John Fox Haag is a local FiDi artist who resides in the Gateway Apartments, will be showing new works at Jackson Square's San Francisco Gallery this month, in an exhibit titled A Change in Light. He'll be present at the opening reception this Thursday, November 5th (5-8pm), and the exhibit will run through December 19th.
The paintings in A Change in Light should look somewhat familiar to locals, as Haag has based his latest work on photos taken in his FiDi front yard. "A lot of these images are based on photographs I've taken from my own balcony," he says.
'Moment's Notice' by John Fox Haag. (Photo: John Fox Haag)
"I have been discovering things by seeing the Bay," Haag said. "I've gotten up at five in the morning to photograph the light." One morning, he saw two tugboats in the Bay, and could only see a line of dotted lights in the dawn. That became the unifying element for the show, in which all 11 works, including one triptych, are brand-new.
He's also exploring night photography, inverting the image to a negative exposure, and then painting from that. It's opened up a range of possibilities on how he sees and explores light. "Color and light are what inspire me, as well as music," Haag said. Each of the paintings is named after a jazz instrumental.
'The Sorcerer' by John Fox Haag. (Photo: John Fox Haag)
Haag paints with watercolor and varnish on wood panel, which gives the look of watercolor without having to use a frame and glass or Plexiglas to protect the paper. "I'm doing them on wood panel with a special ground, a type of product that makes the wood absorbent; receptive to watercolors," Haag said. "With varnish, it gives the protection of the glass and frame, but you no longer have the separation from the viewer."
San Francisco Gallery. (Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline)
Haag also works as the installations manager at the gallery, which serves "passionate and productive mid-career artists." A longtime city resident, he's also in the process of finding a new studio—his current space is in the SoMa Artists Studios (689 Bryant St.), which we reported will close in about a month.
