Gallery MAR is pleased to announce a new addition to the gallery– Seattle’s Patrick LoCicero. We have been watching this artist’s work for quite some time, and when he sent us a stunning portfolio, the timing was perfect. I tell my artists who are looking for new galleries to add to their own collections– it’s really the best possible situation when the gallery wants you as much as you want to be in the space, and such is the case with Mr. LoCicero. We are looking forward to receiving our first group of paintings, along with a collection of works on cigar boxes and book binder pieces.

From his artist statement: “My current paintings continue with my interest in the use of overlap, surface texture and collage. In my most recent work I explore the tradition of botanical and floral still life painting. I have reinterpreted the way botanical imagery has usually been depicted and instead introduce collaged pages from history books from various cultures, erotica from the Kama Sutra, letters, journals, encyclopedias, old children’s books and vintage wall paper.

My work also makes references to the idea of traveling and the act of moving not only from one place to another but also from one time period to another. I am intrigued with the past and the associations that can be made with aged surfaces and vintage ephemera. The paintings refer to the idea of traveling as a metaphor for multiple kinds of passages; literally, symbolically and culturally. I am interested in both the idea of physically moving from one place to another and the idea of moving through memories and associations from one time period to another.

The use of overlap and collage in my paintings is directly related to the images I depict. I use the collage material to guide me to the iconography that will become the focus of the painting. I am interested in the contrasts that are set up between the collaged surfaces and the painted surfaces as well as the play between the actual shallow space and the implied deep space. I am always striving for a close material and conceptual relationship between the painted and collaged surfaces of my paintings.”

From Nashville Arts Magazine: “Pulling iconography from the past (1950s and earlier) and infusing sometimes related or wickedly surprising paper elements is this veteran artist’s way of composing clever, complex pictures. He shies away from the word nostalgia but nevertheless seeks to imbue his paintings with the historical associations of the papers, books, and other ephemera he incorporates into his compositions, each painting hinting at a compelling back-story waiting to be discovered.”

Tags: collage, new artist, oil paint, Patrick LoCicero
Posted in Gallery News