Currently on view at the TAM, we have a few works by Peter Everett featured in the lobby and the exhibition hall. Our lobby sculpture is Utopia, a large dodecahedron, with faces of one-way mirrors, that encloses a model city. The structures are modeled on real-world financial buildings, but arranged in an idealized geometric grouping. This "Utopian" design is built upon a rotating platform and is reflected within the mirrors in an infinite regression.
Here's a video showing the work in motion, alongside its complementary video screens, which show historical examples of Utopian architecture:
Jason Ramos (left) moderates a panel discussion on painting in Los Angeles, with Catlin Moore and Grant Vetter
We had a very eventful day at the Torrance Art Museum on Saturday, February 9th. The afternoon started with a sculpture demonstration by Karen Cope, providing information as to technique and context to her works currently on view, One Gross Face. Then, Grant Vetter gave a talk on his book, The Architecture of Control, discussing the influence of ideology on a wide array of subjects.
Our "main event' was the "Painting in Los Angeles" panel discussion. Moderated by Jason Ramos, the panel was comprised of Catlin Moore, Christopher Pate, Max Presneill, and Grant Vetter. Conversation ranged among various topics, from questioning why art critics recurrently claim that "Painting is Dead" to considering the role that commercial pressures, specifically when establishing gallery representation, plays in how a painter approaches the art of painting.
Yeah, the panel had a lot of "artist's art talk" but it was a lively conversation and presented many engaging opinions and compelling observations.
Karen Cope demonstrated her sculptural technique in Gallery Two.
It was a good time. The TAM thanks all of you who came out to participate in the events, artists and art lovers alike. ;-)
Although the talks and demonstrations are past, the shows continue. Paradox Maintenance Technicians, Theatrical Dynamics, One Gross Face, and Dark Room Presents: McLean Fahnestock, these exhibits all continue until March 9, 2013. So, there are a few more weeks left to come check them out.
Don't miss 'em!!!
Christopher Pate (l) and Max Presneill (r) were panelists at "Painting in LA"
Paradox Maintenance Technicians opened at the Torrance Art Museum on January 19, 2013.
Here at Torrance Art Museum, we're starting off our yearly rotation with a painting exhibition, Paradox Maintenance Technicians, in Gallery One. Showcasing the works of twenty-seven artists, we're continuing our exploration of emerging trends that can be found within the Los Angeles art scene, with a special focus upon new approaches towards abstractions. From the expressive to the minimalist, from the geometric to the organic, there are so many styles and ideas percolating through the realm of the contemporary abstract.
Well, the show opened this past weekend to a large and enthusiastic crowd. Along with Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two, Karen Cope's One Gross Face in the Presentation Hall, and McLean Fahnestock's In The Offing in the Darkroom, we've got a very full set of works on view.
So, here are a few photos of Opening Night.
Facing the Patio, with works by Matthew Choberka and Heather Gwen Martin
The Eastern Wall with works by Helen Garber and Tyler Vlahovich
Along the Southern Wall with works by Lisa Sanditz and Summer Wheat
And it is only proper to start the new year off with some performance art, courtesy of Hannah Schwadron as part of Theatrical Dynamics, curated by David Leapman.
Hannah Schwadron performs among the works of Theatrical Dynamics in Gallery Two
We had a great time at the show. We thank all the artists who came out to support the opening, the TAM's staff for all their hard work, and all you art enthusiasts who joined us to celebrate the beginning of yet another fine year down here in the South Bay.
The show runs until March 9, 2013. So, come check it out and help us maintain the Paradox. ;-)
Paradox Maintenance Technicians in on exhibit at the TAM until March 9, 2013.
One Gross Face by Karen Cope
Along the North Wall with works by Tom LaDuke and Esmeralda Montes
We're looking forward to seeing you all at the TAM!!!
View towards the West Wall, featuring works by Sarah Awad and Juan Carlos Quintana
Detail from The Messenger (2012) by Jesus Max
Oil on canvas on panel
41 x 25 inches
Here's a brief "spotlight" post for our South Bay Focus exhibit, which is running at the Torrance Art Museum until December 15th. This time, we're looking at a couple of works by Jesus Max, The Messenger and Time Warp (After Roger Van Der Weyden). These two works have rich symbolic imagery and interesting references to historical themes of traditional art.
