Luke Hillestad’s recent show of oils at Copro Gallery in Los Angeles was full of medicine and magic, an offering of herbal healing through images of pagan and Christian mythology and lore. His figurative paintings reach into the past, weaving the spells of the ancients into his images, telling tales of trust and tradition, each image tying people and plants together.
The floral fingers of the long tradition of botanical art reach back to the paleolithic caves of prehistory, where fearless hunter-gatherers painted their lamp-lit shamanic visions onto the dark faces of rock walls beside the snoring bulk of hibernating bears, inextricably linking herbal medicine and spirituality into the earliest moments of art history. Delicate mushrooms and flowers hide among their primordial paintings of beautifully rendered charcoal herds of black buffalo and red ochre prides of lions. Hillestad binds his work into this lineage of health and therapy, using texts like “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Iliad” and Pliny the Elder as sources.
His small emblem painting, Gilgamesh’s Flower, was inspired by the hero of the ancient epic written about 2000 B.C. In it, a Noah-like character told King Gilgamesh where he could find the flower of youth hidden at the bottom of the sea, but warned him that it had thorns like a rose. Fearlessly, Gilgamesh tied stones to his feet and dove into the depths, and despite the thorns, he grasped the flower and brought it to the surface. Worried about the consequences of eating it, he decided to return to Uruk, the capital of his kingdom, planning to test some of the flower on an old man to see its effects, then eat it himself to return to his youth. However, on his journey home Gilgamesh decided to take a dip in a spring to prepare for his arrival. While he washed in the cool waters, a snake stole the flower, and shed its skin. Gilgamesh wept.
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FULL EXPOSURE
Photographer Conor Martin documents the present using photographic methods of the past.
Autumnal Light
The landscapes and nature scenes of painter Jennifer Sowders are irresistibly tactile, filled with varying textures that seem to leap off the canvas.
Art for All
Members of Art Dealers Association of America come together for a philanthropic affair.
Modern Marketplace
Redwood Art Group brings together the San Diego region for another class-act celebration of contemporary artwork.
An Enchanting Evening
Scottsdale Artists’ School knows how to throw an art party.
Timeless Tales
Soft, warm undertones underscore the mood of enchantment that runs through Nom Kinnear King’s paintings.
Next Exit New York
Coming off his series that focused on San Francisco and Los Angeles freeway signs, artist Eric Nash’s sights are now set on New York. Now on view at George Billis Gallery's Manhattan location are seven of Nash's new oil paintings and two drawings that explore the signage of New York City freeways. Although Nash's work is tightly rendered, he doesn’t consider himself a photorealist, but rather someone who utilizes those techniques to express ideas.
Monster Mash
Vampires, witches, ghouls and all things that go bump in the night are the theme of the exhibition Monster Mash, now at Abend Gallery.
Inside/Outside
Those familiar with Geoffrey Johnson's populated by inky figures and trailing shadows that bleed into the wet streets, and architectural elements obscured to varying degrees by the misty atmosphere.
Bold Figures; Bold Color
For Brooklyn based painter J Louis, it’s all about balance, which can mean many different things in a composition, but for Louis, it’s about balancing his female figures among a unique landscape of color.
