Bergamot Station

Last week we saw a 3 shows at Bergamot Station— Arcadia Gallery, Copro, and Lani’s talk at Lora Schlesinger.

Lani Emanuel’s talk about her work was great for the class to hear.  I saw much of this work develop over her years in the MFA program at LCAD and it was a treat to see it all up in Lora’s grand space.  There was a tight coherence in the body of work, and her interest in fashion came across clearly.  I would love to see more variety in the way she paints her figures, though I have no doubt the variety and skill will only increase with time. 

I enjoyed seeing Arcadia’s space— and the owner Steve gave a great chat to us, telling us about the gallery program and some advice for up and coming artists.  From the dealers perspective, he wanted to see craft, but originality of vision as well.  If he could tell who you studied under, that was not a good thing.  I thought this was pretty good advice.  

For me, the work there is hit or miss—it is all well crafted, but some of the work feels more product than expression or investigation.  I loved the large goldfish still life by Miguel Angel Moya— so unexpected!  It was a subtle, inviting subject on an oversized scale.  His other small scale octopus still life paintings were also arresting.

The work at Copro was extremely uneven.  Some work was very strong (like Scott Hess’ large canvas), and others seemed like high school doodles done well.  The lowbrow aesthetic can rub me the wrong way, and most of the work was thus.  Good for a laugh but then what?  I enjoyed the craft in quite a few, and others had some visual puns that made me smile. 

John Brosio’s large "Dinosaurs Eating CEO" always brings a smile to my face.  

Rebecca Campbell

Rebecca Campbell at Cal State Long Beach 

Rebecca Campbell sure can paint.  No doubt about that.  

But this body of work rubbed me the wrong way.

I’m realizing sincerity is something vitally important to me in painting, and I did not it find her larger works.  Her range is staggering, but to what end I don’t know.  The slickness of her smooth passages, the perfectly placed “rough” parts.. they rang very hollow to me.  They are very much a product.  Perhaps I’m jealous of her command of the medium, but I don’t feel an intentional icy remove, nor a felt gesture... just a stylistic calculation.  I read the marks as signifying things, rather than being them.  

What I’m getting at is that I respond to unity of form and content, and in this body of work by Rebecca Campbell, they did not.  I just felt the disconnect of hand and heart.