Art of the Cotton Mill Studios May 31, 2008

Art of the Cotton Mill Studios
Paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media by:
Keiko Nelson, Bill Stoneham, Elizabeth Tennant and Susan Tuttle
Show runs 5/19-7/12
Opening party 5/31, Closing party 7/12 6-9pm
Performing at the opening party will be DJ Daniel Berkman

Driving down the 880 freeway in Oakland, you’ve probably seen a gorgeous brick warehouse towering over the freeway. Local history buffs will know this building as the Cotton Mill, one of the area’s oldest living landmarks. Originally a 1900’s manufacturing plant, the CottonMill Studios was renovated into work live lofts that house many diverse eclectic artists and businesses. It is a creative nexus that is fast becoming a hub of the surrounding Jingletown district.

On display at the artist owned and operated FLOAT Gallery will be hand-picked group of Cotton Mill artists who live and work in the building: Keiko Nelson, internationally accomplished sculptor. Bill Stoneham, painter, sculptor and animator, Elizabeth Tennant, painter and Susan Tuttle photographer and mixed media artist.

About the Artists:

Keiko Nelson is an international artist, who has exhibited her works and lectured about her art in the United States, Japan, Germany, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Egypt, Thai, China and Mexico. She was an artist in residence at the University of Chiapas in Mexico for the International Sculpture Symposium, and given a grant for a one –person exhibition by the Ministry of Culture in Egypt. She was given in the Artistic Achievement Award by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York in 2002, among her interests range from sculpture through fine art, design and textiles. Her works feature the subtle flow of natural force. Her work has been described by the Curator Emeritus of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco as “a unique fusion of the East and West, the retrospective and the progressive and delicate and the dynamic.” www.keikonelson.com

Bill Stoneham's professional art career began in 1972 at Feingarten Galleries in Beverly Hills, CA. Feingarten bought Stoneham's paintings for two years and hosted a one-man show that was reviewed with statements like "...at their best when at their weirdest" and "The best works here deserve the attention of collectors". In 1992 Stoneham started working at ILM, sculpting in the creature shop, building feature film sets. When art went digital, Stoneham followed, mastering digital 3D modeling and cinematic production. During his career, Stoneham created inspiring digital and fine art for many entertainment companies including Lucas Arts Entertainment, Cyan Worlds, and Crystal Dynamics.

Today Stoneham is painting and creating digital art and animations - all in surrealist style - exploring figurative and textural concepts influenced by the urban environment and the social/political forces at work in our world. www.stonehamstudios.com

Susan Tuttle moved from the East Coast to San Francisco in 1978. She is the Director of Montclair Gallery in Oakland, which she founded in 2003 with East Bay glass artist Janet Thompson. Susan is a photographer and jewelry designer, and her jewelry designs are on permanent display at Montclair Gallery. She graduated from Ithaca College in 1976 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and a minor degree in Art History. She studied graphic design at the Academy of Art College beginning in 1982 and was involved in the profession for 20 years. She participates in the annual East Bay Open Studios, San Francisco Open Studios, well as other juried and non-juried exhibits in the San Francisco/Bay Area. From 1999 until 2004, she was involved with San Francisco’s ArtSpan, proofreading the annual San Francisco Open Studios Guide. In addition, she is an associate director at San Francisco SOMA’s new GarageGallery, where she has also exhibited her photography and jewelry designs.

Elizabeth Tennant is a native California artist with a BA in studio art. Working in oils exclusively, she is committed to magical realism and the craft of painting. Her lifelong interests in psychology and mythology give her a perverse, fantastical visual language that conveys deep emotion. Her works can be found in collections throughout California and on the East Coast.

About the music:

Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist who has played with artists ranging from Essence to the San Francisco Ballet. Well
known for his inspired West African kora playing, he will be flexing his electronic muscle as Colfax, releasing his debut electronic album later this year.

About FLOAT:
FLOAT, Floatation Center – Art Gallery is the only floatation center & art gallery in the San Francisco Bay Area, floatation therapy is a unique and powerful tool that allows you to shut out the world, and drift into the deepest possible level of physical and mental relaxation. FLOAT an urban art spa offers new, public exhibits of local artists to stimulate and challenge your senses.

Official Website: http://thefloatcenter.com