Masters of the Impossible: New Work by Steve MacDonald

Masters of the Impossible: New Work by Steve MacDonald

Exhibition dates: September 4 – 29, 2009; reception date: September 4, 7-9 pm.

San Francisco design store and gallery, Rare Device, is proud to present Masters of the Impossible: New Work by Steve MacDonald (www.ramblinworker.com). The work will occupy the Rare Device gallery September 4 – September 29, 2009. A reception for the artists will be held Friday, September 4 from 7 - 9 pm.

San Francisco-based artist Steve MacDonald creates embroidered paintings on gilded canvases. His work draws inspiration from an eclectic array of sources including Japanese nature scenes, folk art, fantasy, mythology and elements from the urban experience. Taken together, his compositions provoke a variety of spontaneous references through the depiction of fantastical landscapes. A variety of imagery act out fantastical narratives, where tigers, rainbows, cityscapes, skulls and shipping containers are juxtaposed against the backdrop of a traditional Japanese print form.

This merging of futuristic subject matter and historical setting underlies the mythical nature of MacDonald’s creative method, preventing the viewer from getting too comfortable in one context or another. Rather, his work encourages a more associative approach to interpretation. The mood and pace of the stitching varies considerably from one painting to the next, often within a single work, using a different material language to describe the texture and lines of any given element, whether it be foliage, water, the peaks of a mountain range or the facade of a building.

There is something unpredictable, nearly magical, about MacDonald’s work, as if his pieces might change form and character even between views. It is this fundamental spontaneity that makes MacDonald’s work so engaging, drawing the viewer ever closer to the fantasy world of the canvas.

Rare Device is a store and gallery that features functional experiments and original ideas in art, design, craft and fabrication. Owners Rena Tom and Lisa Congdon constantly seek out objects that are beautiful, evocative, well constructed and thoughtful. We are pleased to bring to our San Francisco store an ever-growing roster of local, national and international artists and designers for a truly "rare" experience.

Rare Device (http://www.raredevice.net/) is located at 1845 Market Street between Valencia and Guerrero Streets. Store/gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 7pm and Sunday noon to 6 pm.