2013 Exhibitions

It's a new year...and we're eager to see you at Back to the Picture!

Both locations are beginning 2013's exhibition season in March.

Conjuring Nature:  Imagined Portraits, Landscapes, & Botanicals
At BttP on Valencia Street, we're featuring a three-artist show of painters Christine Cariati, Tisha Kenny, and Joël Peirano.  The exhibition runs March 1 through March 31, 2013, and features botanical and portraiture subject matter.  Opening Night is Saturday, March 9, 2013.  Join us!

Christine Cariati

Adagio #1, Christine Cariati, Gouache on paper
Courtesy of the Artist

Christine Cariati paints with gouache, an opaque watercolor medium, on heavy Arches paper.  Her subjects are birds & insects interacting in intricately painted garden and foliage scenes, as well as operatic subject matter, where the scene depicted is essentially the set of an imaginary opera, and the actors are hybrid between birds and humans.  Both subjects (the gardens and the operas) are representative of the cycles of life and death, and the roles we play in these cycles.  Christine's paintings are small and can be held and studied like a book.  Many of the intricate garden paintings are akin to fine fabric patterns.  Both of these qualities harken to Christine's past careers:  a bibliographer of rare books, and a textile designer.

Whispers of Silent Birds, Christine Cariati, Gouache on paper
Courtesy of the Artist

 See more of Christine's work on her website:  xcariati.echovar.com.

Tisha Kenny

Yellow Leaves and Lotus, Tisha Kenny, Mixed Media
Courtesy of the Artist

Tisha Kenny practices multiple disciplines of watercolor.  She is inspired by the impressionist movement, and one of her styles is reminiscent of this aesthetic, with her own personal flare added in the form of painting with watercolor on rice paper, sometimes placing an additional piece of rice paper under a still wet painting in process to create multiple impressions of a similar image, developing each one separately with various effects of abstract to realistic interpretations. This process results in a multi-layered, highly-textural image of botanical and natural subject matter, rendered in a neo-impressionist style of mixed-media watercolor.  Tisha developed the neo-impressionist mixed-media style herself over many years.

She is also fascinated and drawn to the watercolor and ink-wash technique known as Sumi-e, and one-stroke Chinese style of rendering botanical subjects utilizing single strokes for each element of the painting. She has studied the Sumi-e /Chinese Brush Painting for 20 years. A number of her paintings represent the integration of Asian Brush Painting and Impressionism. She is also an Ikenobo Ikebana Flower Arranger, studying this discipline for 25 years.

Peach Blossoms and Vine, Tisha Kenny, Watercolor and India Ink on paper
Courtesy of the Artist

To see more of Tisha Kenny's work, please visit http://www.rookridgedesignstudio.com/tisha/tisha_kenny.html.

Joël Peirano

Thinking of You, Joël Peirano, Mixed Media on paper
Courtesy of the Artist

Joel Peirano paints portraits of women with mixed-media acrylic, oil pastel, watercolor, and varnishes on paper, creating multiple-layered images defined by their affinities and resistences.  Peirano paints portraiture busts (rendering of the head and shoulders).  His subjects are not painted representationally, but rather in a style similar to impressionism, with a free hand for use of color.  Peirano uses unexpected colors, layers of matte and gloss finishes, and both oil and water-based media to represent the emotions of the subjects, and to convey feeling and mood.  His subjects are contemplative and emanate with a glow that captivates the viewer.  Layers of paint and varnish are utilized, which captures light and makes the subjects seem to glow from within.

To learn more about Joël Peirano, visit his website at http://www.joelpeirano.com.

Conjuring Nature:  Imagined Portraits, Landscapes, & Botanicals, opens March 9, 7-9 pm, at Back to the Picture Latin American Gallery at 934 Valencia St. at 20th Street in San Francisco's vibrant and historic Mission District.  All are welcome!  Join us as we share what we love with the world.