If you weren’t lucky enough to participate in or overhear the many conversations Jack Howe had with attendees of Bedtime Stories: From the Crib to the Crypt at Shooting Gallery opening night, you really missed out! Not only are his works intriguing and mysterious, but so is the manner in which he tells the stories of how each minute detail came to be and what it represents, from his perspective, in the specific piece as a whole.

Strolling into the Future

Assemblage Art

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An example of the details that go into each piece and their part in the story.

Our Lady of the Castro

Assemblage Art

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From the Artist:

“I select objects that elicited a response in me and I hope — whether they inspire nostalgia, or fear, vulnerability or strength, love or loss — that the pieces resonate with the observer.

Though I have a narrative in mind as I construct each piece, I resist offering written explanations as there is no true narrative. Rather, the life experiences of each observer brings unique perspectives and interpretations to the work which are often more compelling than my own.”

Artist Jack Howe

Be sure to stop by Shooting Gallery to see Bedtime Stories: From the Crib to the Crypt on view through April 7, 2024.

Shooting Gallery is pleased to present artist Paul Chatem’s latest works, which will be unveiled with his solo show, Another Man’s Hero, opening April 14, 2024 from 7-11 pm. The exhibition is free and will be open to the public for viewing through May 5, 2024.

Another Man’s Hero is a new collection of paintings which explore perceptions of identity. Within the 20 new pieces, Chatem delves into the idea that however one person sees themselves, his or her friends, neighbors, or community may see this person as something completely different. One man’s success is another man’s failure; one person’s death is another’s victory; one person’s lover may be another’s competition; one man’s villain, another man’s hero.

Chatem’s intricate paintings began as loose sketches in acrylic or pen. From these rough compositions the artist crafts incredibly detailed, gear-driven work, often using leftover wood from various carpentry jobs. In the studio Chatem is constantly moving, working on different stages of several paintings at the same time. This propensity towards motion is shared by the work itself, which is fitted with hand-cut interconnecting gears and handles that viewers are encouraged to turn. The functional gears bring to mind the inner workings of an old pocket watch, blending mechanical simplicity with an organic color palette of earth-tones.

Influenced by the animation of Max Fleischer and E.C. Segar, many of Chatem’s characters have a humorous tone despite the dark details of a world fueled by mayhem.

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Paul Chatem was born in 1974 in Bellevue, Washington, but grew up in La Crescenta on the outskirts of Los Angeles. He spent most of his time hunting snakes and scorpions in the Tujunga Wash, exploring ruins of forgotten ranches, shantytowns, and asylums, and ducking punches at punk shows with his friends.

Growing up in an environment where nature, history, and the impoverished were constantly being pushed aside to make room for golf courses and mini-malls, Paul developed a keen talent for representing the rift between rich and poor, the working man and the boss man, in his surreal, often nightmarish, narrative paintings.

Jack Howe’s Bedtime Stories: From the Crib to the Crypt opened on Saturday to a great crowd. Howe’s pieces spark easy conversations with so many great details to explore and discuss. The show will be on view until April 7th, be sure to stop in because each piece takes on new life when seen in person!

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As Jack Howe propped the large mattress pieces against the Shooting Gallery wall today, he took the time to explain each one to me, tracing the narrative path created by looking at each object in relation to the one that preceeded it. Often starting at a top corner and following it down in a u-shape, Howe pointed out 100 year old trinkets rescued from obscurity and modified to fit his purpose. I shot some photos along the way so you could join us on the tour.

Bedtime Stories: From the Crib to the Crypt
March 17th, 7-11pm
RSVP Here

And celebrate Shooting Gallery’s 9 Year Anniversary with a hosted bar by Becherovka

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