“Recent Work Over the Last 50 Years” remains on view at Oolong Gallery through Aug. 30.
The fun exhibition put together by sculptor Wendell Perry carries an intentional contradiction in its title, as “Recent Work” encompasses works from nearly 50 years of sustained creativity by seven distinctive artists. The exhibition highlights personal and meaningful pieces from artists Wendell and his wife Carol Perry, Peter Mitten, Lauri Koseff, Barry Mastro, Nadine Baurin and Les Perhacs, in the mediums of bronze and steel sculptures, abstract paintings and digital imagery. The works represent different periods and perspectives, “revealing how ideas, materials and visual language develop over time,” according to a press release.
“Horned Owl Man” by Wendell Perry in Oolong Gallery’s August show “Recent Work Over the Last 50 Years”. (Courtesy Oolong Gallery)
Bronze artist Wendell Perry owned and operated a bronze casting foundry in Fallbrook for many years. For him, creating art allows him to “reach a state of focused awareness where discovery becomes as important as the finished object itself. The challenges, frustrations, and unexpected turns encountered along the way become essential elements of the work, making each sculpture an experiment in form, thought, and expression,” according to the press release.
Perry and fellow featured artist sculptor Peter Mitten were frequent collaborators of the iconic San Diego sculptor James Hubble (Hubble himself had roots in Rancho Santa Fe with a studio on his mother’s property in his early years and doing the artwork for historic The Wishing Well Hotel that used to be on Lago Lindo in the 1960s).
As a sculptor, Mitten is fascinated by the architectural possibilities of box construction. His Cartons series featured in the Oolong exhibit “exemplifies his ongoing investigation into structure, space and meaning.”
“Recent Work” includes emotional “psychological landscape” paintings by Carol Perry and Lauri Koseff’s paintings, which explore themes of spirituality and nature —symbolic imagery in her work includes abstracted baskets, birds of prey, landscape and halos.
Digital artist Barry Mastro’s one-of-a-kind playful and vibrant digital paintings are printed directly onto aluminum while Nadine Baurin’s pieces are created in a medium of molten beeswax, tree resin and pure pigment. Her semi-abstract paintings draw inspiration from the Pampas grasslands of her native Argentina and California’s coastal landscape.
“Golden Rain” by Lauri Koseff, featured in Oolong Gallery’s “Recent Work Over the Last 50 Years”. (Courtesy Oolong Gallery)
Artist Les Perhacs’ works represent a 60-year career in bronze, steel and stone sculpture. “Whether distilling animal forms to their essential rhythms and elegance or exploring movement and geometry through his celebrated Chaos Series, his sculptures reveal an extraordinary balance of craftsmanship, innovation, and design,” according to the press release.
Since the Aug. 5 opening, new work from the artists has been added each Wednesday, offering visitors a changing view of the exhibition each week.
Visit Oolong Gallery at 6030 La Flecha, Rancho Santa Fe, on Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Private appointments can be made on Monday and Tuesday. For more visit https://oolongallery.com