Mark Your Calendar: Bella Bigsby at August

It's interesting how traditional galleries are no longer the sole provenance of art shows -- more and more boutiques, it seems, are also turning their wall space over to notable local and even national artists.

San Francisco, of course, has several great home shops that double as stellar art spaces, including Rare Device, the Curiosity Shoppe, Park Life, BellJar, and others. Here in the East Bay, Relish at Home, Mignonne, FiveTen Studio, Vessel, and the Gardener also host regular art shows.

As far as I know, though, it's still pretty unusual for clothing boutiques to moonlight as art galleries. But that hasn't stopped August, a chic fashion retailer on Oakland's College Avenue, from featuring some really great local art. And although my skinny-jean-sporting days are long past, I often pop into August just to admire the store's lovely artwork and stunning decor.

This month, August hosts new work from British ex-pat Bella Bigsby (previously blogged here), whose melancholy landscapes and nature studies will take your breath away. There's an artist reception from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight, November 12, and the show will be up at August through the end of the month.

Check out more of Bigsby's art right here.