Coming Exhibition: Shelley Adler, Sally Jacobs, Carol Kleinman

April 22 - May 17, 2014

Opening Reception:

Saturday, April 26, 5-8 p.m. 

Artist Talk and Mother’s Day Open House: 

Saturday, May 10, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Artist Talk at 3 p.m.

Local Color, Shelley Adler

Shelley Adler, "Teeth" Oil on Gessoboard, 10x8"

In her current exhibit, Shelley Adler fuses the colorful and bizarre. Inspired by the traveling carnivals that temporarily occupied her West Adams neighborhood over the last two years, Adler’s paintings pulsate with intensely saturated hues. Local street signs, eerie clowns, tents and carnival games create a surreal environment that blurs the line between playful and frightening. “Carnivals are a perfect storm of lively street life with the blatant primitive aura of a medicine show,” says Adler. “In contrast to this were evenings of wonderful pink, mauve sunsets that were sublime, and a total contrast to the manufactured features of the carnivals and signs.” It is the dichotomy of this imagery that attracted Adler to her subject matter. Coupled with the challenge of cataracts and later surgery, Adler says her sense of color changed dramatically as she continued her series. “Local Color” presents a detailed study in color that simultaneously examines the co-existence of grotesque and manufactured objects within the natural world.

Up Close: Plant Portraits, Sally Jacobs

Sally Jacobs, "Freesia I" Watercolor 16.5x20"

Watercolor artist Sally Jacobs dramatizes the defining nature of a range of flowers and succulents. Departing somewhat from traditional botanical art where an entire plant is depicted, Jacobs focuses her viewers’ eyes on a plant’s subtle or unique features.
Whether she’s painting delicate freesia petals, the leathery skin of a pomegranate, or the bold swirl of succulent leaves, Jacobs uses her keen eye and layered watercolor technique to capture incredible detail. Her work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows in New York and San Francisco; and at museums in Minneapolis and Phoenix. She was an award winner at the Brand 37 Works on Paper exhibit, and was featured on the CNN show, “Your Money.” She is one of the artists included in “Today’s Botanical Artists,” a book of contemporary, well-regarded nature artists.

Westside Windows, Carol Kleinman 

Carol Kleinman "Superman at the Farmers Market" Single Exposure Photograph on Canvas, 20x24"

Through the lens of Carol Kleinman’s camera, the reflection on a restaurant window at Santa Monica Beach is transformed. With one single exposure, Kleinman combines interior with exterior. The tables and chairs merge with sand and sky, creating an abstracted world. Kleinman’s images blend illusion and reality - a door opens as a portal to the shoreline, a superhero keeps watch over bustling sidewalks. “Reflections fracture, layer and transport visions of reality into the realm of fantasy,” says Kleinman. “They are a common occurrence all around us that most of us don’t notice. I seek and find these visual treasures and say, ‘Look at this!’” These reflected images are further enhanced as Kleinman prints her work on canvas, creating a textured, painterly effect. 

Kleinman has traveled the world capturing reflections on windows in places such as New York, Paris and Hawaii. Her current series, “Westside Windows" consists of reflections on the windows of Los Angeles’ Westside. From the beaches to the farmers markets, to the streets of Venice, these images open doors into a surreal world that nevertheless exists for all to see.