JoAnne Artman Gallery presents Summer Lovin'

JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present Summer Lovin’, a group exhibition featuring works by Greg Miller, Michael Callas, Anja Van Herle, Anna Kincaide, and Mary Finlayson. An opportunity to discover, and rediscover, unexpected dialogues during the carefree summer months, the works come together to form a cumulative portrait of the gallery’s eclectic program.

In his new works, Greg Miller revisits his series of swimmers submerged in water that brings forth fantasy and imagination. Constructing underwater realms that capture a moment of pause within the constantly changing and moving form of water, Miller’s works highlight the quiet tranquility of water and nature. Emphasizing surface quality and dimension, Miller’s collage-like process approaches light as both a subject and medium. Dynamically combining mixed medias of acrylic paint, found and repurposed paper materials, the depth achieved mimics that of the bodies of water depicted. Masterfully manipulating spatial perception and luminescence, the visual shifts in Miller’s works suggest the passing of time and moments of man intruding nature.

Growing up in Southern California in Orange County, the combination of the area’s natural beauty with its planned communities and highly curated environments were a heavy influence on Michael Callas’ artistic process. Rooted in Pop Art, Street Art, graphic design, drafting, and his life in Southern California, Callas’ paintings are done entirely with spray paint and stencils. Integrating figure and language, text, character archetypes, and bold color is combined within each work. Intricately produced through a vigorous process of drafting, mapping, and hand-cutting precise templates, Callas creates a surface that is uniform and rich in color.

Mixing classical and contemporary ideas of fashion, self-expression, and beauty, Anja Van Herle’s dramatic interplay of detail and vibrant color tells stories of the past and present. Her female figures are playfully sexy and confident, communicating their stories through a composition focused around their eyes. Drawing on elements of fashion, the figures are timeless, iconic, and provocative in their chaste mystery with just that little bit of pop. Maintaining her emblematic lux and feminine approach in new still life works (complete with the adornment of Swarovski crystal), Van Herle cites the cultural impacts of the disco era, depicting records, flamboyance, and the satirical phenomenon of Disco Duck.

Communicating emotion and narrative with limited assistance from her figure’s facial expressions, Anna Kincaide creates cascades of flowers that cover her subjects to explore anonymity and transformation. Headless and bursting forth with florals, Kincaide’s figures showcase the idea of ambiguity between our bodies, identities, and thoughts. Incorporating elements of fashion photography and contemporary socio- cultural emblems of status and identity, her figures define the separation between body and mind. Through control and spontaneous disruption, she conveys femininity, confidence, beauty, and mystique.

Mary Finlayson’s paintings and textile works are a celebration of color, pattern and form. Navigating themes of home, memory, and self, her interiors pay homage to the iconic works of David Hockney, Henri Matisse, and Stuart Davis by borrowing similar bright color palettes, repetitive patterns and simplified forms. Creating tightly constructed compositions unique to her own style, her works provide an intimate glimpse into each curated space. Considering the personal attachments and importance of objects, Finlayson flattens the perspective of each scene, skewing and distorting to capture the feeling of a space rather than an accurate depiction.

These artists’ works will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize. With visual perceptions always changing, peek behind the stories told and you’re sure to find the right artistic expression.