Open bottles of expensive port and a succulent, half-eaten slice of chocolate cake sit almost forgotten next to a bowl of cereal and a glass bottle of milk. A designer sandal is tipped over next to a carton of juicy strawberries, and a pearl necklace is carelessly tossed onto a bright box of Cheerios popping out like a yield sign.
"Pop surrealism and New Brow art is such a meld of technology," Throckmorton-McDowell says. "We're being influenced by so many things today, and the artists working today (have) influences that are bigger than any other era. Pop art is a place for them to refine that."Artist Romero Britto uses universal subject matter to create vibrant, blissful paintings and sculptures that are shown and collected around the world. His use of thick, black outlines, playful patterns and a vivid palette are meant to convey life's optimism and joy.Instead of decking the halls with boughs, use felled branches to make your own right-size tree. Buy a piece of cone-shaped floral foam and insert branches. Once the tree looks full enough, add succulents, berries, and leaves. Ornaments not needed. TIP: Water greens daily to keep them looking fresh. A good source for foam cones is save-on-crafts.com/foamcones.htmlArtists shown at POP Gallery like Carrie Ann Baade mix inspiration from both pop culture and ancient mythology. Baade's pieces create a visual collage exploring the complexity of the human condition, Throckmorton-McDowell says. In one piece, "Our Lady of Perpetual Indulgence," (see page 19) Baade places an unapologetic nude woman in a bath filled with pink elephants and alcohol."Urban art reflects a great deal of what is going on in popular culture in the urban setting," Jaffe says. "I think there are a lot of great young artists working in the genre who are influenced by the history of pop art and current popular culture."Planterberries (try coffeeberry or Pyracantha)dried chile peppersPick up orchids potted with branches and mosses, Lots and lots of succulents, and quirky garden decor at Fleurt. This elegant, sweet-smelling shop excels at custom-designed, super-seasonal bouquets. Closed Sun; 15 Clement St.; 415/751-2747.In today's pop art, artists mix traditional media with the latest in technological design, resulting in original, of-the-moment pieces. "I see the combination of digital media in fine art really coming to fruition in the next few years. Technology will only continue to drive new media," Throckmorton-McDowell says.Despite the spare, airy atmosphere, it's easy to get lost in Park Life, a gallery/curiosity shop. Browsing the shelves lined with Rubik's Cube clocks and retro T-shirts. Looking at the contemporary exhibits by local and visiting artists. And standing around the center table, flipping through what has to be the city's best collection of arty coffee-table books. 220 Clement St.; 415/386-7275.Artist Amy Nelder's "A Progression of Grand Cru Classe" (see painting on page 18) mashes the high-class world of expensive wine and designer decadence with everyday items like strawberries and Cheerios. Working in what she calls a "pop trompe roeil" style, much of Nelder's work depicts odd pairings like these that viewers find funny and provocative.manzanita branchesForaged "tree"rose hips (from unpruned rosebushes)Ogle ream after ream of pretty patterned paper at Cherish, then ask the pros there to wrap your gifts (from $2)--yes, even the stuff you bought down the block. Card- and ornament-making classes in the back studio too. Classes from $15; 115 Clement St., shopcherish.com or 415/373-7300.eucalyptusheather"I'm using the subject matter in my paintings to try to make people think about how they're living. Why do they live their lives the way that they do? Is there a way that they can be freer?" Nelder says. "And I also want them to laugh about it."pineconeschestnutsToday's pop art collector is often what Throckmorton-McDowell calls an "emerging collector," someone who is in their 20s or 30s who has just discovered pop art for the first time.Pop art appeals to so many people, Britto says, because everyone can relate to the subject matter and draw their own interpretations. Other art movements can exclude those who may not have knowledge of that particular style, but pop art feeds from culture.3. iPad, schmiPad ...Clement St. runs from Arguello Blvd. west past State 1.Sharla Throckmorton-McDowell owns POP Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M., with her husband Michael McDowell. They focus on current trends in pop art, particularly pop modernism, including the New Brow and pop surrealist movements.It is the universal language that draws people to figurative work by Nelder, Britto and other pop artists."What I'd like them to ask themselves is, 'Do you think this would also taste good?'" Nelder says.Recycle a wooden crate into a front-porch planter box; for a statement, use plants of differing heights. This arrangement includes fruiting citrus, lavender, rosemary, and large and small Succulents. TIP: Before planting, arrange plants still in their pots to see if the symmetry works.
With an endless supply of subject matter, new technology and young collectors hungry for a new interpretation of their culture, pop art continues to thrive, putting new twists on the everyday reality.
Author: Catherine Klene
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