NEXT MONTH AT LA LUZ de JESUS GALLERY

May 1 - 31, 2009

JAW Cooper, Lauren Gardiner, Miss Mindy & Lyle Motley

ARTISTS' RECEPTION
Friday, May 1, 2009 ~ 8:00 - 11:00 pm

JAW Cooper – “Daedal”

Inspired by curio cabinets and the complexity of natural systems, JAW Cooper creates illustrations using a variety of media. This series of paintings entitled "Daedal" examines the interconnectedness of species, the bizarre adaptations informed by these connections, and the parallel between evolution as a 'problem-solving' process and the creative process in art. Cooper was born in England and grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, Southern California, and various locations throughout Europe and Scandinavia.

Lauren Gardiner – “Royalty Before Surgery”

Lauren Gardiner’s tiny acrylic paintings and ink drawings are intricate and intimate portraits portraying each subject’s every lash, wart and twangy hair. Her works observe and explore how people present themselves for posterity as well as how they react in front of a camera. Her use of ambiguous backgrounds, uncomfortable glares and awkward postures, typical of professional portrait photography, produce humorous yet cynical little vignettes that lend a brief glimpse into the human condition. “Royalty Before Surgery” is a look at royalty with facial deformities and the clothes they wear to cover their disfigurements. Gardiner was born in the U.S., and grew up in Singapore, Australia and England. After earning an Illustration degree in 1998 from the Rhode Island School of Design, Gardiner moved to Los Angeles where she observes the many aggravating facets of human life that help provide the inspiration for her little portraits' paintings.

 

Miss Mindy - "Painted Ladies"

Miss Mindy has an affinity for past times, and loves to explore mood, expressions and bizarre humor. She mainly paints on wood, and creates dioramas and shadow boxes, in addition to fluid ink drawings and sketches. Her method evokes a vintage cartoon and folk art feel using rough brush strokes and several mediums.
Her stories involve girls and imps, fairies and troublemakers of a most endearing yet bizarre sort. Her narratives find leads in precarious and naughty little circumstances with other players helping along the tales of mishaps and silly shenanigans. Miss Mindy was born into a family of artists and designers who have been an inspiration. Her grandmother worked as an inker and painter at Disney in the 1930s. Her other side of the family were illustrators, muralists and puppeteers, as is her artist sister CJ Metzger, who has been a collaborator and muse.
In addition to her fine art, Miss Mindy is an accomplished illustrator, character and product designer for such clients as Hard Rock Cafe, House of Blues, Zippo, Warner Brothers, and (currently) Nickelodeon Animation.
Miss Mindy has written and illustrated two books with Baby Tattoo Books Publishing. The first being, “Artists Sisters: Box of Stories,” and the second, “Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Doll Bonanza,” will debut at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery this month.  She has currently designed her own vinyl toy, named “DINK” with Kaching Brands/Mindstyle toys, and has participated in various art shows around the globe. Her artwork can be found in private collections throughout the United States and abroad.

 

Lyle Motley - "Day One"

The paintings of Lyle Motley live in a neighborhood somewhere between words and images, in a place where there is room to reflect, hear and see. Motley’s paintings encourage the viewer to participate and challenge the observer to add their own ideas into the mix. Working predominantly in oils, with forays into drawing, mixed media and sculpture, Motley’s work is mostly figurative, with occasional contextual abstractions. His non-themed show will include works that are predominantly figurative with some pieces that contain contextual abstractions. Motley has also worked with ceramics and sculpture, played and wrote music (with his band Lyle and the Sparkleface band), worked as a commercial and editorial illustrator, panted murals in Flagstaff, AZ and Salida, CO. He loves the outdoors and aimless wanderings and adventures around the West, life in the city and the middle of nowhere, all the wackiness of being a dad and operating without enough sleep. It is not surprising that his work has become a unique blend, drawing on many sources. Most importantly, Motley is completely obsessed with smearing paint on things. When he is not smearing, he is fascinated by the light that bounces off the stuff that is all around him. Motley received a BFA from Northern Arizona University in 1993 and currently breathes among the mountains of Colorado and creates with the encouragement of his amazing wife and two boys.

For further information contact us at (323) 666-7667
or E-mail us at info@laluzdejesus.com

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