Mark Your Calendar: Bay Area Art Openings

Attention Bay Area art lovers: I just got word of several upcoming gallery openings that look like they'll be well worth checking out.

* Today through March 29, the Oakland Art Gallery at 199 Kahn's Alley hosts the Rhode Island School of Design Northern California Alumni Biennial. The show features the work of three dozen RISD grads, including Peter Belanger (whose "Americana" is above), Jeff Hantman, and Jane Kim. (Thanks for the head's up, Hannah!)

* Oaklanders Scott Courtenay-Smith (that's his "Corner Vision," above), Douglas Light, and Michele Hofherr will be exhibiting works depicting rural, desert, and urban spaces as part of the "Open Range" show at Esteban Sabar Gallery, 480 23rd Street in Oakland, Thursday March 6 through April 5.

*East Bay artist Sarah Applebaum's "21 Gun Salute" will be at San Francisco's Curiosity Shoppe, 855 Valencia Street, starting Friday, March 7.

* Austrian-born abstract painter Annette Aust will be showing at Oakland's FiveTen Studio, 831 Broadway, starting on Friday, March 7 (also the date of the Oakland Art Murmur's monthly "First Friday" event).

* Finally, Portland, Oregon's incredible Evan B. Harris has a new collection of paintings called "Garden at Eichstatt" in the gallery at San Francisco's Rare Device, 1845 Market Street, from Thursday, March 13 to April 2. (See my post on Harris' previous Bay Area show right here.)

Now, Bay Areans, go forth and enjoy some of this great art we're lucky enough to have in our backyard ...