Kim Cogan paints the best cityscapes of San Francisco we’ve ever seen. Also the best storefronts, alleyways, rooftops, etc., especially when he bathes his hard exteriors in the soft glow of streetlights, the pavement fog-wet, his paints dripping down the canvas. His take on the city — at once idealized and raw, romanticized and gritty, nostalgic and realistic — makes your brain thunder. So when we found out he was doing a solo show that included interiors, with people, we thought, Kim! Don’t push yourself! Keep painting rooftops until you saturate the market and we can afford one! The resulting body of work, “Inside Out,” gives bedrooms, stairways, and bathrooms center stage, and they exist in the same dreamtime as his previous work. They’re beautiful, of course. He’s also included some massive exteriors, for those who seek to hold him back.
Sept. 17-30, 2009
