Sergott Contemporary Art
Echo Lew, Blue Dream, 2016. Photography of moving lights, printed on Fine Art paper. 58” x 91”
Art Palm Springs 2017 Catalogue
Introduction For Art Palm Springs, Sergott Contemporary Art will highlight and celebrate the work of local Southern California and Tijuana artists, which has been at the center of SCAA’s mandate for the past five years. The artworks will consist of a wide variety of media including acrylic and oil painting, encaustic, sculpture, and glass.
Exhibiting Artists Dario Campanile Joe Caroff Stone Chen Liam Dean De La Torre Brothers Mauricio Garrido Emily Halpern Beliz Iristay Lyssa Kyra Jeffrey Laudenslager Echo Lew Hung Viet Nguyen Tatewaki Nio Robert Pendleton Fred Ploeger Momilani Ramstrum Jiela Rufeh Deanne Sabeck Audrey Suer Jody Wiggins
Dario Campanile Dario Campanile’s journey started in Rome, Italy, where he was born in 1948. Campanile expressed an affinity for art as a young boy. When he was 14, the artist was bedridden with a kidney ailment for three months, and his father gave him a set of oil paints to cheer him up. He painted his first still life in just a few days. In 1986 Campanile was commissioned to redesign and create a new logo for the famed Paramount Pictures. In 2005 he was invited to participate on a project called “Missing Peace.” He also met the Dalai Lama at his home in India, where he posed for a portrait exhibited in the project. After decades of painting realism and surrealism, Campanile’s work has evolved into abstract expressionism, which is now the artist’s main focus and passion. After 50 years of artistic expression, he is unceasingly inspired by the beauty in the world and continues on his journey through art.
Momentum, 2015 oil on canvas 16” x 20”
Joe Caroff b. U.S.A.
“Caroff’s work is about the vital inner world of the artist as well as a response to the broader world and current events. Often suggestive narrative elements seep into abstract forms. Color accents the monochromatic. Forms define negative and positive space. Lines interface and rise from the surface. Through his work, Joe Caroff strives to unify diverse aesthetics and influences to create a unique internal harmony. His intuitive process – guided by the interaction between line, color and space – defines the direction of each work as it evolves.” – Tracy L. Adler, Director of the Ruth and Elmer Wlin Museum of Art
The Divan, 2009 Ink 18” x 24.75” (framed)
Outrage, 2006 mixed media 18.5” x 31” (framed)
Stone Chen b. Taiwan, lives and works in the U.S.A.
Stone Chen is an active Taiwanese citizen, dedicated member of public service, and a culture enthusiast. Through his work, he has helped to integrate Taiwanese culture into the U.S. mainstream. As a child, Chen helped his family’s financial situation by selling paintings. Since then, he has displayed an adamant love of painting evident in his body of work. Chen graduated from the National Taiwan Normal University majoring in fine art, with a concentration in the Renaissance period. He also has teaching experience at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei. Most notably, his works were selected to show in the Tai-Yang Exhibition, a prestigious annual showcasing of Taiwanese artists at the forefront of their generation. After immigrating to the United States, Chen studied at the Pasadena Art Center, UCLA, Pomona College, and Southern Pacific University.
The Big Bang, 1995 acrylic 48” x 60”
Liam Dean b. U.S.A.
“Despite wielding such a clear aesthetic throughout a varied catalogue of work, Liam has no formal training as a painter. In 2009, while writing his first novel, he was inexplicably called to purchase a canvas and paints from a local art store and began painting in the living room of his Philadelphia apartment. He has been a professional artist ever since. Over the last seven years, Liam’s work has been displayed and sold in galleries, design showrooms, restaurants, and private businesses. In 2016, Liam moved his studio and collection to the West Coast, and can now be found making and showcasing his work at Naivasha Studio & Gallery in the vibrant North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. What began as a prescription for writer’s block unfurled into a sophisticated body of work expressing a style which confidently stands apart from what is typically regarded as “Abstract”. To date, he has made and sold over 500 original paintings, capturing the admiration and loyalty of private collectors across the United States and internationally.” –Artist’s website
Infinity, 2016 mixed media 31.5” x 49.5”
Pompeii, 2016 mixed media 25.5” x 78”
De La Torre Brothers b. Mexico, lives and works in both Mexico and the U.S.A.
“Brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre were born in Guadalajara, México (1963 & 1960), where they grew up until a sudden family move to California in 1972. They are presently living and working on both sides of the border with studios in Ensenada, Mexico and San Diego, California. Jamex started flame-working glass in 1977, attended California State University at Long Beach, and received a BFA in Sculpture in 1983. Einar started work with glass in 1980, while also attending California State University at Long Beach. In the 1980s, they ran a flame-worked glass figure business while also developing their assemblage style of work. In the early 90s, they began working collaboratively as studio artists; later in the decade, they began work in installation art with participations in Biennales such as inSITE and Mercosul (Brazil). In the year 2000, the brothers began their work in public art; they now have six major projects completed. They have exhibited their work internationally, participating in exhibits in France, Japan, Canada, Germany, Venezuela, and Brazil, as well as the US and Mexico.” –Mindy Solomon Gallery
East Block, 2016 Lenticular print (ed. of 6 commissioned by the University of Notre Dame) 52" x 40"
Miclantecuhtli, 2011 archival print, resin casting, and mixed media 48" x 36"
Wellness Mandala, 2017 Lenticular print, 13/20, aluminum frame, signed 23" x 23” x 1"
Savanah Tudor, 2012 digital print, aluminum, resin castings 22" x 16” x 2"
A donde vas Corazon? (Dear Heart, where goeth thou?), 2012 Blown glass, cast resin with inclusions 15" x 15” x 24"
Husbandry, 2012 digital print, aluminum, resin castings 16" x 22� x 1"
Mauricio Garrido Chile
The world of the visual artist Mauricio Garrido is surrealist, exuberant, complex and dark all at the same time. Garrido’s work has been categorized as neo-Baroque and takes on various forms of expression, such as sculpture, collage, textiles and video art. His work reviews codes of representation throughout the history of art, and is particularly centered on the figure as allegory as a method of synthesized narration. The idea of found materials has been present as a way of transitioning towards an existence of a visual operandi. His work is made from the collection of found papers in the diverse regions of the world where he has travelled especially to find them. Recently, those papers were collected by the world and his art took the form of a trip. His artwork has been exhibited in Europe, Asia and Latin America and can be found in important public and private collections. He is currently preparing a monumental showing of his work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chile (MAC Quinta Normal).
Calypso, 2015 collage 44” x 32.5”
Parsifal, 2015 collage 44” x 32.5”
Clockwise from top left 1. Piazza del Mercato di Venezia, 2014 collage 8.7” x 13”
2. Pin Ups 4, LA ARENA, 2013 collage 12” x 17”
3. L’Aumone de l’enfance, 2014 collage 10.4” x 7.9”
4. Day Light, 2015 collage 9.6” x 7.5”
Emily Halpern b. U.S.A.
