PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
GBGLA is pleased to present, Undercurrents, the gallery’s first exhibition of paintings by Los Angeles artist Stephen Wright opening on Saturday, October 17th, and continues through May 9th, 2020.
Wright is well known for his large scale figurative paintings and this new body of work is a radical departure for the artist. After years of exploring different objects in his work, Wright found a subject that truly spoke to him. Growing up in Southern California, the Pacific was an omnipresent part of Wright’s life and when he turned to it as subject matter for paintings, he found a worthy challenge in the attempt to capture its essence. Wright writes, “Water does not have a form; it adapts to forms created by energy. There is something kind of futile yet exciting about capturing the effect of water in a painting. There is no start or end point, just a fragment of an experience contained within a square or rectangle.”
To feel closer to that experience, Wright uses an open-ended painting process, starting at a single point or corner of the canvas and moving across it. Moving back and forth between light and form, he is constantly making decisions as to which is more important. The paintings capture the motion of water with a deftness that is transporting. Upon closer inspection, the moments captured within each canvas veer into abstraction with thickly applied paint coming off the surface and out of focus moments leaving the viewer feeling the need to blink the water from their eyes.
Occasionally Wright adds a pelican, a bit of land or a boat so the painting can be anchored and the viewer has a chance to exit the surf. But more often, he wants the viewer to feel the excitement of being swept and thrashed around by a force much larger than we are. Wright’s paintings are less about capturing the traditional beauty of the local beaches, and more about capture the energy and transformational qualities of the surf in Southern California.
Wright was born and grew up in Los Angeles and received his BFA from California State University Long Beach. He has exhibited throughout the US and his work has appeared in Fine Art Connoisserur, Luxe Magazine, New American Painting, Poets & Artists, American Art Collector, The New York Post, and ARTNews. His work appears in numerous private collections internationally. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Back to Artist Page
Wright is well known for his large scale figurative paintings and this new body of work is a radical departure for the artist. After years of exploring different objects in his work, Wright found a subject that truly spoke to him. Growing up in Southern California, the Pacific was an omnipresent part of Wright’s life and when he turned to it as subject matter for paintings, he found a worthy challenge in the attempt to capture its essence. Wright writes, “Water does not have a form; it adapts to forms created by energy. There is something kind of futile yet exciting about capturing the effect of water in a painting. There is no start or end point, just a fragment of an experience contained within a square or rectangle.”
To feel closer to that experience, Wright uses an open-ended painting process, starting at a single point or corner of the canvas and moving across it. Moving back and forth between light and form, he is constantly making decisions as to which is more important. The paintings capture the motion of water with a deftness that is transporting. Upon closer inspection, the moments captured within each canvas veer into abstraction with thickly applied paint coming off the surface and out of focus moments leaving the viewer feeling the need to blink the water from their eyes.
Occasionally Wright adds a pelican, a bit of land or a boat so the painting can be anchored and the viewer has a chance to exit the surf. But more often, he wants the viewer to feel the excitement of being swept and thrashed around by a force much larger than we are. Wright’s paintings are less about capturing the traditional beauty of the local beaches, and more about capture the energy and transformational qualities of the surf in Southern California.
Wright was born and grew up in Los Angeles and received his BFA from California State University Long Beach. He has exhibited throughout the US and his work has appeared in Fine Art Connoisserur, Luxe Magazine, New American Painting, Poets & Artists, American Art Collector, The New York Post, and ARTNews. His work appears in numerous private collections internationally. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Back to Artist Page
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: [email protected]
www.georgebillis.com
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
T: 310-838-3685
F: 310-838-3438
email: [email protected]
www.georgebillis.com