[Return to Home]            Past Exhibitions "Unchained" by Chris Chinn 48x72 inch oil on canvas Copyright © 2008 Chris Chinn. All rights reserved. "FAILED STATES" A GROUP EXHIBITION INCLUDING PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Chris Barber, Chris Chinn, Carlisle Cooper, gauvin, Loren Hartman, Claudia Pardo McFadyen, Michael Pedziwiatr, Riccarlo Porter. OPENING DATE: MARCH 8, 2008 CLOSING DATE: APRIL 12, 2008 ARTIST RECEPTION: Saturday March 8, 2008, 6-9 PM Artist Performances by actor Riccarlo Porter of LAPD (Los Angeles Poverty Department), and performance artist-poet gauvin 7:00 pm LOCATION: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, CA 93001 www.upfrontgallery.org or info@upfrontgallery.org Upfront Gallery presents a new group art exhibition entitled "FAILED STATES" featuring artists Chris Barber, Chris Chinn, Carlisle Cooper, gauvin, Loren Hartman, Claudia Pardo McFadyen, Michael Pedziwiatr, Riccarlo Porter. "Failed States" addresses and explores the issue of homelessness in our community, including a lack of basic social needs experienced by those representing this segment of our society. Though people living without shelter represent a fraction of America's population, the social plethora of homelessness cannot nor should it be ignored. This is our society and our collective social-physical being. The subject matter of marginalized people is difficult to look at and is largely ignored. Artists have historically used marginalized people as content in their work throughout art history. The artists featured in "Failed States" represent diverse perspectives. Upfront Gallery has curated this exhibit for the purpose of motivating the viewer to ask why the condition of homelessness exists and how we can better respond to the issue in our community. "Failed States" launches the beginning of a month long homeless awareness event in the City of Ventura, organized by award-winning poets Phil Taggart and Marsha de la O. A small donation is being requested. All proceeds to benefit the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance. Upfront Gallery is an alternative exhibition space located in the City of Ventura's Cultural District. Gallery hours are Saturdays from noon to 5:00 pm, or, by appointment. For more information, please visit us at our website: www.upfrontgallery.org •     •     •     •     •     •     "Tool Shop" 2006 by Chris Tallon Tools: folded paper & glue Bench: cardboard & adhesive Vinyl & Velcro 96" H x 54" W x 30" Copyright © 2007 Chris Tallon. All rights reserved. "Quotidian Inc." A group art exhibition by artists: Roman de Salvo, Martin Durazo, Debbie Hu Ricks, Ichiro Irie, Chris Tallon Organized by Ichiro Irie Opening Date: December 15th 2007 Closing Date: February 1st, 2008 ***Show extended through February 8, 2008*** Artist Reception: Saturday, December 15, 2007, 6 TO 9:00PM Venue: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, CA 93001 info@upfrontgallery.org www.upfrontgallery.org Contact: Paul Benavidez 805-340-1448 Upfront Gallery is pleased to present "Quotidian Inc." a group exhibition featuring artists Roman de Salvo, Martin Durazo, Debbie Hu Ricks, Ichiro Irie, Chris Tallon. The exhibit's theme addresses consumer consumption and its influence in contemporary art. The exhibit either makes use of or makes a strong reference to materials and objects from quotidian life. Artists throughout the centuries have examined the subject of everyday life; the Dutch still life painters of the 1600's, 19th century realist painters, Marcel Duchamp and the Dadaists, and America's most noted and historical artist, Andy Warhol. Today the use of household materials in the elaboration of sculptural objects and installations is an almost ubiquitous practice, with artists like Jason Rhoades b. July 9, 1965 ­ d. August 1, 2006, Jessica Stockholder, and Gabriel Orozco sharing the international limelight in this genre. The artists in Upfront Gallery's Quotidian Inc. exhibition continue this tradition of representing quotidian life in contemporary art making materials and ideas. Roman de Salvo's functional reconfigurations of fireplaces, furniture and chandeliers; Martin Durazo's sculptural abstractions using an array of mundane objects like artificial flowers, plastic cups, backpacks and fish tanks; Debbie Hu Ricks' wood and acrylic box/dioramas which depicts a world recycled from our own; Ichiro Irie's objects made of accumulated