Skidmore Contemporary Art salutes artist Dave Lefner.

Dave Lefner’s memorable and engaging images look back in time but capture the optimism of today’s contemporary culture. With titles like Liquid Joy, Star Quality, and All Stars, they reflect who we are and how we see ourselves. Lefner works in the demanding medium of Reduction Linocut. His art looks like photographs but are actually hand-made prints created from a single block of linoleum. Produced in extremely small editions of 3, 6 or 10, these artisanal works embody the artist’s love for color, craft, and mid-century design.

This is Dave Lefner’s fourth one-person exhibition with Skidmore Contemporary Art. Notable collections include that of the Prints and Drawings Department of LACMA. Lefner has been the subject of two documentaries, most recently “The Optimistic Edge: Reduction Linocuts of Dave Lefner” produced in 2014 and aired on KCET’s Artbound.

“The twinkle, twinkle of vintage neon stars fills me with a joyful optimism…much like a martini in the moonlight. But learning from the folly of Icarus, I keep my shoes planted firmly on the ground. And it’s from this vantage point, that I see a bright future written in the constellations above!” – Dave Lefner

See ilmage: Dave Lefner, Fun, Fun, Fun, 2015, 2 reduction linocuts in nine colors, Edition of 6 22″ x 72″ Framed: 28″ x 80″

On view: November 5 – December 3, 2016

Where: Skidmore Contemporary Art, Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Avenue, B-4 Santa Monica, 90404
Phone: 310-828-5070
Website: http://www.skidmorecontemporaryart.com