Exhibitions at One Union follows in the bold tradition of collaboration between artists and public spheres in the Bay Area. The exhibitions emphasize the interrelationship between artists and the environments from which they draw inpiration. One Union provides a unique and significant venue for artists to share ideas with the public and gain recognition for their work.
June 1 – August 31, 2009
Liquid Spaces is pleased to announce our latest show featuring local artists Katja Leibenath and Heidi McDowell. The show, titled “Nothing Out of the Ordinary” highlights the two painters’ most recent works in oil.
Leibenath writes of her City Sky series:
My subject is what I am surrounded by- heavy sky against the silhouettes of the city. San Francisco can be easily lost under a haze of habit and drowned out by floods of spectacular sights. My paintings look for the noteworthy in the everyday, surprise and beauty in the seemingly mundane- an abundance of which is undeniably found here.
“We don’t need to see anything out of the ordinary- we already see so much.” – R. Walser
Katja Leibenath – City Sky #20
Heidi McDowell:
Quiet and contemplative, my paintings do not seek to make grand statements. Rather they convey a distinct sense of place, of deserted landscapes, dilapidated structures, and odd figures. Careful attention to quality of light and texture fully immerse the viewer in a particular location or situation. This specificity, achieved through a balance between rough painting and detailed rendering, suggests a narrative to be fleshed out by the observer.
The landscapes are large in scale and often physically immense, size serving to draw the viewer more completely into the scene. Using sketches and photographs made during several visits to a particular site, I distill my memory of that place into a tangible experience as real as location that inspired it. One could almost step into the painting.
Heidi McDowell – Central Valley
February 21 – May 5, 2009
Jonah Burlingame
A Sophisticated Observer Corrupted By Sentimentality
Living and working in San Francisco, Burlingame uses the elements of both the linear and organic world that pervades his daily life to create his art. Born in San Francisco but raised in a small suburb in Ohio, Burlingame was encouraged toward creativity by his parents since he was a child.
The tranquil energy in his work comes from a need to show man and nature in harmony. His use of texture juxtaposed with strong graphic elements suggests a need to find balance. A struggle for balance of the organic and the architectural brought to life by layers of color.
Burlingame is also inspired by process. By applying his self-discovered process to inspirations he finds in the every day, using many non-traditional materials he is able to create abstractions that seek to transcend any intended meaning.
Burlingame also works in advertising and is father to a budding young artist.
FOUND : CLINT IMBODEN
Select works by mixed media artist Clint Imboden
Wilted, page 2
Exhibitions at One Union is pleased to present Found, an installation of mixed media works by Bay Area artist Clint Imboden. Found includes work that candidly reveals human psychological states, artfully probes the significance of unconscious associations and subtly communicates lost histories. In his two series “Utensils” and “Wilted”, Imboden uses letters from an unnamed clinical patient to create a biography that intersects raw, textual content with flawless, visual composition. The effect of a precise and serene aesthetic giving way to torrid prose is astonishing and ultimately hypnotizing. Imboden’s photographic series, “Found”, from whose title the exhibition derives its name, consists of prints that catalogue daily purchases made at flea markets over many mornings. Although they are not related to Imboden’s professional work, the objects contain histories equally absorbing as those detailed in the letters from his patient. Imboden instinctively recognizes the potential for images, text and objects to achieve new aesthetic and psychological implications by displacing them in unforeseen environments and presenting them in surprising juxtapositions. “Utensils”, “Wilted” and “Found” are among several of Imboden’s series and individual works on view at One Union. “Found” invites you to discover regenerated meaning in the disregarded material of our everyday lives.
Imboden began his artistic career as a black and white photographer over twenty years ago. He soon began to explore the incorporation of found images, text and objects into his photography. Continuing to grow as an artist, he investigated the possibilities of three dimensional installation as well. Initially Imboden made a conscious attempt to separate his career in psychology from his artistic endeavors, but became increasingly aware that his professional background is a crucial influence on his work. Many of his found materials directly recall the people and places where Imboden has worked as a mental health professional. Imboden now embraces the collision between his background in psychology and his art. His creation in the studio addresses what remains unresolved in a clinical setting.
Upcoming Exhibition
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