...About the Show...

Elroy Artspace Gallery is pleased to announce Lollipop Circus | a Calderesque Homage, a group exhibition of art comprising imagery inspired by that of Alexander Calder, one of America’s foremost modern artists, internationally recognized for his invention of the mobile and his large-scale sculptures.  This is Elroy Artspace’s second show highlighting works created by contemporary artists as inspired by those of mid-century masters, following last season’s “Dreams of Eames” exhibition.

It is said that during an era of constant artistic upheaval, Calder’s personal aesthetic revolution approached a somewhat taboo topic in the art world — fun, and so his prolific and passionate output brought with it a humor and sense of play unlike any before, ignoring the formal structures of art and in so doing redefining what art could be.  It’s from this point of view that “Lollipop Circus” celebrates Calder.  The show name derives from favorite pervading ingredients of Calder’s oeuvre – the shapely ‘lollipop’ loops of his purist, primary color palette, and the Cirque Calder - his miniature circus of tiny wire performers that proved to serve as a laboratory in which some of the most original features of his later work were to be developed. 

“Lollipop Circus | A Calderesque Homage” group exhibition will feature the original art of over ten contemporary fine artists, presenting works inspired by the gifts and passion of this legendary American artist who was committed to creating art free from the pretentions of the art world.

Elroy Artspace is curating this show at its gallery within The Original (located at 300 SW 6th Ave. in downtown Portland, OR).  Elroy Artspace is a gallery whose mission is to enhance the human experience by introducing fine, modernist art to fans, professionals and others concerned with bringing color and beauty into the home and workspace.

For Media inquiries, additional information regarding Elroy Artspace Gallery, Elroy Art Agency, artwork sales and leasing or art in the show, please contact: Joe Staskerz, Owner, Elroy Art Agency: Joe@ElroyArt.com (503) 609-0503 www.ElroyArt.com.

###

Press Release

Brian Kappel  |  CEREAL: a View of Break*Fast
Solo Exhibition  |  April 2011
The Original  |  300 SW 6th (Downtown PDX)
Opening Reception - Thursday, April 7th, 5-9pm 

Elroy Artspace Gallery Announces ‘CEREAL: a View of Break*Fast’, a Solo Exhibition of Fine Art by Brian Kappel at The Original in Portland, OR

Portland, OR (March 24, 2011) -- Elroy Artspace Gallery is pleased to announce CEREAL: a View of Break*Fast, a solo exhibition of fine, folk art by Brian Kappel.  In the artist’s first exhibition with Elroy Artspace, CEREAL: a View of Break*Fast, Kappel presents a series of vintage-inspired gastronomic ads, icons and brands, envisioned by him and laser cut from sheets of wood.   

Kappel earned a Visual Arts degree from Penn State and is trained in watercolor and enjoys using all manner of disciplines of art and design in his work, but has found a “niche nirvana” working in wood.  “The character of the wood grain gets me excited,” he says of it, “because I think it adds a depth and voice to the work that I could not achieve on a canvas or paper.”  Brian hand sketches everything, which leads sometimes to an incorporation of typefaces, and sometimes leading to a fully hand painted piece which he can rough-up to round out a look that feels very aged, very authentic and very cool.

“They’re fun,” says Brian about the pieces in CEREAL: a View of Break*Fast, “there are no deep brooding meanings in them, no ethereal symbolism, no divine purpose.”  And Brian is further-excited to be doing a breakfast imagery-focused show, he shared, because his wife has been looking forward to a show like this for some time.

View pictures here: http://bit.ly/ElroysCereal

Brian Kappel is a Portland, OR based artist who finds inspiration in the visuals of his past.  He grew up on B-movies, sci-fi, Twilight Zones and Saturday morning cartoons – whose vestiges can be seen in the robots, landscapes, monsters, still-lifes, or a convoluted combo of them all in his work.  “I draw.  I paint.  I create.  Give me a sketchbook, a stack of oatmeal raisin cookies and a Godzilla marathon and I will fall into a state of bliss-filled euphoria not commonly seen without outside narcotic influences,” says Brian, “And if the ideas are flowing, any and all subjects are in play.” 

Elroy Artspace is curating this show at The Original (located at 300 SW 6th Ave. in downtown Portland, OR).  Elroy Artspace is a gallery whose mission is to enhance the human experience by introducing fine, fun art to design professionals and others concerned with bringing color and beauty into the home and workspace.

For Media inquiries, additional information regarding Elroy Artspace Gallery, Elroy Art Agency or Brian Kappel artwork sales and leasing or art in the show, please contact: Joe Staskerz, Owner, Elroy Art Agency: Joe@ElroyArt.com (503) 609-0503 www.ElroyArt.com.

###

Press Release: 


Michael Costello  |  Lost on the Off-Ramp
Solo Exhibition  |  January 6 through February 27, 2011
The Original  |  300 SW 6th (Downtown PDX)
Opening Reception - Thursday, January 6th, 5-9pm


Elroy Artspace Gallery Announces ‘Lost on the Off-Ramp’, a Solo Exhibition of Fine Art Pastels by Michael Costello at The Original in Portland, OR


Portland, OR (December 10, 2010) -- Elroy Artspace Gallery is pleased to announce Lost on the Off-Ramp, a solo exhibition of fine art pastels by Michael Costello.  In the artist’s first exhibition with Elroy Artspace, Lost on the Off-Ramp, Costello presents a series of pastels featuring cross-sections of vintage hotel and restaurant neon signage, in their current states of decay, with a realism approach.  An active artist in varying medium for two decades and PNCA (Pacific Northwest College of Art) graduate, Costello applies hard pastels to his passion for “the preservation of a past not so far away,” he says.    

Raised in the Northern California hills of Monterey County but off to the road in pursuit of his artistic education at 16, Costello is “driven by long road trips and the unique stops they have to offer,” Michael shares, “and with the works in Lost on the Off-Ramp I strive to preserve the ever-so-quickly disappearing feeling of ‘Americana’ that once filled the highways.”

Training and working in commercial, sculptural and fine art pottery as well, Costello also ran a surf shop in Hawaii and is still an avid skateboarder.  He’s made his way across the United States and even France to build his education and practice of art.  The endless band of highways traveled in this enduring journey (which led him to Portland for art school in 2003) has brought Michael a love for their stories.  “Maybe it comes from a broken light or a rusty sign,” he shares, “but most of all my inspiration comes from the road.”



View pictures here: http://bit.ly/OffRampElroy


Michael Costello has been a professional artist since the age of 16, when a children’s book he illustrated was published (Island Heritage), inspiring him to Hawaii for furthering his artistic studies.  In 2003 he moved to Portland to attend the Pacific Northwest College of Art.  He was the first recipient of Nike-sponsored Global Studios Scholarship to the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art in France.  Upon return he graduated from PNCA with a BFA in painting. Today he works primarily in hard pastels out of his studio in Portland, OR.


Elroy Artspace is curating this show at The Original (located at 300 SW 6th Ave. in downtown Portland, OR).  Elroy Artspace is a gallery whose mission is to enhance the human experience by introducing fine, fun art to design professionals and others concerned with bringing color and beauty into the home and workspace. 


For Media inquiries, additional information regarding Elroy Artspace Gallery, Elroy Art Agency or Michael Costello artwork sales and leasing, please contact: Joe Staskerz, Owner, Elroy Art Agency: Joe@ElroyArt.com (503) 609-0503 www.ElroyArt.com.