ADAM MYSOCK
And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward,
and southward, and eastward, and westward, 2011
acrylic on panel
16 x 22 inches
This piece is about redirection. While inserting Lincoln into Eastman Johnson’s In the Fields, it became quite apparent that emulating Johnson’s paint handling would make it quite difficult to capture a likeness. I needed to clarify Lincoln’s face in order to give him an identity. To overcome the obvious stylistic discrepancies, bizarre elements of Massimo Stanzione’s The Sacrifice of Moses were inserted to pull attention right, most specifically the pointing Moses. Baseball player Pat Burrell (of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants) stands in his appropriate position – left field – assisting in the redirection by pointing to the opposite side. As a baseball player, Burrell’s presence in the field is logical, even if his appearance is unexpected.
ADAM MYSOCK
And Abraham looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward
all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the
country went up as the smoke of the furnace, 2011
acrylic on panel
16 x 20 inches
In a rather straightforward way, there are three parallel stories of food scarcity presented here. The top half of the composition comes from J. M. W. Turner’s Fifth Plague of Egypt. The fifth plague was a disease on the cattle of the Egyptians. The lower half is a cropped section of Thomas Eakins Mending the Net, in which fishermen mend holes in their net. In both cases a staple of nutrition is absent. The third reference highlights a more contemporary (and trivial) understanding of food scarcity – the recurrent disappearance/reappearance of McDonald’s McRib. On the extreme left, Lincoln walks carrying a basket subtly suggesting his role as savior or provider in times of need.
ADAM MYSOCK
And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, 2011
acrylic on panel
16 x 22.5 inches
This image begins with two allusions to the divinity of nature. Most noticeably, the figure of Moses crouching in the foreground was taken from Sébastien Bourdon's Moses and the Burning Bush, an episode where God speaks to Moses through a plant. Serving as a stage for Moses, George Inness’s Evening at Medfield, Massachusetts, was supposedly a manifestation of the artist’s belief in the idea that nature was a direct link between the material world and the divine (a belief that resulted in a very particular “glow” from many of Inness’ paintings). In further considering the idea of divinity and nature, the tall tale of Johnny Appleseed came to mind (many versions of which reference Appleseed as a preacher as well as an obsessive, pot-wearing gardener). Because of the darkly silhouetted forms in Inness’ painting and Moses’ posture of covering his eyes, it made sense to conceal elements from a Highlights For Kids Hidden Pictures drawing featuring Johnny Appleseed throughout the composition.
ADAM MYSOCK
Mars on Mars on Mars, 2013
acrylic on panel
5 x 3 inches
We have rovers and cameras on Mars (there’s even a penny from 1909 on
the Martian surface), but does that mean we’re on the surface of Mars?
Sadly, no. While I can watch a web-cam of Niagara Falls from my studio in
New Orleans, it does not mean I’m in New York or southeastern Canada.
Our technology is on Mars, not our pioneers.
Perhaps it’s an overly cynical thought, but it’s one that has allowed me to play
with some visual puns. Looking at the photos of Mars on NASA’s website,
it appears as if the only things on Mars are sand and rocks – or to put it
another way – small pieces of Mars cover Mars itself. From these images,
it seems apparent that Mars is on Mars and nothing more. More allegorically, however,
I recognize that throughout our history we’ve enjoyed imposing our myths on to Mars.
Hence, it made sense to me to use this painting to depict evolving conceptions
of what’s on Mars. The planet as a whole (the oldest conception) sits as the
highest form. It sits atop the face of the Roman god Mars, who sits on the rim
of a crater on the Martian surface. Overall, the celestial body – recognized as
early as 1500 B.C. – sits on the next temporal conception of Mars, who sits on our
most recent conception of Mars. And each keeps us questioning what’s really on Mars.
ADAM MYSOCK
Upon Meeting the Permanently Discontent, 2014
acrylic on panel
7.42 x 6 inches
after: Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath (1611) and an illustration by Ed Valigursky
Digital technology and culture rely on a built-in dissatisfaction in order to progress.
The science fiction that once promised us jet packs and flying cars has been replaced by
persuasive speculation about the newest features that’ll define upcoming devices and services
(think “I heard the next iPhone will have a bigger screen.” or “Pretty soon smart watches and
Google Glasses will replace the tablet.”) And, stereotypically, these progressive challenges to the
technological status quo are fueled by younger generations, generations who’ve been raised to
expect products to become obsolete every few years. The narrative of David and Goliath has been
used here to illuminate this challenge. Rather than pinpoint the differences in stature between
the characters that define the original story, I’m relying on David’s youth to serve as an opponent
to a dated technology. In the timeline of the robot’s life, we’re seeing him older than ever before
and, as a result, the prey of a discontent operator. A bit of a Catch-22 – A culture expecting
planned obsolescence creates technology unable to survive, in order to sustain its own evolution.
