From October 7 - November 4, 2006, The Folk Tree Collection is pleased to present a one person exhibition featuring the work of award-winning artist Joel Nakamura, this time with an emphasis on miniatures. In the show, entitled Cosas Pequeñas (Little Things), Nakamura uses his keen sense of humor and critical social eye to reflect on contemporary issues in a new series of paintings on tin. His unique style is a blend of folk art and sophisticated iconography rendered in a primitive technique. A reception for the artist is scheduled for Saturday, October 7, from 2 - 6 P.M. Nakamura's work explores cross-cultural pollination and a blending of modern and ancient symbols. Godzilla-like creatures with dragonfly tails, chameleons attached to UFOs, and other hybrid animals in dream-like settings are some of the subjects commonly seen in his paintings. In writing about Nakamura, Mike Hicks comments, "If it weren't for his name, one might guess from Joel's work that he was a Navajo shaman with a serious drug problem and a penchant for grave-robbing... With the automation of our society and the ever encroaching digital realm, Nakamura remains very popular within a modern technological culture. Perhaps the more digital a society becomes, the more it longs for primitive imagery." The tin paintings explore ideas inspired by the artist's travels, and particularly Mexican folklore and retablo painting, a 19th and 20th century tradition of painting religious images on sheets of tin. The method Nakamura uses includes applying gesso to tin, then painting images in acrylic paint on the surface. He then embosses his paintings by flipping them, placing them on a hard rubber mat, and punching them from behind with a metal-working tool and hammer. "I feel compelled to create a more physical connection to the art. The physical aspect is not only in technique, but also a tactile viewing experience," says Joel. Nakamura graduated from Art Center College of Design (1982), where he also served as an instructor. Besides private collectors, his clients are record companies, publications, and several major corporations. He has been recognized by Communication Arts magazine as one of America's foremost illustrators, and he has been commissioned to create works for the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News and World Report, Time, Business Week and Rolling Stone. In 2002 he was chosen to illustrate the Salt Lake Opening and Closing Ceremonies programs for the Winter Olympic games. The originals are now in the collection of the Olympic Museum, Park City, Utah. The artist splits his time between fine art and illustration projects. He was born in the Los Angeles area and currently resides with his family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Folk Tree Collection is located at 199 S. Fair Oaks Ave. near the heart of Old Pasadena and just minutes walking distance from the Gold Line's Del Mar station. Gallery hours are: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5. For further information, contact Gail Mishkin at (626)793-4828. |
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