Painted Rooms...   This past June, START SOMA launched an art gallery in HOTEL DES ARTS - a boutique 51 room art hotel in the heart of Union Square.   The San Francisco Examiner included a very nice feature story on the opening.   According to the article, San Francisco's first art hotel is a 'slick, gallery-type space showcasing the talents of local emerging artists', notable for its focus on 'edgy, affordable, original art'.

In keeping with this vision, we decided to paint some rooms...     SUNDAY | SEPTEMBER 19 | NOON - 5 PM | 447 BUSH

PAINTED ROOMS...

if YOU would like to paint a room, kindly send samples of your work to john@STARTsoma.com. we have 45 rooms left to paint!

PAINTED ROOMS... The 'concept' for this art show is pretty straightforward. We simply invited some of the premier emerging artists in San Francisco to paint some hotel rooms. Floor to ceiling, and pretty much everything in between - with full autonomy to do whatever they wanted...   The results are astounding.   We also filled up the hallways with a bunch of additional work from each of the artists. NEW ART that you can actually take home with you - priced from $150 - $2000, with 90% of the work available for $1000 or less.   So bring your checkbook and buy some NEW ART!   The show is open to the public on Sunday afternoon, September 19th from noon until 5 pm.   We are also hosting a special private opening on September 18th (Saturday night) from 6 pm until 11 pm. Given that our last art show attracted a few thousand people on opening night, we will have to adhere to a pretty tight guest list for this one.   The first 50 folks to email john@STARTsoma.com get a pair of tickets to Saturday's opening.   It is free. And it should be fun. THANK YOU!   and now for something completely different...

would you like to help support independent film in San Francisco?

silent art auction at the PAINTED ROOMS preview on September 18th PLUS an exclusive private screening at Dolby Labs on October 7!

Quality of Life is a local independent film that has been receiving rave reviews:     * extraordinary - Berlin International Film Festival Jury * streetwise honesty...powerful - Seattle Post Intelligencer * authentic-looking glimpse into an exotic world - Variety     Shot on location in San Francisco's Mission District, this narrative feature film sheds light on a clandestine graffiti subculture, highlighting one artist's personal struggle for identity, acceptance, and recognition.

The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, where it was a hit with audiences AND critics.   BUT - they still need more money to distribute the film theatrically!   So we decided to do what we could to help them out. Starting with a silent auction of some great NEW ART from the aforementioned artists at the PAINTED ROOMS preview on Saturday night, September 18th. 100% of proceeds go to the film. YOU can get some great art cheap AND help support independent film production in San Francisco. So bid high + bid often!

AND THIS JUST IN...

Thanks to the profound generosity of our friends at Dolby Labs, we are pleased to announce a very special screening of the film Quality of Life.

in the premier screening room in North America!   On October 7, we are hosting a private fundraiser for what has been called the best independent film to come out of the Bay Area since Star Wars! OK. It was our marketing person that said this, but the film is REALLY good, and we think you will enjoy it! ;-)   There is only room for 50 guests at the screening at Dolby Labs. Tickets are $150 each.   The money will go towards getting the film into national + international distribution. The folks from Quality of Life literally bootstrapped the production of this film, and created something absolutely magical. And now they need YOUR help...   To extend the startup analogy, they simply need one more round of funding to optimize product launch + capitalize on customer demand!   100% of ticket sales go to the film, and we very much appreciate your support. Be among the first to see this film in the US! In style at Dolby Labs! With free food + drink! Meet the director, cast, and producers! Write a big check! ;-)   Tickets for a private reception with the filmmakers + the screening are available online.   BUY TICKETS NOW!   And for those of you who have always dreamed about adding MOVIE PRODUCER to your resume, the Quality of Life folks remain on the lookout for additional investors...   THANK YOU!   and now a word from our sponsor...

David DeRosa Commissioned Portraits... make great holiday gifts!   David DeRosa is a top-notch talent who had the first public exhibition of his paintings at START SOMA earlier this year.   His work resonated. He quit his day job and has been painting around the clock ever since...   Over the past months, David has completed commissioned portraits in his signature after image style for a whole host of decidedly interesting characters...

Perhaps someone YOU know would like one?   We have a limited number of commissioned portrait sittings available in time for holiday delivery...   Interested in learning more? Kindly contact info@STARTsoma.com.   we also have some future shows planned that ought to be pretty good | details below

coming soon to START SOMA...

ASHKAN SAHIHI     Women of the Israel Defense Forces   opening october 2004 in the START SOMA mission gallery

AFTER IMAGE new art by David DeRosa opening november 2004 in the       START SOMA mission gallery

and finally... SF FACES 2.0 two dozen of the city's top photographers | 100+ pictures       december 2004

Thank you! info@STARTsoma.com