February 19, 2009

Jim Gaylord

What would it look like if you compiled fleeting images from some of the most popular film moments onto a painted canvas? Artist Jim Gaylord shows the viewer this point of view in his solo exhibition Cliffhanger at the Gregory Lind Gallery in San Francisco. Moving away from the more collage-like paintings of his past, Gaylord's latest work carefully marries his interest in film and the history of painting, and the result is a collaboration of recognizable imagery and colorful shapes in variety of painting techniques. Combining the brushwork of abstract impressionism with the psychological limbo of the Surrealists and the ambiguity of conceptual art, Gaylord's paintings and prints reflect an artist who is informed of those who preceded him as well as by a vast popular culture which surrounds him. Titling his work such things as Study (Braveheart + Jackass: the Movie + Cloverfield + Last of the Mohicans + Home Alone 2), Gaylord gives credit to his sources and influences as well as providing the viewer with an acute lens with which to understand his creative process. Among the eleven works on view at Gregory Lind Gallery, the most noteworthy is a set entitled Final Destination 00:15:11:22 and 00:15:22:07, paintings highlighting a convergence between some sort of outer-space video game and a crude oil fire, evoking a feeling of playfulness and cultural despair.

Cliffhanger will be on view until March 14, 2009.