TOMORY DODGE
TOMORY DODGE
511 West 22nd Street New York NY 10011 515 West 22nd Street New York NY 10011
525 West 22nd Street New York NY 10011 520 West 21st Street New York NY 10011
THE PROCESS OF BECOMING
By Gary Brewer“There is only the fight to recover what has been lost And found and lost again and again... But perhaps neither gain nor loss. For us, there is only the trying.”
—T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Painting can be many things: the realistic depiction of the world around us or the interior subjective world within. It is a supple and nerve-sensitive medium that captures, in the brushstrokes and marks of the artist’s hand, the artist’s inner life. The artist’s ideas, emotions, and ethos are conveyed in the medium and through the philosophical contexts with which the paintings are framed.
Philosophical skepticism is an approach to questioning both our assumptions about reality and our ability to know and understand. In the hands and mind of the painter Tomory Dodge, it is a method of painting, of questioning each aesthetic choice by building up an image and painting it out—scraping down and rebuilding the work to leave a history in the rich surfaces.
The results of his approach leave a poetic record of the painting’s process of becoming. It is a form of subjective archaeology: The lexicon of colors, forms, patterns, and lines make up the artifacts of a rich dig into the loamy, synaptic soil of his imagination and memory. Dodge has said that by using this method, he earns the poetic resolution that his paintings convey. The results are, in a sense, the broken fragments of an ancient figure, discovered through the methodical process of sifting through the soil of his cultural and personal history, and pieced back together to contain some kind of homage to truth.
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Pierre Bonnard, Les Boules de neige, 1892, Oil on canvas, 16 1/8 x 13 inches Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO,
Richard Diebenkorn, Ocean Park No. 79, 1975, Oil and charcoal on canvas, 90 x 81 inches Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, Purchased with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and with funds contributed by private donors, 1977 © The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
Though heavily worked, his paintings have a feeling of lightness to them; the colors and forms express the pleasures of painting. The colors in many of them tend toward a softer pastel palette and suggest the chromatic chords of Pierre Bonnard, whom Dodge admires. They exude an openness and a kind of innocence. Each is a subtle victory in the artist’s search for resolution. There are suggestions of psychedelic art in the color chords and in the sunbursts of symmetrical radiating lines, which he uses as elements in some of his complex compositions—existing in a space that is both abstract and figurative, with the amalgamation of forms suggesting figures. Other works suggest landscapes.
In our conversations, Dodge mentioned his love of Richard Diebenkorn—how the thin veils of color in his Ocean Park series would leave a record of all the decisions he made and canceled out in the process of resolving his work. Each of Dodge’s paintings contains a poetic aura that the artist achieves through his search for the balance between intention and uncertainty.
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Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herman R. Sutherland, 2004.12
In Zen Buddhist practice, “I don’t know mind” is a state of consciousness where one is comfortable resting in uncertainty. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, just present to explore, to observe and to see things as they are. Dodge’s paintings reflect this philosophical understanding—they do not lean on any ideological certainty. Each painting is an attempt to find a dynamic equilibrium between randomness and design.
When I met with Dodge at his studio in East Los Angeles, a vast industrial space filled with his work, he told me that he comes to his paintings with a kind of skepticism. “I am questioning how and when does something become an image,” he said of his work and process. “I am working in that ambiguous space between abstraction and figuration. I question the idea of quality—is one thing or experience really superior to another? When a passage in my painting is too beautiful, I paint it out, and through a process of addition and subtraction, I come to a point where I can feel the work is finished. I feel that I have to earn these paintings’ right to be considered complete. It is in a sense a work ethic—that I must struggle to feel that I am being honest with the paintings and myself.”
This is not a form of indecision but a philosophical search, with an openness to embracing and working through the myriad possibilities in order to discover something that rings true. This process of working links him to the ethos of the abstract expressionist painters whose search for the elusive subject of the painting was through a process of creation and destruction.
Dodge gives himself free rein to gather fragments—from his personal memories, art historical references, and his boundless curiosity—to explore all of the ways that these elements can interact and be combined into fresh painterly forms. We spoke about some of the elements in his work.