“My paintings map my inner world. My process seeks to open the locked door of the unconscious through methods suggested by Surrealism. I use a square format that negates hierarchical narrative composition, whether top-to-bottom or left-to-right. As I work, I frequently rotate the canvas in order to disorient the view, helping new directions emerge and facilitating my stream of consciousness approach. Color is used to reconstruct different moods and to connect to fragmentary, cryptic narratives. My goal is to create "nowhere" spaces with an absence of horizon lines and populated by what psychoanalyst Carl Jung referred to as archetypal imagery such as flying and floating contraptions, rocks and snakes. The mark varies from heavy and textural to a light touch befitting the content of the piece. My intention is to engage by slipping away, leaving gaps for viewers to fill as a springboard for their own imaginations.” – Artist Statement
Parallax, 2016 oil on linen 41" x 41"
Falling in Love with Icarus, 2016 mixed media, oil paint, and resin on panel 16" x 16"
Shipwrecks and Soulmates, 2016 mixed media, oil paint, and resin on panel 16" x 16"
Tightrope Walking for People with Complicated Lives, 2016 mixed media, oil paint, and resin on panel 16" x 16"
Vertigo, 2016 mixed media, oil paint, and resin on panel 12" x 9"
I Like Myself, 2015 mixed media, oil paint, and resin on panel 20" x 16"
Peggy Hinaekian U.S.A
Hinaekian is an internationally recognized artist whose works consist of a variety of mediums ranging from oils, acrylics, to collage, monotypes and etchings. Most notably, her etchings were distributed by Christie’s Contemporary Art, London, Edition de Francony, Nice, and Stuio Arco of Rome. Since then she has embraced abstract art and produced a great number of paintings on canvas along with collages on paper. She has exhibited extensively in Switzerland, France, England, Spain, Germany, Italy, Norway, Austria, Japan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Canada, South Africa and the United States. Before pursuing art as a profession, Hinaekian was a fashion designer in Boston and Manhattan. As an artist, she is a multi-faceted creator with a deep interest in color—indeed, her hues can be seen as allusions to the natural wonders of the landscapes she has experienced during her worldwide travels. Hinaekian has a fascination with creative imagery and considers herself as a color field artist; she describes the nostalgic character of her work as atmospheric, poetic and quiet. She tries to breathe movement into her “abstract landscapes” (blue and earth colors) and “quiet collages” (where the dominant color is red, blue or black) to guide the viewer into the paintings and making them wander into a different reality.
Spring Green I, 2015 mixed media 22" x 44"
Spring Green II, 2015 mixed media 22" x 44"
Green Clouds Hot Sands, 2016 acrylic and Spanish moss 36" x 36"
Flying Red Carpet, 2016 acrylic 10" x 10"
Orange Sails, 2016 acrylic 10" x 10"
Blue Clouds Across Red Sky II, 2016 acrylic 10" x 10"
Blue Yonder II, 2016 acrylic 10" x 10"
Water Frolics, 2016 acrylic 10" x 10"
Summer Day II, 2016 mixed media 12" x 12"
Summer Day I, 2016 mixed media 12" x 12"
Summer Day III, 2016 mixed media 12" x 12"
Reflections in Red Desert, 2016 mixed media 22" x 22"
Beliz Iristay b. Turkey, lives and works in Mexico and U.S.A.
Born in Izmir,Turkey, Iristay graduated from Dokuz Eylul Fine Art University with a focus on Turkish Ceramics Arts. She moved to both USA and Mexico in 2005. In her work, Beliz often uses the venerable traditions of her home country(s) and combines them with contemporary techniques. She collects the subject materials for her work from the traditions and politics of the countries she is living in. Iristay now passes on her ceramic knowledge by teaching in her studio in EnsenadaMexico. As an artist, she continues to explore new ways to develop her work in different forms. Iristay has shown her work internationally in Usa,Turkey and Mexico. She has been nominated for several arts grants and public art projects in San Diego, CA, as well as in Izmir,Turkey. Currently, she lives in two locations: Baja California, Mexico and in San Diego, California with her family.
El Belis/ Luggage, 2016 Mexican hand made, fired brick 12"x 6"x 2.5"
EBA_6747, 2016 Raku ceramic 3"x 9” 4” x 15” 5” x 18”
Lyssa Kayra Vancouver based artist, Lyssa Kayra grew up on the remote and rugged West Coast of Vancouver Island where she developed her life-long appreciation of natural forms. Her latest series of meticulously painted tree-rings are inspired by these elements and the persistence of time and growth. The series was born and exhibited in 2015 in Barcelona, where Lyssa spent the majority of the year traveling from, documenting, and sourcing diverse locations and colours for the collection. A gifted master of colour, Lyssa creates artworks that resonate with particular places she’s traveled, often extracting the colours of a landscape or location directly from small watercolour studies or photographs she’s taken during her many trips abroad. In this collection one might recognize the rich colours of Moroccan landscapes, technicolor hues of Indian textiles, the warmth of the Sahara, or vivid graffiti neons of Berlin, all depicted as the rings of an old growth tree, allowing us a peek at their hidden beauty. Her large mandala-esque pieces are both captivating and peaceful. Lyssa studied fine arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Her work is defined by West Coast elements with environmental undertones and the international palette of her travels. She works with acrylics and resin on wood.
