November 27, 2002

By Lindsey Westbrook

YOU HAVE AN art collector or two on your holiday gift list, and you're wondering what to do about it. Maybe they've decided it's time to elevate their apartment to a higher design level than Pulp Fiction posters. Maybe they've recently moved beyond the white-walled, empty-shelved ascetic aesthetic. Or maybe they go to all the openings at 77 Geary and spend their fall weekends wandering from open studio to open studio. Whatever the case, they probably don't want a Monet calendar or the same Picasso nude that's hanging on the walls of college dorms the nation over. The Bay Area is home to hundreds of artists and artisans working in every medium, meaning you have a chance to get your friends and loved ones something one-of-a-kind – and support your local art scene while you're at it. Original art can be costly, and it might seem a little daunting to plunk down a few hundred dollars for a photograph or a piece of pottery. But making art is often just as costly as buying it, and it's important to support the artists who adorn San Francisco by living and working here. Below are a few whose work should provoke some inspired holiday gift-giving. Dozens more will be showing at galleries around town throughout the month of December; see the sidebar, as well as Art listings, page 77, for more information on where to look.

Alison Antelman

When Alison Antelman isn't in her studio, an old factory in Berkeley, she's scavenging the East Bay waterfront for pieces of colored glass and pottery. Incorporating objects into her jewelry exactly as she finds them – ground down by the pounding sand and water into organic pebble shapes – she creates a tangible sense of place in her finished work. Simple and sophisticated, each necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings has its own distinction and honest charm.

Lately, Antelman says, she's also been working with brightly colored stones that have long, complicated names like blue and citrus chalcedony, vesuvianite, and chrysophrase. Most of her sea-glass pieces cost between $100 and $250; pieces with precious and semiprecious stones are pricier, depending on the materials. For handmade jewelry of this caliber, though, they're a deal, especially if you buy directly from the artist.

Antelman's studio will be open to the public as part of Berkeley Artisans Open Studios Nov. 30-Dec. 22, Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 2599 Eighth St., No. 41, Berk. (510) 704-1905, www.antelman.com.

Margaret Dorfman

Despite titles like Bok Choy and Purple Cabbage, Margaret Dorfman's "vegetable parchment bowls" don't look as if they were made out of food items you might find in the grocery store. Inspired by their texture and translucency, Dorfman named her series of bowls after medieval European skin "parchments." They also have a distinctly Asian sensibility; and like sushi, they blur the line between food and art.

After slicing the vegetables paper-thin, Dorfman cures, presses, and dries them, then hand-shapes the brilliantly colored parchments into bowls about eight inches wide and five inches tall. Like snowflakes, or vegetables, each piece is unique, and though no chemicals or artificial preservatives are involved at any stage of the process, they will last more or less forever if kept dry and out of direct sunlight. They're a perfect choice for the aesthetically inclined vegetarian on your list; most people use them to hold potpourri or votive candles in glass holders.

Dorfman's bowls are sold at the Shop, Wed.-Sat., noon-8 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m. (holiday event Dec. 14, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Dec. 15, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.), 113 Carl, S.F. $28-$31 (retail). (415) 661-7467. For color photos go to www.galleryoffunctionalart.com/dorfman.shtml.

Susanne Friedrich

Susanne Friedrich likes to wait till dark to take her pictures. Her favorite haunts don't sound all that exotic at first – the Presidio, Aquatic Park, China Basin, Sutro Baths, and the Marin headlands – but over an exposure time of 30 to 45 minutes, her camera transforms these sites into profoundly strange and lovely places. Light from the moon and nearby streetlights accumulates on the film, turning night into what seems almost like day. The colors are intense and supersaturated, with otherworldly patterns of light and dark.

"I used to be an E.R. nurse," Friedrich says, "but I got tired of reality." Even she never really knows how each photo will turn out; her prints reveal hidden aspects of the city that are completely invisible to the naked eye.

You can find Friedrich's photos at Focus Gallery, Tues. and Thurs., noon-10 p.m.; Wed. and Fri.-Sun., noon-6 p.m., 2423 Polk, S.F. $200/$350 (unframed), $300/$450 (framed). (415) 567-9067. View Friedrich's work at www.sanneart.com. Her photos will also appear in a group show, "Nocturnes: Fort Mason and Environs," through Dec. 28, Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fort Mason Center, Fort Mason Foundation, Building A, Laguna and Marina, S.F. (415) 441-3400.

Tom Hill

Tom Hill likes to talk about his recent work – brooches and Christmas ornaments fashioned in the shape of birds of paradise – as three-dimensional wire "sketches." But while they might look rough-hewn, his pieces also reveal the careful, refined touch of a master craftsperson.

Unlike his older pieces, made almost entirely out of metal wire and painted sheet metal, Hill's sketches revolve around broken chunks of wood, embellished with wire and paint and transformed into delicate, charming, flamboyantly colorful tropical birds.

