Wet Sisters
Mindy Solomon is pleased to present the first Miami solo exhibition of Los Angeles based artist Jonathan Casella. A veteran of many careers within the art world, Casella brings a vibrant, painterly sensibility to his work that speaks to a range of artistic concerns.
Casella states:
“My work is a personal investigation and rearticulation of visual language. I am interested in the relationships we have with color, pattern, form, and how that affects and is affected by our perception. I see my approach to painting as an argot of non-representation, one that uses the familiar nature, and starkness of color, shape, and pattern to express the inarticulable, both inherent and unknown.
In that, there are properties to my work that derive from the starkness and literality of the colors and patterns I use. Specifically, there is a playfulness in the work, and a pop sensibility that is utilized to efficiently maximize the visual field. Each form collectively makes the whole wherein they are both objective elements, but non-representational in their utility.
This collaging of elements is my best attempt at creating a structure or realized form that serves as a syntax within the work. With this approach, each element offers a partial suggestion, allowing the whole to be viewed in collective terms-offering (hoping for) a universality of the work.”
When one experiences a Casella painting, they are immediately overwhelmed by the richness of color- a series of loose, generous brush marks that convey energy and joy. In his Wet Sisters series, Casella finds the process of painting a release from other bodies of work that he has developed.
“The Wet Sister paintings come from a place of exercise and play. Their origins are with the Doublestar paintings where the process of the Doublestars led to the Wet Sisters (hence the Sister part). I would get to a point with the Doublestars where I was restricted from working on them because of paint drying and layering, but I still wanted to paint and work in the studio, so I decided to take the pre-made backgrounds of the Doublestars at the time and play with the oil paint I had sitting around (that is where the wet part comes in).
There was/is no goal or expected outcome with these paintings, I just wanted to play with color, gesture, and stroke in a way that I don’t normally work in… focusing on the efficiency of each and the power of the gesture or moment. In my head this was just the sport of expression- quick, fun and seeing what could come of it. There is a harmony that comes from the directness and limitations of this practice. It is a lot of fun for me to see what can be made from a few colors and a couple of brushes. This forfeiture of control and planning is also a nice respite from my other work that is overly planned and labored. All this allows me to clear my head and just play around. “
Casella delivers a range of scale for his exhibition- allowing the viewer to experience a dynamic interplay of paintings that fill the gallery space with abundant visual energy. We are excited to present this material to a color centric Miami audience.
About Jonathan Casella
Jonathan Casella (b. 1986, Houston, TX) holds a BA from San Francisco State University, CA.
He has exhibited widely, including venues in Los Angeles, South Korea, Montreal and New York. Jonathan Casella lives and works in Los Angeles.
