Lora Schlesinger Gallery is proud to present Sunsets, Surf Spots, and Small Disasters, Rashell George’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery featuring new paintings. The exhibition opens with an artist’s reception, Saturday July 27th from 4-6pm, and is on view through August 31st, 2019.
While this body of work is a continuation of imagery that Rashell George has worked on over the past few years, the subject has taken on a more meaningful layer for the artist following the loss of her home and studio in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Serene landscapes of sunsets and surf spots are juxtaposed with destruction by natural disasters, such as storms, floods and fires. Though the scenes conflict, the consistency of scale and palette creates a leveling of imagery, reiterating how calm serenity and violent destruction are extremes of the same spectrum. In taking a step back to objectively observe the extreme forces of nature, the series became a physical record of the process of coping with loss for the artist. The series does end on an optimistic note. After the storm there is calm, and after the smoke clears lies a beautiful sunset.
Rashell George received her BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Painting and Drawing. In 2004, she was the recipient of the Friends of Joe Mugnaini Award.