Scene On Canvas: L. A. Contemporary Art

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Jeremy Kidd at Leslie Sacks Contemporary

Larry Bell at Frank Lloyd Gallery

Monday, February 17, 2014

Hilary Taub At Fig Gallery

photo credit Fig Gallery

Hilary Taub's show New Work will be on view at the Fig Gallery in Bergamot Station until March 8th. Her work really conveys a sense of liberalness free of self-consciousness; I'm referring they way artists can be be very self-conscious during the creative process and be too preoccupied with what people with think of their work. When you see an absence of self-consciousness combined with a lot of talent it's a serious treat. What's shown at the Fig Gallery are pieces where she painted over earlier work creating a dialogue between the old and new. You can see the confidence in her style and it adds quality to the work.
I like the way she talks about her work. "I work from a live model and memory, merging what I see in front of me with what is on the paper. This is where the conversation begins. The elements speak to each other, layering, interacting, and merging. As I proceed a line speaks to a color and one shape combines with another. Slowly out of the multiple elements a composition shows itself and the dialogue forms." ~Hilary Taub

Photo credit Fig Gallery

Friday, January 31, 2014

Cherry And Martin

I like a certain kind of art, I like to see craftsmanship and skill. There's definitely a lot of art that I don't care for and I know it when I see it. I think going to art galleries since graduating art school has helped me develop as an artist immensely. Cherry and Martin does't show art that I love, but I'm really thankful they are around, I don't know how to explain it but I think if your doing something creative and want to stretch the limits of what you can create artistically and make the best art you really have to get out of your comfort zone and look at art that is too abstract for your taste. Cherry and Martin is an amazing gallery and never disappoints.

Yassi Mazandi: The Sacred Wheel at Maloney Fine Art

Yassi Mazandi: The Sacred Wheel is on display at Maloney Fine Art until February 22. It's always refreshing to see eye candy at a gallery. After years of making art I can always pick up when an artist makes art and wants it to be beautiful. I never saw anything wrong with that, but it isn't often the objective in a lot of contemporary art. Yassi is a Iranian artist born in Tehran. Her current show is influenced by symmetry, biological forms and repetition of natural forms such as snowflakes, petals, and crystals formation. I like that she references sacred geometry like the art Sri Yantras. She is addressing deep subject matter in a very original way.

Elias Hansen At Anat Ebgi

Elias Hansen solo show "I'm a long way from home and I don't really know these roads," is on view at Anat Ebgi until February 22. When I walked into Anat Ebgi gallery I was incredibly intrigued by the sculptures that I saw, they are so original.
I look to the art dealer and asked "Is that a crack pipe?" He replied with a smile "They're influenced by meth labs."
I smiled while saying "Oh that is so cool!" "He's originally from Washington and is fascinated by that culture." Unfortunately I've had my fair share of encounters with meth heads growing up; never a pleasant experience. I have a lot of respect for the audacity of an artist to examine such a culture and present it in front of billionaire collectors. The result is amazing though.

Illusions of Perfect Utopia: Contemporary Landscape At Walter Maciel Gallery

Illusions of Perfect Utopia: Contemporary Landscape Is a group show with Kelly Berg, Rebecca Bollinger, Ismael de Anda III, Colin Doherty, Amir H. Fallah, Cynthia Ona Innis, John Jurayj, Dean Monogenis, Pepa Prieto Ramon Ramirez and Lisa Soloman on view until February 15th at the Walter Maciel Gallery.
I was immediately taken by Ismael de Anda III work. It's very complex and vibrant. It's the kind of work I want to make, but now I can't because he's already making it. He's from Texas and lives in Los Angeles. His projects can include drawing, sculpture, video and installation. I think it's fascinating that some of the subjects he addresses are the re-interpretation of memory. When I look at his work I think he must be really intelligent.