Hoist Up the John B. Sail!
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Sat, Jul 15 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Address (map)
16 Helena Avenue
My Pet Ram is pleased to present Hoist Up the John B. Sail featuring new paintings by Brian Scott Campbell and Michael McGregor. Please join us in the Funk Zone for the opening reception on Saturday, July 15th from 6-9pm.
The works presented in Hoist Up the John B. Sail ask us to put aside the end goal in order to enjoy the journey and ruminate on the interstitial time between actions. Like roughhewn sketches started after breakfast and abandoned when the surf came in, they tread the line between casual doodles and a careful study of painterly space and tradition. Both Brian Scott Campbell and Michael McGregor prioritize a loose application of paint and leisurely subject matter in service of a more intimate reverie. Their investigation of historic tropes infuses conventional subjects with more immediate energy that problematizes the seeming neutrality of landscape and still-life genres. Sailboats, bottles, and beach towels filled with personal effects litter the canvases as the artists examine the divide between contemporary painting and the common themes of every seaside gallery from Santa Barbara to Southampton to Sardinia.
Though carefully constructed, both artists utilize a looser style that dispenses with any pretense in an effort to be as direct and relatable as possible. In doing so, Hoist Up the John B. Sail provides a welcome respite from the drudgery of daily life as both painters subvert traditions and ask for a reexamination of historical tropes. Chasing the endless summer may sometimes seem impossible in a world so shrouded in darkness and deadlines, but Campbell and McGregor remind us that simple pleasures can fortify us in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Hoist Up the John B. Sail will be on view beginning Saturday, July 15 through Sunday, August 27, 2023. The gallery is located at 16 Helena Avenue, just off of Cabrillo Blvd in the Funk Zone. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Monday from 12-6pm and by appointment. Closed on Tuesdays. For more information about this exhibition, please email info@mypetram.com.
