I’m sorry I’m going to miss this show, featuring paintings by Ryan Heshka, Davey, and Brian Despain. It opens Friday, March 10th and runs through April 8.
(Click on thumbnails for enlargement) All three painters work in extremely different styles, yet present similar ideology in their subject matters undertones, mainly the strife between man and the natural world. Ryan Heshka is rapidly becoming well known for his “Vintage Pulp” style paintings. Using the themes of technology vs nature, Ryan presents his work in a retro type format, drawing visual inspiration from 40’s –50’s science fiction magazines and old B monster movies. Layering luscious jewel tone colors alongside cut out text from various sources, Ryan’s work tackles environmental themes while remaining slyly humorous.
Davey (aka Dave Wong) paints fanciful, dramatic scenarios using animal characters inspired by film (King Kong, Planet Of the Apes, Ray Harryhausen films) and comic books (such as work by legend Jack Kirby). His works contains a dark tension and undercurrents of hidden aggression, mixed with a dreamlike vision of an untamed prehistoric world.
Brian Despain’s paintings combine science fiction sensibilities with a nod to retro mechanics. Surreal creatures powered by early Industrial Revolution era technology are rendered in a precise, perfectionist manner, dipped in a rich, dusty color palette.
