Shop the collection
At first glance, you see oil paintings. But look again. These are mixed media collages, masterfully designed to deceive the eye and stir the soul. This is no accident. It’s the result of decades of digital artistry, from the early days of Digital Darkroom in the 80s, to the layered precision of modern Photoshop and AI tools.
I can’t draw to save my life (stick figures run from me in fear), but I can build a story from scraps. I use books, magazines, pixels, and machine minds to tell visual tales. I print them on canvas, give them a special coating, and voilà — they walk and talk like paintings.
Some pieces are one-of-one. Most are editions of five. But every single one is distinct. If you’re someone who appreciates originality, storytelling, and visual impact, these artworks offer something rare: authentic expression in a world of sameness.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: JAY ALEXANDER
For decades, Jay Alexander has traveled the world as one of the most celebrated magicians and mentalists of his generation. His acclaimed show, Mind Tricks Live, isn’t just entertainment—it’s an invitation to experience wonder in real time. The highest-rated show in San Francisco.
But behind the curtain of illusion, there has always been another world waiting to emerge.
Long before the stage lights, Jay was surrounded by art. His grandfather was Joseph Pfeffer, an artist who painted haunting works about the Holocaust.
In high school, a chance visit to the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston changed everything. Jay discovered Robert Rauschenberg, an artist who reimagined the ordinary into the extraordinary. The grit, collage, and layered storytelling of Rauschenberg’s work became a significant influence.
Jay began crafting his own visual language—projecting slides onto foam sculptures, cutting and reassembling photographs, and capturing new realities through the lens. That pursuit led him to San Francisco on a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute, where by day he created art and by night performed street magic at Fisherman’s Wharf.
Over time, performance took center stage, but the art never stopped. It simply evolved, finding new forms, new audiences, and new ways to connect.
Now, Jay Alexander brings those two worlds together.
His latest collection, Wonder Menagerie, transforms the gallery into a living stage where illusion and imagination coexist. Each piece invites the viewer to step closer—to interact, to question, to play. Some works conceal puzzles and hidden tricks; others transform as you move. Every creation challenges the boundary between art and magic.
The show’s lenticulars, anamorphic illusions, and layered collages that look like paintings evoke that same awe felt in his performances—the moment when disbelief gives way to delight.
Through Wonder Menagerie, Jay invites guests not to stand back and observe but to enter the experience. To rediscover the joy of curiosity. To see that wonder is not an illusion—it’s an invitation.
Step into the world of the Wonder Menagerie—where art and magic finally meet.
Join us at the opening on Tuesday, November 4th, at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre Gallery.
5-7:00 pm
Free
The show runs all month.
Have Questions?
jay@jayalexander.com
(415)305-6893
29 W. Pier
Sausalito, CA 94965