Sherine Sanchez
People gazed into the depths of layered artwork that took months to create, students explained their inspiration to others, music blared in loudly through the windows, which made “Sub Urban Myth” not only inspiring but successful.
Six dedicated Pierce College art students showcased various paintings, illustrations and ceramics Saturday to an amused crowd. Paintings previously purchased were on loan for the event as well as pieces for sale ranging from $35 to $1,500.
Each artist exhibited an array of pieces from their collection. If sold; a small percentage of the profits will be donated to the Canoga Park Youth Arts Center and the Pierce art department.
The students assembled the art show themselves. They collectively designed, organized and set up the art show with the help of Constance Kocs, vice chair of the Pierce art department and art instructor as well as other faculty.
The facility is funded by the City of L.A. Cultural Affairs Department.
“It works because it’s a community arts center,” said Kocs.
She contributed with the organization of the art show and said, “it took four years to get to this point” and expects hundreds of people for the duration of the show.
“I’m wild about the idea of bringing what we’ve got at Pierce out into the community getting them aware of what we have to offer,” said Kocs.
The sensational piece “I’m here,” created by artist Greg Thirloway, 41 advanced studies art student.
It represented a sense of decay with layers upon layers of morbid strokes of paint.
Each layer takes an individual session and can take months to create and dry.
He said his inspiration for it was “the past peering through, with a sense of logistical reality.”
The painting was sold for $1,100 prior to the opening of the exhibition.
Most of his works include large squares of an uniquely geometric shape often used in Hinduism as an aid of meditation known as mandala. These shapes are painted in the center of some of the pieces in his collection, such as “Orange veil” which took two months to create.
His artwork incorporates vessels, vases and buried images of faces and bodies surrounded by waves of intricately brushed on paint. Thirloway characterized his work as interconnected, where there is no separation between each image and layer.
The director of the youth center, Stuart Vaughan said, “It seemed like a perfect partnership between us and a community center and the college. We have this art gallery here and we should be using it year-round.”
Vaughan also said, “A lot of people see the Valley as not having an art culture, but it is here and it’s coming on strong through these students’ work.”
Also contributing to the topic of art in the Valley, art major Diego Ivan Gutierrez, 21, “Art is definitely starting to become a big part of the culture of the Valley.
“It’s really beginning to have an identity because of what artists are going through. Whether or not this culture becomes a part of Valley culture is up to the people.”
The enthused Ivan received offers on some of his paintings, selling two for a total $250. Many symbolize dark yet vibrant characters portraying mechanic-like figures embracing life and disposition.
The pieces in his collection express true Los Angeles style, reflective of his personality, expressive and free spirited. He uses scraps of cardboard and wood pieces he refers to as “found objects”, which are used as canvases conveying the idea of true meaning with minimal elements. Beautiful art doesn’t need a fancy display to communicate an individual idea.
Speaking about his art, he said, “I can’t wait to make more.”
“I was very happy to have Pierce open the doors for me and help me feel that people wanted to see my art.”
“Living in L.A. has given me a different perspective on life and my art,” said Guitierrez.
Lynda Esh, 44, art major, displayed “Her engine is running,” oil and mixed media on canvas. It was an in-depth representation of dark colors and in her words “two opposing forces” within the portrayal.
Esh also described her artwork as “industrial mechanics meets the organic natural.” Most of the artwork in her collection included machinery such as a detailed engine and a nude woman laying underneath which implicated power and process.
This oil and mixed media piece has both light and dark tones, including grey, black and white with minor blue detail.
“It’s intense and descriptive of an inner and outer journey,” said Eva Montealegre of her series entitled Luminosity.
“Luminosity 1” she calls as a depiction of one journey to another. The painting sold for $800 and was on loan to the gallery by the owner. She was contemplating the name of her collection the “explosive series,” with deep colors such as blues, purple, grey and yellow.
Blue, she said, is the color of communication, the light colors against the dark contrast with each other. Within one of her paintings, “Luminosity 5,” a body appears to be falling but gives the impression of rising as well. This oil on canvas piece she described as “yearning to move forward.”
Her works incorporate visible warped bodies intertwined with dark colors to represent forces.
Montealegre has more than 40 paintings in her personal collection, priced up to $1,500.
Vaughan specified about the diversity of the show; he said, “The quality is in the intelligence of the works.”
“We’re hoping to do this annually,” said Kocs. “I know many art students who are capable of this quality of work.”
All original works will continue to be on display until June 8. Admission is free.