“CALIFORNIA Dreaming” Opens Saturday, July 11th at Essentia Showroom in Santa Monica

Santa Monica’s Essentia Showroom presents two New York street artists, Westgard and FLOrE. The artists have shown their work together before and will be showcased in a two-person show named “CALIFORNIA Dreaming.”

For this exhibition, ten of each artist’s solo works will be on view. He said he is looking forward to showing at Santa Monica’s Essentia showroom. This is my first full show in California. I will be flying in a few days before the show with a one way ticket.” When asked if he thought LA artists would be very different, he answered, “No I think artists are the same all over the world. Their work may look different.”

Well known for his “Love” themes on the streets of New York City, Westgard has an eclectic yet positive energy in his art. He talks about his work…“The Love tag is so simple, but powerful…People need it, they take to it. They email me and tell me how it helped them through a hard day or just made them smile while walking by.”

Westgard is a fan of painter, Johan Vermeer.  One of his works entitled 1665, was inspired by Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring. “I have always loved this image. Vermeer is a master,” said Westgard. “As I find/create my own style I enjoy "remaking" these classic images as well as creating brand new pieces.”

1665, 30 x 40 inches, Acrylic and latex on canvas, 2015

Westgard has shown his work in several pop up shows in NYC, Manhattan Proper, Refinery Rooftop, Salon de Lafayette, etc. In LA he has shown at Gallery 38 and NWO Gallery.  

Another street artist, FLOrE said he believes we (as a society) are pushed into stereotypes. He tries to avoid that at all costs with his art. He explains, “I try to see things simple, but you can get lost very easily in the monotonous pattern of life. Hi-def, multi-colored filters, or distractions, can mask reality; I want to deconstruct and expose those layers for what they really are, not just what they seem.”

When asked what he was most excited about, he answered, “To show my work it has been a while since anyone has seen my new work and it super rad and I’m so proud of it i cant wait to see the people react.” 

See image by FLOrE Think inside the Box 

FLOrE has shown in both NYC and LA, at venues such as Gallery 69, Arlington grocery, Manhatan Proper. Studio Bancs, Gallery 38, Stone Malone, NWO Gallery, lab art and more.

The two artists first me Lou D’Elia (curator), at Essentia Showroom. They happened to be visiting from New York when walked into artist reception.

D’Elia is also an artist in his own right. He is an accomplished assemblage artist as well a busy curator. He will also be featured in a documentary running nationally on PBS entitled BREAKING THROUGH THE CLOUDS, which begins on August 1^st.  He explains, “It tells the story about the first women's national air derby that took off from Santa Monica in August 1929 and concluded in Cleveland Ohio.  Will Rogers dubbed the race "The Powder Puff Derby."  I am interviewed/featured because I am the custodian of the Estate of Pancho Barnes, who was an aviatrix and participant.  

seewww.PanchoBarnes.com  and www.Happybottomridingclub.com  andwww.breakingthroughtheclouds.com

“CALIFORNIA Dreaming” opens on Saturday, July 11, with an artist reception from 6-10pm at Essentia Showroom, 2430 Main Street in Santa Monica; 310-450-7819; http://www.myessentia.com/;

For more information about Westward, see http://loveforthepeople.co/ or FLOrE, visit http://Thatartistflore.com

"Cinema of Time" Featuring Gregg Chadwick Opens July 12th at Upper West Restaurant!

Upper West Restaurant Showcases the Work of Gregg Chadwick Sunday, July 12th!

Scarlet Shadow 80"x80" oil on linen, 2011



The art of Gregg Chadwick will be showcased in a solo exhibition on at Upper West Restaurant in Santa Monica. The popular restaurant hosts eclectic art receptions on a consistent basis.

A dedicated painter, this past May 2015 marked the eleven-year anniversary at the Santa Monica Art Studios at the Santa Monica Airport. "I have put roots down here and find constant inspiration in the life and light of Venice, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles," said Chadwick. "The mixing of cultures and ideas in this city lifts my spirit in profound ways."

He will be showing an eclectic group of paintings on linen…artworks from several series. One such painting is entitled Empire State.

Here’s what inspired the Empire State painting...as told by Gregg Chadwick.



“’Empire State’ is set in Grand Central Station in New York City. By layering paint upon paint, I build an artwork through a succession of present moments in time that often combine in unforeseen patterns. A viewer recently remarked that my paintings resemble 'time travel where the molecules are not quite sure where they belong.' This visual conundrum plays with the proposition of many quantum physicists that time may not exist at the most fundamental level of physical reality. My grandfather was a train engineer in the Northeast and for years worked for the Jersey Central Line. Rail travel for me carries a deeply personal family connection that seems to merge into the paint layers.”

