I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be in an upcoming group show at the
Sam Lee Gallery called Blot Out the Sun: Work from North of Los Angeles. If you are going to be in the LA area I would love to see you there!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Blot Out the Sun: Work from North of Los Angeles
December 13, 2008 - January 24, 2009
Reception for the Artists: Saturday, December 13, 6 - 9 pm
Los Angeles, CA - Sam Lee Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition guest-curated by James Gobel entitled Blot Out the Sun: Work from North of Los Angeles. The show opens December 13 and closes January 24; the gallery will host a reception for the artists on Saturday, December 13, 6 9 p.m.
Blot Out the Sun features works by Rachelle Cohen, Rebecca Ebeling, Christina Empedocles, Renée Gertler, Lindsay Jessee, Leah Rosenberg, Colleen Sanders, Kathryn Van Steenhuyse, and Adrianne Watson. These nine artists represent the diverse creative presence inhabiting the Bay Area. Some, like Ebeling and Rosenberg, are permanent residents, while others, such as Jessee, has moved on to other corners of the world. Nevertheless, San Francisco unites them all. As recent MFA graduates of the California College of the Arts, these artists produce work that is bold, intricate, inquisitive, and exploratory.
Rachelle Cohens drawings, paintings and collages map out geographical territories in colorful arrangements. The works evoke thoughts on our connections to specific locations and the impact made due to these relationships, ranging from environmental to sentimental.
Rebecca Ebelings chaotic watercolor swirls interact with collage derived from the pages of high fashion magazines. The artist plays with the notion of beauty and questions its ability to persist in the face of distortion, ultimately leading to its own demise.
Christina Empedocles wax pencil drawings present Hollywood faces that inevitably stir up feelings of familiarity and nostalgia. Other works offer birds and assorted fauna both layered and pinned, literally or by means of trompe-loeil.
Renee Gertlers OMG:void muses on ideas such as the magnitude of nothingness, black holes, time and space, and the situations in which we try to unravel their mysteries. Building on the impossibility of understanding these foreign concepts, Gertler suggests a party scene as the unlikely backdrop for a discussion on metaphysics.
Lindsay Jessees small format paintings explore the various shapes of space. The works are simultaneously two and three-dimensional, allowing the viewer a dual experience. As one part sculpture, the painting requests the exploration of its angles and shadows. As one part painting, the work also demands attention to color and composition on a singular plane.
Leah Rosenberg makes similar demands as she utilizes meticulous layering processes to create colorful indicators of time and its passing. Rosenberg layers and accumulates acrylic paint until vivid stacks come to fruition. Statement colors render the works particularly lively: the eye is inevitably drawn to them.
The intricacy and care with which Colleen Sanders treats her tangles and braids is in the tradition of art as an ex-voto, thus connecting her work to religious devotionals and superstition. At the same time, terrestrial beauty dominates divinity: we appreciate Sanders work for the visual pleasures it provides.
Kathryn Van Steenhuyses faded blots and streaks in transparent layers create compositions that are sometimes anatomical. Jabs of brushwork or knobs of flat color become the guts and personality of each painting.
Synergy is at the heart of Adrianne Watsons work, which attempts to unite two entirely different experiences: living in the Philippines during World War II and growing up in rural Nebraska. Basing her paintings on her grandmothers stories as well as on her Nebraskan childhood, Watson creates a union of Filipino cultural symbols, young children and wartime machinery. The result is a disarming yet sincere effort to gain familial understanding across the generational divide.
Digital images are available for press purposes. Please email (info@samleegallery.com) for reproduction requests.
Sam Lee Gallery is located at 990 N. Hill Street #190, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Phone 323-227-0275, Facsimile 323-227-0256. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 6 pm. For detailed information, please visit the gallerys website, www.samleegallery.