Tom Driscol New Sculpture at ICE gallery 3417 30th st. San Diego Ca.

If you are not familiar with Tom Driscols sculpture, here is a chance to see the latest in his innovative approach to object making. ICE gallery has invited Tom to show these polyurthethane pieces for their last show in the current space. They will be moving to Logan Heights after the first of the year. As usual, Tom has hit the cover off the ball with this latest offering.

Alexander Kroll  "a bird is not an ornithologist"  76"x67"  2012 oil on linen
http://www.jamesharrisgallery.com               http://www.cb1gallery.com

Controlled exuberance, deft paint handeling, performative, open ended are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when viewing the new paintings of Alesander Kroll at CB1 gallery in downtown LA. There is a toughness to this group of paintings that is lacking in much of the current work being exhibited in galleries around town. These paintings were hard fought and the final result gives us that evidence. Kroll builds on the vocabulary of abstract painting and in doing so has found an authentic voice. His expansive fields of color are loosely held together with an ambiguous structure the sets up an unusual dialectic. Raw linen interacts with  impasto and wash to become portals to a new way of seeing what painting can be.

Jim Lee
  "Behind the Drapes, Under the Draft"  2012 acrylic on canvas with plywood and staples
    27"x21"x6.5"
http://www.nicellebeauchene.com

"Whether it's pieces of wood, a slice of linen, graphite marks, oil, latex paint, rubber, aluminum, I try to be open and not get caught up with prescribed hierarchies. I don't want to have limitations when I work----I want more possibilities." Quote from interview on www.paintersbread.com

Lees' work is idiosyncratic, multifaceted, straight forward, ambiguous, questioning, intriguing,  Steeped in history while jumping of the cliff of certainty. These odd configurations are very satisfying to say the least.

Zak Prekop "Untitled Transparency"  oil and paper on canvas 72"x48"  2012

http://www.thomasduncangallery.com

Zak Prekop's new paintings at Thomas Duncan Gallery are obvious and obfuscated at the same time. Prekop gives the viewer the opportunity to decipher his take on perception and at the same time takes care not to give too much away on how he crafts his elegant efforts. The viewer is left with a quizzical sense of satisfaction and wonder. The artist has developed a strong sense of what problems and pleasures can be derived from intuitive rule making and deft paint handling. The show is not to be missed if you are in LA the month of November.

Alice Neel 1900-1984   Self Portrait  54"x40" oil on canvas 1980

Always unfashionable and always true to her self. One of Americas greatest portrait painters.  She painted the truth and was uncompromising to the end of her life.http:/www.davidzwirner.com

Jonathon Borofsky  Flowers at 2984208  48"x40" hand colored screen print 1986

http://www.borofsky.com

Jeff Colson  "Jumbo Cube" wood and paint  60"x60"x60" 2007-10
http://www.gf.org/fellows/17181-jeff-colson

Pasadena based Jeff Colson has been awarded a Guggenheim grant for 2012. His show last year at ACE in Beverly Hills was a stunning example of what an artist can accomplish when given time. Many of the works took years to complete.

Andrew Masullo "5173"  oil on canvas 30"x24" 2009-10

http://www.danielweinberggallery.com

Masullo is a non objective painter that works in the same vernacular  as Thomas Nozkowski, Jim Lee and others. His work opens doors and asks questions rather than setting up enigmatic conceptual theories. His intuitive approach is inventive and usually right on since he sometimes takes up to 10 years to complete a modest size painting.

Milton Resnick  (1917-2004)  "Untitled"  oil on canvas  1983
http://www.cheimread.com

Ab Ex painter that never quite received the accolades that his contemporaries De Kooning, Ad Reinhardt did during the 50's. However, it appears that he may have laid the ground work for the minimalists like Robert Ryman, Donald Judd, et. all. His all over approach to painting brought into question the fore ground, middle ground, back ground dictum of the modernists and paved the way for a new way of looking at painting.

Thornton Dial b. 1928 "Bone House" mixed media 75"x99"x11"  2000

Rick Griffin or Phillip Guston............which eye ball came first? 

Martin Kippenberger (1953-1997) "Egg Sock" oil on canvas 1996
http://www.zwirnerandwirth.com

Kippenberger combined many styles and approaches to his art making. Eclectic, provocative   and oddly egalitarian, he was chided by many in the art world for his prankster style and self promoting demeanor. However, many considered his unusual mix of sculpture, painting and installations a harbinger of things to come in the art community.

Steve Gibson  "South Park" mixed media on paper 30"x41" 2012

http://www.stevegibsonart.com

Agnes Martin "Untitled" oil on canvas 72"x72" 1977
http://www.zwirnerandwirth.com

Martin's quietly elegant work evokes a poetic toughness that can only be explained via her focused mind and unerring hand. Her installation at the DIA Beacon is a wonderful homage to her vision and skill as a painter. Not to be missed if you are in NYC.

