Artist Statement
In my latest series I have been exploring the idea of memory and it’s relationship to our feeling of place. We have strong emotional memories tied to certain locations as well as small recollections based on glimpses of areas we have passed by. Our memory is a reduction and refinement of our experience and I try to collect and assemble this assortment of thoughts and impressions and further distill them to their essence and lay down the elements in paint.
When reflecting on the idea of memory as it relates to identity, elements of time are introduced. With the passing of time memory is diminished and decay and imbalance are introduced. This leads to a reduction which for me leads to abstraction. To abstract is to remove. The contrast of beauty with decay and balance with imbablance is expressed in the tone and hue of the palette as well. The pallette plays with the ideas of colors taking on different strengths when placed next to or combined with one another. Complimentary colors are placed in a way as to reinforce each other and the combination leads to exaggeration. Or they can serve to diminish their power when placed in a certain way. It is this exploration of color, composition and light that entices me and drives me.
I am inspired by my experiences and they involve many things surrounding the Southern California region. Freeways, buildings, waterways, and natural beauty as well as decay and filth are present in my memories. These images identify the city for me. Outlines of buildings form a staggered skyline while the ocean and deserts inspire flat horizons. These background horizons form the basis and first layer of my paintings. They are the negative space of the composition. This negative space is about finding a place to fit in to form relationships with what is there and what is not. It speaks of location. The composition is a balance between the negative space in the back and the forms and outlines in the foreground. With these basic forms and geometry I try to compose something that speaks. I seek a personal rhythm and style that is unique and speaks its own language.
I like to build a surface and earn its effect. A hard won battle with color and composition. To me painting is about creating problems, not solving them. Pushing to find the base element within the realm of an aesthetic. As I see it everywhere you look is exciting, it’s the process of looking that is the adventure.
“Dockweiler” 37″ x 46″ ,2014
“Mount Washington”
Integrating the exterior with an interior perspective. There are horizontal planes supporting the vertical reach as the eye travels into the distance
Interior 02
I remember the open beam construction of the house i grew up in. proportion and perspective from my memories.
Interior 01
I’m doing some studies on small panels. the smaller panels allow me to experiment and push the boundaries i have established without the commitment to a larger panel. it feels easier to make mistakes. mistakes are good. 16″x22″
“Fading Light”
The intent is for the background’s to integrate imagery with a more definite sense of place and try and create a more intense reaction between the layers. The depth perception is both physical and illusion.
I’m not too sure about this direction, I think i might sit with this for a while
“Washington Boulevard”
Floating planes of color and the spaces in between.
Venice pier as it reaches into the sea
“Paradise Cove”
looking for weight and counter weight in the composition. A push and pull. Through color and negative space one can suggest depth.
“Looking Back”
I try to paint what is around me, paint what I see when i walk out the door. To give an interpretation and a bend to it. To pick out glances and relationships and define for myself the meaning of space
“I-10 Exit 28”
Exit 28 off the 10 freeway is in El Monte. pretty much the physical center of Southern California. I like the idea of spacial relationships as it pertains to the center. There is a masssive bus station that connects people with places.
“Bay Street”
another in the beach series. i fish the surf at bay street and i am captivated by the early morning light as it brightens into the day.
I am looking to integrate the vertical and horizontal element , the vertical representing the individual and the horizontal representing the landscape, to create a dialog and a language that is unique to me.
New Home:
Upcoming show at Stanford Art Spaces
May 31st to Aug 8th, 2013
on Stanford Campus in the Paul Allen Building. there will be an opening Friday July 12th 5pm-7pm.
15 paintings are going up next week.
http://cis.stanford.edu/~marigros/show89.html#work2
Paris Photo- Paramount backlot
hey it’s New York! great show, the japanese photographers seemed to rule the day
Blue Whale show
BlueWhale + Cafemode present
BRYAN IDA
“LACA”
curated by Kio Griffith
on view > MARCH 11 to MAY 31, 2013
ARTIST RECEPTION: APRIL 17, 2013 from 7pm to midnight
FREE ADMISSION BEFORE 9PM
$10 AFTER 9PM for Music
featuring
ADAM RATNER guitar
LARRY GOLDINGS keys
LOUIS COLE drums
BLUEWHALE
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka Street #301 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Weller Court Plaza 3rd Floor
live cutting-edge jazz + artist installations
from 8pm to 2am [Mon-Sat] closed Sundays
_________________________________________________________________
BlueWhale + Cafemode proudly present “LACA” by BRYAN IDA
Bryan Ida’s “LACA” is the second artists’ installation series at BlueWhale.
Artist Statement
In my latest series I wanted to capture the feelings of location and identity with an emphasis on the unique architectural history of Southern California. I reflect the relationships formed within the region between all its divergent cities and communities. I wanted to somehow express the complexity, diversity, and beauty of the region we live in as well as the sense of time that is felt as the city experiences its decay.
This new series of paintings uses round and rectangular shaped panels to explore, interpret and express the energy and flow of this thought process. The round panels are mandalas. These come from the perspective of looking straight up from a city street and seeing the tall buildings converge on a central point. The focal point is the center of the mandala. This viewpoint leads into abstraction as one loses their point of reference, everything turns on itself and the beginning becomes the end
The rectangles are more traditional landscapes with a view from the horizontal perspective where one can see a horizon line and the outlines and forms of buildings that identify a city. The foreground composition consists of colors and forms inspired by short glances, impressions, and photographs of architecture in the Southern California area. I try to contrast the idea of a fleeting unbalanced glance with the balance achieved in stasis.
I use negative space behind the forms to tell as much of the story as possible. The use of negative space for me is about finding a place to fit in; the relationship between what is there and what is not. It speaks of location. The composition is a balance between the negative space in the back and the forms and outlines in the foreground.
To complement these compositions, I’ve developed a technique that layers paint inside thick layers of epoxy, essentially isolating each layer from one another. This physical separation gives a sense of depth, volume and detachment again echoing the city theme.
“Venice at Night”
the background is a deep blue, magenta. about 40 layers. trying to capture the richness of the night with the glow of the sun barely there
Bryan Ida 
