Font Resize'RIDING CHAOS,' an exhibition of Leigh Toldi's art about survival in a chaotic world, is on display at the 1870 Art Center Gallery through Nov. 1. A reception for the show is set for 2-5 p.m. Saturday.
For the past five years, Toldi has purposefully increased "the sense of discord in the imagery" of her work. A trip to Tokyo, with its bright advertisements everywhere, heightened her awareness of how visually chaotic the modern world is, and once she returned home she noticed "the invasion of visual space" in daily life here.
Toldi sees buses covered in media murals and gas station and supermarket checkout stands filled with TV monitors. She is aware of the increasing chaos in the world of politics, economics and human rights. "Even the weather has become an unknown with the advent of global warming," she says.
Within her own social sphere, Toldi says, there have been "experiences of life-threatening infections, job instability, home instability and the confusion and instability found in the final stages of life itself."
With her art, Toldi attempts to create a "push/pull" reaction in the viewer. Chaos from a distance can be repulsive or invoke fear, but a closer look might lead to "dissipation of fear, or, perhaps, to enlightenment," she says.
Her artwork is meant to be viewed at a distance and then closer. Some pieces, she says, could benefit from the use of a magnifying glass (which will be
Her works begin with no specific imagery in mind. With eyes closed, she'll make an uncontrolled "jab, line, swirl, swish or splash on the canvas." She'll study this "mess" and search its tints and shadows to "discover form that defines the essence of the work," then build the work as a kind of "treasure hunt."
The show will include "The Wall of Chaos" featuring about 40 small drawings. "The magnifying glass will come in handy here," Toldi says.
Among the questions she poses for the viewer: What can be learned in looking from different perspectives and, after a close viewing, does the overall image take on new meaning when viewed again from a distance?
Toldi earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, Davis, where she studied under Wayne Thiebaud, Cornelia Shultz and Roy DeForest. The gallery is at 1870 Ralston Ave., Belmont. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays. Contact 650-595-9679 or www.1870artcenter.org. E-mail Toldi at ltoldi@earthlink.net.
Wiegand's 'Visions'
An opening reception for "Divine Visions Worldly Lovers" will be from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Wiegand Gallery at Notre Dame de Namur University. At 2 p.m., exhibition curator and noted art historian Robert J. Del Bonta will give a lecture. The lecture and reception are free.
The show highlights Indian paintings from the collection of Barbara Janeff and includes paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries and sculptures from the 8th to 12th centuries.
The gallery is at 1500 Ralston Ave., Belmont. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. "Divine Visions Worldly Lovers" will be on view through Oct. 31. Call 650-508-3595 or visit www.ndnu.edu.
'Technopia' at Skyline
Works by Robert Geshlider, Andrew Werby, Therese Lahaie, Jon Huffman and Tanya Lin Jaffe are presented in "Technopia" at the Skyline College Art Gallery. The show, which explores merging points between contemporary art and technology, is on view through Oct. 3.
Geshlider's sculptures are designed using the SolidWorks CAD program and printed on a 3-D printer used in high-tech industrial design. Werby's sculptural forms are created using 2-D and 3-D scanners, computer-controlled carving devices and 3-D printers.
Lahaie is showing kinetic and photographic works exploring contemplative subjects such as breath and heartbeat. She combines glass, steel, mirrors, electric motors, light sources and fabric. Huffman uses a 4x5 studio camera and digital video monitor in image transformations. Jaffe creates her images using a variety of digital and film cameras, X-ray machines and cell phone cameras, then edits them with digital software programs.
The college is at 3300 College Drive, San Bruno. Gallery hours are 4-6 p.m. Mondays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays; and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays. Contact gallery director Paul Bridenbaugh at 650-738-4294 or visit www.smccd.edu/accounts/skygallery.
Autumn at Filoli
The Autumn at Filoli Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 3. The annual fundraising event includes tasting heirloom fruits in Filoli's orchard, among them rare pears and apples.
The day's activities, for all ages, include floral-arrangement demonstrations, autumnal art projects, puppet shows, live music and nature hikes. Glass artist Molly Stone of Cohn-Stone Studios in Richmond will show her artwork.
Admission is $20 for Filoli members, $25 for nonmembers, $5 for children ages 5 to 17 and free for children 4 and younger. Advance purchase is recommended. Reservations for a barbecue lunch on the Filoli tennis court also are available, at $16 general, $9 for children. Filoli is at 86 Cañada Road, Woodside. Contact 650-364-8300, Ext. 508, or www.filoli.org.
On the square
Redwood City's "Art on the Square" offers free outdoor juried artist exhibits from 5 to 8:30 p.m. today and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday on Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway. Details are available online at www.redwoodcity.org/events/Art_on_the_Square.html.
Life in San Francisco
The Studio Shop, 244 Primrose Road, Burlingame, presents a show of cityscapes and figurative work by Jung Han Kim through Oct. 3. Kim has won numerous awards for his paintings, including the Salon International 2006 Award for the International Museum of Contemporary Masters.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Contact 650-344-1378 or www.thestudioshop.com.
Glass pumpkins
The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch 2009 begins Tuesday at the Palo Alto Art Center. The 14th annual show and sale will feature 8,000 handblown glass pumpkins created by 35 respected glass artisans.
Exhibition days continue through Oct. 2 and include glassblowing demonstrations by Sacramento glass artist Shannon Jane Morgan. The sale will be Oct. 3-4; proceeds go to support the Bay Area Glass Institute, Palo Alto Art Center and the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation.
Show hours are 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and Oct. 2. Sale hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at the art center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto. Contact 650-329-2366 or www.greatglasspumpkinpatch.com.
Reach Bonny Zanardi at Bzanardi@aol.com.