pushpins, paperclips and hairclips; Chris Tallons hyper real replicas of tools, weight benches and household appliances made of folded paper exemplify what is going on at the leading edge of art and culture. This particular genre is currently fueling the international contemporary art market and rightly so because of its relevancy in western culture. On a didactic level, the genre is a commentary on capitalism and capitalism's central role in financial markets, politics, foreign policy, throughout many societies across the globe. In terms of aesthetics Quotidian Inc. expresses what generations of artists realized before them, using the ideas, politics, and materials of their era and indeed the influence of ordinary objects of everyday life, applying skillful touch and thoughtful resolution. The artists in this exhibit are unique in their materials, philosophy and approach. Visual artist and curator, Ichiro Irie, born in Tokyo in 1969, and raised in Los Angeles, organize "Quotidian Inc.". Irie obtained his B.A. in Film Studies and Communications from UC Santa Barbara, and an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University, 2001. Irie's exceptional scholarship afforded him a Fulbright Fellowship at ENPEG (The National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking), Mexico City. He remained in Mexico City for several years working in his studio, establishing a contemporary art gallery, and created the contemporary art publication RiM magazine, of which he continues as editor. He now lives in Los Angeles. Since 1999, Irie has curated several exhibitions. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY); Kyubidou Gallery (Tokyo); MUCA Roma, Art & Idea and La Panaderia (Mexico City); Raid Projects, and Steve Turner Contemporary (Los Angeles) are some of the highlights. He is currently an artist in residence at 18th Street Arts Center and teaches art at Santa Monica College and Oxnard College. •     •     •     •     •     •     Happy Transformation[1] © 2007 Christine Morla HAPPY TRANSFORMATION a solo art exhibit of new paintings by Christine Morla Opening Date: Saturday, November 3, 2007, noon to 5:00 pm Artist Reception: Saturday, November 10, 2007, from 6-9 pm Venue: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, CA 93001 805-340-1448 www.upfrontgallery.org Closing Date: December 8, 2007 Upfront Gallery is pleased to present new works of artist Christine Morla in a solo exhibit featuring new paintings entitled "Happy Transformation," which will open at the gallery during normal business hours on Saturday, November 3, 2007, from noon to 5:00 pm. An artistıs reception will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2007 from 6-9 pm at the gallery. Christine Morla, a mixed media artist, combines images of her Filipino-American heritage to create art that expresses a universal statement about family, world events and popular culture. Morla gleans images from television, print media and family photos and combines them with a painterıs creative vision, creating works that reflect a playful mix of colorful images. Ms. Morla, an Oxnard native, received a BA from Loyola-Marymount and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University. She is an educator and chair of the Oxnard College Art Department, where she also directs the McNish Gallery. She delights in bringing students with no previous art experience into a world that is new to them. Additionally, Ms. Morla will be a featured in a Focus on the Masters Interview on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Upfront Gallery is an alternative contemporary art venue located in an industrial space in downtown Ventura, dedicated to exhibiting art of established and emerging Southern California artists. Gallery hours are Saturdays, noon to 5:00 pm, or by appointment. Please call the gallery for further details at 805-340-1448, or visit us at our website at www.upfrontgallery.org. •     •     •     •     •     •     Floriography2 © 2007 Monica Furmanski CRYPTOFLORIOGRAPHY A solo art exhibition and installation by Artist Monica Furmanski Opening Date: September 29, 2007, 12-5 pm Closing Date: October 27, 2007 Artist Reception: Saturday, October 13, 2007, 6-9 pm Location: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, CA 93001 Contact: Paul Benavidez 805-340-1448 www.upfrontgallery.org Upfront Gallery is pleased to present a solo photography exhibition and installation