Fresh off a trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles artist Shioko Anderson sketched this adorable drawing of her visit yesterday. We love all the little details, especially the little dog in the foreground and the subjects' accessories. Here's what the note says: more ›

There must be something in the air between artists and cafes these days. SFist spotted this flyer the other day, which was plastered on every block in the Tenderloin/Tendernob area. Apparently, a 3 x 4-foot painting was stolen from an art exhibit at Cafe Royale (800 Post) in May, and the artist/curator, Emilia, would like everyone to know that she was not paid her alleged curating fee of $400 from January through May for organizing the show. (Incidentally, that sounds like an awfully large sum of money for a cafe to fork over.) more ›

In what could be seen as the continued Starbucks-ification of Valencia Street, brick-and-mortar coffee purveyors Ritual Coffee Roasters recently pulled the work of photographer Varese Layzer. It was considered "too serious" for the cafe's walls. While neither visually offensive nor too harrowing at first glance, the exhibit centered around the death of a the artist's mother. Upon reading the artist's statement after the show went live, Ritual owner Eileen Hassi later stripped the walls of Layzer's art and sent her a gracious (albeit somewhat perplexing) letter of explanation, which was then posted to Layzer's Flickr account. Here's what the letter said: more ›

by Micke Tong more ›

The painting officially known as "Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother" (1871) by James MacNeill Whistler, which is the fourth most recognizable painted image in the world, landed in SF at the DeYoung Museum yesterday. It's one of about 100 paintings from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris which are going on display in a couple of weeks as part of the DeYoung's show The Birth of Impressionism. The d'Orsay is undergoing some renovations, and basically their entire collection is coming to our fair city for this exhibition. more ›

SFMOMA Artist Gallery's epic, four-and-a-half day-long 17th Annual Artists Warehouse Sale starts tonight with a special preview reception, for those wanting a leg up. You'll also have a chance to beat the weekend crowd tomorrow and Friday afternoon/evening. more ›

32-year-old painter and friend of SFist Joey DeRuy has lived a lot of places before settling in San Francisco. In addition to pursuing a career in fine art painting, Mr. DeRuy takes classes at SF City College and has taken a number of photos for SFist at events like Outside Lands and Treasure Island Music Fest. more ›

In an effort to cover up the blight of many, many vacant storefronts dotting San Francisco these days, Mayor Gavin Newsom has a somewhat decent idea. See, Newsom, according to SFGate, "wants local artists to install their creations in vacant storefronts as a way to revitalize economically depressed neighborhoods." For a tiny, yet-to-be-determined fee, "struggling" artists will get some eyes on their work while helping these areas of concern land some much-needed foot traffic. The art will go up in September. Artists interested "must apply by Aug. 14 by downloading an application at www.sfartscommission.org. Priority will be given to artists who live in the neighborhoods where the art will be displayed." So, if you express your desire for social justice via Diego Rivera-esque pieces, apply today! If your uncle touched you in your bathing suit area and you express that horror via menstrual blood on canvas, apply now! If you're one of many Midwest gay transplants who paint transgressive male nudes with a heavy Warholian bent, apply this very second! more ›

Are you exceptional in the visual, performing, film/video/media, literary, or fashion arts? Yes? Well, then, SF Weekly is giving away $2,500 with their Masterminds program to someone like you. Why? Who knows, exactly. But that's a lot of money, kids. (Do you know how long it takes to amass that much cash by swiping and selling new releases at Aardvarks? About four and a half years, more or less.) Behold: more ›