Art News

Corey Helford Gallery features Amy Sol and Guest Artist Tom Bagshaw

artwork: Amy Sol - "Oriel and Blu", 2012 - Acrylic on wood - 30” x 36” - Courtesy the Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles. On view in “Numina” from March 10th until March 28th.


Los Angeles, California.- On Saturday, March 10th, Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present “Numina,” a major exhibition of new work by artist Amy Sol. Inspired by the word “numinous,” Sol selected “Numina” as the title for her new exhibition, based on the curvature of its letters, feminine qualities, and sound alluding to magic and mystery – all elements embodied in her latest collection of paintings. “I often choose words for not only the meaning but the shape and sound of the word itself,” Sol notes. “Numina” will remain on view through March 28th. At the same time, the upstairs gallery will feature new works by UK artist Tom Bagshaw. Amy Sol’s most expressive show to date, her process is more free form than before, exploring color and technique in unexpected ways. “In a way, I feel I have tapped in to a primitive creative energy that first compelled me to paint when I was a child. Exploration is the primary goal of each piece, with composition and palette guided by intuition and instinct.”

Sol adds. “Numina” will feature ten new acrylic-on-wood panel paintings, infused with Sol’s signature soft colors, dream settings, delicate washes and loose layering of acrylic paint. Her aesthetic balances between illustration and painting while her narrative combines ethereal settings with animals and female figures. “The characters in each piece are participants seeped in adventure and dream logic.” Amy Sol spent her childhood years in Korea and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she currently lives and works. Though the style of her work is greatly influenced by a combination of manga, folk-art, vintage illustration and modern design, she remains a self-taught artist. She has dedicated many years of her life to mixing pigments and mediums to achieve a unique color palette of subtly muted tones. Sol’s work has been exhibited at galleries worldwide including London, Italy, Los Angeles, Miami and New York and published in Juxtapoz and The Korea Times.

artwork: Tom Bagshaw - ""A Moment of Clarity", 2012 - Digital painting Courtesy the Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles. On view from march 10th until March 28th.

Based in the Georgian city of Bath, England, Tom Bagshaw works as a commercial illustrator and fine artist under the moniker “Mostlywanted.” Exploring themes of fantasy, beauty and mysticism, Bagshaw’s highly rendered digital painting style could be described as dark and moody. However, a closer look at the details reveals there is also quirky humor, mystery and strong, feminine beauty mixed in. Continuing his exploration of myths, legends and folklore from various cultures around the world, Bagshaw’s figurative digital works adopt a lighter palette for the exhibition. The new series will include two Disney-inspired portraits.

Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Corey Helford Gallery exhibits a diverse collection of Contemporary artists influenced by today’s pop culture, encompassing the genres of New Figurative, Pop Surreal, Graffiti and Street Art. Artists include Josh Agle (Shag), Ray Caesar, D*Face, Chloe Early, Ron English, Natalia Fabia, Kukula, Lola, The London Police, Sylvia Ji, Eric Joyner, Michael Mararian, Brandi Milne, Buff Monster, Risk, Amy Sol, Martin Wittfooth, and Nick Walker. Renowned for its notable exhibitions, the gallery has presented “Charity By Numbers,” which was co-curated by Gary Baseman and featured an unprecedented lineup of artists including Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Shepard Fairey, Todd and Kathy Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, and Michael Hussar, as well as “La Noche de la Fusion,” an epic Carnivalesque festival and solo exhibition for Pervasive artist Gary Baseman. In 2010, Corey Helford Gallery partnered with Bristol’s City Museum & Art Gallery for the transatlantic collaboration “Art From The New World,” a world-class United Kingdom museum exhibition showcasing work by a formidable group of 49 of the finest emerging and noted American artists. Corey Helford Gallery presents new exhibitions approximately every four weeks. Visit the gallery’s wesbite at … www.coreyhelfordgallery.com