Daryll Peirce’s new body of paintings is dominated by a strange, organic substance. Is it the folds of the brain’s grey matter? A visualization of a molecular structure? An unearthly substance from the cosmos? These questions begin to pop up as you realize that Peirce is attempting to access something primordial and universal. When these shapes evoke atoms or asteroids, he reminds us that we are incredibly complex beings yet are still so minuscule in the grand scheme of the universe. He will be showing with Max Kauffman (full disclosure: Kauffman sometimes contributes to this blog) and Larissa Grant in their show “Going Native” at Campfire Gallery in San Francisco, opening on June 28.
The show’s title, according to the gallery, is an invitation to consider the places we call home and the connections we form with those around us. Peirce’s paintings are illustrative and highly textured, inviting the viewer’s eye to delve into the crevices of the abstract shapes that connect the figurative elements in the work. Grant’s mixed-media works are much more grounded in the familiar, taking the viewer to isolated rivers and valleys that seem like oases away from city life. Kauffman’s soft watercolors show stylized representations of quaint victorian homes, old beach shacks and tiny cottages. He leaves the architecture muddled, evoking the handmade imperfections of folk art forms like weaving and quilting. The three artists’ bodies of work are distinct yet complementary, demonstrating that “home” can be at a favorite tranquil spot amid the trees, with a person we love or even inside our own fantasies.
Larissa Grant:
Max Kauffman:
The "Colorado crush" is a well known name among graffiti festivals, celebrating Denver’s vibrant art scene time and time again. Now in its sixth year, a new crop of incredible installations have hit the Denver area. Among them is 
Oakland based painter 
Max Kauffman created a sprawling mural filled with folk art motifs for