Paintings of Oakland at the Berkeley Art Center, Aug 20

Anthony Holdsworth August 13, 2011

I am displaying two paintings of the Uptown district of Oakland in the juried exhibition 'California!' at the Berkeley Art Center. It opens Aug 20th with a reception that evening from 5 - 7 pm. Join me there. The paintings both feature an old apartment building from different points of view at the corner of 23rd and Telegraph that is currently occupied by Rock Paper Scissors one of the founding members of the popular Oakland Art Murmur. Across the street are several galleries including Chandra Cerrito, The Johansson Projects and Hatch Gallery.

These works are some of my first painted on thin, hardwood ply. They represent a new chapter in my urban landscapes, as they were created using my new bike and trailer which I've outfitted to carry painting gear and plywood panels up to 20" x 26".

They eliminate the four F's of setting up to paint on city streets: parking Fees & Fines and Fossil Fuels.

In the back of the trailer (Below Left) you can see my easel and painting table on top of a narrow wooden box that carries the plywood canvases. Brushes and paints are stored below.

The easel itself (Above Right) has a wooden table that doubles as a protective carrier for a canvas and a paint filled palette when it is not attached to the easel. It was designed and built by myself and painter Marvin Dalander.

Holiday Exhibition: New Paintings of Italy, Oakland & San Francisco

Anthony Holdsworth December 6, 2010

Join me in my studio the weekends of

Dec 11-12 & 18-19 from Noon to 5 PM

View my recent work and enjoy

wine, cheese and cappuccinos.

351 Lewis St. Oak. 94607

510.836.1681

My ongoing Global Warming Series led me to an interest in the depiction of water. I took full advantage of the breathtaking, blue-green waters of the Ligurian Sea during the five days I stayed in Portovenere, Italy. This port faces the Bay of La Spezia which was a playground for the Romantic poets. Italy is a touchstone for me. Here I can reflect on most of western history and also paint reflections of that history in its landscape and its buildings.

Scroll down to the previous blog or click here if you wish to view the eight paintings I created in Italy.

The waters of the Pacific enter an ultramodern port along Oakland's shores:

"I started painting at Berth 10 in the port of Oakland this afternoon. Across a trapezoidal space of green-brown water, maybe a third of a mile away, lie freighters more than 900 feet long. “If you stood one on end” a tugboat captain remarked “ it would be taller than any building in San Francisco.” I tried to visualize a freighter balanced on its stern. It looked big across the water, but not that big. The problem is that the scale of these ships, and cranes, is almost impossible for us, who are ants by comparison, to grasp." Diary 11.14.2010

I decided to return and re-paint the Chronicle from a slightly different angle than just over a year ago. Last year I spent March and April painting the building as more than a hundred employees left the struggling newspaper. My stimulating exchanges with reporters, editors and other employees (as well as that painting) may be viewed at News in the News Pt 2: The Once and Future Chronicle in the archives of this blog.

View many more paintings like these in my exhibition.

I look forward to seeing you!

Global Warming Paintings at the San Francisco Federal Building: March 18 - June 1, 2010

Anthony Holdsworth March 18, 2010

My two Global Warming Triptychs, set in San Francisco and in Oakland, will be on exhibition at the San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th St (at Mission) from March 18 to June 1. The exhibition will occupy the ground level of the lobby. To purchase prints of the paintings shown in this blog go to "Featured Works" in the Shop.

Across a Hundred Years, oil on canvas, 2007

This is an appropriate location to showcase the Series for two reasons.

1. This building, designed by Thom Mayne, is the first 'green' Federal Building in the country.

2. The idea for this series occurred to me while I was painting this building from the corner of Mission and 7th St. That painting "Across a Hundred Years" is included in the exhibition.

The Global Warming Series is an invitation to you to actively imagine our future if global warming remains unchecked. These paintings are not predictions. They are science fiction. There are too many variables for us to predict the future of our planet with any precision. Only by exercising our imagination can we begin to grasp the enormity of the effect our species is having on this planet, and, perhaps, take measures to lessen our impact.

