January 23, 2007 > Creative artwork with an optical illusion Creative artwork with an optical illusion By Charlotte Flowers-West There are many ways we could describe what we see, what we feel, and what we perceive. But it takes skill and a special gifted talent to create what three brilliant artists have done. Traci Bautista, Teresa Camozzi, and S. Brett Kaufman have come together with their artistically creative minds and created artwork masterpieces with an unusual edge. Layers upon layers of pictures and objects create an illusion unique enough to make the eye question what he sees. Some of the creations light up inside to reveal an amazing collage of colors and extraordinary uniquely layered pieces of art. According to one employee of the Gallery, some paintings weighed at least 80 pounds. "Brilliant" is descriptive of what these artists have put on display between the three exhibit rooms in the Olive Hyde Art Gallery. Artist Brett Kaufman will host a lecture and show his art at a program on January 24 at 10 a.m. in the Mission Room of the gallery. Kaufman works primarily in photo sculpture and collage, employing iconic imagery drawn from personal experience and popular culture to construct careful tableaux that merge kitschy visuals with trenchant social commentary. His work has been featured in more than thirty exhibitions throughout California, and he has created cover artwork for publications including San Francisco Sentinel, the Bay Guardian and San Francisco Frontiers. In 1992, Kaufman received a B.A. in Art from San Francisco State University. In 1996 his "Norma Jean Preserved" won Photo Metro's "Best of Show" award. That same year, his "Ode to Harvey Milk" image appeared on posters and playbills for the San Francisco Opera's production of "Harvey Milk" You can see the exhibit, Layer Upon Layer: the Art of Collage now through February 10. Come out and bring along a few family and friends to the Layer upon Layer: The Art of Collage Exhibit when these wonderfully crafted pieces will be on display. Layer Upon Layer Now till February 10 Thursday - Sunday Noon to 5 p.m. Olive Hyde Art Gallery 123 Washington Blvd., Fremont Artist Brett Kaufman will host a lecture and show his art at a program on January 24 at 10 a.m. in the Mission Room of the gallery.