Two new relief prints were selected to be part of an upcoming group show, opening December 6th, 6-8 pm at the Couturier Gallery (link HERE) 166 N. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles.
Would love to see my friends there.
the show runs from December 6th 32104 through to January 3rd 2015.
These two prints were selected:
Blue Krampus!
The Great War God, Huitzilopochtli
Thanking J at Couturier for thinking of me once again!
Lg
I’m delighted that some of my work has been selected for another show , right up the street on La Brea, from where my painting Primavera is being shown at the Loft at Liz’s.
The gods are being generous for which I am grateful.
| EXHIBITION: | KALEIDOSCOPE |
| DATES: | July 12 – August 23, 2014 |
| OPENING: | Aritsts’ Opening Reception, Saturday, July 12, 6–8pm |
| GALLERY HOURS: | Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 5pm |
Couturier Gallery is please to present Kaleidoscope, a group exhibition combining emerging and established artists through a spectrum of disciplines. The show incorporates book art, ceramics, collage, paintings, printmaking and tape sculptures. The varied nature of the show creates complex connections between works that forge a rich mosaic of aesthetics, visual language and themes. Artists include: Sandow Birk, Fausto Fernandez, Leonard Greco, Gronk, Judithe Hernandez, Noel Vargas Hernandez, John Hesketh, Jay Kvapil, Nancy Goodman Lawrence, DeLoss McGraw, Antonio Muniz, Connie Rohman, Frank Romero, Irwin Sanchez, Danny Scheible, Ana Serrano, Susan Sironi, Corey Stein, Leslie Love Stone, John Valadez and James Zver. Kaleidoscope runs from July 12 to August 23. Join us for the artists’ opening reception Saturday, July 12, 6-8pm.
For further information or images please contact me @ cg@couturiergallery.com.
one of the three masks selected,The Hero Triplets.
J, the wonderful fellow who runs Couturie Gallery selected several prints and some masks I have been making. I will be exhibiting alongside Judithe Hernandez , who I really admire, I feel very honored and intimidated.
Resurrection of the Father
relief print on paper
2013
Scapegoat
relief print on paper
2014
I need to drop the work off before my yoga class, so I better pack them up.
Until next time,
be well ,
Lg
I am about to walk my painting Primavera over to the gallery Liz’s Loft on La Brea for Night Terrors and Day Dreams curated by the talented Renée Fox, it opens this Saturday.
The Hero Twins are framed and ready to go.
Would love to see you there,
LG
It seems like ages ago when Clive Hicks-Jenkins sent out a puppet challenge (HERE)to the folks who follow him. My natural inclination to jump right in has been thwarted by my keen phobia of the third dimension. I am a painter and I have had very little luck with fashioning objects in the round. I allowed myself some slack in that puppets can be crude and terribly effective, but still…
I had been ruminating about how I wanted the figures to present themselves, oil sketches, watercolor drawings, on and on, just not putting idea to armature. I ended that this week and the following is the unfinished results. Once again I am working with archetypes from the Popol Vuh, the Hero Twins, their slain father,the Maize God and the Axis Mundi (the World Tree)plays a supporting role.
starting off with an idea for the Hero Twins (detail from one of my watercolor paintings),
a quick sketch to figure out logistics
the armature-I love this image
working out the figures in ever reliable Sculpey
thus far, I ran out of aforementioned Sculpey, off to supply shop…
I used fine steel wool , applied to uncured medium, it bake right in perfectly.
Before the heroic fellows there was fittingly the World Tree. I had dreamt of this Axis Mundi , putting dreamscape to panel.
it was just a matter of applying wire and tin foil to an old can ; kindergarten craft class at its most lively.
I enjoyed playing with a form, gnarly trees with anthropomorphic features that I frequently employ in other disciplines; all with the aid of ubiquitous Sculpey.
primed and ready…
now, off to supply store, yoga and then puppetry.
