Bret J Barrett - Transports of Form

Bret J Barrett is at it again, and quite possibly always at it, (I'm beginning to think he is some sort of Art machine that paints and produces more art machines). This time he is at it with a solo showing at the Art of Framing in his very own San Diego, a short worthwhile trip from Santa Ana and the reality of making a living. The show, Transports of Form, transports the viewer into the ultimate alternate reality. Forget the job, the wife, the kids, the retirement accounts, and how you think you are going to die. Just forget reality for a moment and let this work carry you to its alternate. The kinetic sculptures defy imagination or perhaps define imagination, blending natural forms with frenetic movements. With all of the kinetic pieces going at once, it feels a bit like mid day at the bug house. But hold on kids, because you will also see shiny plastic sculptures, one of a VW bus with elephant legs, a helio pink flamingo VW bug, a dolphin plane, and a variety of reptiles with sails. Who knows what Barrett is after with these. The show intro says it was all from a dream he had involving a two-legged blue squirrel? He is odd and weird. These pieces are so very different, yet so very everyday in their throwaway plastic way. The more I think about it, who cares what Barrett is after with these. Some comment on man and nature, no doubt. The plastic models that also show up in the paintings seem to represent different dimensions of the real in front of us on the table. They stand in front of the representation of these real things in the paintings. And don’t get too caught up in the images and symbolism, but take a close look at the brush strokes and the blending of the colors. The use of colors reminds me a lot of the Edward Hopper paintings I saw in Chicago that used blends of colors on the smallest scale to create an unusual sense of light. Don’t let the surrealistic images fool you. It is not simply about the images. Barrett’s paintings harken back to the true masters of realism, such as Hopper, and Winslow Homer. He has to be using the smallest of brushes and painstakingly applying thousands of them over time to create the magical sense of light. He is an artist who must benefit greatly from long bouts of insomnia. I was far too engrossed in the experience to take any notes on my walk through the gallery, and my post 40 synapses just don’t bring proper names to the fore, but I went back to bretjbarret.com to check out the pieces online and titles like Tank Chick, Dinosaur Jr. (could be a reference to the great band of the same name), and Reptilian Swashbuckler are in keeping with Barrett’s outstanding sense of humor. If you go to this show, and you should before it closes on Thursday, September 17th, you will be astounded. If you perhaps have a simplistic reaction such as more dancing penises, well, you’ve missed the point entirely. And that says far more about you than the art before you. Barrett’s work is for real, art for art’s sake, or should we say, for alternate reality’s sake.

Paul Torres' Grand Central Art Center Show "Idiosyncratic Behavior"

I find myself scrambling both eggs for breakfast and to keep my gainful employment. The pros: I'm back in Santa Ana for work. The cons: I realize I've been working so hard at work that I haven't written about my favorite things since I last found myself in the Art haven that is Santa Ana.
What startles me entirely and puts my digits to the keys is Paul Torres @ Fullerton Grand Central Art Center! My first time seeing his work in person and I'm hit with Real Art in the awaiting face. The only thing better than the absolute expert handling of paint in Mr. Torres' Art, is the deeply immersive view into the psyche of his subjects. Venice Beach, never depicted as real and gritty as Paul's life battered characters, but in all the beauty and splendor of a So Cal landscape. This painter brings forth his mind-space for us to casually stroll by on the beach-walk. The social realism of George Groz and Ben Shahn but with mastery of color and technique, Paul Torres brings a newly informed depth to the genre and makes it his own updated version for the 21st millenium.

What startles me more after a visit to Paul's website: http://www.paul-torres.com/ is, he has shown with one of my favorite artists, Bret Barrett, back in 99' @ the Rico gallery and they both won honors for their work! The have both been kicking Art butt for ten years in CA.

It is a small world and I especially like the way Paul Torres paints his.

See his work in Santa Ana @ The Grand Central Art Center through Sept. 27th. Top quality must see Art!

Fullerton or Bust, Alternate Realists Arrive in Santa Ana

It’s been some time away from the blog, the vacuum, the abyss of electrons. Since my last entry, a lot has happened. The market crashed; America elected a new president, and the Alternate Realists got a gig at the Fullerton in Santa Ana. How time goes.

At this show’s opening you would have seen the insane clown stylings of Extremo, the clown, both in his expertly rendered works and his extreme, hilarious clown energy at the opening. He is the star and the impetus behind all of this clowning around. He must be loved in Portland. Dark Vomit (a.k.a.- Kelly Hutchison) out does himself with a range of work that is in your face, colorful and moving, literally. Every time I see his paintings they are better than the last ones. His collaborative pieces with David Russell Talbot bring new dimension to painting and a sculptural quality to the works on skateboards. Dark Vomit's pieces with Bret Barrett are clown props relegated to artful use. A pistol packing clown painting that soaks the viewer with it's squirt gun charm. (Don't push the lit up big red button if your shirt can't get wet!), chattering teeth, clown paintings with eyes that look back and forth, and the most impressive fully animatronic Bozo mounted inside a classic 1950's box T.V., truly creepy.
Mulder 142's Schleppo the Clown series of large acrylics is painted with passion and color that you can't take your eyes off of. The story of the imagery in the scene captures your attention and then the colors dazzle from there. The skill level of all three of these painters is top-notch and interesting to compare. Together the works of these three show what painting can be when the artists follow their own inner voice and trust their own vision. I have not attended a group show yet that is as cohesive, fun and entertaining as the show these three artists put on here. The Clown Town show outdoes the GCAC 10 year anniversary show in the main gallery, which features Mark Ryden and Robert Williams (both of whose work I really admire) among many other heavy hitters. Is this the beginning of the next artistic movement in America? What does this all mean? If it means anything it is simply this, and I have said this time and again, watch the Alternate Realists—their work is evolving before us. They are art history in motion.

APRIL 4th - 26th (!!! EXTENDED TO MAY 3 !!!) "CLOWNTOWN" Grand Central Art Center 125 North Broadway, SANTA ANA, CA. Extremo the Clown + Dark Vomit & Mulder 142.