TAG Gallery (at Bergamot Station, SM) presents three new exhibitions featuring the art of Ellen Starr, Anne M Bray, and Michael Knight. The opening reception took place on Saturday, April 25, 2015.

About TAG Gallery – Established in 1993 as a not-for-profit corporation, TAG Gallery is a member-owned community of approximately forty artists. Through the physical gallery in Santa Monica’s landmark Bergamot Station as well as lectures from exhibiting and visiting artists, TAG Gallery has become a valuable resource for launching the careers of both emerging and mid-career artists based in the greater Los Angeles area.

Southwestern Sojourn, Anne M Bray

Anne M Bray’s core subject is the American landscape as seen from the highway. It’s a modern take on the Hudson River School’s devotion to the sublime beauty of nature. The most recent body of work, Southwestern Sojourn, is a compilation of more than 20 years of work. “The stark beauty of sky and earth stripped down to their core elements pulls my soul.”

See image: Anne M Bray

Bray takes “on the fly” research shots and then later interprets them in the studio. She’s not satisfied with keeping the images as photographs – “that format seems too cold and detail-laden”. She distills the information manually through paint or modifies it digitally, simplifying the compositional elements and adding her emotional response to the place and time. “My roadscapes are a celebration of fleeting moments frozen in time. Urban, rural, and the roads in-between — I share with the viewer windows for contemplation.”

Precarious, Michael Knight

Life is a balancing act. We walk tightropes over familial issues, current affairs, societal pressures, work politics and the like. In Precarious, artist Michael Knight illustrates the journey; the process by which we make these journeys. Knight’s interest in process has generally been about the technique and execution of his art.

See image:  by Michael Knight

In this exhibition, it is also about the subject matter. He creates imagery to match our realities. The work forces us to evaluate how we deal with the intricacies of our lives. Michael Knight works in a wide range of media to create art that questions and challenges perception of society, culture and the individual.

Back to Nature, Ellen Starr

In her latest exhibition, “Back to Nature,” Ellen Starr explores the endless possibilities of subject matter presented to us in the natural world. Using acrylic paint on canvas, she strives to clarify the visual intricacies of every-day subjects, primarily landscapes.

See image: Ellen Starr

Starr’s work brings the viewers into the landscapes and enables them to feel as though they are seated next to her as she paints. Composition – the delicate balance of numerous details – is a major concern, but even more important is communicating to the viewer a deep love of Nature

On view: April 21 – May 16, 2015
 
What: Art Talk
Where: TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue D3, SM 90404
Phone: (310) 829-9556
Website: www.taggallery.net