Richard Hull  "Age" oil and wax on linen 24"x20"  2012
http://www.westernexhibitions.com

Hull is a Chicago based artist that has been exhibiting his paintings since the mid 70's. He has evolved his imagery from early architectural narratives to a more abstract approach in his more recent work. Although they are abstract, the paintings underlying elements of a figurative iconography are apparent. Having viewed his work over these many years, I am impressed with his ability to retain a consistent thread while continuing his push into new realms and possibilities.

Aidan Doherty  "Jumping Geoffrey" oil on linen 50cmx45cm  2008
http://www.aidandoherty.co.uk

Doherty is a young painter that works intuitively and without much concept cluttering his mind as he slowly develops his images. He paints, scrapes and removes areas that develop elements of interest. These elements of interest are then reworked and labored over until they reveal a subtle and refined surface where intriguing  imagery confronts the viewer. Very engaging work.http://www.aidandoherty.co.uk

Matt Connors  "The Cave" oil on canvas 16"x14.25" 2005
http://www.baileygallery.com


The artists description of his approach to his work:
"The way I think about my work is more of a long-term/bigger-picture/evolutionary-process kind of mode, wherein the larger body of work that is slowly emerging is perhaps more important, or more relevant than each individual work or individual grouping of works/installation....There's a process within individual works, but there's also a larger idea of process, progress, learning, constructing meaning (a kind of personal poetics) that I hope emerges from the works/installations/shows in relation to one another, forwards and backwards in time."

Chris Martin "Seven Pointed Star For Darwin" mixed media on canvas 29 1/2"x25 1/8" 2006-09
http://www.corcoran.org

What's not to like? Martin has rightfully gained the title of "an artists artist" in his adopted town of Brooklyn. He has consistently followed his own path as a painter for over 40 years. His audacious approach to producing work blends intuition with intellectual rigor that yields results that are surprisingly accessible and enjoyable. 

Gary Stephan  "Untitled" acrylic on canvas  56"x70" 2011
http://www.deveningprojects.com

Stephan has been producing paintings since the late 60's. For me, his work has always had the unique quality of pushing imagery and technique into unfamiliar territory. His work initiates a feeling that it is wrong but in the right way. 

Alexander Gorilzki  "Today's The Day" pigment on paper 14 5/8" 20 3/8" 2011

http://www.gdvgallery.com

Gorilzki works with a studio in India that collaborates with him in producing intimate, eccentric and supremely crafted surreal/op images. He borrows on the tradition of Indian and Persian miniatures, tantric themes and obsessive, if slightly off kilter, design. 

Peter Saul "Better than De Kooning" acrylic and oil on canvas 2008 84"x72"

http://www.davidnolangallery.com

Arguably one of the most subversive painters of his or any other generation. Saul is at his best when he lambasts the pretentious elements of society. His technique is masterful and his skewed vision of the world has been consistent and unrelenting for over 40 years.

Forrest Bess  1911-1977     "untitled" oil on canvas  1947 4.5"x2.8"
http://www.menil.org

In case you missed the Whitney Biennial this year, the Menil Collection in Houston, Tx. will be installing a show of Forrest Bess and Robert Gober in the Spring of 2013.

Bess was a self taught visionary painter from Bay City, Tx. that showed his paintings with the  Betty Parsons Gallery in NYC from 1949 to 1967. His work was developed with a quirky system of abstract  symbols derived from his dreams and his reading of medicine, psychology, philosophy, anthropology books as well as Carl Jung. 

Zak Prekop  Untitled  oil on linen 36.5"x28.25" 2009

http://www.shanecampbellgallery.com

Here is good evidence that painting is alive, well and flourishing in some studios in Brooklyn.

Richard Aldrich  "Large Treib Painting" oil, wax, and pencil on linen 84"x58" 2008

http://www.bortolamigallery.com

Is this an example of:
a. provisional painting
b. relational aesthetics
c. open ended painting
d. none of the above

Alfred Jensen (1902-1981)   Remote Sensing 1979 oil on canvas 86"x86"

Who knew that Alfred Jensen lived in San Diego in the years 1924 and 1925? He attended San Diego High School at night and worked as a lumber salesman during the day. He also attended the San Diego Fine Arts School in Balboa Park during this period. Like Steve Roden, he is another systems painter with an inventive mind and facile hand. Learn more about this fascinating artist at his website below.

http://www.alfredjensen.com

John Baldessari   Most interesting man in the art world? Certainly the most written about and refered to. Look for a multi volume set of his lifes work produced by a major university press coming soon. 

