George Billis ############## is pleased to present the ##############'s first solo show of Danny Heller's paintings as part of the exhibitions of contemporary Southern California artists influenced by the artists and designers of the Pacific Standard Time events. California has always been a source of inspiration to artists - from its sweeping seascapes to its barren desert to its golden sunsets – the region represents Manifest Destiny and infinite possibilities. Many of these artists are spotlighted in the upcoming PST events - celebrating the region's art from 1945-1980. The exhibition features Danny Heller's newest body of work including the LAX Series and continues through November 12th. Throughout the proliferation of the Southern California art scene, there was a common thread evident in many artists work of light, space, and surface. Paintings from David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, and Karl Benjamin, as well as stunning photography from Julius Shulman, show this fascination with the area's saturated <a href="http://www.ecigs-store.com/egot-005-p-13.html"><strong>what is an electronic cigarette</strong></a> colors, dreamy light, and manipulation of a three dimensional space into two dimensions. Heller draws comparisons with his own work, which tends to focus on the region's suburbs and mid-century architecture as they relate to the surrounding environment. The hard edge, graphic sensibilities of said artists can be seen in certain pieces of Heller's work that reduce the flat roof of a tract home or the stark contrast of a cast shadow into a diagonal that bisects the painting. Warm sunsets cast light on the landscape and architecture, but also envelop it with a glowing atmosphere. Aside from the obvious comparisons made between two artists that capture the strict geometry and dramatic lighting found in the architecture of Richard Neutra, William Krisel, or E. Stewart Williams, Shulman's photos have imparted techniques of compressing space into a single spatial plane and creating a strong composition. And that is to say nothing about the architects of the period, whose work is not only captured in Heller's paintings, but also whose same general approach to design he employs: the delicate balance of form and color, and the careful attention to the economy of materials. Heller was initially drawn to The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport because of its designer's use of defining characteristics of mid-century Modern architecture. Designed by master <a href="http://www.ecigs-store.com/egob-002-p-8.html"><strong>v2 electronic cigarette</strong></a> architect Paul Williams and the Pereira-Luckman firm, the soaring arches and space-age saucer hovering high above the ground had always captured Heller's imagination and triggered his curiosity. In his paintings, the artist set out to capture the feeling of amazement, paying careful attention to lighting and vantage points, all the while becoming more and more enamored with its graceful curves and visual balance. The building also became a symbol of feeling free, the feeling of adventure and the idea of not knowing what lies ahead at one's destination. And in a post-September 11th world, where airline travel can be so daunting and burdensome, this building came to remind me of the pure joy of travel, the excitement that once belonged to boarding a plane and heading somewhere foreign. The artist writes, "to put it simply, this group of paintings is meant to display that same sense of excitement and wonder I get when I pass the Theme Building on the way to my flight. And when I return, I look up at those soaring arches and know I'm home." Danny Heller received his BA in paintings from UC Santa Barbara in 2004 and has exhibited extensively throughout Southern California as well as in Denver, Chicago, Washington DC, And Boulonge-Billancourt, France. His work has been published in Southwest Art, CA Modern Magazine, Atomic Ranch Magazine, North Valley Community News, and New American Paintings #73. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Image: "Theme Building and Road," 32 x 54 inches, Oil on Canvas, 2011 George Billis ############## LA 2716 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, <a href="http://www.ecigs-store.com/zreeoa-003-p-26.html"><strong>electric cigarette machine</strong></a> CA 90034 T: 310-838-3685 F: 310-838-3438 email:
la@georgebillis.com www.georgebillis.com