Mona Marcos’ makeshift studio is located on the ground level of her parent’s Daly City home, where one must journey through an overgrown garden filled with a variety of fruit trees and brush to reach the entryway. Holding aside a branch as she crouches beneath another, Marcos tells me her mother loves to let the garden grow wild because it reminds her of her home in the Philippines.
Author Archives: Kelsey Issel
James Tucker: Gestural Topography & Aesthetic Ritual
Q: What does the letterpress mean to you? How did you two meet?
A: What drew me towards letterpress was its history of democratizing art and the written word. Before letterpress, all books were hand lettered and were very expensive. With the advent of the technology, the common person could afford to have books in their home. Originally, it was the Bible, which led to the Reformation. Later, it was political manifestos. I wanted to be part of the continuous line of bringing these things to a wider audience. With the internet, knowledge and art can be spread faster and cheaper than ever before, so I’m more concerned with material, printed, limited edition Fine Art for the common person; to educate about what traditional printing is and why there is a value to it.
I found out about letterpress in college. We had an amazing little print shop and some dedicated people that loved the technique of letterpress. I was a Graphic Design major at the time, but after a summer apprenticeship at the historic letterpress poster shop Hatch Show Print, I switched majors and have been a pressman ever since.
Featured Artist: Jason Vo
Emerging artist, Jason Vo spends at least five hours a day in his cozy studio in outer Mission. Located at the end of a winding corridor within a larger complex, Vo’s space is equipped with the essentials: a computer for music and image references, painting tools, a window for fresh air, and a cooler of beers. In the hallway hang several “mess-ups.” The collection of rejects unintentionally provides a timeline charting Vo’s progression from geometric abstraction to realistic portraiture. Above the three steps leading away from his studio hangs an attempt at painting a seated woman, her face now crudely painted with a smiley face.
Opening Night: Curious Constructions
The Midway’s latest exhibition, Curious Constructions, officially opened to the public last Friday, September 11th with an eclectic mix of art and music. A midst the soulful beats of Left University’s live hip hop performance, visitors were treated to the amazing works of three California-based artists: Eric Staller, Mike Shine and Clint Imboden. Stepping through the Midway’s warehouse entrance, viewers are first treated to the light painting photographs of Eric Staller whose work hovers between performance art and documentary photography. Staller’s light drawings, from the 1970s, captures the trans formative moments of desolate New York City streets into electrifying dreamscapes. Milling about with hors-d’oeuvres in hand, visitors actively discussed possible techniques used to make these images.