by artist Monica Furmanski entitled, "Cryptofloriography," which will open on Saturday, September 29, 2007 during regular gallery hours. An artist's reception will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2007, from 6-9 pm., at the gallery. "Cryptofloriography" will run concurrently with the citywide photography event "PhotoVentura." The exhibit will close on October 27, 2007. Ms. Furmanski's recent photographic works investigate issues of conceptual photography, a genre widely explored by artists of the 1960's and 70's. Furmanski's new work is aesthetically pleasing, obvious by the use of natural subject matter and expert use of color and texture, as well as by the employment of a technique she has developed which she refers to as "Cryptofloriography." The title engages the viewer, suggesting that there is a secret or something hidden in these "cryptic" images. One gets the feeling that she is inquisitively snipping away at our visual experiences, challenging the viewer to engage and participate in the act of viewing and perception. Monica Furmanski received her MFA from Claremont Graduate University and a BFA from Scripps College. She previously worked as a studio assistant to noted Southern California artist John Baldessari for two years. Her work is exhibited widely throughout Southern California. She is currently teaching a digital photography course at Ventura College in Ventura, California, where she resides with her husband and three children. Upfront Gallery is an alternative contemporary art space located in Ventura, California, dedicated to exhibiting works of emerging and established California artists. Gallery hours are Saturday from 12-5 pm, or by appointment. For more details please call the gallery at 805-340-1448; or visit us at our website: www.upfrontgallery.org. •     •     •     •     •     •     COOL KIDS NEVER HAD THE TIME Featuring new works and installations By aspiring student artists of Ventura County Mixed Media by Aaron Dadacay, 2007 © 2007 Aaron Dadacay      Mixed Media by Gladys Rodriguez, 2007 © 2007 Gladys Rodriguez OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, July 21st, 2007, 6:30 - 9:00pm DJ HiLo will spin for the reception Upfront Gallery 267 S. Laurel Street Ventura, CA 93001 www.upfrontgallery.org July 21 thru September 8, 2007 Gallery Hours: Call (805) 340-1448 to make an appointment The Upfront Gallery, in conjunction with the Oxnard College Art Department presents "Cool Kids Never Had the Time." This show will feature the works of four aspiring student artists from Oxnard College, including Aaron Dadacay, Gladys Rodriguez, Gene Tapia, and Maria Villote. The artists explore personal narratives and experimental approaches through collage paintings, sculpture from found objects, and installations. A radical, yet playful mix of political street art aesthetics, highly-crafted drawings, and handmade digital paintings of pop-culture influences comprise this exhibition by four fresh, young, vibrant artists from Oxnard. A reception will be held on Saturday, July 21 from 6:30 - 9:00pm. The show is free and open to the public. Upfront Gallery is an alternative contemporary art gallery located near downtown Ventura at 267 S. Laurel Street, between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more information, call (805)340-1448 or visit www.upfrontgallery.org. •     •     •     •     •     •     "Lost Angeles", 2006 28 x 32 inch acrylic on mylar © 2006 Roland Reiss Click HERE for enlargment.      Roland Reiss & Dawn Arrowsmith Click HERE for enlargment.      "Purple Daze", 2004 40 x 52 acrylic on mirror plexiglass © 2006 Roland Reiss Click HERE for enlargment. Click HERE for detail. (click back button to return) Roland Reiss A SOLO EXHIBIT OF RECENT PAINTINGS Location: Upfront Gallery 267 S. Laurel Street Ventura, CA 93001 April 14, 2007 through June 3, 2007 Opening Reception: Sunday April 15, 2007 4-7pm Upfront Gallery is honored to present a solo exhibit by one of Southern California's most celebrated artists, Roland Reiss. The Upfront Gallery will host a reception for Mr. Reiss on Sunday April 15, 2007, from 4-7pm at the gallery. The exhibition will run through June 3, 2007. Contact: Paul Benavidez, 805-340-1448; Carolyn Friend, 805.405.4954 ROLAND REISS is a painter and sculptor from Southern California who has exhibited extensively in the United States and abroad. His work has been seen