This is your last week to enjoy a dreamy collection from LA-based artist (by way of Boston) Jonas Wood. This collection evokes Southern California in its color and technique and is a great way to welcome summer. The show, now on view at the David Kordansky Gallery in Culver City, closes Saturday.
Wood draws from sources that resonate personally for him – pieces of pottery from his talented wife Shio Kusaka, an afternoon moment with his daughter, his own lazy studio and even iconic sports figures. He often builds his paintings from a photo-collage technique similar to Hockney’s Cubist Poloraid portraits, beginning with a series of drawings and studies, and breaking down the moment from real to emotional until he discovers the essence of the image. Behind Wood’s raw style lies a nostalgia and a longing for the simplicity his paintings evoke.
While his landscapes and portraits seem Pop in subject (sports is a favorite theme of Wood’s) they lack irony and have an intimacy that keeps the work joyful and inviting. Monochromatic, bright colors are echoed in his composition of hard lines and sharp angles. The perspective may be flat and linear, but there is tremendous depth in his work; and in his final pieces, you see the happiest places.
The David Kordansky Gallery is located at 3143 S. La Cienega Blvd. Unit A, open Tuesday through Saturday from 11A – 6P. Jonas Wood closes Saturday, May 12.
“Still Life with Cat Vessels” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Untitled (Kusama Double-Portrait)” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“BBall Studio” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Hit Man” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Worthy 89” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Calais Drive” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“French Open 2” / Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA