In Motion Trio with the Mattson 2 on 1/2/10

The Mattson 2 on one of their Japan tours.

In Motion Trio with the Mattson 2
January 2, 2010 - 7:00 PM @ The Andrews Gallery
Free, All Ages, & Open to the Public

A S S E M B L Y R E Q U I R E D

Works by Michael McAlisterNovember 23 - December 31, 2009

Opening Reception - Saturday December 5, 2009
7:00 PM 

Artists x Artists

Opening Reception: December 13, 2009 1:00 - 4:00 PM


Paul Williams 

Michael Stipe 

Good Art All Over North County

This week's issue of CityBeat highlights Michael McAlister on the cover. McAlister's show opens Monday November 23, and we will host an artist reception at the gallery on December 5, 2009.

Br'er / Power Animal

Come out for Philadelphia-based-experimental-folk-indie-opera rockers Br'er - playing with their friends Power Animal - tomorrow night 10/28 at the gallery, 7:00 PM.

Free show duh.

Click here for the review of their last show at the gallery.

Of Friends and Brothers

Culinary Arts by M. Benjamin Maury

Last night was a special opening.

The Hook brothers' work shone, and shines still. So many good friends, old ones and new ones. So many laughs and great talks. It was one of those Saturday nights that make Sunday morning really poetic.

Thank you to everyone who came. Some pictures, following.

Early contemplation of Beauty.

Steven Hook, John Hook

Graced by the mighty Owen Burke

Falcons

On Fire: Best of San Diego

Zach Hawkins, Gas Can (forthcoming at The Andrews Gallery, 2010)

We are honored to have been nominated by the readers of San Diego CityBeat to the Top Five Best Art Galleries in San Diego. Things have come a long way in just the first year of this project.

Voting for the top spot is open until October 26, and CityBeat will announce the winners in their November 11 issue. Anyone can vote, just go to www.sdcitybeat.com and click the banner at the top to have your say. There are a lot of different sections, look for The Andrews Gallery among the cultural categories on the last page of the survey. Making it into the top five in and of it self means a lot to the gallery, and who knows?

What is for sure is that it is only because of the amazing and diverse artists, musicians, poets, and patrons who have believed in the gallery that we have come this far. It couldn't have happened without you.

Don't miss our opening this Saturday, October 24, 2009. The art is incredible and we will be celebrating in true form.

THANK YOU!!

One Year Anniversary

We are turning one. Saturday's opening will double as a celebration of our birthday.

I can't believe it really. Right now I'd simply like to thank all of the artists, poets, musicians, and patrons who have contributed to and believed in this project. Your support means a great deal to me. I look forward to many many years to come as the gallery evolves and takes on its new and different forms.

Thanks.

The Hook Brothers: New Works

Opening Reception: Saturday October 24, 2009 7 PM

Steven Hook, Untitled (Orange and Purple)

John Hook, Horse Skull

We are proud to present the tenacious works of Texas-based emerging artists John and Steven Hook. The two brothers will be in attendance for a reception of their exhibition on Saturday October 24, 2009, which also marks the one-year anniversary of The Andrews Gallery. As usual the event is open to the public. Come enjoy free drinks and the opportunity to discuss these works with the artists themselves.

Steven Hook, Untitled

Steven Hook’s newest work consists of collages based on a variety of concepts. Incorporating components of cubism, abstract expressionism, and graffiti as well as quilted art, these collages approach issues of shape and color in a unique and daring fashion. Sometimes limiting the collage to simple paper cut outs, sometimes interjecting paint and other mediums throughout the tableaux, Hook builds layered and complex optic landscapes. The tessellations and patterns that result from his experience with quilted art and other textiles work to broaden his visual vocabulary. Steven Hook holds his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and is currently pursuing his MFA at the University of Huston, Texas.

