Posted by Howard House on July 30, 1999 at 13:38:43:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Billy Howard, Owner/ Director, tel 206.256.6399 fax 206 256.6392,
or email: Howardhows@aol.com
2017 Second Avenue, Seattle,Washington 98121
Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 11 - 6, Closed Mondays
Joseph Park
„Relations‰
August 7 - 29 , 1999
Opening Reception Saturday, August 7, 6 - 9 pm
Howard House is delighted to announce the solo exhibition of Seattle painter
Joseph Park. Six paintings and five drawings will be shown in his exhibition
entitled „Relations‰.
At first glance, the six paintings in this exhibition seem to be drawn from
1940's popular culture. Their imagery may bring to mind film stills,
celebrity photos and theater sets of the period. This is Park‚s modus
operandi -- by removing the artist's hand from the work, Park's paintings
offer direct commentary on the images he portrays. His technique of applying
layer upon layer of oil paint onto canvas serves to further remove any
presence of the artist. The resulting painting is a strikingly smooth, clean
surface that enables viewers' entry into the subject. In this show, the
subjects themselves teeter on the edge of self-deprecating comment.
Park's presentation of staged events invokes pathos by the use of archetypal
subject matter. In each painting, figures appear as stereotypes engaged in
role-play, dressed in cowboy boots and hat, bandanna and moccasins, samurai
cloak and sword, and beret and cardigan. The images nearly bring us to the
point of crying foul, until we take a closer look. Further examination
reveals substance behind the surface imagery. We're rewarded with archetypal
relationships, forbidden love, frustrations in business and other displays of
complex emotion. In his paintings and drawings, Park both captures the
imagery of single moments and infuses these moments with multiple meanings.
Park received his Masters of Fine Art from the California Institute of the
Arts in 1990 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts in
1988. In January, his work was included in the group exhibition, „It‚s the
New Year Show‰, at Meyerson & Nowinski Art Associates. From 1996 to present
he has had three solo shows in the Northwest, two at Linda Cannon Gallery and
one at Augen Gallery in Portland.
IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
Kill date: August 29, 1999
Upcoming Exhibitions:
September 1 (Wednesday) - 26, 1999 Robert Yoder - painting
October 2 - 31, 1999 Estate of Robert
Sperry - ceramics and digital iris prints
November 6 - 28, 1999 Mark Takamichi Miller -
painting
December 4 - 18, 1999 Howard House Group
Exhibition
Other Howard House News:
I am proud to announce the representation of Seattle artist Ken Kelly
and Seattle artist
Barbara Noah. Look for scheduled exhibitions for both Kelly and Noah
in 2000.