Hidden Keyholes
August 15, 2020 - September 8, 2020
Blue Like the Ocean features artists who intentionally look to the color blue’s rich artistic interpretation and to the ever-present rhythm of ocean tides for inspiration. Blue finds its roots in the elements of the natural world and is routinely used to depict the vast expanse of open sky and the world’s churning bodies of water. Of these leviathans, nothing captivates the imagination quite like the ebb and flow of the tide. The rhythmic passing of time, the movement and mystery of the ocean, and often deeply personal associations with the seaside inspire each of these innovative artists to engage the color blue to transcendent effect.
Clara Berta’s paintings explore themes such as the ebb and flow of memory, the significance of personal heritage, the passing of physical time, desire, grief, and love. Her Hungarian heritage pushes through in the joyful use of traditional clothing colors and the predominant theme of water for its natural healing properties. Manipulating the artwork with several layers of texture paste, mixed media, and acrylic paint, she will work and re-work her canvases, layering textures to give added dimension.
Kathleen Keifer’s paintings show the breathtaking California scenery with its recognizable elements in a new light. Keifer’s paintings invite the consideration of the complex relationship between time and timelessness. It is the sheer visual interaction between the elements, taken in their bare simplicity that interests her. Water, sky, and architecture change their appearance with the shifts in weather and light. Her broken brushstrokes depict light and color in luminous waves, dissolving form into a shimmering surface of vibrant light.
Over the course of her artistic career, Bettina Mauel has devoted herself to the single, yet inexhaustible theme of perception and impermanence, capturing the fleeting movements of our ever-changing world. Mauel expresses dynamism and sensuality in her paintings. “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, flowers, and people in motion, capturing them at a particular moment in time.” Whether the subjects be dancers, cityscapes, landscapes, or pure expressionistic brushstrokes, Mauel has exemplified herself as an expert in the acute perception of ephemeral moments.
Jeremy Prim’s oil paintings are inspired by the Pacific coastline. Known for his evocative minimalist seascapes, the impetus for Prim’s work derives from the beauty of the ocean and the peaceful solitude one feels in its presence. While expressive in their rhythm, each painting is precise and powerful. Layers of blue explore a calming and emotional palette. As the hues blend and collide the viewer becomes emersed in the almost tactile rhythm of the ocean. Sky meets the sea in multiple horizon lines which reference the continuous rhythm of the sea.
Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' modern industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. The choreography of lines and the dynamics of negative space are elements that inform Beals’ work. Concerned with form and abstraction, he does not merely manipulate metals to defy the expectation of the medium forms, but he explores the relationship between the human figure and the landscape, color, and texture, and most importantly between people at an individual and social level.
Nichole McDaniel’s inspirations are based on observing the sun’s interaction with the horizon and appreciating the beauty of these naturally occurring shadows and silhouettes, inevitably setting the tone for her imaginative eye. Expressing the changing colors of the ocean and sky, the countless details found in her work are reflections of her thoughts that no two moments are the same. Her original, contemporary abstract landscapes are inspired by the natural formations and contours of her local surroundings and travels.
Gail Titus works spontaneously and intuitively without regard to realistic forms, but with a focus on textures, colors, and interesting shapes. She creates artworks by intuitively applying paint to canvas using brushes, scrapers, water bottles, and other objects. As this process continues, certain areas of the painting will start to feel undeveloped. This is when she will methodically rework those areas until the artwork gradually feels resolved.
Since the opening of Artspace Warehouse in 2010, the gallery continues to be an industry leader in affordable, museum-quality artworks making collecting art accessible and budget-friendly. With one gallery in Zurich and two galleries in Los Angeles, Artspace Warehouse specializes in guilt-free international urban, pop, graffiti, figurative, and abstract art. The expansive 5,000-square-foot space offers a large selection of emerging and established artists from all over the world.
