Casey O'Connell is a young artist. She is absolutely wonderful. She took a commission I offered…read moreher, and she made the effort to get to know me first. We talked on the phone for more than an hour on a couple different occasions, until she got a sense of me. Then she turned around and painted the sweetest painting I've ever owned... her works are wonderful, as you can see if you check out her website. San Francisco has accepted this young Florida transplant with open arms and I'm super happy for her! If you ever get a chance to view one of her gallery showings, you really should. You could also opt to view the room she painted at Hotel Des Arts, but you'd have to share a bathroom if you stay in that room! Or you can also check out her website and see what she's up to. I love love love her! Upon meeting her, I felt like I'd known her for a while already, and she is just as sweet as her paintings. Casey's a lovely girl that I hope makes it big time. Of everyone I know, she truly deserves it for her hard work, productivity and adherence to her integrity. YAY Casey!

They say that art is supposed to hit you on an emotional level, and while I've always been able to…read moreappreciate art in the "ooh, pretty" kind of way, I've never been moved to the point of buying something - until I met Casey O'Connell. Casey's work evokes an instinctual reaction that is hard to intellectualize - you simply know that you are absorbing emotion: yours, hers, the guy next to you...it almost doesn't matter. Her style is very distinct, yet from what I've seen, has a universal ability to appeal to broadly divergent tastes. When I finally had her paint a commission for me, I didn't have something specific in mind, so I just met with her and let her follow whatever inspiration she had. The result quite literally blew me away. Since I can't do the piece justice, I won't even try, but let's just say that when I saw it, it was clear that after spending an afternoon with me, she saw me more clearly than most people ever even bother. Look at her website, go to her shows, and if you are able, have a commission done. I promise you won't be disappointed. Update: check out a recent review of her - http://www.juxtapoz.com/

Suzanne painted my portrait last week in my Seattle studio, and she did an amazing job. Not only…read morewas I able to relax and chat with her as she painted me (not what I expected!), she was excellent about showing me her progress on the image and explaining various techniques to me as she worked. Suzanne made me look absolutely great, and was super speedy! She managed to capture all of the nitpicky details of my ridiculous outfit and she works magic with color. I love the greens in my portrait! She's fabulous! Hire her immediately!

Why can I give Suzanne only 5 stars? Not enough stars are available to describe this amazing artist…read moreand wonderful person. Right after we got engaged earlier this year, my new fiance and I realized we needed a different kind of engagement portrait. You know, something other than your standard engagement photo (she jumps on piggyback on the beach at sunset, etc etc). We'd been wanting to spring for one of Suzanne's paintings for ages, and we now have a double portrait hanging in our home! It's magical, a treasure. And the process of posing was comfortable and pleasant. We weren't sure exactly how we wanted to be situated, but Suzanne asked good questions and made suggestions and guided us toward a lovely classical pose (with some rather nonclassical elements!). So much better than beach piggyback! Call her. You won't regret it.

Ginger is an incredible organizer and MC. I have attended several Cat's Pajamas events as an…read moreaudience member, and the shows are full of a wonderfully diverse array of performers - poets, musicians, burlesque dancers, performance art. Every time I see Ginger host an event, I am impressed with her ability to engage and hold the crowd during set changes. She has a vibrant, positive energy that quickly draws the crowd in and keeps them smiling and wanting more. She always knows about each performer and presents them to the audience in a positive, enthusiastic way that makes spectators eager to see what will come next. Her brilliant smile, smoky voice, and excellent delivery, combined with her own magnetic stage presence, all contribute to Ginger's ability to engage a crowd of any size. I have also performed at two Cat's Pajamas showcases and several other events that Ginger has MC'ed, and each time, she has been a fabulous person to work with. Both times that I performed at the Cat's Pajamas (in two different musical projects), Ginger was incredibly organized and the evenings went incredibly smoothly as a result. Both times, I received e-mails well in advance of the event that listed the evening's lineup with start and end times for each performer, reiterated everyone's technical needs, and included the names of the sound person and the stage manager. We were given times for soundcheck and precise information about how many comps and drink tickets we would be given. The night of the event, our soundchecks went as planned, we were warmly welcomed and asked if we had everything we needed, and we knew exactly when we would be going on stage. And the schedule was followed. And everyone was happy. Ginger respects the artists she works with, and she respects her audiences. She promises a great show for both performers and audience, and she delivers. Somehow, she manages to make all of this look effortless. She is always dressed in something stunning - though she doesn't really need anything other than her radiant smile to look great. Ginger is also a wonderful spoken word poet and singer in her own right, and it goes without saying that she knows her cocktails.

Quite simply, I love Ginger. She's a fabulous MC, gifted poet, tremendous event organizer - The…read moreCat's Pajamas being a true case in point - and all round charismatic performer. She also has true integrity and puts her heart and soul into every event she's involved in. The end result is always stunning and wonderfully organized. And to cap it all, since she seems to have her finger on the pulse of the city (in that she now knows so many wonderful acts in every genre imaginable), she has a huge treasure trove of artists to draw from to create her magic. I can't recommend her highly enough.

