Art News

The Corey Helford Gallery Shows New Works by Eric Joyner

artwork: Eric Joyner - "On Tiger Mountain", 2011 - Oil on canvas - 64" x 48" - Courtesy Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City. On view in "Eric Joyner: “It’s a Jungle Out There” from January 21st until February 8th.


Culver City, California.- The Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present ” Eric Joyner : “It’s a Jungle Out There”, on view at the gallery from January 21st through February 8th. In “It’s a Jungle Out There” Joyner’s robots trade their domestic lives featured in “Donut Logic” (his 2010 exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery) for fantastical adventures in rough-and-tumble jungles. “I use the robots to reflect my adventures, real and imagined, in Thailand. It runs the gamut from fighting, encountering animals and hiking to having fun,” Joyner says.

The theme of the exhibition was inspired by Joyner’s recent trip to Thailand. “The northern jungles of Thailand were so inspiring that I wanted to create a show that reflects some of the things that I experienced there,” Joyner says. “There were beautiful trees, birds, mountains, elephants, tigers, butterflies, flowers and monkeys. Jungle paintings are easier said than done though—there are so many leaves, branches and foliage to paint. It really tested my patience.”

artwork: Eric Joyner - "Catfish", 2011 - Oil on canvas - Courtesy Corey Helford Gallery On view in "Eric Joyner: “It’s a Jungle Out There” until February 8th.

“It’s a Jungle Out There” will feature 18 pop-surrealism paintings of robots interacting with jungle animals such as elephants, monkeys and snakes. For example, in “All Wrapped Up,” a 48-by-36-inch oil painting, an anaconda coils around the body of a pink metallic robot, who holds a donut just out of reach. “It’s a Jungle Out There”Joyner realizes that the jungle is a strange locale for robots, but relishes in creating new environments for his electronic muses. “The best thing about creating these new worlds is that it takes me out of this one,” Joyner says. “I like discovering new places and things and this is one way for me to do it.”In addition to new robots and animals, “It’s a Jungle Out There” will also include Ultraman, a character from the 1960s Japanese television series.

Eric Joyner attended the Academy of Art and the University of San Francisco and went on to establish himself as a commercial artist, creating illustrations for Mattel Toys, Levi’s, Microsoft and Showtime. A member of San Francisco Society of Illustrators and New York Society of Illustrators, Joyner has been an instructor and speaker at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University and California College of the Arts. His work has been featured in San Jose Museum of Art’s exhibition “Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon”, and he has shown in numerous galleries and cultural institutions worldwide.

artwork: Eric Joyner - "Surf's Up", 2011 - Oil on canvas - Courtesy Corey Helford Gallery On view in "Eric Joyner: “It’s a Jungle Out There” until February 8th.

Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in April 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Passionate art collectors, the Helfords are producers on the art documentary The Treasures of Long Gone John and have partnered to open their first gallery. Corey Helford Gallery presents a wide range of artists, from members of the new fine art movement, such as Ron English , Josh Agle ( SHAG ), Buff Monster , COOP , Natalia Fabia , Korin Faught , Sylvia Ji , Eric Joyner, Chloe Early , Ray Caesar , and award-winning photographer Chris Anthony , to early Modernist William S. Schwartz . 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 website at … http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/