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Bryan Cunningham,
Brice Eichelberger, Bruce Eichelberger,
Jessica Goldfinch, Jason Houchen,
Chris Roberts-Antieau,
Gin
Stevens, John
Whipple
December 3 -
January 2
Opening Reception: Friday, December 3rd, 8-11 pm
La
Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633
Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA
90027
323-666-7667
www.laluzdejesus.com
info@laluzdejesus.com
Bryan Cunningham (aka Mutie) "Make Fiends -
Win
Cash"
Bryan Cunningham has always been
attracted to sensational advertising, those ads in the back pages of comic books
promising X-ray vision and he-man strength; sideshow banners depicting nature's
grotesque mistakes; and the mail order hoodoo spells and powders guaranteed to
rid you of your enemies, put a lover under your spell and get rich quick. Of
course what you get is a pair of paper glasses and spring loaded grips; some
crafty taxidermy, and bags of bad smelling incense. Yet oh how these exaggerated
promises and lurid visuals stoke the delinquent fires of the
imagination!
Cunningham uses his
skills in painting and wood working to create unique mixed media assemblages.
Each piece begins with a loose, canvas painting. Next the work is set with
grommets and stretched in a hand crafted frame made from recycled wood and found
objects. In the final step, Cunningham incorporates the use of vintage sign
painting and carving to make each frame design unique. Cunningham resides and
works in Detroit, MI. www.mutieonline.com/
Brice Eichelberger paints subtle stories of
political, economic and social scenarios and twists of daily life experiences
with an emotional balance of truth and fantasy. Unlike his twin brother Bruce
(see below) In his youth, the reclusive Brice set out on a mission to teach
himself to draw and paint after being told "It couldn't be done." Brice was then
given some hand-me-down paints and a few books and put his energies towards
learning everything he could about painting and drawing. Brice cites Rembrandt
as his first major influence, and Rob and Chris Clayton who inspired and a
broadened his perspective and appreciation of art.
Bruce Eichelberger expresses his
disdain for politicians, authority and religious intuitions and love for his
long-haired girlfriend in pencil, pen ink, chalk and wood burning. From an early
age, Bruce questioned his identity, origins and nihilistic outlook on life
having grown up knowing he and his brother were given up for adoption at birth,
which lead him into years of trouble, drugs and eventually, prison. When the
brothers located their biological parents and discovered that their father was a
talented artist and sculptor and their mother only wanted what was best for the
newborns, Bruce decided to turn his life around and became even closer to his
passion and through hard work the ability to truly express his talents. The
Eichelberger brothers reside in Los Angeles.
Jessica Goldfinch was exposed
to unconventional worldviews from a very early age. From her elementary school
years at the counter-culture Free School in New Orleans through her graduate
studies at the University of New Orleans, Jessica focused on studying world
ideologies and creatively incorporating them into her art. Jessica's artistic
curiosity has led her to travel to places as diverse as Nicaragua, Indonesia,
and central India, and she frequently incorporates both iconographic elements
and an Asian sense of balance in her work.
"Many religious myths
have parallel storylines and meaning, and are thought to have the same
historical point of origin," explains Goldfinch. To explore this complex nature
of religion, the Holy Card series collapses religious concept and imagery into
one ideal, incorporating iconography from the Egyptian bird god Horus to
Michelangelo's Pietà, as well as other religious signifiers such as the
Christian cross, the veil of Muslim faith, and the HinduHer series humanizes the
Divine and repudiates the Nicene Creed, the cornerstone Christian beliefs
codified in the fourth century. Goldsmith depicts religious imagery in an
organic, humanist sense that more truthfully fits our needs and concerns in
present time, rather than relying upon a model created over 1,400 years ago.
These works are meant to investigate the commonalities of humanity and
to dissect the global clash of cultures and values present in our world today.
