7x7 is a proud and longtime supporter of ArtSpan and San Francisco Open Studios, the five-week annual event during which hundreds of local artists open the doors to show their latest work directly to art lovers and new potential clients.

In celebration of this year's festival (October 14th through November 12th), we stopped by the offices and studios of five artists with, gasp, day jobs! In this series, we'll highlight artists with double lives, including a barista artist, a surrealist who sells insurance, and a motorcycle mechanic who more than dabbles in mixed media art.

Meet, Mark Harris, mixed media artist, who translates his passion for political and social justice into his artwork. His works are a reflection of the current political situation we are experiencing and he strives to inspire viewers to consider the values that are ruling the society. His daily job at the motorcycle rental company, to him, is an international news platform where he can talk to people from around the world about their own countries. These experiences then make their way into his collages.

  

Name: Mark Harris

Occupation: Work at a motorcycle rental company, Dubbelju Motorcycle Rentals, in San Francisco

Medium: Harris is a mixed media artist spanning a wide range of techniques including photography, painting and collage. As an avid activist, Harris' art aims to engage and enlighten the public to what's happening in San Francisco and around the world. His notable series of collages, including State of Denial, are his way of protesting and shedding light to police brutality and racism. Another topic Harris is working on is currency and its relationship with wealth; how it's created, who benefits and who suffers, how we all play a role in a capitalist system. All of his investigative artworks will be on show this weekend for Open Studios.

He says: "My art is very political, and working at a motorcycle rental company, I have the chance to meet people from all around the world. I talk to them about what is happening in their countries; they ask me questions about San Francisco, the homeless situation, Trump and I ask them questions as well. There is an exchange that benefits my art and It keeps me aware of the world outside the U.S. but also it makes me more open to absorb different points of view. My work place is a sort of laboratory where I refine my way of thinking and then I translate and transfer it on my art."

Meet him: November 4th and 5th, at SHARED, 739 Bryant Street (SoMa), markharrisstudiosf.com