at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Documenta in Kassel, Germany. Exhibitions include museums in Brazil, Mexico, China, Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. He is the recipient of four NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grants and of more than forty prizes and awards. His work is located in many public, corporate and private collections. Since 1992, Reiss has concentrated exclusively on abstract painting. He studied at the American Academy of Art and UCLA, and later taught painting and drawing at UCLA and at the University of Colorado. He later joined the faculty at Claremont Graduate College, where he was Chair of the Art Department for 29 years and Benezet Professor of the Humanities. He has served as Director of the Center for the Arts, and is currently the Director of "Paintings Edge," an advanced program in painting for Idyllwild Arts. MAJOR GROUP EXHIBITIONS: Documenta, Kassel, Germany, The Whitney Biennial, The Ducal Palace, Giubbio, Italy, UCLA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Oakland Museum, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Art Space in San Francisco, Museo Tamayo, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Newport Harbor Museum, Kyoto National Museum, California Institute of the Arts, Hirschorn Museum, UC Irvine, Fort Worth Art Museum, UC Santa Cruz, Smithsonian Institution, Portland Museum, Mulvane Art Center, Nelson-Atkins, Alaska Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Sezon Museum in Tokyo, Tsukashin Hall in Osaka, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. MAJOR ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California State Universities at San Bernardino, Chico and Los Angeles, Knoxville Museum of Art, Neuberger Museum of Art, University of Arizona Museum of Art, Los Angeles Municipal Gallery, Palm Springs Desert Art Museum, Calgary Museum, University of Kentucky, South Alberta Art Gallery, UC San Diego, Amarillo College, Fullerton Collage, University of LaVerne, Claremont Graduate University, Huntington Beach Art Center, Ace Gallery and Cirrus Gallery in Los Angeles, California. Reiss says of his work: "My collage paintings involve multi-level shapes and images positioned in front of and behind transparent Mylar. They are as much about how they are assembled as they are about what is being said. My approach allows me to combine abstract elements, which suggest landscape, with other forms of constructed reality, like charts, graphs and astronomy. Ultimately, I seek a landscape of the mind, relevant to the nature of contemporary existence. My work is about making human experience into visual experience. My painting flows from the idea that abstraction is the main way in which human beings understand their world." Upfront Gallery is an alternative contemporary art gallery located in downtown Ventura at 267 South Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     "Working Drawing" by Matt Furmanski Copyright ©2007 Matt Furmanski. All rights reserved. Click HERE for enlargment. Click HERE for photos from the opening reception. Upfront Gallery Is Pleased To Present: "BLINK" A SOLO ART EXHIBIT AND INSTALLATION BY MATTHEW FURMANSKI March 10, 2007 through April 7, 2007 Opening Reception : Saturday March 10, 2007 6-9PM LOCATION: UPFRONT GALLERY 267 S. LAUREL STREET, VENTURA, CA 93001 CONTACT: Paul Benavidez, 805-340-1448 info@upfrontgallery.org www.upfrontgallery.org Upfront Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibit and installation by Southern California artist Matt Furmanski. He is currently serving as the Vice Chair on the Public Art Commission for the City of Ventura. The Upfront Gallery will host a reception for the artist on Saturday, March 10, 2007 at the gallery. The exhibition will run through Saturday April 7, 2007. Matthew Furmanski received his Masters of Fine Art from Claremont Graduate University and a BFA from Chapman University. He is Assistant Professor of Sculpture at California State University, Channel Islands. Furmanski recently exhibited his sculpture, Crossroads Oracle: A Lantern for Diogenes for the State of the Arts exhibition in conjunction with Off Axis, public sculpture event in Santa Barbara, Ca. He exhibits his artwork at many galleries and exhibition spaces throughout California and also New York. Furmanski's art installation at the Upfront Gallery titled Blink will charm the viewer into thinking beyond the mediocre and