ADAM MYSOCK
The Beginning of a Long Distance Relationship, 2014
acrylic on panel
4 x 6 inches
after: Edward Hopper's City Sunlight (1954) and an illustration by Ed Valigursky
Since the dawn of the Internet Age, there have been viruses, scams, and hidden codes that have existed
only in the background of our digital activities. Unless we’re programmers ourselves,
we happily go about our business, ignorant of the underlying depth of digital space.
Every once in a while, I enjoy contemplating the layers of our technology
(and, as a result, its surveillance potentials – i.e. who gets to see our activity, who’s responsible for setting
the parameters in which we get to function, and how our choices impact the larger systems involved).
In this work, Valigursky’s robot lurks in the corners of a neighboring building, watching the female character
as she focuses on the more obvious encroaching claw. Our awareness of the robot’s presence isn’t shared by
the woman, but it may serve to highlight our own vantage point as voyeurs. We recognize ourselves staring
at her as intently as technology is, but at least he’s had the decency to reveal (at least a part of) himself.
MICHAEL PAJON
The Man with the Gilded Face, 2014
mixed media collage on antique book cover
20 x 16.5 inches
Much of the history of modern electric tattooing owes a great debt to sailors and the traveling Circus’s and sideshows that were so popular in their day. Here is a circus relic, face covered in filigree that so lovingly adorns book covers, wrought-iron fences and fine lace. Most likely a performer as well as an artist he grew accustomed to the stares of children and the slack jawed gaze of the public. After all the pageantry of the circus was what drew him to a life on the move, a chance to travel the world. I borrowed certain design elements as nods to the tattoo machines, the fist with bolts of electricity was borrowed from a telegraph emblem…the first machines were actually modified telegraph pens a device that died quickly with the invention of the telephone. If you can glean one piece of advice from this piece, never trust a man with a pinky ring.
MICHAEL PAJON
Of Saints and Serpents, 2014
mixed media on antique book cover
19 x 16 inches
This piece is meant to read as a kind of reliquary, the skull of an unknown saint with a golden halo, his/her fate as mysterious as what lies beyond the stars in the heavens. Serpents twist and coil in and out of what remains. Life coiling amongst death, flowers left as offering to those who suffer from life’s many ailments. A flock gathers below amongst the tombstones of the long forgotten, birdsong fills the air like a hymnal despite the fork-tongued devils. A pair of brave and stalwart herons approach to dispatch the serpents infesting the remains of their forgotten saint.
MICHAEL PAJON
The Magpie's Mountain, a Calamity of Creeks and Wanton Beasts, 2013
mixed media collage with hand drawing and book covers
14 x 43 inches
[SOLD]
MONICA ZERINGUE
Hydra (study), 2010
graphite on claybord
13 x 17 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Shewolf, 2012
graphite on primed linen
31 x 41 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Nocturne, 2015
oil and hand-sewn glass bead on linen
12 x 12 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Ophelia Descending, 2012
graphite on primed linen
41 x 31 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Uphill, 2013
graphite on primed linen
13 x 13 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Take Only What You Need, 2013
graphite on primed linen
13 x 13 inches
MONICA ZERINGUE
Cloak, 2012
graphite on primed linen
23 x 31 inches
HANNAH CHALEW
Devoid I, 2012
pen and ink on paper
30 x 44 inches
HANNAH CHALEW
Threshold, 2011
pen, ink and marker on paper
26 x 35.5 inches
HANNAH CHALEW
Urquhart Threshold, 2013
pen and ink on paper
34 x 48 inches
HANNAH CHALEW
Gentilly Curve, 2013
painted wallpaper, wire, wood
32 x 45 x 19
PAUL VILLINSKI
Legacy (After Bonnard), 2012
antique frame, aluminum (found cans), gold leaf, encaustic, stainless steel wire
60 x 84 x 8.5 inches
by commission
PAUL VILLINSKI
Empire II, 2014
antique carved frame, aluminum (found cans), wire, steel, soot, flashe
17 x 15.5 x 6.25 inches
PAUL VILLINSKI
Mirror III, 2014
antique carved frame, aluminum (found cans), wire, steel, flashe
22.5 x 27.5 x 9 inches
PAUL VILLINSKI
Empire III, 2014
antique carved frame, aluminum (found cans), wire, steel, soot, flashe
36.5 x 28.75 x 8.25 inches
NIKKI ROSATO
Connections no. 2, 2012
hand cut road map
11 x 12 inches
NIKKI ROSATO
Tim: Detroit, MI, 2013
hand cut road map
21 x 17 inches
DAN TAGUE
Made in China, 2012
archival inkjet print on rag paper
40 x 40 inches
Edition of 5, 1 AP
DAN TAGUE
Make Love Not War, 2013
archival inkjet print on rag paper
40 x 40 inches
Edition of 5, 1 AP
JOHNATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is proud to be featured in the artMRKT San Francisco Fair 2014, the Bay Area's premier contemporary and modern art fair. The fair features scores of galleries from around the globe, bringing some of the world's most intriguing artists and galleries to San Francisco. In showcasing historically important work alongside relevant contemporary pieces and projects, artMRKT creates an ideal context for the discovery, exploration and acquisition of art.
