Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Current Exhibition: Mary McGill, Elsie Dye Sims, Marion Wood

June 14, 2016 – July 9th, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 18th,  5-8pm
Meet the Artists: Saturday, July 2nd,  4-7pm

Mary McGill – Insights at the Edge
Mary McGill, Heavy is the Head, Ceramic, 20 x 8 x 8"
Mary McGill’s debut exhibition at TAG, Insights at the Edge, explores and challenges the many complexities and possibilities of the art of ceramics. McGill blurs the fine line between work and play with her clay sculptures, creating pieces that force her and the viewer to be present and in the moment; to pay attention to and live in the now. With a firm belief that ceramicists impose their own personalities on their work, McGill instills a sense of joy into her craft that boils over and flows onto her surreal creations.

In this series, McGill focuses on hand building and ascertaining the spiritual essence of her sculptures, while her subject matter encompasses both human and feline figures, often times mixing both to create something unique and feral.

McGill describes her work as “an expression of the spirit that dwells within.” Her figures represent changes through life experiences – their struggles, successes, and journeys. Consequently, the final product is not what society would typically deem “beautiful.” The beauty of these pieces lies in reading in between the lines and focusing on the spiritual language of the subjects; their beauty is one of dignity, courage, and strength.

Elsie Dye Sims – North to South
Elsie Dye Sims, North to South, Woodblock print,  45 x 25"
Elsie Dye Sims’ newest body of work is a visual representation of a lifetime of adventure and wonder. Moving to Los Angeles 15 years ago, Sims has attainted an appreciation for the beaches of California, their natural ecosystems, and the flora that they hold. From the more pristine natural beauty found in the North in Matador Beach to Huntington and the more populous beaches of Southern California, Sims’ exhibition is a love letter to Los Angeles and the Western shoreline.

Finely detailed, hand colored woodcuts, oil paintings, and drawings are all an expression of her love for all things organically found in nature. For Sims, the Western shore is more than a view or seascape; it has acted as a consistent catalyst for growth. While people and connections are finite, nature is permanent and constant fixture in Sims’ life. This exhibition serves to give a face to the sensation of being wonderstruck by a new and foreign locale and the splendor that opportunity can hold.

Marion Wood – Location, Location!
Marion Wood, Penn's Landing, Acrylic on canvas,  60 x 48"
Marion Wood’s debut exhibition at TAG, Location, Location!, was designed and executed using a careful balance of chance and fate in creation, utilizing deliberate movement to express depictions of physical locations in an abstract form. Wood utilizes broad, yet delicate motions that make the paint appear as if it has taken root and grown through the canvas, creating a dialogue where the paint lies, a sense of organic narrative, characterizing the sui generis of each location.

Architectural form, the sweep of history, and the coexistence of chaos and orderliness are all elements that were used to develop Wood’s compositions, which all teem with life.

The joy and the pain of creation is another duality explored in this series of work. The physical act of painting, a visceral and explorative undertaking, serves as the core connection to each piece. Wood chooses to inhabit and navigate her paintings, moving within them the way one would inhabit a location in the more traditional sense; by wandering, searching, reveling, taking risks, failing, feeling the natural flow, and getting messy. Wood encourages the viewer to wander through these pieces as well, and establish their own connections.

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