If you need another reason to take the new Bernal Star restaurant on Cortland for a test drive, here it is: Neighbor Jesse Schlenker is showing some of her watercolors on the walls. She tells Bernalwood:

My paintings are currently on display in the rear cottage of the Bernal Star restaurant (formerly the Liberty Café) at 410 Cortland St. My new work, the Golden Corner  (a nighttime scene of 18th and Mission) is included in this show.

Shown above, Neighbor Jesse has also shared “Bernal Hill,” as seen from the top of St. Luke’s and “Nexus” (aka the 101-280 Spaghetti Bowl). Below, we have ”14 Mission Bus” arriving at 29th and Mission:

IMAGES: All paintings by Jesse Schlenker

Neighbor Carmen is from Bernal Heights, but she’s now finishing up a grad program in glamorous Barcelona, Spain, where she just produced a rather intensely lovely video piece. “I’m a Bocana kid, missing SF, wanting my neighbors to see what we Bernalites are capable of,” she said in her email to us.

Amen to that. Here are Neighbor Carmen’s technical notes:

This is my last project at IAAC, in Barcelona. Our school has a digital fabrication laboratory, and one of our tools is a 6 axis Kuka Robot. My latest research has been focused on exploring the aesthetic dimension of robotic movement. Since I’m studying interaction design, and using technology to augment the human experience I created a dance piece that allows us to question the rigid definition of what is human and what is machine as well as how we interact with the machines we use.

The simple run down:

In order to do this, I built a symbol movement language, based on traditional movements such as a circle, rotation, curve, wave, extension, contraction, line, meander. A sequence of moves were put together to create a visual choreography that I gave to the dancer. I then asked her to interpret it, intuitively with her body or through the space. The same sequence was given to the robot through code, and the kuka moved along that path in space the orientation of its tool moved along the path. This process makes the input parameters the same for both beings yielding spontaneous results. Without knowing the outcome, and being able to change the choreography and dancer I was looking for spontaneous connections between the two.

Bernal artist Toby Klayman proudly shares the news that her husband, artist Joe   Branchcomb, is displaying some of his new work inside the very sweet Little Bee Bakery at 521 Cortland:

Joseph Mack Branchcomb is a painter and documentary photographer. These works of art are made by using the finger or a stylus on an iPhone or an iPad, using various Art-Making Apps such as White Board or Sketch Time or others too numerous to mention. A hard copy Work of Art is then printed by the Artist, Joe Branchcomb, in two sizes: 8 1/2 x 11 ” or 13″ x 19″ and offered for sale. Inquiries and purchases are invited. To visit his San Francisco Studio, call 415 285 7987! Hope you like these new Works. They are not on his website but are on exhibit on Facebook at his Fan Page.

PHOTO: Artist Joe Branchcomb (right) with Little Bee’s Stacie Pierce

Neighbor Lauren is a renter who lives (for now — gulp!) in the “iPad House,” the secret home on Perhalta near US101 that has been hidden behind a giant billboard since the dawn of freeway history:

She is also a photographer, and a painter, and a dog-owner, and in a glamorous new show that’s opening downtown tonight, she brings all these threads together:

I’m Lauren Elizabeth, an artist hailing from Alemanistan. I live in the secret iPad house, which is sadly up for sale (my partner and I rent, so the prognosis is not good). Naturally this has me very sad, because now that Bernal is the hottest place in the world, I fear we will have a hard time staying in the neighborhood, let alone San Francisco (we have four dogs – enough said).

Sob story aside, this has motivated me to take lots of photos of bernal houses on my walks, so I can remember the greatest place I’ve ever lived if the time comes to leave. These photos later translated into paintings, which will be on display at Hotel Rex (562 Sutter). The opening reception is Thursday, May 1 from 630 – 8pm. Also, 15% of the proceeds will benefit NorCal Family Dog Rescue.

Here’s my Artist Statement:

Home

A house is a painting. an extension of one’s self. It represents memories of the past, dreams of the future, and place in the present. It is what we make it.

A home is where the painting hangs. The space in our soul that gives it meaning and purpose. The vessel that holds our most beloved memories. We are the creators.

And at the creator’s feet, canine. reflection. The one animal humans have learned to simply walk with. They expand our world to create something greater than ourselves. They know no boundaries, and they claim without shame. Here I am! And there I was! With a dog, the world is our home.

Much love to Family Dog Rescue, and their mantra “a dog makes a house a home.” These paintings were created with my two family dogs at my side, and the inspiration came from our many walks together.

Let us each explore and create our most colorful worlds. preferably with a dog at our feet.

PHOTOS: Lauren Elizabeth, except for Secret iPad House, by Telstar Logistics