Chor Boogie recently finished one of his most amazing and inspiring murals to date. The impressive mural called, “The Perception of Color Therapy” shows Chor Boogie’s explosion of colors and patterns which he is known for. But this incredibly sized mural is not only interesting because it is nearly half of a city block but also because Chor Boogie showed his devotion to public art by finishing the mural even after being stabbed in the neighborhood while working on the mural. A week after the accident he returned to work on the mural which was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Council in an effort to beautiful the community.

The Art in Storefronts program takes abandoned storefronts in San Francisco neighborhoods and adds welcoming and visually interesting works by artist on plywood covered storefronts. This particular mural “explores the healing aspect that colors have on the subconscious and their conscious effects on modern-day society”. The artist believes that color has the power to move the viewers and has a “healing power” which he incorporates into his imagery.

For more on Chor Boogie, check out his website at www.chorboogie.com. His work is also included in the book Mural Art Vol. @ which showcases large scale work by many artists including Chor Boogie himself. You can also become a fan of Chor Boogie’s facebook group by clicking here. The last image is a portrait of the artist in front of an earlier piece.

For September’s First Thursday, a friend and I, cameras in hand, hit the streets of San Francisco to check out the latest greatest artwork to cover the walls of galleries up and down the city’s Financial District area. Many openings were popping but my two favorites were the Serena Cole and Andrew Schoultz exhibitions. I fancied Serena Cole’s larger than life watercolor portraits at 111 Minna- my favorite gallery/bar in the city! Cole’s subjects are beautiful. They seem to come alive from the paper, having transported from a time long long ago. There are dark undertones in each piece that Serena uses to “illustrate the haunting themes beneath our worshiped fantasies.” Each piece is captivating and the girls appear almost as ghosts from a mirror. The hair is marvelous as the watercolors drip, blend and separate creating multicolored pools of flowing locks.

I was also pretty excited to see the new stuff by Andrew Schoultz at the Marx & Zavattero Gallery, which he had completely transformed. Proudly sporting a Luggage Store t-shirt, Shoultz mingled with friends an colleagues as little red dots were placed next pieces on the price list. The show had a very political theme and many of his works utilized cut up dollar bills to create movement alongside American icons such as the US Flag and the Statue of Liberty. Schoultz says, “I have used these images to tell stories about everyday life in America, filtering political commentary through the forms of graffiti art and underground comics, fused with clip art from the early 1900’s and medieval renderings that chart the history of man and nature.” A reoccurring theme in his work is the relationship between man and nature which is also present here. The instillations are so cool! A must see if you’re in the area or plan to be in the upcoming few weeks.

We are always on the hunt for new artists to obsess over and Adam Flores is exactly that. His recent opening at Gallery 3, a new gallery owned and operated by The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, has brought much appreciated attention for this up and coming artist. We met Adam back in March and have been keeping up with his work since.

Adam Flores’ work is fanciful, comprised of castles, windmills, and churches- all seemingly abandoned and in the process of being taken over by tentically bushes and masses of land and water. There are no hints of human existence aside from the buildings, and the only form of life and movement present is from the plants which appear to be destroying them. There are playful aspects to his work including the ever-so-present orange cone and hanging pinata, which we all know recognize form our studies of mid evil day and time. This body of work comments on the passing of time, how life and lifestyle have changed and evolved throughout but when it comes down to it nature is still a prevailing element in how we exist in the world.

One of the most interesting aspects of his work is the detail and accuracy of the repeating forms used to create texture and movement within each piece. The detail is reminiscent of Andy Keyhoe, another C&S favorite. After recently catching up with Adam, C&S learned that Flores is currently working on two pieces waiting to be shipped to Berlin for a group show. Adam has also donated a piece to the C&S collection and will be featured on our mobile art gallery as one of the C&S Public Projects! We don’t see him slowing down any time soon.

In starting Curbs & Stoops, the central idea in our mission was to make art accessible to our community. We have brainstormed and drafted out many ideas in which to do this through what we have labeled our “Public Art Projects.” On a whim Monday evening we decided to take portraits of the people in the diverse Mission District of San Francisco, California.

We set out with a two digital SLRs and a sign that said “Free Portraits (woot!)” with the idea of taking a few portraits. Starting out as something “just for fun,” this project turned out to give us a lot more than something to do on a Tuesday afternoon/evening. Needless to say, we got a lot more out of the experience. Not only was it a bonding experience for Curbs & Stoops, it was also a bonding experience with the rest of the community. We met some extremely vibrant characters with great stories to share. From a homeless man with jokes to spare who loved getting his picture taken to American Idol contestants who serenaded us in return for their portrait.

For those who were unable to come by Mission Playground, we have attached a few “process” images in order to share the experience. Big thanks to those of you that came and participated!”

See all pictures from yesterday’s event here!

We never cease to be amazed with Swoon whose large-scale works we most often find hiding in obscure alleyways and street-sides worldwide. The most recent series of work featuring young Mexican women are scattered all over the streets of San Francisco. One piece in particular, an instillation at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts sits as a life size shrine, commenting on the disappearance of young Mexican women ages 16-24; whose disappearances have not only been neglected, but disregarded by Mexican government officials.

A similar piece lives in the Mission district of San Francisco. Untouched and undisturbed, this piece resides majestically between 24th and Hampshire. Extremely detailed and thoughtfully placed, the carefully stenciled piece appears to be a large orb of light emanating from a young woman. The girl’s eyes are innocent and tender, nervous and unsure, looking up from her traditional quincinera attire symbolizing her recent initiation into womanhood and an age of coming.

As the piece draws you in, one recognizes the elaborately carved skulls hiding in the orb, a representation of mortality often seen in religious artwork. There are many skulls, which may comment on the vast amount of girls who have gone missing and whose families await the day they can put them to rest. Also hiding in the orb are monarch butterflies and feathers, symbols of flight. According to Mexican folklore, the butterflies are said to present themselves as family members who have passed on.

Swoon modestly states that it is her sales from private collectors that fund her public works which remain art the heart of her process. These public works are what made her popular with urban art lovers across the globe. Her mission in making art available to the public sits at the heart of the Curbs & Stoops mission and for this we are elated to share this piece with you.