Saiman Li is a visual artist currently lives & works in San Francisco. He received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institue in 1993. His work has been exhibited nationally in the U.S. including New Langton Arts, SF Camerawork, Bronx Museum of the Arts & Alternative Museum in New York.
In addition to his visual works, which encompass photography and installation, Li is a working dj. In the past, Li had participated for special events at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF Asian Arts Museum as well as SFMOMA.

I studied architecture at UC Berkeley and graduated with a BA in Environmental Design. Since then I've practiced architecture, interior and graphic design and fine art in the bay area.

My subjects include portraits, landscapes, pets and male figurative images. I express the passion I find in my subjects with color and texture and render shade and shadow to emphasize light. I think of shapes as topography, irrespective of the subject.

Several years ago I adopted a mixed breed dog and named her Kama. As a result I embarked on my pet portrait business, PetPicasso.Net with Karma as the CEO (Canine Executive Officer) I’ve included many of the commissions on this site.

In 2008 David Leddick published three of my figurative paintings in two of his pictorial anthologies, “The Nude Male 21st Century Visions” and “Gorgeous Gallery.” David included the following with the paintings:

“Boldly impressionist and highly charged with color, David Barnett is the 21st century’s connection back to artists of the turn of the last century like Renoir. The human form is his subject but he finds shapes and colors there through his artist’s eye that reveal to us things not seen or noticed before.”

Cheers,

 David

Margaret Timbrell is an artist based in San Francisco. She studied with Lisa Yuskavage at New York University, where she earned her degree in Studio Art, and was a fine arts student at Speos, Academie des Beaux Arts, and Jussieu Paris 7. In her final year at NYU, Timbrell developed a love and appreciation for conceptual art and the corps exquis with her mentor, author Lawrence Chua. Timbrell travels back and forth between mediums. Until recently, she worked exclusively in photography, focusing on the photograph as installation. But after a terrible accident in January, 2007, in which she was run over by a truck, Timbrell picked up an easel and rediscovered painting. Timbrell's paintings are abstract studies of intense colors, seen from up close. She begins her work by selecting colors that clash. With time, as she immerses herself in the painting process, she brings the extreme colors into a restless dialogue. Her photographs, on the other hand, focus on the intimacy of space: the startling proximity of a bedroom wall, the span of floor beneath her bed, or images that have been made abstract through intentional color misprinting. Though building off of classic compositional structure, Timbrell’s paintings and photographs are distinguished by a fascination with the surface textures of her everyday environment.

I am primarily a landscape painter. I specialize in trying to paint reality; painting what I see as accurately as possible and trying to capture a real moment.

Last November, I took a plein air painting trip to the suburbs of Vegas thinking I would capture some great housing subdivisions. After a lot of hard-work and travel (and some enjoyable sight-seeing), the paintings did not turn out as well as expected. Disappointing.

Back at home, I decided to paint fruit and veg in the studio. Generally I paint still lifes every year for auctions or whatever, but this turned into a whole series.

My sister was always telling me to get rid of stuff. "Take a picture of it and then get rid of it." I added some objects to the pictures but I did not get rid of the objects.

I am pleased with the results. It is still painting reality, but easier--much easier. And you can eat some of the stuff when you are done.

Hugi The Great Productions supports and encourages the artistic pursuits of funky little sisters around the world.

I spent over a decade years working as a Cell Biologist and am fascinated by complex systems, both evolved and designed. On one level my work explores the variety of relationships between form and function and challenges well-known connections between familiar objects by using them to create new forms and new functions. On another level my work examines the matrix of connections between intention and adaptation. Some of the permutations and chimeras I create may echo known biological or man made systems while others may create entirely novel systems that invite careful study. My art is influenced by my experiences both as a biologist and as a landscape designer and makes extensive use of plants and textures. Like a living cell, an organism, or a garden, each piece I create is an individual unit of function. The pieces often begin with a general concept or an interest in juxtaposing certain materials and they evolve through a combination of deliberate decisions and the unique adaptive properties of the materials.

My art is about the power of people. Our resilience in the face of struggle. Our unity in the face of adversity.

Growing up in New Orleans and witnessing firsthand the catastrophic forces of Katrina and its aftermath has profoundly shaped the path of my artistry. I’m committed to the ways art transforms communities. Art, to me, is a way of life. I embrace creative expression for its ability to help us learn about one another, and feel empowered to make change. Art can bridge race, age, geography and language. Art is the power of people.

I mostly paint, but my art often has a sculptural quality and an element of craft. I use found objects when they have significance because I enjoy the idea of art as artifact, as historical record. In my manipulation of the paint medium, I use loose lines and free strokes of color but tightly render specific shapes, lines or edges. I cover paper with sticks and leaves, spray-paint over them, and remove the debris to leave amorphous shadows. I enjoy what chance brings to my artwork. I sharpen certain elements to create depth and draw attention to small details, but I like my art to remain as raw and vibrant as the world I see around me.

My curiosity and fascination with humanity has taken me all over the globe. These experiences are an integral part of who I am now the creative work that I produce. My paintings are a response to the state of the world, the manipulation of news we receive and our own interpretations of this information. My art reflects the world around me – the people I come in contact with, the relationships that I build and the state of the world as a whole. I am interested in the places where lives overlap, how people perceive and react to one another as human beings, and the different paths our lives take. Having chosen many different courses throughout my life I am always curious where the next road will lead me, both as an individual and as a global citizen living during this interesting historical moment. I am continuously amazed by the twists and turns of life, as well as the interesting people that I come in contact with. I use my art to help me interpret these experiences and grow from them.