Here are the central panels of the two Triptychs:

For San Francisco

San Francisco Global Warming Triptych # 2, oil on canvas, 2008

For Oakland

Oakland Global Warming Triptych # 2, oil on canvas, 2009

Also on exhibition will my recent painting of the Chronicle, and a ten foot wide painting of the Bay Bridge both created on location in San Francisco:

Storm Clouds over the Chronicle, oil on canvas, 2009

The Federal Building is open to those who wish to view my exhibition. Please inform security at the front door of your interest. If you intend to bring a large group contact Conference Center manager, Mike Ladd, in advance at 415.625-2756 , 415.948.8531 [email protected]

Un Rincon de la Plaza Grande, Patzcuaro, Michoacan, oil on canvas,18" X 24"

Exhibition at Alta Galleria held over until September 20

Anthony Holdsworth August 14, 2009

My mini-retrospective at Alta Galleria in Berkeley is being held over another month. It will now close September 20. The exhibition of smaller works spans thirty years. Most of the works were painted on location in Oakland and San Francisco but there is a smattering of works from Mexico, and Italy.

One of the most recent paintings on exhibition is "Storm Clouds over the San Francisco Chronicle" which was painted on the street during March and April of this year when about a 100 employees were taking buyouts. I recorded my experience and conversations in my blog titled News in the News Pt 2: The once and Future Chronicle.

Storm Clouds over the Chronicle, oil on canvas, 24" X 48"

This exhibition has already received two excellent reviews. The first one by Frank Cebulski in the online Examiner titled Anthony Holdsworth at Alta Galleria, Berkeley.

The most recent review was in this week's East Bay Express. Written by DeWitt Cheng it is titled 'Witness.'

Alta Galleria is at 2980 College Ave., Ste#4 in Berkeley close to Ashby. While Alta is representing her artrists in Bejing fom, Aug 24 to September 7th, volunteers will keep the gallery open from 11 am to 4 pm, Tues through Friday. Phone 510.414.4485 or go to www.altagalleria.com for more information.

East Bay Open Studios 2009

Anthony Holdsworth May 27, 2009

Saturdays and Sundays June 6 & 7, 13 & 14, 2009
11AM - 6PM
351 Lewis St Oakland, CA 94110
Google Map

The East Bay hosts one of the highest per capita concentrations of visual artists in the United States. You've probably never heard of most of them. Many are not represented by local galleries.

Four artists, who have attended my painting workshops in Oakland, Mexico or Italy, are taking part in Open Studios. They are O'Brien Theile and Ron Weil both in Berkeley, Marvin Dalander in Alameda. And Lorrie Fink in Oakland.

I've participated in East Bay Open Studios every year since it's inception in the early 80's. Pro Arts is an artist membership organization which has acted as an entry point into the art world for emerging talent. It hosts a number of exhibitions each year. My exhibition with Pro Arts in 1986 garnered a full page review (by Charles Shere and Susan Stern) in the Oakland Tribune, as well as a gallery connection. Sales from this show enabled me to phase out my landscape gardening business and devote myself full time to painting.

This year I am showcasing my painting of the San Francisco Chronicle (Storm Clouds over the Chronicle) and the Farmer's Market painting that was featured in an article by Brenda Payton in the San Francisco Chronicle. I will be showing other examples of my Farmers' Market Series and Urban Garden Series as well as new urban landscapes.

You are welcome to explore my racks in the mezzanine where I store about a hundred paintings, and to take part in lively conversation with other guests over wine, cheese and cappuccinos.

I look forward to seeing you.

About the artist

Anthony Holdsworth was born in England in 1945. He was introduced to oil painting in high school by the New England painter, Loring Coleman. Holdsworth embarked on a painting career while working as Head of Outdoor Restoration for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy after the flood of 1966. He continued his studies at the Bournemouth College of Art in England where he studied with master draftsman Samuel Rabin and color theorist Jon Fish and at the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied with Julius Hatofsky, Bruce McGaw and Fred Martin. He has shown with major galleries in Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. He has participated in two exhibitions at the Oakland Museum. He was included in the California Cityscapes exhibition at the San Diego Museum. He was a recipient of WESTAF-NEA fellowship in 1990. His work is in corporate and private collections worldwide.