Coral Garden by Candice Gawne

Oceans Four—Mixing Media brings together works of Santa Monica artists Dave Quick, Frank Rozasy, Elena Siff, Elizabeth Comay, South Bay artist Candice Gawne and San Gabriel Valley artist Arthur Nakane who use various mediums to depict and reflect the coastal community on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The opening reception of this three months long exhibition will be held today, December 9, 2010 at the Annenberg Community Beach House from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

In an interview with Voice of Santa Monica’s Natasha Garyali, artist and curator David Quick talks about the conceptualization of the Oceans Four exhbition, various mediums employed and what should the visitors expect at this unique exhibition.

Voice of Santa Monica: Tells us about the upcoming exhibition, Oceans Four – Mixing media. How was it conceptualized?

David Quick: I answered the Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs calls for submission for curators for the Annenberg Community Beach House and the criteria stipulated Los Angeles Artists only, and a thematic regard for the Beach House setting. I contacted a number of artists I have known for years whose portfolio includes art addressing, what I call our “coastal culture.”

Voice of Santa Monica: Has this topic being explored before or is this the first time?

David Quick: The Annenberg space is fairly new and to my knowledge previous exhibits have focused upon two-dimensional art. To that degree, one curatorial objective is to expand the visitors’ thinking to consider many other creative media available to artists and in this instance, how it somewhat relates to our station on the rim of the Pacific Ocean which just happens to be the largest known body of water in the universe. Regarding found objects, oceans are unique geography as they provide a steady supply of curious objects along the coast as any beach comber can tell you.

Lifeguard Tower by Frank Rozasy

Voice of Santa Monica: What are the various mediums employed?

David Quick:The work (six artists total) divides between two-dimensional, three-dimensional and performance media. Two-dimensional includes Frank Rosazy’s photographic and acrylic works and Liz Comay’s charcoal and chalk compositions. Liz has two additional works that are wax relief images transitional to three dimensions. Candice Gawne’s light sculptures make extensive use of neon and plasma light. My work and that Elena Siff is assemblage of found objects while Arthur Nakane is a performance artist with a fantastic music machine cobbled from an array of found objects as well.

Voice of Santa Monica: What is unique about these exhibits?

David Quick: Each artist brings a unique perspective regarding our coastal culture.

Frank Rosazy’s visceral works are core Santa Monica images. I particularly like his jumbo rendition of a “Pacific Ocean Park Ticket” recalling the long lost pleasure pier that used to extend out over the Pacific, a nostalgic icon for longtime local residents.

Lionfish Fork Hybrid by Elizabeth Comay

Liz Comay’s “Darwin’s Nightmare Series” are skillful charcoal and chalk fantasies of fish life merged with ocean flotsam and jetsam, a powerful environmental statement and certainly the most political work of the show in a city known for its political activism.

Candice Gawne’s marvelous neon and plasma sculptures evoke the bizarre luminescence of undersea life not only in form, color and texture, but in a sense of fragility. Candice has been working in glass and neon for decades and just this year one of her works was acquired for the permanent collection of the Corning Museum in upstate New York.

I have two pieces in the show. One is homage to the late Michael Rosenthal, founder of the Santa Monica Mirror newspaper, who succumbed to cancer last year. The second is a whimsical work that recalls a real event in a place called the Surf Museum. In 1989 surf music legend Dick Dale donated his first guitar to the Surf Museum and darned if it wasn’t stolen!

Elena Siff joins the show in the glass display case with a delightful menagerie of found object seascapes, and with a co-collection of found boats also in the display case that includes hers and mine.

Arthur Nakane artist and a one-man-band performer

Arthur Nakane completes the artist group. His One-Man-Band act has been running of the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade for years. For the average visitor to our shoreline, street performers are the dominant “art and culture” experience and as curator of a show addressing our “coastal culture,” I included Arthur as representative of the impromptu troupe that shows up daily to entertain.

Voice of Santa Monica: Which exhibits would you recommend and why?

David Quick: It is a small space with limited works per artist so I hesitate to recommend one body of work over the others Collectively, my hope is that visitor will think both two-dimensional art and beyond.

Oceans Four – Mixing Media
December 9, 2010 – March 13, 2011

Open Monday, Saturday & Sunday
10am – 4pm in December & January

Curator: Dave Quick
310 569-1331