Fes Tanneries South II 2016 Acrylic and resin on wood 48” x48”
Anjuna Textile, India 2015 acrylic, gold leaf and resin on wood 48" x 48"
Barbara Kolo A quiet stillness to Barbara Kolo’s work evokes a time of reflection. Inspired by natural forms and influenced by impressionist, Aboriginal, and Asian art, she developed a graceful meditative visual language using dots or circles and lines. The paintings grow organically, with any resulting symmetry and order happening in the moment. In her “Obsession Series,” she repeatedly hand stamps ink or acrylic paint circles with different degrees of pressure, creating imperfections and variation that show the artist’s hand. Each dot or circle is then counted with tally marks that become part of the image. The total tally is the title of the work, and reflects the name of the series. On first sight, viewers are excited by the dizzying array of dots and then, the quietly meditative quality of Barbara’s work.
Vivacity, 2016 acrylic on canvas 24” x 24”
Echo Lew U.S.A.
“After several hours of preparation, I use just a single shot to complete each image. During an exposure time of approximately one minute, I manipulate lights in front of the camera to create ‘Light Drawings.’ Sometimes I invert the positive image to a negative one on a computer but otherwise the ‘Light Drawings’ are not manipulated. Sometimes I put the same positive and negative images side-by-side in the finished piece. . . I became curious about the effects of lights in motion. Could this become the basis of a new kind of drawing? I experimented with cameras and lights until I was able to spontaneously tap into decades of drawing experience while the camera’s shutter was open, bringing life to a series of ‘Light Drawings.’ The technique originated in 1914 when scientists Frank and Lillian Gilbreth used small lights and an open shutter to track the motions of factory workers. My light drawings are inspired by Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly, whose paintings are composed with spontaneous actions, performances traced in time. I have been an abstract painter for many years, concerned with line, shape, composition and concept. Digital photography allows me to expand creatively while using an ultracontemporary medium with limitless potential. Art for me is an experimental adventure, a profound form of play.” – Artist Statement
Land Sketch #1 (ed. 1/25), 2012 photography of moving lights, printed on Fine Art paper 20” x 57”
Blue Dream, 2016 photography of moving lights, printed on Fine Art paper 58” x 91”
Hung Viet Nguyen b. Vietnam, lives and works in U.S.A.
Hung Viet Nguyen was born in Vietnam in 1957. He studied Biology at Science University in Saigon, Vietnam, then transitioned to working as an illustrator, graphic artist and designer since settlement in the U.S. in 1982. He developed his artistry skills independently, studying many traditional Eastern and Western forms, media and techniques. Nguyen’s complex, labor intensive investigations of oil paint reveal a methodical mastery of texture. While portions of Nguyen’s work suggest the influence of many traditional art forms including woodblock prints, Oriental scroll paintings, ceramic art, mosaic, and stained glass, his ultimate expression asserts a contemporary pedigree. Nguyen’s paintings have been exhibited at galleries, cultural art centers, and museums, juried by museum curators/directors [ Los Angels County Museum of Art (LACMA), Laguna Art Museum (LAM), Museum of Contemporary Los Angeles (MOCA), Museum of Latin America Art (MoLAA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA), Torrance Art Museum (TAM), UCLA Hammer Museum of Art]. Honors include the Juror’s Choice Awards, 2013, and the San Diego Art Institute Biennial International Award Exhibition, 2015.
Ancient Pine #13, 2016 oil on panel 48” x 60”
Personage #6, 2016 oil on panel 12” x 12”
Sacred Landscape #20, 2016 oil on panel 30” x 24”
Ancient Pines #1, 2016 oil on panel 48” x 84”
Personage #7, 2016 oil on canvas 12” x 12”
Ancient Pines #16, 2016 oil on panel 12” x 12”
Tatewaki Nio b. Japan, lives and works in Brazil
More than 15 years have passed since Nio chose to live as a foreigner in a distant land far from his birthplace in Japan. The size of the cultural difference between Brazil and Japan is glaringly apparent by the fact that is day in one place while it is night in the other. This was one of the differences that attracted him to Brazil and made him take root there. As with many tourists the cultural differences provoked unfamiliar glances and got Nio interested in photography. In the beginning his work focused on regional elements such as folklore, the backcountry, and Carnival. Photographing these issues was a process of confronting a Brazilian audience with a foreigner’s observation. Over time, his Portuguese improved, but he will never achieve the proficiency of a native speaker (which often makes him the butt of jokes). Disappointed in his progress in learning the language, he recognized the possibility photography has as a means of communication. Since then, more than capture specific moments, his interest is to communicate with others through photography. Today, more than differences, Nio is interested in points of connection with and between others. Starting from a point of commonality, he hopes his work will result in two-way dialogues.