Steven Hook, Weaves and Grids

John Hook

The abstractions of John Hook are expressive and painterly. His powerful brushstrokes and intricate gesture give his picture planes distinct movement. His work has a sense of atmosphere; despite their almost pure abstract qualities, we feel the weight of a world within them. His intuitive sense of color and form are on display in strength throughout this body of work. John received his Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College and is currently also working towards his Masters in Huston, TX.

John Hook, Horse Heads

This exhibit will highlight the work of these two brothers, juxtaposing two sets of work that differ greatly in style and execution but which are connected through intriguing and undeniable undercurrents. Join The Andrews Gallery and the Hook Brothers for an exciting an artist reception at the gallery on Saturday October 24, 2009, 7:00 PM.

John Hook, Gourds on Table 2

Thanks SD City Beat!

From San Diego City Beat RedList 9/24/09

"DIGABLE ART
It's easy to forget that the guy behind the Andrews Gallery, Drew Snyder, is a young'un, still his 20s. But he's single-handedly upped the cultural cache of North County (Andrews is located in Leucadia). On Saturday, Sept. 26, the gallery closes The Language of Abstraction, an exhibition of works by renowned contemporary artist Ron Tomlinson. Snyder likes to do things multimedia, inviting local and touring musical acts to perform at openings and closings. In this instance, it's all about the ladies: Joanie Mendenhall and Angela Correa's Correatown will both be performing. The evening begins at 7 p.m. at 1002 North Coast Highway 101.
www.theandrewsgallery.com"

Click here for the link.

September Newsletter

http://www.theandrewsgallery.com/newsletter/2009-09/


Check out the September Newsletter. If you aren't on our list yet, you can sign up here.

Image-in Project, Bali: A Charity Art Reception and Auction Saturday October 10, 2009 7:00 PM

The Andrews Gallery, in conjunction with EvenKiel Photography and A Heart For Children (AHFC), is proud to present a charity art auction of photographic images taken by underprivileged orphans in South East Asia.

The Image-in Project travels to under-developed regions with gathered resources, including donated digital cameras, to provide orphaned and/or abandoned children with the opportunity to experience the artistic and creative art of photography. The children, ages seven and up, are given instruction on not only how to operate the cameras, but also on basic concepts of what makes a good photo, raising their awareness of things such as composition, color, and expression. Over a period of two weeks, the children learn about the fundamentals of photography, and are then set free to creatively shoot pictures in their surrounding environments. The results are staggering. The ability of these young children, who live with such hardship, to capture the people around whom they live, the landscapes in which they have grown up, and the spirit of their own surroundings in an honest and straightforward fashion is truly inspiring.

Once the two week photo shoot is over, the images are brought back to the States and are sold in select events geared towards raising funds to send back to the orphanages where these children can hopefully improve their standard of living. AHFC has already used funds raised from these efforts in 2008 to replace the roof of an orphanage in Bali where over one hundred children were constantly awakened by water falling on them during the night.

The Andrews Gallery invites you to an artist’s reception of the kid’s works on Saturday October 10, 2009 at 7:00 PM where these photos will be featured and sold in a continuation of these efforts. This event is free and open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to come out and experience these images first hand to take a piece of art home in support of this good cause.

Visit AHFC and The Image-in Project to view more images and to learn more background information about these efforts.

A Night of Art and Music For You

Saturday September 26, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
The Andrews Gallery

In conjunction with the closing of our current featured exhibition The Language of Abstraction, we are excited to be hosting Correatown from Los Angeles and local icon Joanie Mendenhall for a night of good art and sweet songs. The show is free, all ages and open to the public. It's not one of those nights you want to miss...

Click Joanie and Correatown to check out their music.

The Latent Print - A New Arts Journal

www.thelatentprint.com

Check out this new "Online and Literary Arts Project", which has been gaining a solid momentum since their launch party a month or so back. I appreciate a journal dedicated solely to the arts, lord knows San Diego needs more of them. Keep an eye on this website. Support them how you can, start by spreading the word!

