Varnish Fine Art presents 'Mind Spring' January 14, 2012

Opening reception Sat, Jan 14, 4-7pm, exhibit January 14 - February 18, 2012, 11am-6pm Tues-Sat

"Mind Spring": paintings, installations and silkscreen opens with a reception Saturday Jan. 14, 4-7pm

Lending rock and alternative music a form of visual expression, in sync with their urban environments, the artists Chuck Sperry, Chris Shaw, and Ron Donovan embrace, alter, re-assign or retain meaning, re-contextualize the image, not just as the image, but the image as the medium. The image is their medium, and the subject emerges and is used purposely, irreverently, or reverently, engaging viewers - asking them to stop, look and listen.

Chuck Sperry lives in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, where he's made his particular style of rock poster designs for over 15 years. Together with Ron Donovan he operates the Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company, a silkscreen print studio, located in Oakland. Sperry tours Europe annually, making poster shows from Bristol to Belgrade (visited Belgrade at the invitation of The Cultural Minster of Serbia). His tutelage has inspired a new generation of rock poster and silkscreen artists worldwide, including, Alexandre D'Huy who apprenticed from The Beaux-arts of Paris, Malleus Rock Art Lab of Italy, and The British Rock Artists Group of The UK. Recently he has brought his rock artistry to projects for Goldenvoice, Live Nation, Virgin Megastore, Guitar Center, Random House, Harper Collins, Harvard University Press, Nylon, and Wired. Released in early 2009, the documentary film "American Artifact" prominently features Chuck Sperry.

"Donovan, Shaw and Sperry have made their living creating expressive contemporary prints and posters for both the collector and the general public whose capacity for images is not just at its maximum, but teetering on overload. Dedication to their craft has rewarded them with a mastery of color theory, composition and print design that creates a language that can be seen, perhaps almost heard, amidst a visually competitive, urban environment." - Renee de Cossio, curator SFMOMA

Official Website: http://www.varnishfineart.com