Neo-Andina #031 (ed. 6 + 2AP), 2015 inkjet print on cotton paper 32� x 40�
Neo-Andina #032 (ed. 6 + 2AP), 2015 inkjet print on cotton paper 32” x 40”
Neo-Andina #034 (ed. 6 + 2AP), 2015 inkjet print on cotton paper 32” x 40”
Robert Pendleton U.S.A.
Robert Pendleton has pursued his interest in fine art photography since childhood, but only recently entered into the realm of digital photography and began exhibiting his work. His technique of expanding dynamic range by selectively colorizing discrete ranges of luminosity leads to enhanced, at times even ambiguous perception of depth, and is sometimes described as “painting with photography.” Robert is currently collaborating with a software engineer to develop new tools to facilitate the manipulation of luminosity in digital images. Robert Pendleton MD, PhD is an Ophthalmologist from La Jolla, California who pioneered the technique of ultrasound-laser vision.
Digital Divide, 2016 digital photograph, ed. 1 of 20 23” x 42”
Round Corner, 2016 digital photograph, ed. 1 of 20 42” x 17”
Moon Plane, 2016 digital photograph, ed. 1 of 20 42” x 14”
Vision, 2013 digital photograph, ed. 1 of 20 20” x 42”
Fred Ploeger b. USA, lives and works in France
“Bassac is a medieval French village set in the midst of the Charente River vineyards. Living here I find myself surrounded by an inexhaustible source of visual stimulation. At the heart of it is an 11th century Abbaye that has known periods of sustained prosperity and periods of utter destruction, the remnants of which are left upon her walls. As a contemporary American artist whose primary focus has been in non-objective abstraction, I found it necessary to employ a classical drawing technique that would allow me to interpret this ‘old world’ subject matter that surrounds me. Essentially I am drawing stone walls; vertical surfaces with recesses and protrusions: some with blocked-in windows and doors, others with major renovations to accommodate modern accessories that make it difficult to date the original structure. The only things that remain from an earlier period are the stones themselves. Past configurations are lost to new uses. All in all it is a fascinating study in entropy.” – Artist Statement
Clockwise from top Chaos 12.2.15 Bassac, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16” Fragment X, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16” Fragment III, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16” Chaos 9.23.15 Bassac, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16” Chaos 5.12.15 Bassac, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16”
Center Chaos 4.27.15 Bassac, 2015 mixed media on foamcore 12.5” x 16”
Momilani Ramstrum b. U.S.A.
As an artist, Momilani uses intuition, inspiration, discipline and madness. In each painting, she strives for exquisite detail as well as movement through the piece as a whole. Her visual art is influenced by musical improvisation, with the interplay of lines creating dissonance and resolving into consonance. She creates many layered-textures, enlivened by contrasting sections, and varied forms. Her use of color is bold with entwined and distinctive, twists and complements. She draws inspiration from her photography of nature, the desert, trees and plants and the vibrant interplay of shape and light. Her visual images are created through a process of internal dialogue with the painting – she watches the play of colors and shapes, sometimes for hours. Layers are begun, and a painting allowed to form itself over weeks or months of reflection. As a composer and inventor, she holds a patent for her MIDI glove which she created to control the computer in realtime. She has a Ph.D. in electronic music and performs unique improvisations using voice interacting with a MIDI glove controlled computer. She performs and gives presentations at seminars, festivals and conferences in California, Hawaii, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.