Well Well Well, the poor people have arrived. I did that three times to honor the peasants that got…read morecalled out today by crendor, the still currently employed podcaster at Cox n Crendor In The Morning. You were the sacrificial "cow" my friend but don't worry, you'll have a story to talk about with your friends the rest of your cryptosporidium filled water drinking life. World, why be ashamed of your poverty you gotta own it! I"m sick of this pc "Bull Patootie" that namby pamby wussies spew about diversity and non judgement, it is human nature to judge. If we did not, we'd all dress talk and be the same but lets face it we're not all created rich noooope i'm middle class, you're poor, he's rich. That's not rude its FACT whats so hard about that, can't you handle the truth? Then shut up, and get a job Honey Boo Boo I don't wanna pay for your food stamp treatment. You can't have it both ways. You can not live in a cardboard box and not expect everyone especially the underpaid online news correspondant to dis you. FACT! Cox n Crendor is a great source of entertainment and they treat everyone with the amount of respect they deserve. *If you don't get this then watch this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hP1wkZcAPE - and this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvlD7nWTAU - this is all in good fun, if you saw the videos you know why it's funny*

Fantastic. This quality education office has helped my child learn the ins and outs of the ACT's…read moremath section. Fortunately, even through he fail high school, he will be ready to take his ACT next year. I don't know what he'd do without their great engagement and personalized tutoring. Karson is doing great!

Incredible. Book +…read moreBlue Bottle + Yann Tiersen + Patricia's Green = :-)

"Ecstasy" was on display in this space from February 2010 through October 2011. I assume she's now…read morein storage at American Steel Studios in West Oakland. If you like Karen Cusolito's work, two (giant, steel) flowers from her "Infinitarium" series are on display in the Mid-Market neighborhood, an installation sponsored by the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission. "Dandelion" is at the eastern end of U.N. Plaza and "Valiant Flowers" are across Market St. from that. "Future's Past" by Kate Raudenbush will be installed in Patricia's Green in early May!

Excellent food, entertainment and ambiance. Would highly recommend if you had a chance to go…read more Sometimes it could get a bit loud and there was this one groom who was sliding around on the dance floor on his belly, but all in all still a classy place to take a first date or especially that someone you really like. I would recommend invitatations because this event tends to get crowded very early. We showed up at 230pm and was able to walk right in, but by 245pm the doors were closed because they were already at capacity. Try the short rib - it was amazing! Also the white cake dessert and flip book photo booth were cherries on top for the evening. I wish I could give an extra star just for the service. Not only did they fill my drinks and bring me food (all free of charge!), but they also had a number of staff dressed as customers that really went out of their way to call us by name and ask us how we've been, what we've been up to, how is my brother Bryant, etc. Truly unbelievable attention to detail! Tip: The main hostess was super friendly and personally greeted everyone and asked how their meal was. Get to know her and you'll be all set. You should be able to spot her from her fabulous white dress.

This wedding is fantastic! The flipbook booth is really fun and the brie is delicious. I can't wait…read moreto try the dinner!

Amazing klezmar / jazz / swing band we hired for our wedding! Ben Brussels, the band leader, was…read moreprofessional and friendly, and helped us greatly to enjoy our reception. The band played a mix of traditional Jewish music, popular hits, jazz and swing. Ben was happy to oblige us with some non-traditional requests, and spent two hours helping us to outline our event and prepare us for the evening. On our wedding day, he took great pains to arrive early, helped non-Jewish guests feel comfortable about participating in the Hora, and responded to the crowd's moods with a variety of music. Thanks Ben!

I truly can not recommend Ben Brussell and Klezmania highly enough. Every single aspect of working…read morewith Ben was easy and actually a joy -communicating and planning my daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration. The band's music was extraordinary - beautiful and motivating and energizing. Ben and Klezmania understood the mood and energy level and we literally had 100 people (children, teens and adults; Jews and non-Jews; dancers and non-dancers) all holding hands and twirling and swirling together on and on. It was a once in a lifetime experience. (Maybe twice in a lifetime - we will definitely hire them again for our son's Bar Mitzvah!)

"This Dance This Place" is Lizz Roman's best work. Everything works together in a beautiful and…read moresurprising way. The building's architecture is a fantastic jungle gym for the dancers, and yet watching the piece, it doesn't seem disjointed. There is a sense of magic and mystery in how all of the elements fit together. There are memorable images throughout. Sometimes we just see a portion of the body, other times the entire company is in our field of vision. Either way it isn't important to see the whole dance at once; rather the various elements add up to their own logic and it all hangs together.

I was lucky enough to stumble into Lizz Roman & Dancers' most recent performance at Dance Mission…read moreTheater on 24th Street. She's a local choreographer (with dance gang) who appears at various local venues in SF. The performance was called "At Play" - sounds conventional but it was anything but. The audience moved around to different areas within the theater to view pieces of the performance. We stood outside in an alley to watch a dance segment taking place on the fire escapes, along with street people, neighbors, and a trio of musicians. It was not all gimmick or hook though - the movement of dancers being propelled within door frames, outside windows and down staircases was compelling and energizing. High quality live music really added to the show. Imaginative and full of fun, I'll be watching her website to see what's up next. Even if you're not a huge dance fan, Lizz Roman's work is accessible and highly entertaining.