April is right around the corner and with that, our Diablo Rock Gym is going to have a brand new Artist of the Month that will be featured for the entire month. If her name, or her work sounds familiar, it should, she was actually one of our featured artists at Mission Cliffs. We loved her work so much we asked her back to Diablo Rock Gym for April.

Here's a bit about the artist, Leila Chirayath Janah, and what you can expect to see throughout April at DRG:

"Leila Chirayath Janah hails from a family of artists. Her uncle, the Bengali photographer Sunil Janah, documented the people’s struggles against colonialism and the emergence of independent India after 1947. Her grandparents, Christiane Zeebroek and Ashis Janah, founded one of the India’s most respected pottery houses and produced commercial work from the 1950s to the 1980s in their Calcutta studio.

Janah began taking photographs in her teens during her travels in over fifty countries, mainly in the developing world. She developed a passion for photography after living and teaching in a small village in Ghana, where she learned the importance of images in forming personal narratives, particularly among people whose stories are often overlooked by history books and mainstream media.

After receiving a BA in African Development Studies from Harvard, Janah founded Samasource, a social enterprise that helps marginalized small business owners in Africa and rural Asia connect to clients. She lives in San Francisco and continues to photograph boxers."

Stop in, check it out and enjoy the show.

Labels: Artist of the Month, Arts, Diablo Rock Gym, Featured Artist, Photographer, Photography

It's officially February, Groundhog Day today in fact, so while we wait to hear whether or not the Groundhog saw his shadow, we just wanted to let you know about this month's Featured Artist at our Berkeley Ironworks gym. This February, we're proud to feature the art of Michael P. Reynolds, an extremely talented photographer.

Here's a bit about Michael Reynolds, make sure you don't miss out, it's stunning work:

Rocks & Trees

As a photographer, I’m often asked what my favorite subject matter is. For me, that landscape photography. I find rocks and trees and the way light strikes them to be compelling and some times even magical. The images on display were taken at a number of different locations including the eastern Sierra, Yosemite and the desert southwest. Some re digital images created using a Nikon D2Xs and some were created using a Large Format 4x5 view camera, using Velvia 50 film. Images are processed in Photoshop CS4 or Adobe Lightroom, using techniques similar to those used in a traditional darkroom. I do not alter the content of the image. For archival results I output on Hahnemuhle fine art Photorag Bright White paper, using Epson K3 Ultrachrome inks. All of my prints are faithful to the original subject matter. Both framed and unmatted prints are available for purchase. Print sizes vary slightly, depending on the image. Framed prints on display are $160 to $175, depending on size. Unframed 12 inch prints are $55, 14 inch prints are $75, 16 inch prints are $95, 18 inch prints are $115 and 20 inch prints are $135 (measurements are the long dimension of the image). Framing is available for all print sizes. Other print sizes are available on request. To see more of my work, please visit www.michaelrreynolds.com

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, Events, Featured Artist, Photographer, Photography

Just a quick note and a big thank you to Danny Grace for all of his art he had up at Diablo Rock Gym! He had to take the art down the other day and we just wanted to say Thank You for the showing. In case you didn't know, or were some of the unfortunate few that didn't get a chance to check it out, we were featuring photography from an amazingly talented photographer, Danny Grace.

Here is his artist bio and note, it's great to get a little insight into the man behind the lens. If you missed out, don't worry, February will feature some amazing interactive art from our very own Patti Phillips!:

"Photography has been life long passion of mine. I have always enjoyed having beautiful photo’s to remember the place’s we have been. Only recently with retirement have I been able to take this passion of mine to another level and accomplish a dream to share beautiful moments in time with more than just my family and friends. I have been published in magazines, books, newspapers and a calendar. I also have had the privilege to have an art show and have a photo shown on the news for channel 5. You may have already seen my photo’s as they are displayed at several different businesses. I hope that when you look at my work you can have fond memories of time spend in these places or have dreams of going there yourself. I want to inspire people to dream and live their dreams. I hope that you will enjoy the work and maybe want to share it with your family and friends as well."

Labels: Artist of the Month, Arts, Diablo Rock Gym, Featured Artist, Photography

In case you haven't stopped into our Berkeley Ironworks gym for a little while, I want to fill you in on some awesome news you just might have overlooked! As you know, all of our gyms here at Touchstone Climbing are dedicated to not only helping our communities get into amazing shape, and providing them with the Best climbing walls and exercise facilities possible, we're also here to help promote and publicize some of our local artists that show exceptional talent.

This month, at Berkeley Ironworks, we're proud and pleased to feature the art of Vanda Rotkovska, an amazingly talented photographer. Here is a little bit about Vanda, so you'll know where she is coming from when you stop in to check out her art:

My artistic training in the very early years was mostly born out of absolute boredom. My parents would drop me off at someone’s house on many a weekend, TV was a rarity, books were often left at home or already read and re-read, but a pencil and paper could always be scrounged up. Since my mid teens I have often used photography as a reference point for the imagery incessantly floating around my head waiting to be transferred to canvas or paper. This particular collection of photographs is my reflection on going home. As a child raised during the communist regime in the former Czechoslovakia, my memories of those years and places were tinged with certain grayness. Although my childhood was not a terribly unhappy one, there was always a sense of hopelessness and deterioration in the places we lived, and the people we knew. After leaving the city for the countryside I also soon had to put away my B&W film camera in order to try and capture some of the colour that had obviously faded from my recollections. Though I still very much gravitate to the quiet places that remind me of a different time, they now seem a little brighter even with all their imperfections. To contact Vanda, email her at: orchidmedusa@yahoo.com

Stop in, say hello, check out the amazing art work and do some climbing while you're at it!

Labels: Artist of the Month, Berkeley Ironworks, Featured Artist, Photography

If you've been in Diablo Rock Gym lately you've probably noticed some extremely beautiful, extremely impressive photography gracing our walls. This art comes to us from Beth Witrogen and to say the very least, her stuff is extremely impressive. Lucky enough for all of us, she's also given us a little biography of herself so we can officially learn more about the talent behind those beautiful photos!

Here, is some more about the extremely talented Beth Witrogen:

I’ve been a Bay Area photographer for more than two decades, from ballet to birds — and Cal water polo. These images reflect my passion for the outdoors and cycles of nature. Learning to see light and appreciate that each moment is unique and fleeting infuses my work with a sense of joy, fragility, and strength. I love the painful fragility of light at dawn and dusk, and am always trying to capture what can’t be grasped. I call it “halflight” — where the mystery and passion for life merge.

I also love the personalities of birds as they go about their business just being birds. They teach me so much about freedom and focus — and patience ?.

I’ve had several shows over the years, including ballet images at the S.F. Opera House, and more recently exhibits of my birds and nature work at Shadelands and City Hall in Walnut Creek. I’ve also exhibited at Lynn House Gallery in Antioch, the Flyway Festival at Mare Island, and have been featured the Contra Costa County Watershed calendars since 2005. My images have been published in WildBird and Terrain magazines, The San Francisco Examiner, and Brentwood Press among other papers. I’ve also done commission work, including Bay Commercial Bank in Walnut Creek (black & white large-format posters).

I’m looking forward to traveling around to great climbing sites and not only climbing – but shooting nature and climbers. Stay tuned! My full portfolio, including portraits, sports, architecture and nature, is on my website at: www.witrogenphoto.com.

Thanks & enjoy the show! (Please ask at the front desk for the price list for these images.)

Mobile: 925.323.6065
beth@witrogenphoto.com www.witrogenphoto.com

Enjoy the amazing artwork and if you fall in love with any of the prints, talk to Beth or the Front Desk to see a full price list! Thanks again Beth, keep up the amazing work!!

Labels: Arts, Beth Witrogen, Diablo Rock Gym, DRG, Featured Artist, Photography