Weatherhead Sketch Series, artist's studio, May 2004
Weatherhead Sketch Series, artist's studio, May 2004



Hematite Weatherhead, 2003
Hematite Weatherhead, 2003
81 × 65 inches




Indigo Weatherhead, 2003
Hematite Weatherhead, 2003
81 × 65 inches




Oxblood Weatherhead, 2003
Oxblood Weatherhead, 2003
81 × 65 inches




 Amy Trachtenberg: The Weatherhead Series

San Francisco artist Amy Trachtenberg opens her first solo exhibition on Thursday July 8th, with Brian Gross Fine Art entitled the "Weatherhead Series" at 49 Geary Street. There will be a reception for the artist on Saturday, July 10, from 3-5pm.

At the center of this exhibition is an installation of 78 painted panels, each 14 by 11 inches, based on photographs taken by Trachtenberg of the weatherhead, defined as the physical point of connection between a building and the power grid. Each panel interrelates with the painting to the left, right, top and bottom, mimicking cuts and montage inherent in poetry and film. Reflective of natural elements like water and air, this installation is an abstract interpretation of how industry affects the natural world.

Trachtenberg's larger canvases, measuring 90 by 60 inches, demonstrate subtle shadowing and veils of color that create both contemplative and complex paintings using abstracted imagery of the weatherhead. Working in a related, monochromatic palette, these paintings are stained as much as painted to create a quieter reflection on the impact of industry on nature.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1955, Trachtenberg studied at California State University in Sonoma, where she received her BA. Trachtenberg continued her studies at the L'Ecole National Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris receiving her MFA in Painting and Drawing. Her work has been exhibited in numerous alternative spaces throughout San Francisco and she is an artist in residence at VALA (Visual Arts Literary Arts, San Francisco East Bay schools). She has also received grants and awards from the California Arts Council and the SF Arts Commission and is currently working on a public project with the San Jose Arts Commission. Trachtenberg lives and works in San Francisco, CA.