Pathways, 2016 mixed media on canvas 23� x 45�
Sand and sky, 2016 mixed media on canvas, wooden frame 23” x 46”
Life under sea, 2016 mixed media on canvas, wooden frame 25” x 25”
Jiela Rufeh U.S.A.
“I first began experimenting to create a new dialogue with my photography by combining my pictures with unconventional materials such as canvases made of weathered wood, sheet metal scraps, plexiglass, etc., and playing with the ancient method of encaustic. The encaustic medium captured my interest with its sculpture‐like qualities that come from building up layers of wax, embedding various media, and conversely subtracting and distorting the wax to create another type of texture. This medium suddenly broadened my ability, allowing me to express myself on multiple levels and imbue my work with layered narratives. By merging the image with the encaustic, it allows me the ‘push and pull’ of sculpting. Using it to bring focus to a space, or obscure a space, and to also literally scrape, carve, and mold the surface of the piece is a constantly dynamic process and brings the photograph back to a living, vibrant, organic state. Restraint becomes an important component in resolving the work; that neither the image nor the surface overpower the other. Through the repeated handling of the materials, the painting soon expresses the weathered feeling of the landscape and a hidden energy is revealed in my translation.” – Artist Statement
Looking In, 2016 encaustic, archival photo and oils 18" x 18"
I See You! 2016 encaustic, archival photo, and oils on wood panel 30" x 24"
Connecting, 2016 encaustic, archival photo and oils 18" x 18"
Magic Show, 2016 encaustic, archival photo, and oils on wood panel 24" x 24"
Beyond, 2016 encaustic, archival photo and oils 18" x 18"
Deanne Sabeck b. USA, lives and works in USA
“My light sculptures are created from pure light refracted into the brilliant colors of our physical world. Using dichroic glass, which divides the light spectrum, transmitting one color while reflecting its opposite, I create sculptural light paintings with forms and colors that continually evolve, appear and disappear in meditative patterns.” – Artist Statement
Into the Deep, 2015 stainless steel, dichroic glass
Audrey Suer “Texture provides a fascinating dimension to my paintings, I am constantly searching for different materials and techniques to create new surfaces. Recent works on paper combine transfers and collectible materials with watercolor and acrylic media. The collectibles simulate texture; actual reliefs and depressions are achieved by using a collagraphic plate and a press. After embossing the surface, the work is further defined with additional intermingling of hard-edged shapes, large passive areas, and delicate lines which reinforce the spirit of the subject. I manipulate forms by taping off areas, spraying, blotting, and repainting frequently, creating the illusion of an old, worn, aged surface. These paintings are not preconceived; each is developed by experimenting with various layered media. My canvases are initially carefully planned; however my execution is more spontaneous and may depart from the original concept. My current series contains large acrylic areas with transfer and collectible items collaged onto the edges of the canvases.” –Artist Statement
Dreamscape, 2016 mixed media, collagraph 27” x 36”
Just Fun Series 3, 2016 mixed media collagraph 19” x 15”
Just Fun Series 4, 2016 mixed media collagraph 19” x 15”
Jody Wiggins Audrey Suer, a contemporary artist, makes her home in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. She was born and educated in Iowa, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Drake University. Suer taught art in Ames, Iowa and in the Los Angeles City School system at junior and high school levels. After teaching for over thirty years, she retired in 1992 and now devotes her time to painting. Suer has traveled extensively in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. with her husband, Herbert. She believes that her exposure to numerous international artists and studies with Carole Barnes, Virginia Cobb, Maxine Masterfield, and Mary Alice Braukman have influenced her direction. Her paintings have won awards and have been exhibited in numerous national and international competitions in the U.S., England, and Wales. Suer’s paintings are included in both private and corporate collections. Her work was featured in a 2001 issue of Watercolor magazine (“A Sampling of Techniques”). She is also a signature member of the National Acrylic Painters Association and the International Society of Experimental Artists.
Life’s Pleasure, 2015 acrylic 12” x 24”
Night Flight, 2014 mixed media 22” x 38”
Hidden Treasures, 2016 acrylic 23” x 27.5”
Encased Powers, 2015 acrylic 28” x 30”
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