SFist Conquers 49 Geary

Heffernan’s allegorical paintings are filled with fairies, foliage, creatures of all kinds and her meticulous compositions borrow from the grand historical styles of still life, portraiture and landscape. In Self-Portrait as Tender Mercenary she engages the viewer with her narrative appeal by overflowing the pictorial surface with an abundance of visual richness. The figure is bathed in an ethereal light while cascades of crystals drape around her head and shoulders. She holds golden strands which harness a myriad of wild animals, including lions and elephants, themselves graceful beings. In the background we see soldiers at war, again referencing a Baroque motif of heroic battles.

The self-portraits are not literal; the symbolic references are a means to examine issues deeply personal and important to her such as feminism, gender, motherhood and class structure. We only wish our dreams were as profound and luxurious as Julie Heffernan’s (although we imagine Siegfried & Roy's come close). This show is not to be missed, however skip the mediocre work by Lincoln Schatz in the Video Project Room. Yawn.

Toomey Tourell Fine Art Heather Wilcoxon is one of those people with a grotesque sense of humor and a sharp wit, just the type of artist we love. Wilcoxon’s show, titled Off-Bite at Toomey Tourell, presents her playful, childlike style of drawing through colorful mixed media paintings and unique handmade books.

Wilcoxon's work may seem harmless and fun at first glance, with canvases full of hairy monsters and creepy crawlies, but upon closer inspection, is really a reflection of her feelings on our current global situation (hint: she isn’t impressed with our current Administration). Her colorful cast of characters, cartoon figures and childlike iconography capture both the comedy and tragedy of our post 9/11 reality. The often disjointed narratives express both the anxiety and absurdity of the world we live in today.

“I have had a long-time preoccupation with the balance between abstraction and the narrative,” says Wilcoxon on her web site. “Through my drawings, I have developed these characters that I feel reflect all of our concerns, our fears, our worries and our brutality towards one another. I see the world as a dangerous place. However, I am seasoned enough to see the absurdity of it all.”

Well said. In her painting, The Harry Spy Machine Wilcoxon draws the outline of a plane in flight and places a hideous looking hairy monster above it, riding it like a surfboard. The monster has a row of eyes aimed upward at a line of passengers which look like they were taken from a 1960s foosball table. While this creature looks somewhat endearing, the piece is obviously referencing the continuing loss of our civil liberties in a world where terrorism strikes fear into the hearts of Americans.

The dichotomy of innocence and corruption in Wilcoxon’s works creates a palpable tension that is difficult to escape. And though you may not feel it at first, the “bite” is certainly there.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our 49 Geary coverage, where we dissect the oddity that is Hamburger Eyes and talk about a New Orleans populated by black astronauts playing basketball. Good times.

SFist Shelley, contributing

Image: Full Circle, oil on canvas, Heather Wilcoxon