The contrast between the traditional and contemporary elements raises questions for the viewer. Are we to evaluate the painting's premise as commentary upon "Old Master" topics? Or is this a play on the absurd, a parody? Or, perhaps, it is an appropriation of an established visual vocabulary used in expressing something totally new, informed by art history but looking towards emergent aesthetics?
Whatever the case, these works are stimulating and engaging images. Come by the TAM and check them out. ;-)
Detail of Time Warp (After Roger Van Der Weyden) by Jesus Max
2012
Oil on canvas on panel
24 x 77 1/2 inches
With architectural hints receding into a radiant abstract space beyond the picture plane, Yvette Gellis'Ascension immediately grabbed my attention as I entered the gallery. Given the size of this painting, 9 by 13 feet, it felt as though one could fall into these swirling dimensions bounded by yellow voids and deconstructed structural imagery. A moment of awe, a mixture of confusion and delight, compelled me to give this painting a long and detailed scrutiny.
I am an enthusiast of urban landscapes, structural renderings, and architectural caprices of all sorts. Gellis' Ascension struck me as being somewhat of this category, a scherzo di fantasia for the post-modern world where the fragments of buildings dissolve into and emerge from an abstract chaos, a sublime potentiality.
Intrigued, I looked at Gellis' statement for the work, which reads:
“My childhood home disappeared into a tract housing development leaving me with a profound sense of loss. Within my memory are landscapes that contain objects, forms, and spaces that I play with, deconstructing, resurrecting, and changing to reflect the fleeting nature of the everyday world, emblematic of American economic cycles of growth, decline, and rebirth.”
Whereas Old Master caprices dealt with cultural memories of a mythic antique past, Gellis makes it personal. Though vanished like a bubble in the stream of time, childhood persists within the memory and emerges transfigured and sanctified through the creative expression, realized anew in the painter's process. Out from an increasingly homogenized world, the painter can discover and express the profound, whether it is to be found in memory or among the overlooked beauty that surrounds us.
Later, I had to opportunity to talk with Yvette Gellis about her work.
“It's all here for us to see.” She said. “Inspiration is all around us like thoughts in space. These structures, objects, contain history and memories. The painting is a stage in which to articulate, a process to manifest the painter's experiential realization of a spiritual impulse.”
This process is captured in Gellis' work by the tension between the figural and the abstract, even down to the layering and application of the paint. Tightly rendered forms emerge from beneath vigorously applied thick layers of paint. Balanced and considered composition contends with impulsive strokes that express the emotions and inspiration of the moment. It is a struggle between dark and light, between destruction and creation, that Gellis finds as a vital inspiration within her work.
“I want to integrate the figurative back into art, but there's a constant struggle with the restraints of representation and the ambiguity of abstraction.” She said. “They're fighting with each other all the time. In this duality of life, you have to find your own center. And, through this process of painting, you try to find the answer.”
Detail of Ascension (2011) by Yvette Gellis
When viewing Ascension, one can see this conflict and balance being worked out. But what of the large size and bold color?
“I'd like to triple the size. I want to capture the thoughts as they are in a space, visceral memories contained on the canvas, primal and true. Can I reduce these vast impressions down to a page?” She said. “And the color has a psychological quality, bold and invasive but uplifting to the spirit. In the face of hardship or loss, the brightness speaks of hope, that everything is going to be fine.”
Gellis' process in composing her images starts by observing the world around her, taking photographs of buildings, walls, and other architectural constructs. Especially conducive to inspiration are those areas where space and light transition from exterior to interior, like an open door or a collapsed wall. Such areas pose an aesthetic dialectic for the viewer; the liminal quality of place creates an epistemic uncertainty from which one can create a new significance, an exalted new reality guided by memory and imagination towards some self-realized Pure Truth.
