Love it:

“The Big Three,” the current exhibition at Rosenthal Gallery, features the work of 18 artists, though the title could be written for me, since three of my classmates from CCA (MFA 07) are in it: David Gurman, Renee Gertler and Erik Scollon.

Scollon continues his series of life-sized fist-shaped cast ceramic sculptures. The new sculptures are all pushing the boundaries of domestic kitsch, featuring the sort of rose patterns you’d find on linens at Ross. While some of his past blue-and-white fist sculptures were ironic and cool, these would especially great atop crocheted doilies.

The always-meticulous Gurman shows a dyad of photographs sourced from government agencies. I wasn’t able to get through his verbose statement at the packed opening, but I appreciate his conceptual rigor as an artist working with found photos, a process that can lend itself towards emotional, intuitive interpretations.

Gertler contributes goodie-bag assortment of odd forms in aluminum foil, painted paper mâche, “DO NOT EAT” silicate pebbles, balsa wood and other unidentifiable scraps. It’s a kind of joyous formalism — humorous, humble and a bit nerdy. As an artist struggling with how my work fits in the world and the market, I really appreciate Gertler’s commitment to making impertinently impermanent art.

Love it, too:

Good coincidences. I realized yesterday that I should look into getting a bank of LEDs for an upcoming project. Guess what came in the mail today? The new Jameco catalog! Sweet!

Hate it:

What I’d add to The Onion‘s “Things We’re Barely Tolerating This Week”:

Michael’s, the craft store. Despite its new logo and cutesy interior design, its biggest problems persist: crap customer service (No wonder the cashiers give customers attitude! I heard two surly teenage slackers give the manager lip today.) and heavy-handed mark-ups (A 10 oz jar of Armour Etch, a wonderful and frighteningly caustic cream used for etching glass: $27.99. At Long’s in Oakland, you can get a jar with 2 more oz for $4 less! As Woff says, “Long Live Longs.”)