Love in the FOG
A slow day quickens...The Lion Dance Troupe came to Taraval St. to summon luck and fortune to merchants and residents. A twenty dollar donation will go to Self-Help for the Elderly (SHE).
Richard Kamler: An Incredible Opening
“Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation. It favors no race. It acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to heal, reveal, and transform. It transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible. It creates a dialogue between individuals, and communication between communities. It allows us to see and to listen to each other.”
–Richard Kamler, as quoted by Vice President Joe Biden in his opening remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Richard Kamler's website is here.
Sneak Peek: Richard Kamler's Work
Richard Kamler looks over his work.
Anne and I just finished hanging Richard Kamler's new show, and you will be amazed to see how he has transformed the gallery. This artist, activist, and teacher lives in the house he grew up in on 27th Avenue and will be here this Saturday to talk about his art and to sign his new book Seeking Engagement - The Art of Richard Kamler. Richard's images are truly powerful and Far Out Gallery's walls are vibrating with his compassion and commitment. Don't miss this show, and remember: We'll be open every Sunday in August. –Peter
Open Sundays in August
Our featured artist Gregory Vernitsky just dropped by FOG to visit. This will the the last weekend of his show, and I will miss his sculpture. I'll also miss his weekly visits with stories about his works and his passion for the process of his art. It has been a pleasure to meet his friends and to hear the gallery resound with Russian and Ukrainian, just as it was to hear the Spanish conversations during Santiago Gervasi's recent show. Come by and say "do svidaniya" to Gregory and his splendid works on Saturday. Get ready for a new show opening on August 6th - drawings by Richard Kamler. We are going to be open on Sundays from 12-6 pm throughout August to allow some extra time to see this exciting show. –Peter
Happy Birthday, Carmen
If you've ever visited Far Out Gallery, you've met Carmen, our faithful FOG dog. Today is her 10th birthday.
Come by this weekend and sing Happy Birthday to her!
Happy Birthday, sweet girl. We love you.
Flower Pianos
The Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park are alive with the sounds of 12 pianos. For the second year in a row, anyone can wander among the extraordinary flora and listen to or PLAY any of the pianos. I played the baby grand overlooking Japanese iris in a pond. I listened to a piano and violin duo playing a lovely Hayden piece. After my offerings of Eric Satie's Gymnopedie # 1 and One morning in May by Hoagy Carmichael, I heard a striking Debussy reverie that floated right over the water. I wandered down the lush paths to a little upright nestled under a New Zealand Totora pine and encountered a singer with a bass doing a wonderful original. They left and I did Autumn in New York, some Jobim, and other standards under this amazing tree. A young girl came up and played a sweet Bach prelude - one that I play everyday. There is something truly magical about this event, and I urge you all to check it out. (It closes on the 18th).
And while we're celebrating music, let's wish Woody Guthrie a happy birthday. –Peter
The intersection of joy and discovery
"The intersection of joy and discovery" is how Gregory Vernitsky describes the pieces he makes – and his sculptures now at FOG are truly that.
A similar "intersection" can be found on the street where we live – and probably yours too.
Lisa has graced the corner of 42nd and Rivera with a perfect mailbox cupcake. Further up Rivera there is a telephone pole wrapped in colorful wool, a yarn-storm of brightness. In honor of July 4th, someone has carefully affixed 6 tiny American flags to telephone poles along Rivera. Walking farther west on Rivera there are a number of fantastic wooden pieces hanging on telephone poles. Finishing up at the beach, there is a wide array of stunning paintings and graffiti.
So, as Charly Kayle, a recent visitor said, "Exploring what's around you can be pretty rewarding." Amen. And in that same spirit, I urge you to check out Linda Davick's blog, a wondrous exploration of "what's around." –Peter
Fun & Fur At FOG
Clockwise: Carmen, Peter, Anne, Charly, Brooklyn
Charly Kayle at 96.5 KOIT wrote such a fun piece about FOG:
On our afternoon walk in the Outer Sunset District of San Francisco, my dog wandered into an art gallery and found a party, complete with a Chocolate Lab Gallery-Dog named Carmen.
Far Out Gallery at Taraval & 40th was having an art showing, and owners Peter & Anne couldn't have been more welcoming...
Read the rest here.
Gregory Vernitsky's opening party
"When I'm working on a piece of sculpture, I have to have fun."
Ever wonder why we call them Opening Parties?
"When I pick up a scrap or a piece of wood and find it interesting, I can't drop it.” That’s how Gregory Vernitsky began his Artist Talk. Everyone smiled.
