New Art Exhibit Opening: “California” at Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art on May 5th, 2005 Featuring the Debut Exhibition of Mexican Painter Miguel Osuna

“California”, the debut exhibition of new works by emerging Mexican artist Miguel Osuna. This exhibition opens May 5, 2005 at Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco and will run through June 30, 2005. The Cinco de Mayo opening reception on Thursday, May 5th from 5pm -9pm will be co-hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico andthe Mexican Museum.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 3, 2005

Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art is pleased to announce “California”, the debut exhibition of new works by emerging Mexican artist Miguel Osuna. This exhibition opens May 5, 2005 and will run through June 30, 2005. The Cinco de Mayo opening reception on Thursday, May 5th from 5pm -9pm will be co-hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico, the Mexican Museum and Irene Hernandez. Following will be a VIP reception “Creation” for young up & coming art lovers hosted by Rob Bailey from 9pm until midnight.

The artist's first show at the gallery will feature large scale paintings which explore and redefine our collective notions of “California”. Blurring the lines between representation and abstraction, Osuna’s landscapes are fragmented snapshots of California. His preoccupation with the effects of light, color, surface, and perspective result in mysterious impressions, momentary glimpses or suggestions of familiar Californian vistas, as though they are photographs shot from the viewpoint of a moving vehicle. Yet the curvilinear lines and shapes which appear to abruptly disappear at the canvas’ edge, give the effect that they might extend and spiral around the canvas– projecting a sense of continuous motion and movement.

Osuna’s re-presenting of familiar vistas and landscapes of California provoke the viewers to reevaluate, and in many ways rediscover their ideas, experiences (and for some nostalgic memories) of living in and visiting this “golden” state. Although the paintings at first glance may resemble recognizable Californian landmarks, they are in fact topographical imaginaire, careful reconstructions taken from various sections of the natural and industrial. They allow the authorship of meaning to lie with the viewer, drawing on our own political, historical perspectives, and individual human experiences as a “Californian”.

“These paintings depict images that relate to ideas many of us share about California, both a home and a state of mind. A dream for some, a passing moment for others, or a desire to escape. - It is moods that I strive to put in the canvas”. Miguel Osuna

Reviews

Miguel is currently working on a series of works he calls "California". "These paintings depict images that relate to ideas many of us share about California, both a home and a state of mind. A dream for some, a passing moment for others, or a desire to escape. - It is moods that I strive to put in the canvas". These moods are often presented in fragmented compositions. Osuna's works evoke impressions of frozen temporality, a vision that was there for only a few seconds and was not captured in its totality, but a section of it. Metal fittings and frames hold the pieces from only two sides, reinforcing the suggestion that the image continues...it has a past, we are looking at the present tense and will see the future if we keep staring. Editor Luis Chavez of Tentaciones Magazine.

Osuna’s paintings are beautiful snapshots- ethereal dreams of the enchanting distopia which is Southern California. Technically, Osuna has created a new sort of precision blur, crossing lines of representation and impression- a highway on a burnt sunny day, as seen through an impossibly rain-streaked windshield. He grants the scale of the spectacular to the most mundane of drive by vistas, somehow capturing their reluctant beauty- a conquering of the everyday, which, combined with the Spanish titles, give the pieces a sort of reverb, an echo of the RE-Latin Americanization of the City of the Angels, as seen through eyes both familiar and distant. Los Angeles is a difficult subject for portraiture. Perhaps the power and success of Osuna’s work, lies in the incidental nature of that portrait. What we see is everything between him and Los Angeles: a tribute, a critique, a sad appreciation, an opening to reinvention, like saying good bye to a lover while still dressed in their clothes.     Greg Sax

Color, abstraction, and a shy yet on-target stroke blurs a landscape we all know. California is discovered from within with a beautiful, soulful and honest exploration. The work distances and, this way, immerses us in a new vision. But in it, we will find freshness, spontaneity and a tenderness that makes us an accomplice. Pictorial honesty is the beginning of all work. Osuna has been faithful to this belief. Valentin Toledo

After exhibiting at Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art, Miguel Osuna will feature his works in a traveling exhibition to Washington DC and Berlin, Germany.

About the Artist

Born in Mazatlán, Mexico, Osuna lived in that port city until the age of 17. Always interested in the fine arts, he started experimenting with oil painting at a very early age, depicting seascapes and scenes from his native town. He then moved to Guadalajara, where he completed his studies in architecture, along with courses in English, Italian and advanced studies in architectural illustration. He continued to be active in the arts during his studies, exploring watercolor and acrylic painting. Shortly after graduation, he had his first exhibit in Mazatlán, which included a collection of 35 beach-inspired watercolors. Local critics welcomed the young painter, giving his work a warm reception, and describing him as a “young promise”.

He returned to Guadalajara to join a major architectural company and worked there for two years, never abandoning his brushes as he gained experience in his architectural career. Adventure and inspiration fueled his desire to see other places, and in the mid-eighties he decided to try his fortune in California. With a few pieces of luggage and his old brushes, he started a design studio that has grown and supported him through the years. He has also worked as a computer graphic designer and production designer in TV and film productions, traveling and working extensively in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. His work has been featured in shows in Pasadena and Los Angeles, and he has been awarded mural and art commissions by private parties and corporations in the Los Angeles area, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. His work can currently be seen in private and public spaces and buildings. In Mexico, his work is displayed at the Elina Chauvet Gallery, in the historic downtown of Mazatlán, México.

About the Gallery

Located in the Hotel Nikko at 222 Mason Street, Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art specializes in contemporary painting, sculpture and photography, and provides art-consulting services for corporate and secondary markets. The gallery brings an international array of established contemporary artists’ works to the San Francisco art market. The gallery is co-owned by Holly Baxter and renowned San Francisco architect Piero Patri.

Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art

Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm and by appt.

Hotel Nikko 222 Mason Street

San Francisco, CA 94102

415.397-2000

info@baxterchangpatri.com

http://www.baxterchangpatri.com

Calendar Editors, Please note:

New Art Exhibit and Opening: “California” at Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art in the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco

What: New Art Exhibition Opening

Who: Miguel Osuna

When: May 5-June 30,2005

Opening Reception with the artist and co-hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico on Thursday, May 5th, 5:00 to 8:00pm Followed by a VIP reception “Creation” for young up & coming art lovers, hosted by

Rob Bailey from 8pm until Midnight

Where: Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art Gallery

Hotel Nikko San Francisco

222 Mason Street (located off the main lobby)

RSVP: (415) 397-2000 or

baxterchangpatri.com

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