Empire State 72"x36" oil on linen, 2013

For the past few years, Chadwick has been invited to speak at UCLA, Monterey Peninsula College, the Esalen Institute, the World Views forum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Categorically Not, (a monthly forum that considers the arts and science). He will also be speaking about Art and Social Justice at The Representational Art Conference in Ventura, California in November 2015.



Check out Gregg Chadwick’s website at http://www.greggchadwick.com/

The opening reception will be held on Sunday, July 12th, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Upper West located at 3321 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. The art will remain on view through September. http://www.theupperwest.com/


Santa Monica Art Studios Will be Bustling with New Art Shows on Saturday, June 13th!

Santa Monica Art Studios hosts another eclectic happening on Saturday, June 13th. In Arena 1, “KachoFugetsu: Flower Bird Wind Moon” will debut.



Image by Shisei Hashimura “Melancholy of Supermarket”



Curator Kio Griffith organized the international exhibition. He explains his concept for the exhibit, “The title of the show is an idiomatic expression derived from Buddhist literature, reverberations of beauty and aesthetics in both historical and contemporary contexts of the Japanese social experience. What transpires is the intuitive sense that observes art’s place in nature: its appearance, meaning and value set in contemporary world affairs in which the un-seeable is viewed from a third eye, the inaudible is imagined through living colors, and the unspeakable can be understood through telepathic means.”

Throughout Santa Monica Art Studios, new art and artist will also on display. Stephanie Visser says she has always wanted to show at SMAS and is looking forward to the opening. The artist paints consistently and has been working on a new series featuring black and white paintings. She will be showing work from three different series.

Image by Stefanie Visser  New Work Untitled 14, Acrylic on Canvas 40 x 30



She talks about her inspiration for “New Work Untitled 14” (pictured here).  “This painting was done on location in Michigan where I spent several weeks recently. In that location, it was impossible not to be inspired by the intense blue water, green trees and the rural environment. Besides, it is my home state so the connection wasn't hard to access. In particular, this piece was taken from memory of the local river that flows into the Great Lakes.”

Visser's paintings have been exhibited at FABstudio Gallery, bG Gallery at Bergamot Station, Wallspace, etc. To find out more about artist Stephanie Visser, visit her website at http://stephanievisser.com/


“I was encouraged to make art at an early age,” explained artist Ty Cummings. Both his parents were supportive of the craft and encouraged him.  He continued painting into his teens and later attended the School of Visual Arts in New York as well as CalArts in Los Angeles. “I continued down this path because I felt it was important for me to communicate like this and that I had a way of seeing things I wanted to share. My family continues to believe in me.”

Image by Ty Cummings, Somewhere, mixed media on wood, 36" x 36," 2015



Cummings works in several mediums. In addition to being a painter and working with oils, he also works in mixed media and he is also a  sculptor. “The mediums I choose to work in go back around,” said Cummings. “For example, I've used drawing, painting, photography, video, installation, sound and performance for various ideas; sometimes the mediums inform each other, or are referenced directly, document one another or stand alone.” Check out the art of Ty Cummings at http://www.tycummings.com/

The art of Scott Horton will also be on view. Known as a pop/street art, he works in various styles. “I'm not one to settle in any one medium, says Horton. “I'll be doing something like street art (collage, acrylic, spray-paint), thinking of when I can get back to palette knife acrylic, while creating digital surrealism.



Image by Scott Horton, Color Me Red, 48 x36

"

Color Me Red" is the name of one of Horton’s works to grace the walls of SMAS. He explains what inspired him to create the piece. “The color red is a color of emotion. I look at this "street art" piece as a statement about the changing roles over time of women in society. The red elements signal both sexuality and defiance. Rosie the Riveter can be seen in the piece, showing the strength of women in hard times. It's been remarked that the woman in business clothes staring back, is spray-painted on a surface that looks like kitchen tile; a transition from the domestic life to the working world. Also, the woman stating, ‘They'll never say that about me again,’ is showing resolve to no longer be pegged into predefined roles. Visit Scott Horton’s website at http://dreamscolor.com/ 



Don’t miss the big event on Saturday, June 13th, Santa Monica Art Studios hosts an artist reception from 6-9pm. SMAS is located at 3026 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405) http://www.santamonicaartstudios.com/