“It's a Romantic relationship that I have with painting, although I'm rather reluctant to admit it.” She said. “I want to know where the painting is going. I want to be there pushing the process. There are so many questions to ask, and a lot of angst. But there's something profound, important. That's what I hope to share and experience with the viewers.”
Here's a friendly reminder that "To Live and Paint in LA" will be closing within two weeks, on Saturday, March 10. If you haven't seen this show, don't miss out on viewing the many fine works currently on display. And if you've already paid a visit, come on by and say farewell to your favorite pieces.
The Walk (2011) by Mary Addison Hackett
Oil on canvas
10 x 8 inches
Courtesy of the artist
The smallest work on view in "To Live and Paint in LA" is Mary Addison Hackett'sThe Walk. Rich in color and texture, this painting depicts a commonplace event, a lady walking a dog, but there is a dreamlike quality to the image.
Perhaps it is the ambiguity of space. With the figures situated in muted cool colors, they seem to recede within the picture plane, as the vibrant yellows and whites of the periphery jump out at the viewer. Yet, the red coat of the main figure undercuts this sensation, pulling the figures back to the forefront.
Likewise, the texture of the surface enhances the play of space. With thick layers of paint built up in the background, the figures drift away from the viewer, but the main figure's face is notably layered, emerging from the canvas, projecting forth into the viewer's space.
This painting seems so simple, but the compelling painting technique makes for an intriguing and memorable view, transforming an everyday scene into a transcendent aesthetic experience.
Here are a few vids showcasing other works by Mary Addison Hackett:
"Acts of Moral Turpentine, Part I" at Track 13 Gallery in Nashville, TN
Detail of Highlander (Rebecca) (2009) by Rebecca Campbell
Oil on canvas
82.5 x 44.5 inches
Courtesy of the artist and LA Louver Gallery
Now, we focus our spotlight on Rebecca Campbell'sHighlander (Rebecca), with its quiet and introspective image. Originally a part of a diptych, wherein the artist perceives a contrasting reflection of her youthful self within a young Latina schoolgirl, this work is a strong representation of Campbell's artistic interests.
Specifically, the use of nostalgia and the familiar as a starting point in exploring the Other and the Unknown is a recurrent theme in her work. Here, we see a "self portrait" although the image is not of the artist's physical self; it is a consideration of the commonality of experience, be it youth or ethnicity or femininity, in a series of reflections between the interior and exterior, between the isolated personal identity and the empathic connection to others.
Here are a few vids in which Rebecca Campbell's work is featured:
Detail of A Fairy Story (2012) by Miller Updegraff
Acrylic, glitter and black mica on canvas
41 x 38 inches
Courtesy of Michael Benevento
It's time for another Spotlight post, this time featuring Miller Updegraff's A Fairy Story. In this painting, Updegraff explores the concept of ordering chaos through the act of art making. By setting form to subconscious fantasies and styling them upon the blank void of the canvas, the painter "imposes structure" upon shapeless potentiality.
Yet, in spite of attempts to enforce a delineation, irrationality persists in the very act of creation. Updegraff writes:
"No constellation of ideas or beliefs exists according to which the world may be confidently ordered."
Therefore, within this painting, the limitations of human attempts to intellectually or aesthetically encompass the wholeness of Being are indicated both by the unmarked emptiness underlying the image and by the dream-like vagueness of the image itself.
A Fairy Story is certainly an engaging work, thought-provoking. The glitter and black mica gives the image an effervescent sparkle that no photograph can effectively capture. So, come check it out in person.
From January 21 to March 10, 2012, the Torrance Museum of Art (TAM) will be exhibiting "To Live and Paint in LA", featuring the works of 29 painters, ranging widely in style and technique. This show is a survey of the broader aesthetic trends that influence emerging regional artist.
This show is curated by TAM's own Max Presneill and Jason Ramos. The artists are all new to the museum, bringing a fresh perspective to our institutional dialogue. Here's a list of painters on display:
Over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring some of the exhibited works here at Madrona Musings, but don't be content to merely admire them online. Come on down and check them out for yourself. And, where a link is provided, click on the artist names above to go visit their websites, where you can see more works representative of their unique aesthetic visions.
