Properties of Light 
Suzan Woodruff & Brad Howe
September 10 - November 12, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 10, 5-8pm

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

George Billis Gallery is pleased to present Properties of Light, curated by William Moreno.   Properties of Light features new work by two Los Angeles artists, painter Suzan Woodruff and sculptor Brad Howe, paired in an extraordinarily radiant exhibition.  The show opens Saturday, September 10th with an artist reception from 5-8pm and continues through October 22nd.
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Brad Howe, best known for his monumental abstract sculptures, balances strength and wit, motion and stillness, and a sense of lightness even when working with heavy steel.  Suzan Woodruff paints luminous and provocative abstractions that take full advantage of Los Angeles' copious light. Not interested in a hard-edged proposition, her works are less foils than empathetic companions to Howe's shimmering compatriots. In this exhibit, his highly reflective sculptural works are deliberately scaled and placed to provoke interaction and conversation with Woodruff's sensorial paintings. The result is unapologetically energizing - a paean to Los Angeles' unique light qualities.

"What I was immediately drawn to is how these completely synergistic artists approach notions of light in unique and completely different mediums. Each creates tacit, intriguing narratives - without proselytizing. The results are unapologetically optimistic and emotionally stirring - something the art world often seems to hold at arm's length," says curator William Moreno. "What is also intriguing is the fact that both artists employ a fair amount of physical effort to create their works - and the outcomes could not be more different.”

Suzan Woodruff was born in Phoenix, AZ and at an early age began exploring the southwestern desert first on foot then on motorcycle.  Raised by her gold-prospector grandparents who taught her how to “read” rocks and by her desert-bohemian mother, Woodruff immersed herself in the infinite spaces and spectacular natural vistas that would later become essential to her art.  Woodruff received an art scholarship to Arizona State University and studied printmaking, painting, and sculpture.  She soon began exhibiting and gained international recognition and left Arizona for New York. 

Woodruff eventually settled in Los Angeles where she currently lives with her husband, writer Bruce Bauman, and continues her immersion in the art and nature of the sublime. Informed by the old and the new knowledge of nature, space and science, her goal is to capture every strand of the cosmic web and, as stated by the writer Josh Jones when speaking of the sublime, "to be so absorbed, so stricken with awe, and wonder, even fear of nature and art as being not about the thing itself, but rather the idea of the thing.”

Brad Howe began his career in Brazil after studying history at the University of Sao Paulo. His work presents the influence of inquiry into the aesthetics of various cultures and distinct movements in the continuum of art history.
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Howe’s work continues to connect with international communities, exhibiting and completing site-specific commissions both in the US and abroad. Known for his sculpture practice, Howe’s focus also includes the representation of objects through diverse means, including photography.

William Moreno is a curator, writer, art advisor and principal of William Moreno Contemporary. He was the founding executive director of the Claremont Museum of Art.  William serves as advisory board committee member for the California Association of Museums and is Board Vice Chair, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE).
 
Artist Page - Suzan Woodruff
Artist Page - Brad Howe

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George Billis Gallery opened its second location in the Culver City area of Los Angeles in 2004 and marks its 15th year in the Chelsea arts district in New York City. George Billis shows work by both emerging and established artists. For more information please contact the gallery at:

2716 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
T: 310-838-3685
F: 310-838-3438
email: la@georgebillis.com
www.georgebillis.com