Altered the Color of My Mind

Detail from a painting by Patricia Chidlaw, part of the Cityscape Show III at George Billis Gallery

Well, let's allow our mind to dissolve away into the madness of night, with dreams both dark and bright, images both forlorn and hopeful to drive us into another precious day.

And, let's celebrate the birth date of Emily Bronte, born on this date in 1818, with an appropriate song. ;-)

"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush

Enjoy!!!

Variations on a Googie Theme

LAX Theme Building from Parking Lot (2011) by Danny Heller

With brilliant hues and broad design, the exploration of light and space is a principle feature to Los Angeles art, capturing the fleeting instant of time in a flash of opulent color. Likewise, a fascination with novelty and "futurism" is integral to the city's ever-changing appearance.

Danny Heller's "LAX Series" solo show at the George Billis Gallery explores both of these elements. In a series of ten paintings, he examines the iconic Theme Building under widely different lighting conditions and from a variety of perspectives, bringing out the geometric nuances with subtle gradations of flowing illumination. A masterpiece of Googie architecture, the Theme Building has a unique structure that lends itself to such a study.

Heller is an accomplished regionalist painter who is well practiced at capturing the look and feel of the Southern Californian environment, be it busy cityscapes or quiet scenes of suburbia, evoking an authentic sense of place. The "LAX Series" is an ambitious project in that each work needs to express significant differences of character and mood, conveying distinct experiences in perceiving the subject, but it also needs to maintain a cohesive commonality through which comparative assessments of the individual paintings may be formed.

Theme Building and Road (2011) by Danny Heller

It's tough to accomplish, but I think Heller scores the goal with these paintings. If the premise of such a series is to impart the painter's experience of a structure through both sight and physical presence, then these works accomplish the job, allowing the viewer to share in the aesthetic insights signified by the overall composition.

Measuring Beyond Expectations

Detail of Monster Under My Bed (2011) by Tim Yankosky


Let me confess.

When I saw that the George Billis Gallery was exhibiting a series of works composed out of vintage measuring tapes upon panel, I had low expectations. It felt a bit gimmicky. The photographs at the gallery site didn't inspire much excitement either. However, art needs to be seen in person to be properly judged. So this exhibit of works by Tim Yankosky, "Measure for Measure," might be better than I was expecting, but I wasn't putting this show onto my "must see" list.

Last Saturday, I found myself walking north along La Cienega from the Moby photo exhibit at the Kopeikin Gallery on my way to see the KAWS show at Honor Fraser. About midway up the street is the George Billis Gallery. As I passed it by, my conscience started acting up, expressing disapproval of my unwillingness to even give "Measure for Measure" a cursory viewing. Well, I am a slave to my scruples. So I stopped in to take a look.

Wow! I was so wrong about this show.

The patterns of the different tapes create a compelling visual rhythm. It hints at abstract shapes that exists just beyond perception in the staccato space that is created by the contrasting color values. It's almost like a visual form of electronic voice phenomenon. On the surface, it's just a bunch of measuring tapes arranged in rows, but, when you open up your mind to the structure of the works, apophenia takes over. Yes, you might catch a hint of that monster lurking under the bed. ;-)

Chasing the Answers (2011) by Tim Yankosky

The numbers are also important compositional elements. They influence the way we perceive the work by capturing our attention and driving our eyes along the horizontal in either an ascending or descending numeric sequence. Since we are incapable of turning off our ability to recognize and follow numbers, it is an unconscious and involuntary manner of surveying the art. It's an effective way to keep the viewer engaged with the image.

Nostalgia in Neon

El Tavern - Vacancy IV (2010) by Terry Thompson

About a month ago, I saw an exhibit of Terry Thompson's signage paintings at the George Billis Gallery in Culver City. The show was entitled "Sign of Life". I thought that was a strange name, given the aged and deteriorating appearance of the subjects. I was thinking "Memento Mori" or even "Et in Arcadia Ego" would be a more fitting title.

But Thompson's idea is that these signs are survivors. While their fellows from the late '40s to the early '60s have fallen to real estate redevelopment, these signs have persevered. The rust and wear are badges of endurance. Yes, they are from Googie era, but, in spite of the odds, they still exist. They are still part of "Now".

Canyon City Liquor (2010) by Terry Thompson

So, I spent a few weeks considering the matter. Then I returned to the gallery to reassess the paintings. Upon review, I can see his point.