“The zigzag patterns in my paintings are a suggestion of analog TV screens,” he said. “As a young kid I used to watch cartoons while I drew. The television screens depicted in the cartoons were often filled with this pattern or with dot patterns that I also use. I also love psychedelic rock posters from the 1960s. The color choices I
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make, where colors clash and create a vibrant optical energy, as well as the radiant sunburst designs that I include in my paintings, reflect that period. And there are the many painters who I love that come through and are suggested in my compositions. I do not think of these as abstract paintings—there is always a suggestion of a figure or a landscape in my work.”
These are chimerical paintings, amalgams of different elements that he unearths in an intuitive approach where he walks—mindful and present, using his creative logic—to make lush, poetic works that reflect the universe of possibilities he sees.
In Tropical Duo, 72 by 60 inches, an array of shapes, patterns, concentric circles, and architectonic elements vie for a spot in this shifting space. A zigzag pattern in green on pale blue animates the background. A grouping of shapes congregates in the center to create a vertical form, suggestive of a figure of sorts. The loosely biomorphic and architectonic forms give it a shape-shifting appearance, oscillating between possible worlds.
Pale pinks, yellows, salmon, and greens suggest a tropical aura: sunlight and mangos, lime greens and a blue-green sea swim through the image’s dreamy ambience. The lower portion of the painting creates a kind of foundation for the forms above, or acts as a horizon line. The soft patchwork of geometries that fill this area, ground the figure above. Two concentric circles adorn the top of the painting and are affixed to the figure like two oddball eyes or cartoon flowers blooming from some exotic plant. They emit a subtle visual sonic boom, animating this alien being.
The painting’s surface reflects the deep process of discovery that led to this quirky composition. Dollops of paint adorn the surface, leftovers from the scrapping and scumbling techniques that animate the shapes. There is layering, and there are areas of thin washes; the transparencies allow one to see the various moments and decisions—the erasures and additions that Dodge made to arrive at a point of completion. All of this is done with a lyrical wit and a love of painting that elevate the effort, giving it both a sense of humor and gravitas.
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In Mesa Boogie, 30 by 25 inches, the warm pink, peach, sandstone, and earth tones convey the colors of the Southwest. Above the horizon line, there are two salmon red mounds and a vertical passage of yellow ochre set against a sky blue, suggesting the vast landscape of the desert. Below the horizon line, a configuration of shifting forms coalesces into a figure, coming into focus in a field of patterns in subtly shifting hues. The patchwork of abstract and biomorphic forms brings to mind a classical sculpture—its formal qualities oscillating between stability and collapse. In a nod to contemporary pop culture, the name “Mesa Boogie” is also the name of a maker of high-end guitar amplifiers.
In his smaller works, Dodge gives himself the freedom to paint quickly and without questioning his choices. Each painting is an epiphany, an answer to an unanswerable question, coming swiftly into the world. These are complete works and, in a sense, fragments—parts to a puzzle that he will store away in his memory and draw from in larger, more complex paintings. In their freshness, we see an essential quality to his work: the pure pleasure of painting and the wonder it inspires in its mercurial shape-shifting potential.
In the painting Fox, 16 by 14 inches, an assemblage of searing burnt orange, pink, magenta, and yellow forms glow against a deep sky blue. The chromatic chords make the vertical architectonic form a vehicle for the pure delight of color. Swiftly executed, it has an immediacy that expresses the artist’s deep understanding of form and composition, and the work conveys the joy he experiences in making these fresh painterly jewels.
Tomory Dodge’s work captures something about the complexity of our world, and the fluidity and active nature of our understanding of what constitutes reality. His paintings are a palimpsest, leaving a record of his efforts to create works that capture a fleeting moment of balance and resolve. He uses the poetics of color and form to achieve a metaphor, a song to this shimmering unfolding universe of possibilities.
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Gary Brewer is a painter, writer and curator in Los Angeles, CA.
