See This Art Exhibit Before It Migrates. Borderland Birds By David Tomb.

There's only a few more days to visit this amazing art exhibit/installation at the San Francisco Electric Works gallery. The Borderland Birds / Aves Fronterizas, works on paper by David Tomb, featuring work inspired by Tomb’s birding trips to the borderlands of the United States and Mexico will close this Saturday, May 29th.

For this exhibition, Tomb, a celebrated painter of portraits of people, brings his rigorous attention to birds. Secondary to dealing with the subject matter of birds, Borderland Birds / Aves Fronterizas also highlights the impact of the US-Mexico border fence; a project environmentalists say spells disaster for the sensitive ecology of the region. Beyond simple cataloging and rendering of the splendid birds of the borderland region, Tomb's work calls to mind the plight of people who have to cross this border on a daily basis, a feat fraught with problems migrating birds do with relative ease.




Part drawing show, part installation, in the gallery Tomb recreates the sights and sounds of the borderland region by use of native vegetation and ambient sound recordings.



Viewers will be transported to two fragile and unique areas: the beautiful Sky Islands of Mexico/Southern Arizona and the Lower Rio Grande Valley that borders Mexico and Texas. While much of this habitat has been converted to corporate agriculture some remote hidden mountain canyons still harbor a rich trove of beautiful and rare creatures. Tomb’s exhibition will focus on the following species: Montezuma Quail, Aztec Thrush, Aplomado Falcon, and Coati.






Tomb combines experience in the field with research of bird specimens at the California Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. His final masterful renderings of the birds are life size and depict the birds in their natural habitat. As an avid birder, Tomb has been lucky enough to have his nerves rattled by the freaky chorus of Chachalacas in the thorny scrub and to have glimpsed the jewel-like Elegant Trogon during July monsoons.

Here are some photos from the exhibit:






all information and images courtesy of the gallery and the artist.

Tomb received his BFA from California State University Long Beach and has shown nationally and internationally.

Plants for the installation generously provided by The Dry Garden, Oakland.

The SF Electric Works Gallery site. For purchasing information, please contact Noah Lang via email or at 415.626.5496. Prices and availability are subject to change.


if you're not familiar with Tomb's figurative work, check out my post on that here.

the artist's own website

David Tomb's First Non-Portrait Show In 20 Years Opens In San Francisco

Electric Works presents "Treasures of the Sierra Madre—Birds of West Mexico" paintings by David Tomb, featuring work inspired by Tomb’s birding trips to Mexico and research from the California Academy of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, and the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

In the gallery Tomb, best known for his portraits of people, is presenting his first non-portrait show in over twenty years. With this exciting departure Tomb is recreating the sights and sounds of this Sierra Madre region of west Mexico.



Below: Details from Mobster (above left)


Above: Mobster, detail

Large-scale drawings (11' x 8') of birds in trees will be installed with actual trees and native vegetation supplied by Flora Grubb Gardens. Mounted bird specimens on loan from the California Academy of Science and recorded bird calls from Western Mexico will fill the gallery to add to the atmosphere of this installation. In addition there will be a sound installation by Martyn Stewart of naturesound.org engineered by johnnyrandom.



Above: David working on Mobster in his studio


Above: One of David's 2006 shows of his figurative work

Below are some of his fabulous figurative works:

Above: Tomb's Navigating Environments (5' x 10')

Above: Albany, 66" x 66"

Above left: Portrait of Ethan Wallison
Above right: The artist's portrait of yours truly.

See the artist's site here.

SF Electric Works Gallery site.
Gallery Hours are:
Monday-Friday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:30am - 5:30 pm

Art That's For The Birds. Literally. And A Peek At A Painter's Project Room

I have written about David Tomb's work before and even shown you a sneak peek of his upcoming show, Birds of The Sierra Madre at SF Electric Works gallery opening February 22,2oo8.

Over half of those bird paintings have sold already- and the show hasn't even opened!

However, now you have an opportunity to own some of these Birds of The Sierra Madre paintings as prints, with the proceeds going directly to the birds, so to speak. (All proceeds go to El Triunfo).

Below is the first print in this series, David's Horned Guan:

above: The Horned Guan; below: detail of The Horned Guan

Price $250.00

Order it here

But here's something you won't see at the show, the interesting and beautiful process of David Tomb's paintings, which, even in their partially finished form are art.

A peek at the process behind David Tomb's Bird paintings:
Project Room current project Fall 2007

Click on the images below to enlarge:

Don't miss the show!

David Tomb
Birds of the Sierra Madre
February 22 - March 22, 2008
Opening Reception: Friday, February 22, 6-8pm

Birds of the Sierra Madre
This work is inspired on birding trips to Mexico: Chihuahua, San Blas, Jalisco, El Triunfo (Chiapas) and research from the California Academy of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Occidental College, Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Natural History Museum.

David Tomb's site.
Artist Contact Info:
David Tomb
1240 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
tel. 415.695.0474