Kellie Talbot and Troy Gua pair up in an unlikely road trip to explore themes of migration, manifest destiny, and the unique American yearning to get out on the highway. Presenting new works in mixed media, and oils on canvas and panel, Here is a two-person take on sense of place, movement and choice.
The two artists may have different approaches, but they often end up in the same spot. Talbot creates hyper-real paintings of neon signs, billboards, factories and oddities of the American road-scape. Her large-scale oils blow up certain sections of typography or texture to macro focus, letting us read the flaking paint, burnt-out bulbs and rust like a rebus. Her work often honors the neglected, decaying and passed-by in our modern landscape: old signs, crumbling architecture, forgotten cemeteries.
Gua’s work in mixed media plays with bright colors, shiny finishes, and sheen surfaces, all the better to conjure—and skewer—images of Hollywood perfection. The artist is best known for his “Pop Hybrid” series, visual portmanteaus that overlay the features of two celebrities, making a composite that is both eerily familiar and jarringly strange. His high-gloss works both support and parody our need for recognition, society’s interest in fame and notoriety, and our craze for nostalgia.
Talbot’s focus on American history, craftsmanship and decay contrasts perfectly with Gua’s humorous look at the pop status quo of American culture. From what we leave behind to where we think we want to go, these artists are sending postcards from their exploration of the frontier. Wish you were here!
F ( LARGE )
24" x 24"
oil on canvas
SOLD
DRIVE THRU
36" x 36"
oil on canvas
SOLD
TIN CUP'S
30" x 30"
oil on canvas
SOLD
LIQUOR STORE
12" x 36"
oil on canvas
SOLD
BARDAHL
72" x 48"
oil on canvas
SOLD
Marco
24" x 24"
oil on canvas
SOLD
S
24" x 24"
oil on canvas
SOLD
STARLITE
12" x 6"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
MOTEL
24" x 24"
oil on canvas
SOLD
CAR WASH
16" x 16"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
SPORTS CLUB
16" x 16"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
STEAKS
12" x 6"
oil on panel
SOLD
ORANGE S
24" x 24"
oil on canvas
SOLD
ONLY SEAFOOD
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
O
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
OPEN
8" x 8"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
STAR
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
HILLSIDE MOTEL
8" x 8"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
R
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
SMALL CAR WASH
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
FIDDLER
5" x 5"
oil on cradled panel
SOLD