Be well,Lg
Update:
I just finished up (for now anyway) a watercolor painting called Primavera.
Primavera
2014
watercolor on paper
18 by 29 inches
Once again I draw upon the Popol Vuh and the sacrifice-redemption theme. The eternal fascination with the Life and Death cycle never seems to relent; the understanding that through death there is life. I am currently reading Zimmer’s collection of Indian “myths” ( offense term for a faith with current practitioners). But the Hindu grasp of this most elemental truth fascinates and brings a degree of comfort to what can be a deeply discomforting exploration. This painting tries to address some of this. Through the sacrifice of the Maize God, Humankind is born-man made of maize. I wanted to convey the visceral quality of this act, the maize shaft bursting through the actual flesh of our mother earth. Of course this is a very personal imagining with miscellaneous cultural references thrown in as I saw fit. But with Good Friday approaching it felt timely; the resurrected world is colored in Easter egg pastels. the underworld is rich and ripe with verdant greens and blood crimsons.
above ground
The Hero Twins below ground.
One element I enjoyed introducing into the composition was the very feline looking dog. My recently deceased (actually I put him down) daschund Buddy keeps appearing in my dreams. His appearance causes me much conflict. We, I decided to put him down the day before we move back to Los Angeles. This decision has tormented me, for although he was 19 and his health was quickly, seemingly overnight, failing, I still wonder if I put him down for my own convenience. He might very well have lived a bit more, I don’t know. He obviously haunts me but in the spirit of this painting he always appears in my dreamscape, first as deeply broken as the following photo indicates; but as the dream progresses he is fresh, new and reborn, happy and bouncy and beautiful.
I try to take that as a good omen.
All that rambling aside, dogs were believed to be guides in the Maya understanding of Xibalba, the underworld. The little fellow I painted was inspired not by my sleek Buddy but by a chubby ceramic “neighbor” from Colima at LACMA.
detail
Dog Wearing Human Face Mask
Colima, Mexico
Burnished red and orange slip
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
He is a delightful fellow, as was Buddy.
That is it for now, I’m working on a few other paintings, seems to be the season for watercolors right now at least until my new easel arrives which will be strong enough to hold a hefty canvas. I will close with a photo of Buddy, be well Buddy.
Since moving back to LA I have been taking print-making classes at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (link: here) ; it has been so convenient for me, walking distance fom our place. Although the press is smaller than I have been used to, Holly Jerger the young woman running the series has been wonderfully helpful and supportive. She invited the class to submit work to the Los Angeles Printmaking Society ( link :here). The Society is presenting a non-juried show called “Give &Take” in which printmakers submit a series of 10 prints, limited to 8 by 10″ in size. One print will be retained for sale, four will be retained for future society sales and five go into portfolios for artists’ exchange.
Quite a nice way to build your print collection and engage with other printmakers.
My submission, The Scapegoat follows (it is not blurry as the image indicates-I have my printmaker pride after all!):
The Scapegoat
relief print on paper
2014
8 by 10 inches
I will be dropping off the prints this evening, I’m looking forward to the opening event on the 18th at the LA Print Space at the Pacific Design Center (PDC).
Take care,
Lg
I had submitted my painting Gnosis…and the Old Gods Were Pleased to a juried show celebrating women.
Last evening I received the nicest rejection notice.
Although the jurors “loved the piece” it was to excluded because “after a review by the city, they felt the nudity in the piece would not be appropriate for the venue”.
The fellow assigned to this unpleasant task could not have been more diplomatic or supportive, but I am a bit stunned. Really?
Nudity isn’t “appropriate”?
In 2014?
In southern California? This isn’t Selma.
I’m incredulous. I offered to paste on fig leaves, only half joking.
Anyway, my solution is to draw more junk.
detail of the the painting which follows.
Gnosis …and the Old Gods Were Pleased
oil on canvas
2014
Disappointing, but oh well, that is what yoga is for.
Namaste (bitches),
Lg
Boondocks Babylon 