Hill's work can be found at Velvet da Vinci. He's also showcased in a Christmas-ornament exhibit running simultaneously at Velvet da Vinci and five other galleries around the country, which feature one ornament apiece by 50 nationally recognized metal artists. Through Dec. 25 (along with Velvet da Vinci's regular annual ornament show), Mon.-Sat., noon-6 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m., 508 Hayes, S.F. Ornaments start at $100; brooches start at $300. (415) 626-7478, www.velvetdavinci.com.

Shuji Ikeda

Shuji Ikeda had been creating museum-quality ceramics for years before he got the idea for his now-signature series of hand-built woven ceramic baskets. Weaving in clay was challenging at first, he says, but the reward lay in the final products' sense of balance. Each basket is incredibly intricate yet retains the earthy characteristics of clay. "It is a pleasant moment," he says, "for someone to throw a pair of branches into a vase and find a simple moment of soothing happiness." He calls his glaze – the product of more than 100 experiments – "sei shya," or "blue rust."

Buying your loved one an Ikeda basket might put a teeny dent in your wallet: prices range from $2,000 to as much as $3,500 for baskets that have been wood-fired. For a more modest outlay, consider Ikeda's classes in ikebana, or traditional Japanese flower arranging. Fees vary depending on the setting – Ikeda's studio in Berkeley, Studio One in Oakland, or Watergate in Emeryville and Stockton – but they're generally between $50 and $100 for a series of classes over the course of a month.

Ikeda's studio will be open to the public as part of the Berkeley Artisans Open Studios Nov. 30-Dec. 22, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 3012 King, Berk. (510) 845-1634, www.shuji-ikeda.com.

Teresa Moore

You may have seen Teresa Moore's work in restaurants and cafés around town; she likes to pick venues where the atmosphere matches the mood of her paintings. Ideally one should view them under the sultry lights of an old bordello, with a glass of wine in hand and cigarette smoke in the air.

Moore is a self-taught artist, a former actor, and a lover of pulp fiction and film noir. She also finds inspiration in bohemian masters Amedeo Modigliani and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. But she's not completely stuck in the past; the women she paints – big red lips, tall, willowy, figures – may have the flapperlike allure of decades gone by, but they project a very modern kind of self-confidence, whether they're curled up on a couch or hanging from a trapeze.

Moore's paintings and lithographs will be on display at Alliance Francaise through Dec. 21, Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 1345 Bush, S.F. Lithographs start around $150; call (415) 775-7755 for more info. Lithographs are also available through www.teresamoore.com (where she also sells $20 votive candles bearing reproductions of her paintings) and www.nextmonet.com.

Michael Sosin

Before he became a full-time glass artist, Michael Sosin was a dentist, but he says the two professions aren't as different as you might think. Both require a delicate and steady hand, not to mention a coordinated team of helpers and a good sense of timing.

For his company Pinzette Glass Works, Sosin produces a beautiful series of glass bowls, jars, pitchers, and the like. Under his own name, he has developed a line of what he calls "calligraphy vessels," incredible Venetian-style blown-glass jars decorated with Asian characters and gold and silver leaf.

Prices range from $35 to $1,000, depending on what you buy and where you buy it. Over the next four weekends, exceptional deals will be available at Sosin's studio in Berkeley, where you can browse all sorts of seconds and "experiments," in addition to his frontline merchandise. You'll also be able to observe the glass-blowing process in action.

Visit Sosin's studio Nov. 30-Dec. 22, Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 2547 Eighth St., Berk. (510) 649-8952. View his work and buy online at www.michaelsosin.com, www.pinzetteglass.com, and www.guild.com. His signature "wabi-sabi" bowls (named after the Japanese phrase for "beautiful imperfection") are also available at SFMOMA's Museum Store, daily, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Thurs., until 9:30 p.m.), 151 Third St., S.F. (415) 357-4035, www.sfmoma.org.

Further resources
Below are Web sites with photos and contact information for many more local artists

San Francisco Open Studios' Web site includes images of works by participating artists, as well as contact information for many of them. Click on "Find Artists" to search by name, medium, or style. www.artspan.org.

Pro Arts is an East Bay artists association and home of East Bay Open Studios. Click on "Look at Our Gallery" to see pictures of works by all participants and get contact information for many of them. www.proartsgallery.org.

Based in San Francisco, NextMonet sells paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, and works on paper by hundreds of artists, many of them local. Orders ship from Hayward, so you can expect quick delivery. www.nextmonet.com.

For a list of Bay Area Artist Resource member artists and links to their personal Web sites, click on "Member Portfolios." www.artistresource.org.

Bay Area Art Source's Web site features arts-related news stories and links to local artists, galleries, and museums. www.foggy.com/baas/site.

For a list of Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California members, as well as links to their personal Web sites, click on "Members' Sites." www.acga.net/acgamain/memberlinks.html.