March Newsletter

CALENDAR

Saturday, March 7, 3 pm
Artist Talk: Michael Becker - Dancers | Art + Video | Postmodern Reactions

Upcoming Exhibitions: Katie Crown, Sally Jacobs, Shelley Lazarus, Toni Reinis
Exhibition Dates: March 17 - April 11
Reception: Saturday, March 21, 5-8 PM

Intro to Botanical Painting w/ Sally Jacobs: 
Tuesday, March 31, 10 am - 12 pm | Contact: sallyjjacobs@gmail.com

Intro to Painting on Yupo w/ Shelley Lazarus:
Tuesday March 31, 12 pm - 2 pm | Contact: artistsjl@gmail.com

Artist Walkthrough / Raffle: Saturday, April 4, 3 PM

Katie Crown

Really Big Drawings

TAG Gallery is proud to present Really Big Drawings, a solo exhibition of  large scale “metal drawings” by artist Katie Crown. The exhibition runs from March 17 – April 11 with a reception on Saturday, March 21 from 5-8 PM. Crown’s newest body of work accentuates her drawing skills, with subject matter jolted from her sketchbooks. In this endeavor, the artist looks to billboard-esque, metallic wall sculpture to investigate the roles that both humor and horror occupy in the hustle and bustle of everyday life while poking fun at coping mechanisms we form to get through each day. The figures depicted can be seen experiencing pancake induced anxiety episodes, depressive bike rides, and uncomfortable therapy sessions.

Humor has often been an element in Crown’s practice. These new works take it to a more exaggerated, cartoonish mode. In addition to their linear aspects, the pieces include planes of pattern and color. The style amplifies the humor of each situation depicted. “With all the problems in the world, we need humor to survive.” – Katie Crown.

Katie Crown graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Tufts University. Her artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries in 12 states and Washington, D.C.

Sally Jacobs

California Grown

Sally Jacobs is a watercolor artist and a farmers market devotee -- she combines her love for her art and the bounty of the markets in her contemporary botanical watercolor paintings. Each weekend she is at vendor stalls, ready to select her picks of the week for her kitchen and studio easel. 

In her latest exhibit, California Grown, Jacobs, a long time Miracle Mile resident zooms in, portraying flowers and vegetables with dramatic precision unique for a watercolorist. She transforms a vegetable we choose for dinner or a flower for display, rendering its structure eye-catching and explicit, causing viewers to catch their breath in wonder at the feats of nature.

Jacobs has exhibited in numerous juried shows in New York and San Francisco, and at museums in New York, Minneapolis and Phoenix. She was an award winner at the Brand 37 Works on Paper exhibit and is one of the artists included in “Todays Botanical Artists,” a publication of well-known nature artists.

Jacobs has taught botanical art at The Getty Center, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles Arboretum, and the annual meeting of the American Society of Botanical Art. Currently she is teaching at the Brentwood Art Center in Los Angeles.

Shelley Lazarus

Mostly H2O

TAG Gallery is pleased to present Mostly H20, a solo exhibition by watercolorist Shelley Lazarus. The proceeds of this show will go to the Robert David Lazarus Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit at Cedar-Sinai Hospital in memory of her son Robert. Shelley Lazarus was born and educated in New York, where as a teenager she attended Pratt College. She later attended Syracuse University studying fine arts and at the Parsons School of Design.

Living in a crowded city she became infatuated with the buildings around her. The urban landscapes that she captures in this series of paintings are from sketches she made while on location or peering out of windows. Never a purist watercolor artist, she renders her works with her signature style incorporating these works with pencils, pens, crayons, and different mediums.

Lazarus is a founding member of TAG Gallery and has served on its board since its inception. She has taught watercolor medium at the Brentwood Art Center for over 26 years. Her award winning works and can be found in both private and corporate sector collections domestic and abroad. Lazarus is also a member of various art related organizations including the Watercolor Honor Society.

Toni Reinis

Moral Stain | Go Figure!

TAG Gallery is proud to present two bodies of work from contemporary sculptor Toni Reinis. The bodies of work, respectively titled Moral Stain and Go Figure! will be on display in TAG’s south gallery. The exhibitions will run March 17 – April 11 with an opening reception on March 21 from 5-8 pm.