Gregory's art is playful and serious. Some pieces are colorful, some are sparkly, and some are left "natural."
This Land Is Your Land
Our opening of Gregory Vernitsy’s show falls on the Fourth of July weekend. I have always welcomed this holiday as a tribute to the great American dream of Independence. This land attracted people from all over the world to join in this experiment and experience of human expression and freedom. As Britain votes to leave the EU and we hear calls to build walls here, let us affirm our belief in diversity and openness. Just as Santiago Gervasi from Peru recently graced our walls, and as we welcome Gregory from the Ukraine with his sculptures, remember Woody Guthrie's words: “This Land was made for you and me.”
Welcome to FOG on Monday, July 4th! Come celebrate our collective birthday.
-our man on the scene, Peter Munks
Ain't Misbehavin
We had a wonderful tap dance troop give us quite a show today at FOG. Stu Etzler brought his beginning tap dance group from the Daly City Doelger Senior Center. Accompanied by the excellent keyboardist, Marcella Guzman, they went through several finely choreographed routines. They exhibited a great spirit and stepped lively for our appreciative audience. They magically transformed the space, and with their black outfits and black canes provided a stunning contrast to Santiago Gervasi's paintings. Our canine terpsachoreans, Carmen (above left) and Squad Car (right), added their own four legged interpretations. Lots of fun all around. Don't forget, this is the last week for Santiago's paintings, so come by and give them a look.
Artful Alex
"I want to go into THAT painting.".
FOG had one of our favorite visitors on a beautiful sunny day. Alex finished his walk in Golden Gate Park and came to see art.
Longest Day/Shortest Night
That's our man Peter with the sun in his hands.
In our relatively short history, Far Out Gallery has celebrated both the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Let us welcome the return of Summer at 3:34 (the official moment of the sun's farthest point) this Monday. Next Thursday around 1:30 our local neighbor Stu will bring in his senior tap dancing class for a hoofing demonstration - it should be fun and you are all welcome to stop by. Happy Summer...
Santiago's Second Event!
Concluding his talk about his paintings, Santiago Gervasi led us all in the song “Guantanamera" accompanied by Peter Munks on guitar.
Peter's Thursdays at FOG
Peter and Carmen hosting elections at home on 42nd Avenue photo by Anne
Last week I was extolling the virtues of having Far Out Gallery on vibrant Taraval Street, and today I would like to report another vibrant scene just two blocks away. Anne and I have been hosting elections in our garage on 42nd Ave for the past 16 years. For 13 hours on Tuesday we witnessed a remarkable parade of citizens entering our garage and expressing their political wishes. It was very gratifying to watch as 175 neighbors voted their conscious beliefs in our country, and to witness such genuine passion for our community. I get a similar feeling watching the parade of people coming into FOG – a purposeful energy seeking, in this case, beauty. By the way, our precinct results: Bernie 88, Hillary 62, and Trump 11.
Mystery
The other day, some tiny shells were left outside FOG's door. Someone knows we love our beach.
Today, that someone left a whole box. Thank You.
Peter's Thursdays at FOG
Robert stops in to say hello to Carmen.
Spending hours on Taraval is always an interesting proposition ... Visitors like our neighbor Robert who stops in to see Carmen every week. A delicious vegetable chow mein from our local Hong's Szechuan Restaurant. Newly coifed customers coming out of Stacey's Hair Salon. Streams of locals visiting the Sea Bee for papers and the lottery. Workers having coffee and pastries at Sweet Passion Bakery. School kids grabbing pizza at North Beach Pizzeria. It's a thrill to be part of such a vibrant scene.
Peter is our man on the scene on Thursdays –– and so we've decided turn over the Fog Blog to him on this day every week. Peter, take it away:
tide is rising for artists, galleries in the outer sunset
From today's Hoodline :
For many, ... opening a business in the Sunset was a natural extension of living there. “I’ve lived out here for 15 years,” says Anne Herbst, who opened the Far Out Gallery with her partner Peter Munks in November 2015. She chose a location close to home “so the gallery [became] a part of my life, rather than splitting [time] between it and home.”
Read the whole exciting article here.
Santiago Gervasi's Opening
a detail from Nirvana de Media Noche (Midnight Nirvana)
It was the best afternoon! More here.
After his talk, Gervasi led us in an impromptu rendition of the Beatles' Getting Better.
“My paintings are windows to a parallel world where I am able to use and combine diverse moments and experiences of my past, present and perhaps even future, re-arranging them and placing them in a more pleasing way than reality allows.”
