NAT SWOPE INFLUENCE / INSPIRATION
A GROUP SHOW OF SILKSCREEN PRINTS AND OTHER THINGS CURATED WITH NAT SWOPE
JANUARY 24TH - MARCH 8TH
LOOK WEST IS PROUD TO PRESENT: INFLUENCE / INSPIRATION, A SELECTION OF SILKSCREEN PRINTS AND OTHER THINGS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF NAT SWOPE. NAT IS A BAY AREA NATIVE WHO’S INFLUENCE STRETCHES BACK TO HIS YOUTH SKATEBOARDING IN THE EAST BAY AND BEYOND. IN 2001, NAT FOUNDED BLOOM SCREEN PRINTING (AKA BLOOM PRESS) IN OAKLAND, WHICH HE OWNED AND OPERATED UNTIL HE JOINED MONOLITH PRESS IN 2023. WHILE AT BLOOM, NAT PRINTED FOR SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING ARTISTS OF THE TIME.
“FOR TWENTY-TWO YEARS I PRINTED OUT OF THE SAME SMALL STUDIO ON A FUNKY BLOCK IN OAKLAND, SCREEN PRINTING SMALL EDITIONS BY HAND. I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS, DESIGNERS AND ILLUSTRATORS ACTIVE THEN AND NOW. THIS EXHIBITION IS A CELEBRATION OF THOSE ARTISTS, THE ONES THAT KEPT ME MOTIVATED, ENGAGED AND INSPIRED FOR SO MANY YEARS. WHILE NOT COMPREHENSIVE IN SCOPE, I HOPE THIS SHOW CAPTURES THE NATURE AND ENERGY OF WHAT WE DID TOGETHER. THIS COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES EPHEMERA AND ART I ACQUIRED ALONG THE WAY, OUTSIDE OF PRINTED MATTER, BUT STILL VERY MUCH RELATED” — NAT SWOPE
NAT LIVES AND WORKS IN OAKLAND, CA.
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, JANUARY 24TH
FERNANDA MARTÍNEZ
MARCH 14TH - APRIL 18TH
FERNANDA MARTÍNEZ IS AN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA BASED PAINTER, MURALIST AND SCULPTOR. SHE DRAWS FROM HER MEMORIES AND OBSERVATIONS OF NATURE, BLENDING AN EXPERIMENTAL AND INTUITIVE APPROACH TO HER PRACTICE. HER VIBRANT, EXPRESSIVE WORKS DELVE INTO THE EMOTIONAL DEPTHS OF COLOR AND FORM. BY INCORPORATING INTRICATE PATTERNS AND TEXTURES, SHE CHALLENGES THE VIEWER, ENGAGING BOTH THE EYE AND THE MIND, AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO APPRECIATE THE FLEETING MOMENTS OF LIFE.
BORN AND RAISED IN MEXICO CITY, FERNANDA MOVED TO THE BAY AREA IN 2015 WHERE SHE FOUNDED LA TINTA. UNDER THIS NAME, SHE HAS COLLABORATED WITH MAJOR BRANDS SUCH AS ANTHROPOLOGIE, LULU AND GEORGIA, AND WORLD MARKET BY LICENSING HER WORK FOR A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS.
FERNANDA HAS COLLABORATED ON NUMEROUS MURAL PROJECTS FOR PRIVATE COMPANIES, COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. IN ADDITION TO HER COMMERCIAL WORK, SHE HAS SUCCESSFULLY CONTRIBUTED ARTWORK TO SEVERAL COMMUNITY-FOCUSED AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
FERNANDA LIVES AND WORKS IN OAKLAND, CA
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY, MARCH 14TH