Urban images

Barry Sakata sure knows how to pick artists. As with most galleries, Sakata searches the universities for fresh master-of-fine-arts (MFA) graduates to bring into the gallery world. But instead of just looking at the local schools, he goes well beyond Sacramento. This month’s show at B. Sakata Garo, located at 923 20th Street, features the work of three recent MFA grads from different areas of California. Not only is the work really good, but also, the art pieces by these three fit well together. The whole show loosely deals with the cold, lonely and gritty areas of urban life. Terry Thompson paints close-ups of old neon signs in a way that isn’t nostalgic and cheesy and that’s fresher than the work of many 1970s photorealists. Ryan Reynolds’ loose paintings involve the patterns and repetition seen in cities, often blurring realism and abstraction. Freddy Chandra’s rectilinear minimalist graphite and mixed-media pieces explore depth. It’s good to see these artists putting their degrees to good use.