Owen Schmit
Footprints On Air
Painting and Sculpture

August 1 - September 8, 2009

Opening Reception: Sunday, August 2nd
6:30-9:30 PM

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Ocean Aeon, 2008
20''x16''
Acrylic and plymer on board

Aurora Borealis, 2009
84''x72''
Acrylic, latex, polymer, oil on canvas

Black Hawaii, 2009
72''x72''
Acrylic, latex, enamel, polymer on canvas

Untitled, 2008
48''x48''
Acrylic, gesso, polymer on wood

Mountain Dew, 2009
48''x60''
Acrylic, latex, gesso, polymer on wood

Electric/Oil, 2009
48''x48''
Acrylic, gesso, polymer on wood

May Day, 2009
60''x60''
Acrylic, latex, oil, polymer on paper

Rockies, 2009
72''x72''
Acrylic, gesso, enamel, polymer on canvas

Aerial I, 2009
24''x18''
Acrylic, ink, gesso, polymer, resin on board

Aerial II, 2009
24''x16''
Acrylic, ink, gesso, polymer, resin on board

Aerial III, 2009
20''x16''
Acrylic, ink, gesso, polymer, resin on board

Untitled (Diptych), 2009
18''x48''
Acrylic, ink, gesso, polymer, resin on board

Syzygia, 2009
48''x48''
Acrylic, gesso, polymer, resin on board

Untitled (Blue), 2009
Electroluminescent wire

Untitled (Pale Blue), 2009
Electroluminescent wire

Untitled (white), 2007
Electroluminescent wire

Untitled (pink), 2007
Electroluminescent wire

Untitled (blue II), 2008
Electroluminescent wire

Performance by Green + Wood
Electroluminescent wire installation

Untitled (White), 2009
Electroluminescent wire

Untitled (Red), 2009
Electroluminescent wire installed in home

Untitled (Green), 2009
Electroluminescent wire

 

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Biography

Born 1984, Los Angeles, CA

Lives and works in Los Angeles

 

Artist Statement

"In my work I am interested in places that have gone wildly out of control. Working in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional fomats, I explore themes of hyper-exaggeration of places that should appear quite ordinary adn balanced. The landscapes that make up my paintings are symbolic of locations that are affected by human interference; I am fascinated by strange weather, strange water, smog, erosion, the presence of artificial electricity, and the appearance of unpredictable storms resulting from circumstances such as global warming. Although tragic, suffering places in nature can appear stunning and even otherworldly in their state of defacement and deterioration. The unnatural occurrences and unexpected reactionsto imbalance in the natural world affect the physical appearance and behavior of the land and atmosphere; this is implicityly mirrored in my process of working. The paintings are dependent on the paint's own reactions to my pours, which are actions that cannont be retraced and created permanent 'stains' in the landscape. The layers upon layers of paints, water, and various other media eventually result in what I see as self-made irreparable damage and/or beautification to the environment of the work. In this sense the nebulous shapes and colors in some ways create themselves, and the loss of control over what I have begun is simultaneously liberating and arresting. I am forced to allow the medium to take over its own destiny and react as it wishes.

The electroluminescent wire pieces mimic elements within my two-dimensional work, and aim to facilitate a physical and tangible experience of some of the visual themes I am repeatedly drawn to. Using the contrast of darkened space and illuminated forms, I am interested in the corporeal experience produced within this framework. By creating these pieces in direct dialogue with the architecture of their locations, I want to stage an extraordinary, transcendental experience of a space ordinarily expected to appear 'normal'. The medium draws attention to the planar or volumetric qualities contained within and around the shapes, and to the subleties beyond the striking color of the wire iself, sich as the reflection of the light on surrounding surfaces. In creating these pieces I find that the ultimate form of each installation answers only to its location, and never repeats another's appearance or presence. The outcome is somewhat unpredictable." - Owen Schmit

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

2009 Enrolling in MFA program, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
2006 BA, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
2005 Nominee for the Yale Fellowship for the Arts in Painting

EXHIBITIONS

2009 Footprints On Air, Frank Pictures Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2009 Performance installation with Green & Wood, POVevolving Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2008 Group Show, Ghettogloss Galleyr, Los Angeles, CA

2007 Residency and Group Show, Hitchcock National Park, Loess Hills, IA
2007 Collaborative installation, Ochi Gallery, Sun Valley, ID

2006 Senior thesis, USB Exhibition Space, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

 

©2008 All Rights Reserved. Frank Pictures Gallery.