This month’s Pioneer Square Art Walk featured a handful of repeat shows due to the holiday season—but this did not stop visitors from enjoying the brisk event. The shows at Greg Kucera, Studio 103, and Flatcolor Gallery particularly caught my attention with their use of radiant colors, geometric patterns and layering.
Claude Zervas at Greg Kucera Gallery
Claude Zervas’ brushed pigment on watercolor paper pieces resemble varicolored fractal designs—vibrant yet subdued. A fractal is a geometric model used to represent a mathematical set and is often used to “describe random or chaotic phenomena.” Zervas’ designs have a three dimensional quality, similar to an optical illusion. Zervas defines these pieces as an “imaginary taxonomy of quasicrystals.” The pieces at Greg Kucera Gallery are repetitive patterns that layer upon each other, creating an optical space for the viewer. The pigmentation of Zervas’ work is also eye-catching, as the color resides primarily along the edges of the shape. This fade of pigmentation contributes to the three-dimensional appearance of Zervas’ work. While the twisting forms in Quasicrystals seem like repetitions of the same form, each piece is unique and varied—just like a crystal.
Yiota Georgas at Studio 103
Yiota Georgas’ colorful geometric designs are created upon custom panels that jut out into the viewer’s space. These three-dimensional panels form literal space, mimicking the figurative space created by Georgas’ designs. The atypical panel shape of Butterfly Effect is not initially apparent until it is accentuated by her oil designs. Georgas’ “varying gradients of color and geometry” resemble a prism—slicing color and light through triangular patterns. Georgas defines these works on display at Studio 103 as a portrayal of “the many different ways that a single influence can produce varying impressions on both the individual and the collective psyche.”
Mike Wagner at Flatcolor Gallery
Mike Wagner’s work on display at Flatcolor Gallery brings the realm of street art into the gallery space. The exhibition, entitled You Made Me Realize features “overlapping composition…inspired by graffiti and pop culture.” Some pieces, like Formulae #23, have a transparent quality and resemble sketches or loosely transcribed thoughts. These works on display with Wagner’s more “finished” pieces help to show a progression in the artist’s work and style. Wagner’s previous studies of form and figure culminate in the quick brushstrokes of Untitled 3. Wagner’s work resides between the conventions of traditional fine art and the style of street and graffiti art—focusing primarily on the process.
Mike Wagner
Thank you for your kind words.
-Mike Wagner.