Artists in Discussion

J Michael Walker                                 John Valadez        Elizabeth Perez          Barbara Carrasco

Sunday, March 1, 2009 from 3-5 pm

Please join us on Sunday, March 1, 2009 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm for a discussion with artists Barbara Carrasco, John Valadez, Elizabeth Perez and J. Michael Walker regarding their current works in our “Intensidad” exhibition.

Barbara Carrasco creates small concentrated bites of intense, yet delicate, drawings. Strong feminism can be seen in the content of her work as women, many of them self-portraits, populate her work. Barbara created numerous works which have been exhibited throughout the US, Europe, and Latin America: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Armand Hammer Museum, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Museo del Chopo, Mexico, and the Mexican Museum.

J. Michael Walker fresh from his one-man exhibition at the Autry National Center, J. Michael turns from his Saints series, exhibiting large colored pencil nudes of unusual beauty. An exhibiting artist since 1984, J. Michael has participated in more than 100 exhibitions; received a dozen grants, fellowships and residencies; and enjoyed solo shows at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard; el Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares, Mexico City; the National Museum of Catholic Art and History, East Harlem, New York City; and the Arkansas Arts Center; among others.

Elizabeth Perez's portraits of tattooed people look defiantly at the viewer. Interesting in that these people hold no political or economic power, but their intense gaze holds our attention, we are almost afraid to look away. We each own a little power in the space we possess.

John Valadez, a realist painter and muralist who takes as his subject the urban landscape and people of Los Angeles, was born, raised, and continues to live in L.A. His style might be compared to that of photorealists, such as Richard Estes, who gained prominence in the 1970s. However, his work is not a purely documentary reflection of mainstream society.