Thursday, October 22, 2009
Driven to paint
Vita ART CENTER IN VENTURA
The sun, the sand, the ocean Southern California is, truly, a paradise. Alas, to get to the beach and the ocean, you most likely have to hit the highway — and that means traffic. Lots of it.
Scott Yeskel, a New Jersey native now living on the West Coast, is at once dismayed and inspired by the effects of urban sprawl. While he hates the enervating effects of traffic gridlock, it can’t help but inform his art. When he goes to paint, Yeskel told American Style magazine last year, he strives to take the “unattractive elements of urban sprawl and make them personal, poetic, beautiful.” Many of his paintings, like the one pictured here, feature cars. “They speak of our journeys, moods, where we are going, where we’ve been,” he told the magazine. “They also speak of how separated we can be at times.”
Yeskel’s work, both abstract and representational landscapes, is on display today through Oct. 29 in Studio 30 at the Vita Art Center, 432 Ventura Ave., Ventura. A reception will be held tonight from 6 to 9. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and weekends by appointment. Call 644-9214 or visit http://www.vitaartcenter.com for information. Yeskel’s Web site is http://scottyeskel.com.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
I love pictures of paintings lying around. getting ready for the Pacific Club Meet the Artists Show Oct. 15th.
some pictures from the Vita Art Center Gallery where my opening was last night. Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a really fun evening!
Friday, October 2, 2009
the press release for the show!
Los Angeles based artist Scott Yeskel has been painting his love/hate affair with Southern California since his relocation to the area six years ago. Traffic snarls, boxy apartments and occasional car crashes often act as Yeskel's muse. It is when Scott switches to his abstract work, his love affair with the spirit and color of the West appear. That's right, Scott paints both abstract and representational landscapes switching back and forth using many of the same colors and themes. Inspired by mid-century masters such as Diebenkorn and Richter yet original in both content and style, Yeskel's oil paintings are true statements of contemporary California living. Yeskel's frequent visits to Ventura has served as a nice respite to his hectic Hollywood neighborhood. The sea and crisp air have inspired a current mix of colorful visions of the seaside town mixed in, of coarse, with his iconic L.A. cityscapes.
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday from 10 -5 and Weekends by appointment
Vita Art Center, 432 N. Ventura Avenue Studio 30, Ventura, 805-644-9214