When we put up Art Visit, we didn't know there would be such a strong response. Howard, a successful Bay Area artist, is one of the early adopters. He surprised us with his warm response and immediate invitation to his studio.
Howard's studio is very distant, but definitely worth the visit. His studio is located in an old naval shipyard, in the far end of San Francisco’s Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood. Howard is definitely a power user of the platform and a great host. After a warm welcome, we entered an old shipyard building with Howard, who led us to his studio.
We arrived with little preparation. We learned about Howard only from what we found online, so we were arriving both nervous and excited. Howard picked us up at the gate, with a big smile, suggesting we should keep up with mask protocol. We made a beginners mistake and welcomed an artist with a bottle of wine. Howard is abstinent.
There is no strict guide to the Art Visit, but Howard knew exactly what to do. He is not a beginner artist but a local veteran selling his artwork to luxurious hotels and prestigious galleries. Howard is a good story teller and well-articulated about his art. He gripped us and we quickly dived into his art world, moving around his studio.
Howard explained his creative processes and experiments with form. He works with paint, but also painting itself. He builds his own frames, creating elaborate geometric shapes. Howard uses glue and connects wooden bars in structural patterns with no nails! His frames resemble model airplanes or a very fine piece of carpentry. Once the frame is built, Howard layers the paint, creating strict geometrical abstractions.
Howard's paintings abandon classic 2D space. His artwork has almost sculptural forms, yet are still intended to hang on the wall. His favorite color is yellow, but he often works in black and white, following current trends and demands.
Howard is an established San Francisco artist and sells his work to international collectors. His smaller paintings range around $3,500. Even if that’s out of your price range, Howard loves to meet art lovers and welcomes everyone to book a visit to his studio.
After about 30 minutes with Howard, the conversation started to feel less formal. Howard asked us what we do and we discussed the possible future of Art Visit. The entire visit lasted about an hour. Before we left, Howard assured us that he is ready to host up to 20 visitors! He said, half-jokingly, that we should start bringing visitors to his studio by the bus load.
If you like geometrical abstraction, love wood crafting, or you’re searching for a unique place to visit in San Francisco, book Art Visit with Howard Hersh. Do you have any suggestions about how to improve Art Visit? Let us know at info@artvisit.org!
