TAG Gallery (at Bergamot Station, SM) celebrates the work of of Gary Polonsky, Katie Crown, Joan Ransohoff and Tom Wheeler.

GARY POLONSKY – New Work from the Food Series

See image: Gary Polonsky, Fruit Cocktail, acrylic & mixed media, 21 x 9 x 9 in.

Breaking from the flat surface of traditional painting, Gary Polonsky brings three-dimensional painting to a new level of depth and focus as he revisits his food series. Polonsky began exploring non-traditional mediums and eventually settled on a combination of Balsawood, Styrofoam and wire-mesh to create eye-catching wall-based constructions that leave the viewer awestruck.

Though wall-based, Polonsky’s work have a tangible quality. One is very tempted to touch and feel the work. It is as if the pieces are teasing the viewer. They are clearly not edible, but one has an insatiable desire to pick it up and take a bite!

KATIE CROWN – Audiences

Katie Crown’s new paintings of audiences are an extension of her earlier ceramic sculptures of audiences and her paintings of people in other group settings. She goes for humor in all these works, now with a palette from black to white.

See image: Katie Crown, Audience No.2, oil on canvas, 49 x 61 in.

Her favorite movies are the gritty film noir dramas from the 1940s and ’50s, and these audience paintings can be seen as a nod to noir: raw, not tasteful. Crown was influenced by German Expressionist art, and film noir actually grew out of interest in early German Expressionist film. The contorted faces and odd angles intrigue her. When studying at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, she took courses in German Expressionist film and literature. Katie loves Paul Klee for his humor and poetic sense, but when painting figuratively she’s more indebted to Max Beckmann and Ludwig Kirchner. Crown uses patterns to energize the scenes. Her “audiences” ride the border between reality and cartoon.

JOAN RANSOHOFF – Postcards from the Field

This exhibition of work features original paintings done on location and inspired by the artist’s travels around the country, particularly California, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Connecticut, New York and the Hudson River Valley. Not all paintings are done on location to completion. Some are studies on site and finished in the studio. Working from nature directly allows Ransohoff to see color and shadow differently and in the studio, she uses photographs to sharpen her memory. On location, she makes quick sketches of the landscape to get the composition. Then she focuses on color.

See image: Joan Ransohoff, Ojai Valley, Oil on Board, 8 x 10 in.

Ransohoff is an instinctual painter, and tries not to get too detailed. Ultimately, her goal is to load the car and head out to find a scene that challenges her to try and capture its freshness. Joan Ransohoff is an artist member of the California Art Club and serves on the board of The California Art Academy and Museum.

TOM WHEELER – Into the Night

Tom Wheeler likes to light things up, literally, and with flashlights. That is probably a good thing, or maybe a necessity, because he is a landscape photographer who works in complete darkness. Outdoor photographers often speak passionately of light, created uniquely at a moment in time by nature, by something close to divine circumstance. Wheeler approaches the use of light, and even photographic elements themselves, quite differently in his landscape imagery.

Landscape photography is always at the foundation of his images. Most of his photography is, in fact, about the landscape first, and then an enhancement, or artistic license with light tools. All imagery is hand-made at the time of exposure and there are no additions by Photoshop or any other means added in post-production processing. Some of his themes include whimsy. Beach balls in the desert, a life-sized plastic horse, or a cement deer are all fair ‘game.’ But on closer look, there is also a serious reverence to nature as well. In all his artwork there is interpretation, but even the subjects in his whimsical work are most often framed within spectacular elements of natural surroundings. The rugged and often remote ‘wilds’ of the western U.S. are subject locations of preference, while unspoiled deserts, mountains, and forests of this region offer a myriad of photo opportunities.

See image: Tom Wheeler, Plastic Horse, Archival Pigment Print, 36 x 44 in.

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.

Save the date, Saturday, June 6, 3 pm for an Artist Talk!

On view: May 19 – June 13
 
What: Opening reception
Where: TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue D3, SM 90404
Phone: (310) 829-9556
Website: www.taggallery.net