Leigh McCarthy “In Search of the Miraculous” opening reception Saturday, November 22, 2008, 5-8pm and by appointment; The Coop, 1108 Howard St. at 7th, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.leighmccarthy.com

The story of how Leigh McCarthy created her new print series and multi-media show IS miraculous. Housebound post shoulder surgery, McCarthy stumbled upon a voyeuristic website that featured videos of modern day shipwrecks- youtubish movies of ships going down, dramatically filmed from the passenger seat of a hovering helicopter.  Disconsolate during her convalescence, she was mesmerized by the lonely violence of the tragedies.  She began a series of sketches of heroic sailing ships. 

Then, one day, the fortuitous accident occurred:  McCarthy drew Ghost Ship I and scanned it into her computer, then printed it on the wrong side of an emulsion- the slick side of the clear plastic instead of the tacky side.  The ink immediately started to break apart and dissipate, like rain on a windshield.  The black turned into purples, navies and sea greens.  She managed to scan the image three times before it disappeared into a shapeless blob.

Thanks to high-tech fine art printer Urban Digital Color, the result is a hauntingly beautiful print series, blown up to a large scale, and framed in contemporary black metal.  Ghost Ship I is proud and new, Ghost Ship II is a marriage on the rocks, Ghost Ship III is the moment you wake up from a nightmare. 

McCarthy has curated a complete body of work around the prints.  A second series, “Run Aground” features a cursed tanker.  Two mixed media pieces have soulfully-crafted frames of reclaimed wood; one reminisces a handmade sailor’s valentine with the words of e.e. cummings; the other, a large diorama, looks far into the future, appropriating cover art from Thomas Friedman’s best seller about globalization, The World is Flat.  Plus a few more surprises. 

McCarthy’s choice of traditional subject matter is a new trend for her. This from the woman whose body of work includes “Self-Prescription Kit,” complete with blank prescription pads, and a performance of George Brecht‘s “Spanish Card Piece.”  McCarthy is one of the founding members of LA Art Girls, who were invited to create two Fluxus events at the Getty Museum (2006 and 2008), inspired by material from the Getty’s own archives. 

McCarthy received her MFA from Goldsmiths College in London with an emphasis in conceptual art.    After relocating to San Francisco in 2006, the artist worked as a visual effects producer at Industrial Light & Magic for a couple years, and is now making art full time.  McCarthy has shown at Phantom Galleries, Los Angeles (2008), L.A.C.E., Los Angeles (2006), Anna Helwing Gallery, Culver City (2005), and the Institute of Contemporary Art, London (2000).

Her self-produced solo show can be viewed at her SOMA shared studio space, the Coop.  Pronounced like “chicken coop,” the space is a small collective of artists, writers and designers.  Stop by this Saturday, November 22, from 5-8pm, or make an appointment for a time that’s more convenient for you.  Highly recommended for collectors who love sailing and have large walls!  Prices reflect the work of an emerging artist who is not represented by a gallery- yet.