"Surface Tension" at Gray Loft

Gray Loft Gallery’s summer show, “Surface Tension,” brings together the work of 20 Bay Area artists whose practices draw on water in its many forms. The exhibition moves fluidly between photography, painting, ceramics, and printmaking, revealing water as both subject and metaphor. Rather than settling on a single narrative, the show allows ideas of beauty, fragility, memory, and conservation to ebb and flow through the gallery.

It’s so stubbornly strong it can carve through rock. It’s a constant source of worry, both for its scarcity and its overabundance. Prized for its purity, which is constantly in peril from the actions of humankind, water is always on our collective minds. For many artists, it is also a source of inspiration, and “Surface Tension” demonstrates just how expansive that inspiration can be.

Shorelines, droplets, reflections, and marine life are some of the images that greet me upon entering the space. Rendered in watercolors, captured in grayscale, scanned, and interpreted in ceramics, the artists of “Surface Tension” travel widely within the subject of water. As with most shows at Gray Loft, Watten’s curatorial hand makes the exhibition feel like a visual journey, with works that converse with one another through proximity and concept rather than chronology or medium.

Black and white photographs by Michael Scandling call to me first. Wreathed in a juicy black yet somehow replete with mid-tones, the white crests of waves tipped in sea foam define their way through the darkness. Reminiscent of the impression of a wave left on the shore, with bubbles quickly dispersing into memory, these pieces ask for a longer look and reward those who linger. Their quiet drama lies in the way they hold light and shadow in delicate tension.

A large image of seaweed by Josie Iselin, seemingly lit from within, hangs proudly on the wall. Iselin’s long study and love of seaweed are apparent in the work. Globes of kelp nestle side by side, the water lines within them creating a graphic current that runs through the image. Playful, but somehow telling the story of the ocean from which it springs, the work speaks to ocean conservation and the life housed within it without becoming didactic.

Lisa Anderson’s images of people submerged in water are some of the only works in the show to include the human figure. Bodies suspended in a pool, with legs dangling and bubbles illustrating their movement, lack heads due to the line of the water’s surface. Above, the cheerful stripes of a shade umbrella and nearby trees remain visible, reminding us of the ordinary world just beyond the waterline.

A second black and white image shows a man in a swim cap, his face bisected by a line of bubbles, staring intently outward. Both images are full of play, and the subjects within them appear equally natural and disruptive in their environment. Anderson captures the peculiar sensation of being suspended between two worlds, where water distorts without obscuring.

Gray Loft’s “Surface Tension” allows the necessity, the need to conserve, and the joy of water to exist together in a harmonious balance. Rather than making a singular statement, the exhibition invites viewers to consider water as subject, material, metaphor, and memory.

Participating artists include Andrew Aldrich, Lisa Anderson, Barbara Boissevain, Mark Citret, Betty Jo Costanzo, Monica Denevan, Donna Fenstermaker, Preston Gannaway, Åke Grunditz, Bryan Hewitt, Irene Imfeld, Josie Iselin, Patrick Jagger, Phil Lewenthal, Ginny Parsons, Michael Scandling, Jan Watten, Sally Weber, Sharon Wickham, and John Wood.

The gallery holds events throughout the month, so be sure to check their website. “Surface Tension” runs through August 29, 2026.

GRAY LOFT GALLERY
2889 Ford Street #32
Jingletown, Oakland