Recent Paintings and the Cabbage Series at Cafe 817 in Old Oakland

Sept 14 – Nov 1: ‘Recent  Paintings and

the Cabbage Series’ at Caffé 817

Caffe 817 has become an institution in Old Oakland. Aside from offering the best cappuccinos in town and excellent Mediterranean style breakfasts and lunches in an old world  ambiance, the Caffe has hosted art exhibitions of work by myself, David Ireland, Beryl Landau, Wendy Yoshimura,  Jerome Carlin and Marvin Dalander among many others.

Join me there any Tuesday morning for the duration of this exhibition from 10 to 11 AM  and, if you speak Italian, stay on to converse with me and my friend Cesare Marigonda from Trieste. We speak only Italian from 11 AM until just before Noon

The Cabbage Series:  in memory of my brother Graham Holdsworth  1948 – 2011

My brother and only sibling, Graham Holdsworth, died in Normandy, France last June. He was three years younger than me. Like everyone in our family he was an avid gardener, so when I returned home from saying goodby to him, I took refuge in my garden and began, almost by chance, painting the Cabbage Series:

As I harvested the cabbages,  I continued painting. The series became a meditation on, not simply the  loss of my entire immediate family, but on our lives together over so many years.

Art exists to explore and celebrate life.

Paintings of Oakland at the Berkeley Art Center, Aug 20

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.

'Rock, Paper, Scissors', oil on hardwood ply, 20" X 24", 2010

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.

Archival Prints on Paper or Canvas for Peanuts!

If you, like most of us, have tightened your belt in this ailing economy you’ve probably decided to forgo purchasing luxuries like original art.

I am offering limited edition, archival prints on paper or canvas of some of my best paintings at unusually low prices. Prices that are one half to one quarter the going rate for archival reproductions!

To view the full inventory click on ‘Shop’ at the top of this page.

Bay Bridge Panorama # 2. Available as Print on Paper in two sizes & as Print on Canvas 14" X 55"

Created under my supervision at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, the prints on paper are pigmented ink-jet on archival paper. The prints on canvas, which to the casual eye are indistinguishable from original paintings, are stretched and ready to hang. They are protected with two layers of UV resistant matt varnish.

These are not the original works, but they are as close as you can get for a fraction of the price.

Storm Clouds over Florence. Available as Print on Paper in 2 sizes & and on Canvas 24" X 34"

Because they are signed, limited editions they will appreciate modestly over time. Properly cared for they should remain vibrant for four to five generations.

Painted on location in San Francisco, Italy, Istria, Oakland, Mexico and Cuba the more than forty images start at $ 125 for a square foot print on paper (edition limited to 200). The large prints on canvas (five square feet – edition limited to forty) signed and ready to hang are $ 700.

"New", Oakland. Available as a Print on Paper in 2 sizes & on Canvas 27" X 32"

Consider purchasing these archival prints not only for your home or office but as special gifts for close friends and family.

For rebates on shipping and handling fees::

If you are within driving distance of my studio, phone me when you make your order. We can arrange for you to pick up your purchase and I will refund the shipping and handling fees at that time.(It may take me two or three days to return your call. Production of prints may take up to ten days.)

Purchasing the original works:

Some of the original oil paintings are available for sale at my Studio or at SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason in San Francisco

Revisit my site every few months to view new additions to my inventory.

Two Exhibitions Highlight the Environment

These exhibitions are a response to our government’s censorship and misrepresentation of urgent environmental issues.

Climate Change Quartet # 3,' Fire over Water', oil/canvas, 42" X 55", 2011

To listen to an interview conducted by Eric Klein for ‘Radio Chronicles’ on KPFA while I painted ‘Fire over Water’ , click the link below. There is a slide show of photos by Justin Beck that accompanies this interview.  The Censored Climate Change Streetscapes of Anthony Holdsworth

‘The Climate Change Quartet’

and Recent SF Cityscapes

June 2 – July 13:  Caffe Museo at  SFMOMA

151 3rd St., San Francisco

My reception for this exhibition on June 2nd was attended by over 100 people. Among the many distinguished guests was Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti who posed in front of the painting  that contains him seated at the Trieste.

The Caffe and Museum are closed on Wednesdays.

The Censored Paintings

and ‘Season of the Sunflower’

May 27: The Schoolhouse,

1592 Market , San Francisco

Reception Friday, May 27  7- 9 PM

The events at the Schoolhouse are now over. I will be embedding a youtube video of these events soon.

Geoff Hoyle in ‘Geezer’ at the Marsh

Last weekend I was considering writing a brief review of my friend Geoff Hoyle’s remarkable performance of ‘Geezer’ at the Marsh, when I encountered Robert Hurwitt’s highly favorable review. I recommend that you read it. (‘Geezer review: Hoyle solo show laughs years away’)

Hoyle, well known in the San Francisco Bay Area as a long time member of the Pickle Family Circus, a consummate mime and actor, is a serious man with an imagination that shirks neither angst nor discomfort. He dishes up bitter fare in Geezer but with such manic energy and humor that we willingly accompany him. These dark moments alternate in dizzying succession with touching reminiscences and brilliant metaphors.

One of my favorites is his variation on the ‘venerable Bede’s’ image of a bird flying from the dark night into the lofty heights of a great hall and then on out into the dark as a metaphor for life. Hoyle, with his effortless metamorphosis into this bird, alights upon a high rafter to warm himself. As he glances apprehensively down at the multitudes below we are so entranced that, like children, we see a bird’s eye view of that eighth century hall. This is the stuff of great performance.

Hoyle’s power is due, in no small part, to his mastery of mime and commedia dell’ arte, but I suspect that his early decision to perform on the street and in circus settings has honed his remarkable ability to reach across the stage and into the hearts and imaginations of us all.

Geoff Hoyle # 2, Detail, Unfinished

ABOUT THESE PAINTINGS

A couple of years ago I began a collaborative series of portraits with Hoyle. We put the project on indefinite hold due to our divergent schedules. I offer this sneak preview in the hope that it will encourage you to see ‘Geezer’  at the ‘Marsh’ in San Francisco: http://www.themarsh.org/