mundane. Furmanski creates an interplay and re-contextualizing of industrial materials and products that then become an art experience and thereby a catalyst for spirited thought. The work demands much from its viewers partly because Furmanski erases familiar subject matter associated with an object and then embeds a new content glimpsing the bizarre scientific. What appears to be a technical device for some human experiment suddenly speaks to us about serious social, ecological, and political dysfunctions of our time and how the information super highway links us to a true social sculpture of global information possibly leading to solutions. Furmanski likes to think of his art as an encapsulated allegory, a tale in our nonfiction post-modern time zone. Gallery hours are by appointment. Upfront Gallery is located in Ventura at 267 South Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more details, please contact Paul Benavidez, 805-340-1448; Carolyn Friend 805-405-4954 Photos from the BLINK opening reception Saturday March 10, 2007. Janet Nuewalder Matthew Furmanski and Christine Morla at BLINK. Click HERE for enlargment. •     •     •     •     •     •     The Upfront Gallery presents a holiday exhibition "Blips, Drips and Strips" December 9th, 2006 through January 27, 2007 Opening Reception : Saturday, December 9, 2006 LOCATION: UPFRONT GALLERY 267 S. LAUREL STREET, VENTURA, CA 93001 CONTACT: Paul Benavidez, 805-340-1448 info@upfrontgallery.org www.upfrontgallery.org Upfront Gallery is pleased to announce the gallery's second annual holiday exhibition entitled, BLIPS, DRIPS & STRIPS, a group exhibit of selected established and emerging Southern California artists. The Upfront Gallery will host an artist reception on Saturday, December 9, 2006, at the gallery. The exhibition will run through Sunday, January 26, 2007. Guest curator and Oxnard College Art Department Chair, Christine Morla, has selected works by such notable and important artists as Roland Reiss, Dawn Arrowsmith, Matthew and Monica Furmanski, Lucy H.G., Sandra Low, Alvin P. Gregorio, Sharon Ben-Tal, Tracy Robinson, Robert Moya, Gul Cagin, Diane Meyer, Nicole Farrand, Osvaldo Trujillo, Mary Addison Hackett, Janet Neuwalder, Alison Goldberg, Chris Chinn and Misato Suzuki. The accolades of these artists are too many to mention in this writing, however, it is suffice to say that Upfront Gallery is pleased to bring to Ventura these important artists. Most works will be available for purchase at under $150.00, and will make extra special gifts for the holidays and beyond. Gallery hours are by appointment. Upfront Gallery is located in Ventura at 267 South Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     2006 by J.J. Le Tourneau Copyright ©2006 J.J. Le Tourneau. All rights reserved. EVENT: ART & SCIENCE EXHIBITION ENTITLED "DOTS & BOXES" a solo exhibition by scientist and mathematician J.J. Le Tourneau, Ph.D. LOCATION: UPFRONT GALLERY 267 S. LAUREL STREET, VENTURA, CA 93001 OPENING: Saturday, October 21, 2006, 5-9 pm RECEPTION: Saturday, October 21, 2006, 5-9 pm CLOSING: Sunday, November 26, 2006 CONTACT: Paul Benavidez, 805-340-1448 info@upfrontgallery.org www.upfrontgallery.org Upfront Gallery is pleased to announce the gallery's first Art and Science exhibition entitled, "DOTS & BOXES," a solo exhibit of mathematician and scientist J. J. Le Tourneau, Ph.D. The exhibit features dramatic digital black and white images laminated on translucent white Plexiglas giving an airy lightness to the physical, two-dimensional object. The images represent the interaction of abstract markings and containers, which becomes a structured space or algebra in mathematical terms. What appears to be a two-dimensional square suddenly becomes a three-dimensional pathway. What at first seems lofty then becomes the basis of a set of playing cards designed to help children understand the process involved in the fundamental arithmetic concept of multiplication. Beginning with the simplest of all possible notions, this dance of marking and containment logically intertwines to create a new arithmetic visually describing the nature of counting and numbers. The works present a new mathematics and merging of art and science. Dr. Le Tourneau and gallery co-director Paul Benavidez have collaborated on the exhibit's concept and realization for over a year. The images making up the body of the exhibit are the result of two decades of mathematical