Van Saro, Simon Sotelo,

Andy Steele, Hui Tan

Four artists chosen from this year's

"Everything But the Kitschen Sync" juried group show

July 1 - 31

Opening Reception: Friday, July 1st, 8-11 pm

La Luz de Jesus Gallery 

4633 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles CA 90027

323-666-7667

www.laluzdejesus.com

info@laluzdejesus.com 

also showing:  Mark Todd "Force Field" 

Van Saro was a very late addition to this year's annual Everything But the Kitschen Sync show, however the quality of his work was apparent immediately. His fine art - oil on panel and canvas interpretations of his spraycan roots lifts him head and shoulders above the majority of this generation's graffiti writers. His work is polished, but his point of view is raw, illuminating a biographical connection to two very distinct art forms with a fresh voice in both. "From the time that I had crayons in my hand I loved to draw, so I guess it seemed natural for me to become an artist. However, the path from crayons to today has been a rough ride. I am proudest of the fact that despite everything that has happened, I never gave up on my life's ambition. I have spent many years obsessively perfecting my skills as a painter and storyteller. Following in the footsteps of artists like William Bougureau, Charles Bargue, and Norman Rockwell, I am bringing to life the stories of my world. However, unlike other classical artists, both present and past, I use graffiti to help complete the story within my paintings. Stories of sadness, humor, love, despair, and everything in between. I try to create my paintings to be like music. Songs have an incredible ability to translate emotions and thoughts, and this is what I'm striving for in my artwork" states Saro

 Fool
Clayboard
16" x 20" in 20" x 24" frame

Two themes, maritime and tragic love are referenced in "Ideal / Languages" via pieces created on clayboard, some drawings, acrylics on board and a watercolor. Simon Sotelo leaves the images open to stories only the viewer will fabricate. "Often there is no pattern or merit to the art I enjoy creating. Static images flood my daydreams and then find their way into the real world by means that I'm not sure I understand. I find comfort in the strange and dark faces I recreate on my canvas. It seems that no matter what their expression might be, I feel excited bringing life to a stranger's face. My clayboard work is a nostalgic look back at the art that surrounds my culture and one of my childhood obsessions; stories of tragic love. By far nostalgia is my favorite emotion, taking me back to moments when my imagination was very real. The process can seem painstaking but getting lost when I'm rendering is indescribable. I love all the spoils and splendors of making art" states Sotello

  Jabba da Lush

Gouache and color pencil on fiberboard

11" x 14" in 14" x 18" frame

"Since the dawn of human existence, cultures have been defined by their differing traits, traditions, fads, and fashions. These differences, when viewed by outsiders and taken out of context, are often seen as bazaar, grotesque, or comical. Early religious pictographs and iconography depicting stories about deities, creation, popular customs, heroes, and villains fascinate me. Much of my inspiration comes from this visual history and folklore. My goal is to scramble and quilt these cultural and physical differences in to my own catawampus visual iconography. Your interpretation of the story is welcomed and encouraged. I am a storyteller, shamelessly patching together myth and truth with little regard for historical timelines. Like all storytellers my statement is a reflection of the world around me. Fictional and non-fictional legends of the last millennia are so readily available for consumption to be scrutinized, filtered, and reflected. Television, movies, books, the Internet, businesses, clubs, and homes provide a window into human temperament. With this veritable information buffet, it is up to me to pick and choose what I feel is interesting, beautiful, monstrous, gratuitous, humorous, and culturally valid. I am a collector of people and their cultures. I try not to deny what I truly see, just reflect it."  Andy Steele

Hui Tan feels a strong desire to preserve the traditions of Chinese life before they are lost or forgotten and has created a series of paintings with gouache and ink on watercolor paper telling the story of traditional Chinese children's games. The faces of her characters capture a happiness and fulfillment that Tan experienced when she played these games as a child. Through her artworks, Tan wishes to share these experiences with her viewers. A graduate of the University of China, Tan has designed characters for TV shows, taught fine arts to children, worked as an illustrator at the GuangZhou Children's palace and has painted over 200 serial illustrations which have been published in the GuangZhou daily newspaper. Tan's artwork is inspired by her many years traveling throughout China, taking photographs, studying the people and documenting all that she has seen and experienced.