48 Hour Film Project

The 48 Hour Film Project came to San Diego and the results were pretty amazing. My personal favorite was Hotel San Remo, in the 'Horror' category. After watching it, you'll be impressed that this film, from initial conceptualization to post-production, was created in just two days (they receive the category randomly only at the beginning of the competition). Hats off to director John Grimshaw, as well as the frightening Rimas Morkunas, an acclaimed Lithuanian actor and film maker, Ida Dechaite (who here makes her acting debut), and the three other actors in the film Josee Brisebois, Monica Moon, and Thurman Dalrymple.



Check out the films in the competition here.

Ron Tomlinson: The Language of Abstraction

August 7 - September 30, 2009

(There is nothing quite like getting up close to one of these paintings.)


The work of Ron Tomlinson has come to San Diego, and we could not be more excited to host him and his paintings at The Andrews Gallery beginning the first week of August.

Do not miss the opening reception at the gallery on Saturday August 8, 2009 7 PM.

We will also present a showcase of Tomlinson's works at Brushworks Studio, located in the Arts Complex at 2400 Kettner Street in Little Italy, just north of downtown San Diego. This event will take place on Thursday August 6, 2009 at 7 PM.



Biography:

Ron Tomlinson was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1945. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from City University of New York, Brooklyn College, where he studied under the tutelage of Philip Pearlstein. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University, majoring in painting as well as minoring in sculpture and psychology. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where he studied also with Philip Pearlstein, as well as other illustrious figures such as Alex Katz, Ben Shahn, and John Cage. He has lectured on his work at various museums and universities, and was a professor of painting, sculpture, and film aesthetics at Texas Wesleyan University. His work is held in both public and private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Tomlinson currently lives and works in Forth Worth, Texas.


We have also published a beautiful catalogue of Tomlinson's work, subtitled The Language of Abstraction, which you can browse and purchase online here.


Here is a reproduction of the catalogue's forword:

They are perhaps not the most obvious things to put together, language and abstraction. After all, language is often construed as the most powerful means we have of lifting ourselves out of abstraction. It is the tool we use to represent, express, and clarify our experience. It is the shining star of our reason. However, the ruse is in the representation. If the function of language is to represent the things of our world, then our words must necessarily be distinct from that which they are meant to describe. Simply put, the word is not the thing; it is merely a description of the thing generated by our reason. In order for language to operate, words must obliterate the uniqueness of things for the sake of categories. In other words, our ability to clarify the world depends upon our ability to abstract it. Ron Tomlinson understands this principle, and deploys it throughout his paintings in an earnest mission to understand the nature of both art and human experience.

Tomlinson’s paintings are neither abstract nor realistic; instead they straddle the two realms. Thanks to his immense technical skill, validated, for example, through his decade-long series of chair paintings, his works all succeed in giving us glimpses of something “real”, be it a pan, a cigar, a motorcycle, or a human being. They all on some level speak the language of recognizable images. However, the means by which he attains such clarity is unequivocally abstract. This is seen through such trademark qualities as his vivid and painterly brushstrokes, his enthralling use of color, and his oft-fractured picture planes. The power of his perspective is rooted in his ability to embrace the true abstraction of our world, and in turn employ it towards a dependable representation of our experience. His vision can be categorically trusted because it is stylistically honest to the nature of art as the practice of putting forth images, i.e. things that, by being representations of real things, are necessarily other than those real things, and thus abstract. Tomlinson’s paintings never force reality upon the viewer. By embracing the abstraction of the world, Tomlinson’s work wears its falseness on its sleeve. In this way does his vision become incorruptible, as opposed to the so-called “real world”, which will always be saturated in doubt because it claims to be real. By representing the real world in its honest and abstract form, Tomlinson’s work offers us a world far more authentic than anything realism could ever offer, while simultaneously surpassing the visual capacity of purely abstract painting. Through Tomlinson’s vision, we are shown that faces are no longer made up universally applicable words stripped of any singularity (i.e., eyes, ears, cheeks, brows), but rather by an intricate combination of contrast, color, line, and form. Tomlinson trades in truth, not symbols. He does not overlook the fact that these physical components are the fundamental building blocks of our experience. These components are the language of abstraction, a language that Ron Tomlinson speaks with the utmost fluency.

