"Bret Philpot: New Paintings"
2003-01-03 until 2003-02-08
Circle Elephant
Los Angeles, CA, USA United States of America

Circle Elephant Art presents its first solo exhibition of the paintings of Southern California artist Bret Philpot. Philpot is a self-taught painter, and moved into fine art after a career as a civil engineering draftsman. His work incorporates elements of abstraction and figuration, but remains loose and intuitive; a contrast to the rigor and precision of his previous occupation.

Philpot carries into his work a reverence for the outsider, while managing to exercise consistency and a practical philosophy. His most evident inspiration is the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, which Philpot takes into new realms of his own making.

In Bret Philpot's own words: "I go exploring; I pull from both positive and negative experiences when creating art. Each painting is a powerful life force, at times appearing calm and soothing, yet at other times jarring and hostile in it's expression. I prefer to avoid debates about the relative merits of abstraction and figuration, believing instead in a primacy of instinct over reason. I aim to exploit the free expression of my subconscious.; to paint images that are both abstract and figurative, demonstrating my belief that energy and spontaneity are more important that rationality."

Circle Elephant Art's director, Bert W. Green, is dedicated to discovering and exhibiting quality work by early and mid-career artists.

IMAGE:
Bret Philpot
Letters from Tel Aviv
Acrylic, Oil, Ink on Canvas
40 x 50", 2002

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of California

Other Important Exhibitions in Los Angeles