Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

by s.n. jacobson

This weekend in the tradition of grand salons of the past, a master artist, his students and his friends opened a wonderful show filled with sensuous oil paintings, insightful portraits and whimsical pastels. Bob Gerbracht, who has been painting since the 8th grade (I was too polite to do the math) hasn�t let up since.

Some of his work looks like a quick sketch, but his attention to light and detail shows a practiced eye and hand. My only complaint, if I may have one, is that there wasn�t enough of his work on display. I had to sneak looks at a catalog of his on sale at the gallery to see what this man is capable of. This is not to say that what was shown was lacking. �The Artists Studio� caught my eye and breath. A male nude in the soft pale light of his San Francisco studio being my favorite. Gerbracht is a true master of the art and someone more than willing to pass his craft on to others. That brings us to some of the other 24 artists that would make any teacher proud. Three lessons well learned were Suzanne D�Arcy�s portrait �Hip Hop Sweet. A �trompe l�oeil� mixed media piece titled �Daily Prayers� by Sherry Kwint-Catoche and Cynthia DeBenedetti portrait of �The Authoress� are only some of the many great works at this show.

The other artist of note is Randall Sexton, a good friend of Mr. Gerbracht and whose portrait graces our cover. Primarily known for his plein air paintings, �Her Thoughts� and �A Stardust� both show a subtle touch in expression and a true strength in composition. By the way, don�t miss a tour of the rest of the gallery. The three comical sculptures by Tony Natsoulas in the window, are worth the three bucks across the bridge alone.

This ongoing show is at the Epperson and Nash galleries in Crockett, named for the building that housed one of the first Nash auto dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area. The owners Gerald and Joanne Epperson who have owed the gallery for over 10 years also sponsor workshops in the large basement of the gallery (I got the 50 cent tour). For those interested, Mr. Gerbracht will be teaching workshops in portrait & figure painting useing oils and/or pastel for intermediate to advanced students. Classes start April 17-21 For more information contact: Joanne Epperson at the Epperson Gallery (510) 787-2925 or Joanne@eppersongallery.com