Someone could, and I expect will in the future, devote volumes to the life and work of Ron Tomlinson. Just as the majesty of his visual representation breaths life into his paintings, so too has his own magnetic personality ignited wonderment and discovery in countless people throughout the five decades of his career. The well of information that springs from Tomlinson’s brush is deep, and will never run dry. It is in and of itself an inspiration, the consistency with which so many different people have been moved by him and his work, and yet in a way it surprises me little, for the vigor of Tomlinson’s honest and learned vision is there for you to share, for you to make your own.



We are particularly excited that the artist will be joining us both for the opening reception and the downtown showcase. Do not miss the opportunity to view these works and meet this living master. We look forward to seeing you.

Little and Large, In Motion Trio

Our Little and Large reception at the gallery was a great night. Sander Rosenberg's light installation and complementing bracelet were glowing in the Gallery Room along with a great mix of Andrews Gallery artists. It was the first time we have exhibited multiple artists in the Gallery Room and it all flowed together very nicely, if I do say so myself. In curating the show, we stuck with the Little and Large theme, and it was nice to have a diversity of size among the pieces displayed. As a little bonus, I was excited to preview just a few paintings by our upcoming featured artist Ron Tomlinson.



A serious treat of the night was the In Motion Trio. This is a group of incredibly talented young musicians who played five original improvised jazz compositions in the Studio Room. We have a recording of the night which I will post soon. The group came back and did a show the next week with artist Jeremey Wright doing live painting. Stay tuned for pictures of that night as well.

Mañanaland's San Diego Debut w/ Joanie Mendenhall and Jesse Bowen

Sander Rosenberg: Little & Large

Event Details: Saturday July 18, 2009 7:00 PM at The Andrews Gallery.


In conjunction with the San Diego Visual Arts Network and over 40 other exhibition venues throughout San Diego County, The Andrews Gallery is pleased to welcome sculptor Sander Rosenberg to the gallery room in the promotional exhibition for the San Diego Museum of Art, Little and Large.

The show, inspired by the Calder Jewelry show at the SDMA which opens July 25, calls for sculptors to make one piece of jewelry and a corresponding piece of sculpture. Rosenberg, exhibiting his trademark inclination towards an innovative and technologically savvy aesthetic, has designed a bracelet adorned with beads in which he implanted LEDs, and has forged a sleek chandelier with similar materials to accompany it. We are particularly proud that Rosenberg's piece has been selected for use during the Little and Large Launch Party and Fashion Show at the Sīrĕn 4th Floor pool deck of the Sè Hotel in downtown San Diego on July 8. The event will be MC'ed by Radio Host Philly Joe Swendoza and will feature runway models displaying a selection of jewelery made for Little and Large.

The Andrews Gallery will host its own reception for Sander Rosenberg at the gallery on Saturday July 18th, 2009. The event will kick off at 7pm and will feature not only Rosenberg's bracelet and chandelier, but also select Andrews Gallery artists and live jazz music by the In Motion Trio. This event, as always, is free and open to the public. See you there!

Visit the SDVAN Website for more information on Little and Large.

They Came, They Saw, They Conqured

Big Tree in San Diego


Loading out

After hours
Passing out percussion to the audience
Crowd
Tom

BIG TREE @ THE ANDREWS GALLERY

TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2009 @ 7:00PM

New York-based "wonder" band Big Tree will be playing the gallery tomorrow as part of their current West Coast Tour. As always, show is free, all ages, and open to the public. You will not want to miss the opportunity to see these musical savants play their sweet songs in a setting of art and good cheer. The backdrop? Large scale, hand painted throwbacks to the old French style Chat Noir posters, done by none other than our current featured artist Erwin Dazelle.

"Wonder is what comes out of this curious group. Wonder. Big hearted wonder... Big Tree reminds us that the world is ready for experiencing." - Indiemonday.com, 2008

Check them out here: Big Tree.