The first of these exhibitions, Moral Stain comments on America’s long history of what Reinis describes as “Moral Stains.” These works aim to stir emotions and challenge the viewer to ACT.  “It is up to the people of this nation to stand up because our lives and the future of democracy is at stake. “

America has a long history of “moral stains”. We have enacted slavery, incarceration of Japanese Americans, civil rights abuses, voter suppression, homelessness, segregation, and Watergate. During the Trump administration, there has been a greater decline in social justice reform and policy, a horrifying lack of decency, lies and immorality to an extent never seen before.  The work comments on a range of issues from the border crisis to systematic racism.  Reinis urges viewers to use their voice in music, written word, march and most importantly……..VOTE. 

The second of the exhibitions, Go Figure! explores the diversity, grace, and regality of the female figure by way of material experimentation. Reinis was inspired by the creative use of found objects, plants, flowers, beads, and jewelry found in African art and dress and aims to honor these traditions with her sculpture.

November / December Newsletter

November 19 - December 14
Reception: Saturday, November 23, 6-9 PM | Artist Performances: 8 PM
Artist Walkthrough: Saturday, December 7, 3 PM
Closing Performance: Saturday, November, 23, 2pm

K Ryan Henisey

installations

TAG Gallery is proud to present installations, an interactive and multi-layered collage experience by K. Ryan Henisey. installations invites viewers to become participants, embedding a piece of themselves in the art. Paper hearts and the artist’s familiar use of mixed patterns are central to interactive displays, perfect for photographs, selfies and boomerangs.  

“With installations, I want you to make the final object of art,” says Henisey. “Using collage as my medium, I’ve created backdrops and paper sets that invite you in. The exhibition is deeply queer, selfie-centric, and there’s a lot of me in it—bits of my 80s-era childhood, favorite song lyrics, and my body.”

Henisey is fascinated with the intersection of social media and creative presence. His use of paper hearts plays foil to the human side of social “likes,” reminding that behind the object (and internet) is a living, emotional being. “We are complex people, full of complex relationships—both online and off,” he explains, “the art in installations reflects that.”Henisey has displayed at galleries and institutions throughout California, the Museu de la Garrotxa, Spain, and will debut in China at the Guangzhou Art Fair in February 2020. He currently serves as president of TAG Gallery in Los Angeles.

Concurrent with installations, Henisey presents My Youth, an exhibition of queer artists. Co-curated with artist Eugene Huffman, the show focuses on growing up queer. Both exhibitions are on display at TAG Galley from November 19 - December 14, 2019. An artist’s reception is open to the public, Saturday, November 23, 6-9pm.

Danny Janotta

Paradise

TAG Gallery is pleased to present Paradise, a presentation of personal oil paintings by artist Danny Janotta. The exhibition runs from November 19 – December 14 with a reception on Saturday, November 23 from 6 – 9 PM.

The canvases of Janotta’s Paradise often display lush landscapes from the artists’ travels that evoke a sense of calm and relaxation upon viewing, transporting the viewer to each destination as they stroll the gallery. Particular care was given to lighting and ambiance of each piece with Janotta focusing in on the effect of sunlight on each canvas, creating a sense paradise and depth among the flat surface.

Coming from a background that included uncles who were in the building trade, Danny pursued a career as an architect and received his Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1978 & 1980. His paintings capture the light and emotional feeling of Southern California, with color, restrained detail, architectural composition, and perspective. His work has been featured select publications has taught design classes at UCLA and USC. Janotta is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a prominent designer of major hi-rise buildings, wineries, and residential towers in the USA and Asia.

Damon Reinagle

Endangered

TAG Gallery is pleased to present Endangered, a body of work by Damon Reinagle. This newest body of work consists of depictions of endangered wild life entangled in vibrant, and often-gradated backdrops. The exhibition runs from November 19 – December 14 with a reception on Saturday, November 23 from 6 – 9 PM.

As deforestation, poaching practices, and the illegal fishing and bleaching of the ocean’s reef continues, so do the suffering of the flora and fauna of the area. Reinagle soon fears that many species will soon dissolve away and become extinct. As such, this body of works serves as a way to preserve each species in his own way, utilizing pattern and color as the habitat for each of his subjects to occupy. 

Each piece begins with multiple pigments being dumped onto blank canvas. The colors are then spread around, dragged and manipulated.  By brushing, dragging, and spraying the paint layers he creates a flowing, patterned background upon which his animals can subtly merge into.

Reinagle asks his viewers to reflect on our impact on the plight of both the animal kingdom and ultimately how we as humanity view ourselves in relation to the species that co-inhabit the planet with us.