Although the works illustrate the mystery and beauty of religion, they also are
intended to be ironic and secular-an attempt to humanize the concept of "god."
www.jessicagoldfinch.com/
Jason Houchen
"Mustaches are Antlers"
Jason Houchen's "Mustaches are
Antlers" focuses on the way people decorate and adorn themselves and the
parallels that the process has with nature. Houchen mixes folk, graffiti, arcane
and traditional techniques to create sculptures, mixed media and detailed burnt
wood panels. From this amalgamation of styles combined with his Midwestern roots
spring images of verve: Spirits and spirituality, antiquity and memories. A
former resident of Los Angeles, Houchen currently lives in Chicago. www.jasonhouchen.com/
Pieces of fabric are Chris Roberts-Antieau's palette and her sewing
machine is her brush. Roberts-Antieau creates "fabric pictures" inspired by
American folk art, the drawings her son Noah did as a child, and the laughter
and wonder she sees in everyday life. Each of her unique pieces of art are
made by cutting fabric shapes which are sewn onto a fabric background. She
also hand stitches with embroidery techniques to add color and details to the
finished piece of art which is then hung behind glass in a hand-painted frame.
While Roberts-Antieau sees things with a child-like joy and wonder, she doesn't
just mimic a child's style; she applies a child's eye to adult realities. When
you view one of Roberts-Antieau's fabric painting you are reminded not to
take yourself too seriously; and you may be given a chance to find again the
wonder and joy that children find in the everyday.
Roberts-Antieau
is the subject of a documentary which will be released in December of 2010
titled "The Life of Chris Roberts-Antieau: A Love Letter to Tom
Waits." The film is created by Angela Klein Bryan Cunningham, Brice
Eichelberger, Bruce Eichelberger, Jessica Goldfinch Jason Houchen, Chris
Roberts-Antieau, Gin Stevens, John Whipplewho has worked for the artist for the
past five years and is currently finishing post-production work on the three-DVD
documentary and bonus features, which includes the feature-length film; a
"visual soundtrack" CD/DVD featuring every single one of Roberts-Antieau's
artworks set to songs featured in the film; a demonstration of the artist
creating an artwork with step-by-step instructions; and outtakes from the film.
The CD/DVD is wrapped in eco-friendly fabric, designed to look like a love
letter, sewn by artists at the Chris Roberts-Antieau Studio in Manchester, MI.
The documentary traces the story of Roberts-Antieau's life and art via
interviews with the artist, including video capturing "real-time moments that
follow her normal, wacky routine," and explanations about "what inspires
particular artworks," Kline explains. View a trailer for the film here: www.brookbankproductions.com/index.html
 With this current exhibition Gin Stevens looks at and reinterprets his 2001 exhibition with La
Luz De Jesus Gallery in which he traced the history of the Blues tradition in 30
portraits and culminated in a large scale work tracing the history with a tree
dotted by small portraits of the three distinct genres of Blues music: Chicago,
Delta, and Texas. With this new body of work Gin focuses even more on the
portrait and images of these icons. Gin creates a photo-realist quality to the
work, while at the same time using small intricately drawn vignettes of
times gone by to create his own romanticized view of these musicians and
hardships they went through creating their art. Gin Stevens works and lives in
Los Angeles and has exhibited with La Luz De Jesus Gallery on a number of
occasions. When he is not working for The Man, Gin likes to relax with his lady
and dabble in witchcraft and board games.
The subject matter of
John Whipple's somewhat
antiquated and weathered looking paintings has no particular rhyme or reason but
each one of his creations are fascinating. Whipple starts most of his work
with a wood panel, primarily using Finland birch because of the wood's beautiful
grain and light color, pushing different painting processes through
experimentation, sometimes taking old paper and collaging it for the base
pattern. He also frequently integrates the grain of the wood into the imagery by
drawing the design in charcoal and using a kneadable eraser to create highlights
and define form. Once satisfied with the image, Whipple seals the drawing into
the wood which serves to bring out the wood's grain and luster, then carefully
layers thin transparent oil glazes over the drawing. Letting the oils completely
dry between layers, Whipple builds up the color intensity while still allowing
the drawing and wood grain to be seen. Whipple also sculpts, incorporating just
about every found object imaginable into his pieces. John Whipple works and
lives in Central Florida.
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