research and development by Dr. Le Tourneau. Dr. Le Tourneau is a U.C. Berkeley-trained logician and teacher, whose published work focuses on understanding the complexities in computer manipulation of abstract string and tree data structures. Dr. Le Tourneau has taught at Fisk University, Hampshire College (founding faculty), the University of Massachusetts, California State University, San Francisco, and as a teacher has been active in a number of mathematics educational programs. Additionally, Dr. LeTourneau is the author of 17 patents and patent applications protecting certain commercial aspects of his discoveries. The exhibition opens Saturday, October 21, 2006, with a reception from 5-9 pm. The exhibition will run through Sunday November 26, 2006. Upfront Gallery will also host an ArtWalk reception on Saturday, November 4, 2006, at the gallery. Gallery hours are by appointment. Upfront Gallery is located in Ventura at 267 South Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     detail of installation by Warren Sherich, Jr. Copyright ©2006 Warren Sherich, Jr. All rights reserved. "CIVIL DEFENSE, ATOM BOMB, AND FAMILY" an art installation featuring the work of artists Warren Sherich, Jr. and Charles Hood. Copyright ©2006 Upfront Gallery. All rights reserved. Location: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street,Ventura, CA 93001 Date Opening: Saturday, August 19, 2006, 4-9 pm Artist Reception: Saturday, August 19, 2006, 4-9 pm Date Closing: TBA Upfront Gallery will exhibit an art installation featuring the work of artists Warren Sherich, Jr. and Charles Hood entitled, "Civil Defense, Atom Bomb and Family," which will open on Saturday, August 19, 2006, from 4-9 pm at the Gallery. This powerful installation features a "cold war" theme as seen through the eyes of a child, as well as imagery of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both past and present, in photographs and poetry. For Warren Sherich, Jr., the installation and whimsical, sarcastic paintings explore the issue of the atomic age and its ubiquitous absurd presence in our daily lives. Sherich touches on his own feelings of fear as an 8-year-old child during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which he remembers going through the family home in Torrance, California, with his mother, searching for a "place to hide" from the fallout. Sherich's vivid recollection of the event is all in the details of the exhibit, from a primary school desk to military helmets. Sherich received an MFA from California State University, Los Angeles. As a math teacher, Sherich received a grant from the Toshiba America Foundation to incorporate art into the math classroom. Sherich exhibits widely throughout Southern California. He maintains a studio in Quartz Hill. Charles Hood's photography and poetry also explore the cold reality of the atomic age. Military themes in and around the Enola Gay, the atomic bomb testing sites in the South Pacific, signage throughout Japan and other historic places affected by the use of the atomic bomb are emphasized in black and white images suggesting the white-flash of atomic explosion so familiar to modern humans through historic film and photographs. Hood's poetry also explores the powerful imagery of World War II, particularly the "A Bomb" and its devastating affect on humanity and the cold reality of this Frankenstein "lying-in-wait." Raised in Los Angeles, Hood received an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, and is the recipient of a Fulbright in Ethnopoetics. A published author, Hood is a Professor of English and teaches creative writing at Antelope Valley College. Hood's book of poetry, "The Half-Life of Salt, Voices of the Enola Gay," will be available for purchase at the gallery. A reception hosted by Upfront Gallery will be held at the gallery on August 19, 2006, from 4-9 pm, and will be held in conjunction with the City of Ventura's Summer Artwalk. The gallery is located at 267 S. Laurel Street, between Front and E. Thompson Blvd. Gallery hours are by appointment. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     HANNAH FITZGERALD & CARMEN MCLEOD Promising Student Artists of Ventura County Location: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street,Ventura, CA 93001 Date Opening: Saturday, June 24th, 2006, 6-9 pm Artist Reception: Saturday, June 24, 6-9 pm Date Closing: Sunday, July 16th, 2006 In keeping with the City of San Buenaventura's Cultural Plan, the Upfront Gallery is pleased to announce its first exhibition of promising Ventura County student artists. The gallery will exhibit new work by Hannah FitzGerald and Carmen McLeod. Both artists live and work in Ventura County and are currently pursuing degrees in fine art. The gallery wishes to showcase this work to provide the rare opportunity of engaging the community with serious emerging student artists. The exhibition opens Saturday, June 24th with an artist's reception from 6 to 9 pm. The exhibition will close Sunday, July 16th. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday 12 - 5 and Sunday 2 - 4, or by appointment. Upfront Gallery is located in Ventura at 267 South Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. Hannah FitzGerald is currently studying photography at Ventura Community College. Her most recent body of work, Introspection, combines her technical expertise in photography with a commitment to engaging the audience through actual physical interaction with art. Each mixed-media viewing box contains a light that must be activated by the viewer's touch in order to reveal the image and wire sculpture inside. By hiding the photographic element inside a physical construction, FitzGerald requires the viewer to take the initiative in the artist-audience relationship and confronts the traditional taboo of touching art. The photographs are black and white composite images showing a single person in two different states of mind, often the two most extreme aspects of their individual character. FitzGerald portrays the complex self-examination of others in order to trigger that same sort of introspection in the viewer. FitzGerald will be moving on to the University of California system in fall of 2007. Carmen McLeod received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts in 2002 and has been accepted to the Master of Fine Arts program at Virginia Commonwealth University where she will begin studies in the fall. Her paintings are abstract explorations of the physical manifestation of emotional experience. McLeod uses varied materials to create lush surfaces with a chaotic initial impact that upon further viewing resolve into intricately structured compositions. Her paintings manipulate the visual language of depth and illusion to create spaces of conflicting perspective and layered emotional content. With its cacophony of color and texture, the work is often visually confrontational, requiring a prolonged viewing to begin the revelation of the varied nuances contained within a single piece. •     •     •     •     •     •     "Path Central" 18.5 x 18 inch mixed media © 2006 Dawn Arrowsmith. Click HERE for enlargment.      "SONG BLUE! Yellow Light" © 2006 Dawn Arrowsmith. Click HERE for enlargment. (click the back button to return)      "Path-Mystic View" 18.5 x 18 inch mixed media © 2006 Dawn Arrowsmith. Click HERE for enlargment. "NEW PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND COLLAGES" a solo exhibition of artist Dawn Arrowsmith Location: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street,Ventura, CA 93001 Date Opening: Saturday, April 29, 2006, 6-9 pm Artist Reception: Saturday, April 29, 2006, 6-9 pm Date Closing: June 11, 2006 In keeping with the City of San Buenaventura's cultural plan to become California's "New Art City," Upfront Gallery is pleased to present acclaimed L.A. painter Dawn Arrowsmith in a new solo exhibition entitled "New Paintings, Drawings and Collages," opening on Saturday, April 29, 2006, with an artist's reception from 6-9 pm at the gallery, and will coincide with the Spring Artwalk. Arrowsmith's work is derived from investigations of nature, longevity, daily sustenance and meditation. Through a meditative and ritualistic process, Arrowsmith has developed a very focused group of paintings incorporating the most exquisite and basic of shapes, the circle, the perfect form for painting's most complex subject: color. Noted art critic Christopher Miles describes the experience of Arrowsmith's paintings as follows: "Looking into them, one experiences an afterglow, which I like to think of as a kind of perceptual afterburn, that, over time, bathes the periphery in a complimentary tint and allows you to take the color of the painting with you on your eye like a taste lingering on your tongue." These works on paper continue Arrowsmith's investigation of meditation