Launch LA is proud to present LA Flora, an exhibition featuring nine painters and three sculptors presenting work inspired by and in homage to the flora of Los Angeles County. Included in the show are Sharon Barnes, JoAnn Belson, Andrea Bersaglieri, Todd Carpenter, Alexandra Chiou, Jeanne Dunn, Holly Elander, Megan Frances, Steve Fujimoto, Lynn McDaniel, Hung Viet Nguyen, Colin Roberts and Lindsey Warren.
Nature has always been part of the story of Los Angeles, from a landscape that was once wild with indiginous life to one that has become a freeway strewn metropolis, Southern California has captured the imagination for it’s uncanny ability to nourish any plant in the world. In LA Flora, the exploration of the subject of Los Angeles plant life is shown through perspectives as varied as the visitors to Los Angeles’ local parks, each artist capturing a unique aspect to the way humanity and nature intertwine.
Explorations into the crossroads where the urban world meets the natural world come from Holly Elander and Lindsey Warren. Their paintings give glimpses into the plant life that grows from the cracks of crowded neighborhoods, and explores the secret lives hidden amongst the busy boulevards that surround us all, creeping into the interweaving freeways that criss cross the city grid. These explorations of context are complemented by artwork that explores humanity’s impact on the course of nature through our urban existence; artists Jeanne Dunn, JoAnn Belson and Megan Frances delve into these explorations of cohabitation through abstractions of natural forms, symbolically portraying humanity’s imprint on the natural world.
Artists Hung Viet Nguyen, Andrea Bersaglieri, Alexandra Chiou, Lynn McDaniel and Todd Carpenter feature work that speaks to exploration and discovery; looking into what can be learned from communing with nature and exploring both the vistas and the minutiae. These artists provide tangible glimpses into the feeling of being present with nature, examining the experience of both a journey into the landscape and as well as inquisitive study of the plant life within. Looking into the details, artist JoAnn Belson states, “My interests are fueled by a dialogue among natural forms, in this case confers and poppy pods, I feel the need for materials to carry the image from either a public or private distance.” Working from a wider light dappled landscape perspective Todd Carpenter states “Light conveys the depth and atmosphere of a landscape, helping project how it would feel to be within the scene. The depiction of this feel is crucial, for a landscape is not merely an external subject: it is an experience of a place.” Three sculptors Steve Fujimoto, Sharon Barnes and Colin Roberts make insightful additions to the show.