieces there were commissioned - created not exclusively in response to an artist’s vision or calling but rather in service to the elite, or the church.  Level 5 demonstrates my elated relief upon entering The Pompidou, Paris’s museum of contemporary art. "

• What is your fine art background/education? 

Last Week to See Jennybird Alcantara's "Creatures of Saintly Disguise"

Jennybird's amazing solo show Creatures of Saintly Disguise will be coming to a close on Saturday, July 28. If you haven't made it in yet, swing by during our normal business hours, Tues-Sat 11am - 6pm. In the meantime, here's a beautiful view put together by Kerri:

For those without Adobe Flash capability, head over to the exhibit page HERE

Beyond the Veil: An interview with Jennybird Alcantara

Painter Jennybird Alcantara  is best known for minutely detailed oil paintings filled with a symbolism that draw the viewer deeply into a world both strange and beautiful.  At its core her work has a dreamlike narrative that emanates from a central figure, encouraging us to contemplate the complex interconnectedness of opposites as seen through the prism of myth, fable and fantasy. 

She took some time from working on her upcoming solo show at Varnish Fine Art, Creatures of Saintly Disguise (June 9-July 28, 2012) to answer a slew of questions about the ever unfolding universe of characters and symbols emerging from her brush. 

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I did art as a kid, like everybody does art as a kid. Officially I’d say, when I made this kind of announcement in my head that I didn’t want to be a veterinarian anymore, was probably around 11 or 12 years old. I didn't really know what being an “artist” meant, but I knew it was something I really enjoyed, that I was good at it and that I got praise for it from my parents.

My mom and her best friend were crafters. They would make cradles and sell them at these craft fairs and I’d paint the little teddy bear scenes on the front of the cradle. My friend Sheri and I started making little clay teddy bear dolls and little sculpted teddy bears in chairs and things and they let us have a little section of the booth. So from the time I was a kid I was always doing arts and crafts kind of stuff. It would be fun to find one of those cradles, "The first Jennybird sale!"

Struggle in the Garden of the Porcelain Queen 2009
 Oil on Wood
40 x 60" (diptych)