Exhibitions

Josh Olivera and Jeff Rindels
Skeleton Keys and the Rain
AUGUST 29 – SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

Joshua Olivera 
Artist's Website

Josh Olivera received his MFA from CSU Chico in painting in 2011. He has recently shown Palimpsest: An Image of What Once Was at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Working mainly on panel with non-traditional materials such as wood stain and chemical interactions, Olivera explores the overlap of the past and the present. Olivera's interest in archeology and the shadows of the past leads him to create timeless works that evoke the ancient world. Olivera is an environmentalist and conservationist whose work, although abstract, is landscape-based. Olivera's work reflects his West Coast upbringing and the legacy of San Francisco's Abstract Expressionism (Richard Diebenkorn, Edward Corbett, Frank Lobdell, and Clyfford Still). Olivera has also had a solo show at The Gallery at 6th &6th in Tucson (2007) and in Chico, CA, has had group exhibitions at the Black Crow Space (2002), University Art Gallery (2003), BSO Space (2008), BMU Gallery (2009), and Humanities Center Gallery (2009).
Picture
Never Give an Inch (mixed media, 2011)
Jeff Rindels 
Artist's Website

Jeff Rindels is a Bay Area artist working in an old yellow warehouse studio in Oakland where, on any given day, you might find him painting, making collage postcards to send to friends and family, or writing letters on an old Olympia typewriter. The painting aspect of his practice is unique in that Mr. Rindels creates his working surface by recycling scrapped canvas pieces given to him by fellow painters. This process involves selecting strips of canvas, stapling those pieces together and then priming the patchwork canvas in order to create a sturdy and durable working surface. Mr. Rindels has a working class attitude when creating art, and he prefers to recycle materials and to use whatever is around him to produce his work. That also includes the materials in his sonic environment. Many of the themes in the work are inspired by the artist's fascination with the moods, motivations, and lyricism of rock n' roll. Mr. Rindels is particularly influenced by metal and punk rock, which reflect his working class attitude and experience and give powerful voice to a view of the world from its underside. While Mr. Rindels is drawn to dark themes such as suffering, drugs, alienation, hell, and death, his work also leaves room for a transformation of effect through the use of humor and metaphoric play. Currently the artist is fascinated by the Grim Spinner, a character born from and expressing an intersection of some of his favorite themes.