Arges, 2022
Oil on canvas 35 x 30 inches 88.9 x 76.2 cm
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Echo II, 2022
Oil on canvas 35 x 30 inches 88.9 x 76.2 cm
12
Map Maker, 2022
Oil on canvas
48 x 48 inches
121.9 x 121.9 cm
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16
Mesa Boogie, 2022
Oil on canvas
30 x 25 inches
76.2 x 63.5 cm
18
Orange Crush, 2022
Oil on canvas
35 x 30 inches
88.9 x 76.2 cm
Petaluma, 2022
Oil on canvas 35 x 30 inches 88.9 x 76.2 cm
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Set and Setting, 2022
Oil on canvas
30 x 35 inches
76.2 x 88.9 cm
22
The All Day Fest, 2022
Oil on canvas
30 x 25 inches
76.2 x 63.5 cm
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Tropical Duo, 2022
Oil on canvas
72 x 60 inches
182.9 x 152.4 cm
Fox, 2022
Oil on canvas 16 x 14 inches 40.6 x 35.6 cm
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House, 2022
Oil on canvas 12 x 12 inches 30.5 x 30.5 cm
Hypnotist, 2022
Oil on canvas 22 x 18 inches 55.9 x 45.7 cm
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Just Sitting, 2022
Oil on canvas 17 x 15 inches 43.2 x 38.1 cm
Looking Glass, 2022
Oil on canvas
16 x 14 inches 40.6 x 35.6 cm
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No Monsters, 2022
Oil on canvas
17 x 15 inches 43.2 x 38.1 cm
Red Rock, 2022
Oil on canvas
16 x 16 inches
40.6 x 40.6 cm
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Still Life, 2022
Oil on canvas
16 x 16 inches
40.6 x 40.6 cm
Sun Burn, 2022
Oil on canvas
16 x 16 inches
40.6 x 40.6 cm
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Sun Sick, 2022
Oil on canvas
16 x 14 inches 40.6 x 35.6 cm
The Farm Report, 2022 Oil on canvas 22 x 18 inches
55.9 x 45.7 cm
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Weather Report, 2022
Oil on canvas
17 x 15 inches 43.2 x 38.1 cm
TOMORY DODGE
Born in Denver, CO in 1974 Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2004
MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 1998
BFA, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI 1997 European Honors Program, Rhode Island School of Design, Rome, Italy
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022
Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2021
Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY 2019
Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY 2018
Lux Art Institute, Encinitas, CA Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, CA 2017
“Deep Sleep,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY Inman Gallery, Houston, TX 2015
“The Outside Therein,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA 2014
CRG Gallery, New York, NY Alison Jacques Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2013 ACME., Los Angeles, CA 2012 ACME., Los Angeles, CA Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Zuoz, Switzerland
2011
CRG Gallery, New York, NY 2010
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, United Kingdom 2009 “Works on Paper,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY “After Forever,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA 2008
CRG Gallery, New York, NY 2007
Alison Jacques Gallery, London, United Kingdom ACME., Los Angeles, CA 2006
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN CRG Gallery, New York, NY 2004 ACME., Los Angeles, CA Taxter & Spengemann, New York, NY MFA Thesis Exhibition, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 2003
A402 Gallery, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 1999 CORE New Art Space, Denver, CO 1998
Pirate Contemporary Arts Oasis, Denver, CO
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GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
“Summer Drift,” Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
“Night Painting,” Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA “Abstract Los Angeles: Four Generations,” The Brand Library & Art Center, Glendale, CA
“Sketches in Time: Tomory Dodge | Jackie Gendel,” Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020
“The Spaces In Between,” Ceysson & Bénétière, New York, NY “Do You Think It Needs a Cloud?” Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
“The Vista,” Durden and Ray, Los Angeles, CA “The Big Country,” LEFT FIELD, Los Osos, CA
2019
“Yin/Yang,” O-O LA, Los Angeles, CA
2018
“Belief in Giants,” Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY “Night Walk,” Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
2017
“Color & Pattern,” Pivot Art + Culture, Seattle, WA “Stranger Than Paradise,” Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI
2016
“Tom Friedman (+The Birthday Show),” 1969 Gallery, New York, NY
“Passage,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA
“I’ll Not Be In Your Damn Ledger,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY “Grafforists,” Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA “Cult of Color,” Circuit 12, Dallas, TX
2015
“Lost in a Sea of Red,” The Pit, Glendale, CA “One Foot on the Ground,” James Harris Gallery, Seattle, WA “Mona,” 68 Projects, Berlin, Germany “Remains,” Durden and Ray, Los Angeles, CA
2014
“An Appetite for Painting,” Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark
“NOW-ISM: Abstraction Today,” Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
“An Appetite for Painting,” National Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, Norway “Painters’ Painters,” Saatchi Gallery, London, United Kingdom “INCOGNITO 10,” Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA “20 Years of ACME.,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA
2013
“Odd Harmonics,” Judith Charles Gallery, New York, NY “Tomory Dodge & Denyse Thomasos: Directions to a Dirty Place,” Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC
2012
“Pulp2,” Beta Pictoris Gallery, Maus Contemporary, Birmingham, AL
“To Live and Paint in LA,” Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA “Chasm of the Supernova,” Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA
2011
“VISIONS: Ali Banisadr, Jules de Balincourt, Tomory Dodge, Barnaby Furnas and Ryan Mosley,” Monica De Cardenas Galleria, Milan, Italy “Works of Paper,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA “Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection,” Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH “Art / Music / Alchemy,” Starkwhite, Auckland, New Zealand
2010
“Inaugural Show,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY “Palm Paintings,” Buchmann Galerie, Berlin, Germany “The Language of Flowers,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY “Library of Babel/In and Out of Place,” Zabludowicz Collection, London, United Kingdom
2009
“The Summer Show,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY “Slow Magic,” The Bluecoat, Liverpool, United Kingdom “Opportunities,” BravinLee Programs, New York, NY “Surveillance,” Affirmation Arts, New York, NY
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2008
“Art on Paper,” Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
“New Prints 2008/Spring,” International Print Center, New York, NY
“New Prints 2008/Spring,” New York School of Interior Design Gallery, New York, NY
“Future Tense: Reshaping the Landscape,” Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY
“The Prom – A Survey of Contemporary Painting Strategies,” Lawrimore Project, Seattle, WA
“Some Paintings: The Third LA Weekly Annual Biennial,” Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2007
“American Soil,” Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
“Sheldon Survey,” Sheldon Memorial Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
“Fata Morgana,” Galerie Schmidt Maczollek, Cologne, Germany
“Tug Boat,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA
“Endangered Wasteland,” CRG Gallery, New York, NY
2006
The Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant Recipients, CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY
“New Prints 2006/Summer: COLOR,” International Print Center, New York, NY
2005
“Fast Forward: Passion for the New,” House of Campari, Venice, CA
“Rogue Wave 2005,” L.A. Louver, Venice, CA
“Evidence,” Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
“New View,” Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS
2004
“Super Sonic,” ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, CA
“Singing My Song,” ACME., Los Angeles, CA
“Surface Tension,” Lombard Freid Fine Arts, New York, NY
“Field Trip,” San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
2003
“Lordship and Bondage,” LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY
“Art Weird,” Stevenson Blanche Gallery, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
2002
“Paper Weight,” Stevenson Blanche Gallery, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
2000
“The Book As Art,” Boulder Public Exhibition Space, Boulder, CO 1998
“Mostra Finale,” Palazzeto di Cenci, Rome, Italy
AWARDS
2022 Residency, Corporation of Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY
2004
Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant, New York, NY
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SELECT COLLECTIONS
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA
Collezzione Marramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy
Fisher Museum of Art, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, FL
Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, OH
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
Rachofsky Collection, Dallas, TX
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D. C.
Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Zabludowicz Collection, London, United Kingdom
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Published on the occasion of the exhibition
TOMORY DODGE
8 December 2022 – 28 January 2023
Miles McEnery Gallery
520 West 21st Street New York NY 10011
tel +1 212 445 0051 www.milesmcenery.com
Publication © 2022 Miles McEnery Gallery All rights reserved Essay © 2022 Gary Brewer
Director of Exhibitions Anastasija Jevtovic, New York, NY
Publications and Archival Assistant Julia Schlank, New York, NY
Photography by Christopher Burke Studio, Los Angeles, CA
Christopher Burke Studio, New York, NY
Dan Bradica, New York, NY
Robert Wedemeyer, Los Angeles, CA
Color separations by Echelon, Los Angeles, CA
Catalogue designed by McCall Associates, New York, NY
ISBN: 978-1-949327-94-6
Cover: Tropical Duo, (detail), 2022