Steve Roden   Tacet Permutations  oil, acrylic on linen 81"x81" 2012
http://www.inbetweennoise.com
 Painting is a very, very quiet and deeply intuitive activity for me, and so I rarely question decisions such as, "why are you using blue here, red would work better." I try never to force things I want, but to negotiate with the painting and generally to let it have its way with me.

It's unconscious certainly , and feels accidental, and I rarely end up remembering the sources; but these moments allow me to at least feel like I'm pulling things from inside me rather than from any one else.

Steve Roden from interview in Modern Art notes with Tyler Green

Roden uses arbitrary systems to facilitate his work. These systems, many based on music scores, give a structure to his uniquely intuitive approach. The result is a wonderfully eclectic collection of images, sounds and forms.

Kevin Appel  "Salton Sea (dock)  48"x60" oil and uv cured ink on canvas over panel 2012
http://www.vielmetter.com

Apple has an interesting mix of photographic and painterly approaches to his work. The ground is a digital photo, in this case scenes of the Salton Sea, that he paints into and on to achieve his desired affect. His compositions are formally astute and harmonious. The application of color and texture set up an interesting dialectic as it redefines the photographic ground. All together, a quite satisfying experience. 

Alan Davie b.1920  "Monument to a Celtic spirit #8" gouache on paper 22.40"x29.87" 2001


http://www.jameshaymanfineart.com

Alan Davie was a contemporary of Pollack, Karel Appel, De Kooning, De Buffet, and Max Ernst. His painting is informed by Jungian symbolic archetypes, music and mystic musings.
 In a correspondance with James Hayman, his gallerist in London, he wrote"Jazz is a medium where I could be carried (out of myself) by an intoxicatingly rhythmic urge (strongly reminiscent of sexuality) and creating (in a kind of trance) elaborate melodic lines floating on a sequence of chords making movements and loops and lunging forms entirely by intuition, but without any conscious intention or preconceived plan." This statement is a corollary for his painting as well.


At 92, Davie continues his intuitive  search for the universality of the human condition in his art. 

Bruce Thorn  "Catch 22" oil on panel 49.7 cm x 39.7 cm 2008

One of the truly underrated artists in Chicago. He is a committed visionary whose well crafted work captures the aura of the towns artistic past and present in a uniquely authentic way.
http://www.brucethorn.com

Peter Gallo  "Narrenschiff" oil on linen on wooden frame with staples  26.5"x18" 2011
http://www.hortongallery.com

Jay Johnson installation at San Diego County Operatons Campus


Ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday August 7, 2012
5500 Overland Drive
Free parking in structure on Farnham Street at Ruffin Road
1 P.M. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
2 P.M. Self-Guided Tour of Art Collection
3:30 - 5:30 P.M. Reception for Artists

Bill Jensen  "time after time" oil on canvas  32"x24.75"  1993-2009


http://www.cheimread.com

Steve DiBenedetto   "We Blew It" 60"x 48" oil on canvas  2010


http://www.davidnolangallery.com

Charline Von Heyl      "Pink Vendetta" 2009       82"x72" acrylic and oil on linen


http://www.petzel.com

Olsen Kundig Architects

http://www.olsenkundigarchitects.com

                               Karl Benjamin (1925-2012) "Totem Group IV" oil on canvas

Catherine Ruane  "Eucalyptus" charcoal on paper 22"x30" 2008
http://www.catherineruane.com

http://www.stevegibosnart.com

Steve Gibson  "Dreaming of Space Travel" ink and paint on mylar 18"x18" 2009

Stephen Beal  "White 1" acrylic, graphite, gouache on wood panel 20"x20" 2012 http://georgelawsongallery.com

Ben Pritchard          Rench 2010 oil on linen 16"x22"

http://www.danielweinberggallery.com

Carlson Hatton                        
http://www.carlsonhatton.com

 Douglas Melini "Invisible Change" 2012 acrylic paint on canvas with painted frame 

http://www.featureinc.com

Raul Guerrero http://www.raulguerrero.com

Don't miss his booth, Beyond the Border, at the San Diego Art Fair this September. He will be the most interesting man at the fair.

Nice group of golfers. Can you name them all?

Tom Driscol is a San Diego artist that does interesting wall mounted work cast from recycled packaging. His work was see in last years exhibition "Here not there, San Diego artists" at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla Campus. He uses colored cement to make the work.

Indifferent But Distanced Perfectly

Jessica McCambly's work captures the sublime. Exquisite line, color and form. She has a mystics eye with a formalists understanding of any medium she touches.

http://www.jessicamccambly.com

Heather Gwen Martin painting. Some of the most interesting work being done in L.A. today.