bG Gallery Bergamot Station presents āBeasts and Trees, Cities and Seasā a two person exhibition featuring bodies of work from artists Suzanne Unrein and Gay Summer Rick. Both artists juxtapose the natural world against human existence, reminding the viewer that they, too, are a volatile organic entity. An opening reception will be held Saturday, October 4th from 6-10 PM. The Show will be on view through October 21st.
Gay Summer Rickās new series “City and Coast,” depicts urban habitats vibrating alongside Southern Californiaās ephemeral coastline. The dynamic relationship between the two environments is heightened by the artistās choice of palette knife instead of brush. Her distinctive painting style creates an arresting color field in which the cityās sharp edges dissolve into the impressionistic embrace of sand, sea and sky. Rickās ultimate intention: to transcend the visual by evoking the emotional experience of a place.
Suzanne Unrein stages glorious confrontations: man and beast, beast and beast, the dual nature of man and the beast within – even the artistās floral still-life paintings hint at the battle between life and decay. Confident, expressive brushstrokes and a rich color palette follow line and composition in a loose interplay of the abstract and the representational. Underlying the tense beauty of Unreinās work is a common theme:Ā creation and destruction are the consequence of being alive.