January 12 – February 19, 2012
2nd Thursday Receptions: January 12th & February 9th, 6–9 pm
Location: The Hall
Hours: Wed – Sun 12-6pm

The first series, Place and No Place, is a collection of photographs Solomon took over the course of one year from his single, sliding studio window that faces south. This window frames the sky and roofline of the building across the street, resulting in a simple, but compelling, composition merely suggesting the interior space revealing a tactile sky and industrial silhouette. After the first experimental photograph was taken by Solomon one afternoon, this effect as described above drew him to continue photographing this same frame, resulting in multiple studies, varying the time of day and position of the camera. The images chosen for the exhibition are a sampling of the selective beauty created out of this experiment.
 
In surface, water, rail, Solomon returns to his more traditional aesthetic of forms and his encounter with ideas, memory, and time through his journey from a conceptual and intellectual bricoleur approach to a studio alchemy of substance and supports. Trained as a sculptor and designer, Solomon’s early work developed into a succession of surreal environments where motion and emotion became his vocabulary to engage the viewer, and he drew heavily on scientific and metaphoric sources. This recent work pushes the artist’s mental notes, napkin diagrams, and visual memory into the real world of tactile surfaces and physical objects, combining his sculptural and design tendencies with this new medium of painting for the artist.
 
Robert Solomon has furniture designs licensed to EuroPine, LTD, NJ. Has had numerous group shows and one person shows from 1975 til the present; works in private and corporate collections; articles in several publications and is a participating member DaVinci Gallery. More of his recent encaustic works can be seen at www.myartspace.com. Solomon received his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, and did his graduate work in sculpture at Tyler School of Art and in architecture and design at UCLA.