So my trip to SF on Friday was mostly concluded by a visit to the gallery representing Susan Marie Dopp, the Todd Hosfelt Gallery near Market Street. It was an interesting visit, I almost missed the unassuming gallery and it’s neighbor (which I didn’t have a chance to visit, this time, but I will on my return.) It’s on a small side street punctuated by body shops, parking lots, and construction zones.
Walking into the gallery, their exhibit space was almost all showing Stefan Kürten, whose paintings are nice but are not my style (impressionist paintings of homes and other suburban landscapes). Wandering arond, I met with a nice young man named Jay who confirmed that they did represent Dopp but that they didn’t have any works on the walls. Going into the back storage area of the gallery (a nice area, nonetheless, well lit and organized) he explained that they had many pieces by Dopp and that many more were returning from a show in New York. Browsing through the pieces in a drafting drawer and viewing some in frames, we discussed her style, her choices of colors, patterns, and shapes, and the like. Jay was quite friendly and helpful and is everything a gallery representative (owner, employee, whatever) should be. I was a bit concerned, as pieces on the walls lacked prices and he did not express price ranges until I asked. However, I found the prices to be quite reasonable, even for the larger pieces.
After further consideration, and after finding out that some of Dopp’s smaller pieces were less expensive than we initially discussed once the prices were looked up on the computer (my wife suggested afterwards that maybe he was probing me for a reaction?) we settled on a piece that I liked enough to buy. I am a firm believer in supporting artists that I like, and I think that Dopp’s art will go well with my Agnes Denes piece. I’ll upload a photo of my piece once it has been mounted, framed, and I’ve gone to get it (or had it shipped, if I end up being too busy to drive up.) Apparently, the four pieces at the Triton are also for sale, which is mighty tempting even at a significantly higher price than the smaller piece I bought…But I might consider one anyways.
Saturday was spent in the super-secret gallery in the Central Computer building (the Silicon Valley Asian Art Center) to view the latest exhibition. I love going there when there is someone practicing a Chinese instrument (a plucked, horizontally-played instrument, perhap a Guzheng?) The art was in the boneless style, which is not my favorite (I prefer the two-line style, more refined and “western”) but did have some inspiring pieces. I noticed that Jianhua had some porcelains in one corner so it looks to be an interesting show coming up. Jianhua is another great example of a gallery owner who knows how to treat his customers. He’s always happy to see me and we’ve traded books and discussed likes and dislikes, and I’ve bought four pieces from him already. The gallery also houses many masterworks of modern carvings in nephrite and other stone. My first purchase from the gallery was this wonderful statue of a parrot on a berry branch. It is an amazing piece, very lifelike and well executed, in my mind a true masterpiece worthy of a gallery.
I then ran over to meet with Mr. Yee, a Taiwanese-American painter for 30 years, at his home. His wife invited me over at a showing at Jianhua’s gallery previously and we finally settled on a time to visit. What an experience that was! His house is FILLED with his artwork, ranging from a variety of calligraphy “paintings” (most of which were lengthy stories, often 1000 characters or more) to beautiful and colorful florals and landscapes. I felt particularly honored when he showed me his collection of hand scrolls–long scrolls that are painted in a continuous tableau meant to be viewed piecemeal on a desk. My favorite was his first, showing various scenes of people busy doing a variety of things. His painting style is excellent and amazingly detailed, and his calligraphy is very sharp and well defined with the hand of a professional. I had been thinking of buying a nice calligraphy piece and we settled on one that discusses a harmonious mansion. It is a horizontal calligraphy scroll; unusual in that most calligraphy is written on vertical scrolls (hung from the top and rolling down, this is held from both ends.) Now to find a place to hang it for viewing, and I hope to use it to learn Chinese characters. Mr. Yee’s energy was almost overwhelming, he probably would have shown me art until 2am if I had let him. (He said he often paints ’til 3am, not realizing the time.) Nibbling on macadamia nuts and persimmon, and drinking tea, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and hope to repay the favor with a visit to my home, or at least repeat business with this modern master.
As for an investment strategy, I often wonder if my art is likely to go up in value or down? I have shared some of my art with Jianhua and apparently I have four paintings by Sun Ji. Mr. Yee’s art is similiar in style to Mr. Ji’s (or is it Mr. Sun?) artwork, and some of Sun Ji’s art has sold at auction for well over twice what I bought mine for (and mine is similar scale, skill, and subject matter.) I suppose, as addictions go, artwork is a pretty safe investment…
