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Varnish Fine Art

September 8 - October 28, 2012

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16 Jessie St., #C120 San Francisco, CA 94105
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Smoke & Mirrors
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 8, 2012 6:00PM – 9:00PM Varnish Fine Art is proud to present Ransom & Mitchell’s “Smoke & Mirrors” solo exhibit of photo illustration tableaus and portraiture. Their visually stunning works, informed by professional backgrounds in the filmmaking world, are the end result of creative collaborations with and intense study of the art world notables they photograph. In “Smoke & Mirrors” Ransom & Mitchell’s love of Italian and Dutch Masters comes through in the evocative narratives and modeled lighting of their photo illustrative portraits and tableaus. The duo combines the production value of cinema, the drama of Renaissance era chiaroscuro and the intimacy of baring your soul to your best friend by actively collaborating with their subjects. Viewers are caught in a web of tension, voyeuristically watching the subjects, grandiose in bearing and manner, caught in a moment of vulnerability, revealing their essential humanness. Ransom & Mitchell are able to draw out these intimate moments by diving into the hearts and minds of their subjects, whether Artist or the concept of “Vanity”, making the photo illustrations resonate with both viewer and subject. “At the end of the day, we strive to create portraits that are deeply heartfelt and meaningful,” says Ransom. “It has been an extraordinarily rewarding and stimulating exercise to be able to collaborate with other creatives who were willing to throw inhibitions out the window and embrace the true nature of story telling.” For a behind the scenes look at their process, visit these two blog post from Hi-Fructose Magazine: http://hifructose.com/2011/10/13/behind-the-scenes-with-mike-davis-and-purbred-studios/ http://hifructose.com/2012/08/21/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-ransom-mitchells-photo-illustrations/ About Ransom & Mitchell Ransom & Mitchell is the artistic nom de plume of director-photographer Jason Mitchell and his partner both in business and in life, set designer-photo illustrator, Stacey Ransom. The duo met in San Francisco in 1999 while pursuing their respective careers and first began working together on films in 2004. In 2009, they opened Purebred, a still + motion production company, where in addition to creating commercial media, they use their filmmaking background to create their highly-stylized narrative photo illustrations. About Varnish Fine Art Jen Rogers and Kerri Stephens believe that Art makes the world a better place. Since founding Varnish Fine Art in 2003, the gallery has become known for showing provocative and skillfully executed contemporary artwork. True to its original mission, Varnish Fine Art continues to be a lively and vital part of the Yerba Buena Arts District in downtown San Francisco.