and ritual through drawings of the circle using the dot, line, and "om" text line. In the newest collages, the circle incorporates an iconic meditating figure interacting with arranged maps of Southern California including redrawn freeway networks. Freeways become line with a sense of humor in a kind of cartographic description of social density. Arrowsmith has lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years and that means a lot of freeway driving and sitting in traffic. In dealing with this often-frustrating freeway experience, the meditation mantra (with eyes wide open) allows one to stay calm and in the present, which is the basic focus of meditation. The circle works primarily deal with a contemporary California woman creating a quiet place in one's own mind in an otherwise noisy culture. Arrowsmith is an MFA graduate of Claremont Graduate University and shows extensively throughout California, the United States, Europe and Asia. Additionally, Arrowsmith is affiliated with the Idyllwild Arts program. Upfront Gallery is dedicated to showing contemporary works of established and emerging artists. The gallery is located at 267 S. Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. Gallery hours are Friday-Saturday, 12-5 pm, and Sunday, 2-4 pm., or by appointment. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     Copyright © 2006 Megan & Murray McMillan. All rights reserved. Click HERE for enlargment. "SEA SHOVEL" "a new art video installation by Megan and Murray McMillan" Location: Upfront Gallery, 267 S. Laurel Street, Ventura, CA 93001 Date Opening: Saturday, February 4, 2006, 6-9 pm Upfront Gallery is pleased to present a new video installation by L.A. artists Megan and Murray McMillan in their first area exhibit entitled "Sea Shovel," which will open on Saturday, February 4, 2006, from 6-9 pm at the gallery. Sea Shovel explores themes of military and civilian work, power and communication. The McMillans create performance installations, video, and photographs that blend sculpture, architecture and dance. They use a variety of media, with each work containing large fabricated structures, choreographed and costumed performers and specialized lighting. The works incorporate bridges, trusses, grids, and ships as primary visual elements, and are typically created in galleries as installations, or in their studio as sets for video or photography. The choreography of their work is based on digital collages and small wood models. The husband and wife team have collaborated creating performance and video installations since 2002. They are the beneficiary of several awards, including grants from the Dallas Museum of Art through a Kimbrough Fund Award, the City of Austin, Texas, California State University Fullerton, Texas Womenıs University, and Purdue University. They live and work in Los Angeles. Upfront Gallery is located at 267 S. Laurel Street between Front Street and E. Thompson Blvd. Gallery hours are Friday-Saturday, 12-5 pm, and Sunday, 2-4 pm., or by appointment. For more details, please contact the gallery at 805-340-1448, or, 805-405-4954. •     •     •     •     •     •     Michael Salerno "Full Spectrum" October 15 - November 20, 2005 Opening Reception: Saturday, October 15, 6-9 pm City of Ventura Harvest ArtWalk: Saturday, November 5, 3-9 pm (VENTURA, CA) - Upfront Gallery is pleased to present recent work by L.A. legend, Michael Salerno, his first solo exhibition in the region. At the age of 28, Salerno relocated from New York. Self-taught, his work from the time of his arrival in Los Angeles (1976) has a stronger formal resemblance (in media, elemental design, consistency and detached determination) to his current body of work than does that of any contemporary artist working today. Salerno ignored the clamor for pretty art and argued with the cries for conceptual rigor. He ignored the market and fashion police in favor of a strange thing just making his art. His interest in the potentials of light and space continued even though expressive new image painting and post-modern cynicism subsequently became more popular fields of study. The subject of more than 200 exhibitions, his work can be found in public and private collections in Asia, Europe, Saudi Arabia and the United States. by Bill Lasarow ArtScene Copyright © 2005 ArtScene. All rights reserved. Click HERE for artist statement. Click HERE for to view protfolio.         [Return to Home | Top]