FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE FREDERICK R. WEISMAN
MUSEUM OF ART

presents
David Gallup:
California's Channel Islands

May 21 - July 31, 2011

Opening reception: Saturday, May 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Malibu, CA--The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art presents David Gallup: California's Channel Islands from May 21 through July 31, 2011. This art exhibition features over 70 original oil paintings by an esteemed Southern California landscape painter that record his first-hand experiences of this fascinating ecosystem.

There will be a reception to meet the artist on Saturday, May 21, 2011, from 5 to 7 p.m. As part of the reception on May 21, there will also be a screening of a documentary film of the painter at work from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Elkins Auditorium (adjacent to the Weisman Museum). There is no admission charge.

David Gallup took his first trip to the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary in February 2005 as part of a group of artists and scientists commemorating the park's 25th anniversary. For the past six years, he has made dozens of trips to all the islands in order to paint the region's plants, wildlife, and rich scenic wonders.

The Channel Islands are a chain of eight islands located off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel. Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) were made into the Channel Islands National Park in 1980. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animal and plant species found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve a place where visitors can experience coastal California as it was hundreds of years ago.

Gallup's style draws upon the rich heritage of historic French and California Impressionism, but reflects his modern vision. Paintings range in size from small 8-by-10-inch studies executed on location to large studio paintings that reach up to 60 by 80 inches. He is a master of color and employs a myriad of hues to reflect the look of living nature. Gallup even learned to scuba dive so he could study the underwater life as well as locations such as Painted Cave, one of the world's largest sea caves.
 
Gallup explained that the process of painting the Channel Islands liberated his painting style: "I became unconventional, more daring in my composition and subject selection, working only to please myself. I experimented with grand-scale works of unfamiliar subjects and abstract patterns of light and color." His creative approach allowed him to capture the varied topography that ranges from vast sandy beaches and rolling hills to rocky caves and thick forests of pine and hardwood.

The exhibition features a video of Gallup at work exploring and painting the Channel Islands created by Susan Sember, a documentary filmmaker who has been working on a film utilizing high-definition video of the region. Her organization, Essential Image Source Foundation (EISF.org), is dedicated to promoting social awareness through high-definition media.

Gallup was born in St. Louis in 1967 and studied at Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, class of 1990. For the past 25 years, he has lived and painted in Southern California. He is a member and an officer of the California Art Club and an advocate for the important role of representational art in our state's culture.

David Gallup: California's Channel Islands was organized by the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art and is accompanied by a book featuring essays by Jean Stern, director of the Irvine (CA) Museum, and an introduction by Michael Zakian, director of the Weisman Museum of Art. This exhibition is scheduled to travel to other museums across the country. Funding is provided, in part, by the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, and other donors.
Works are on view at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, in the Gregg G. Juarez Gallery, West Gallery, and Ron Wilson-Designer Gallery.
Located on Pepperdine's main campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA, the museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and is closed on Mondays and major holidays, including July 4. There is no admission charge.
For more information, call (310) 506-4851 or visit: http://arts.pepperdine.edu/
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KEY DATES:
Exhibition: May 21 through July 31, 2011
Opening reception: Saturday, May 21, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Screening of full-length film in Elkins Auditorium: Saturday, May 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Family Art Day: Saturday, June 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Gregg G. Juarez Palm Courtyard (adjacent to the museum). The event, which is free and open to the public, features special art projects and Weisman Museum tours.
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263
Museum hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Closed on Mondays and major holidays
No admission charge
General information: (310) 506-4851
Museum staff: (310) 506-7257
http://arts.pepperdine.edu/
Images available upon request
Media Contact: Brad White
Marketing and Publicity Manager
Center for the Arts, Pepperdine University
(310) 506-4055
Museum Contact:
Michael Zakian, Director
(310) 506-7257
Group Tours Contact:
Brittany Corbucci, Arts Education Coordinator and Museum Assistant
(310) 506-4766