Rick Reese Solo Show Southern California born but Northern California raised, artist Rick Reese has been painting and drawing for as long as he can remember. He got his start in the Comic Book and Toy industries where he continues as a freelancer to this day. Rick spends his days painting, surfing, or teaching at Cal State Long Beach where he indoctrinates his students and paints on things that don't belong to him. Rick's Paintings are compilations of his experience. His work frequently juxtaposes found objects, fragments of signs and advertisements, and graphic images intertwining to create an active surface. Space is both flat and infinite. Layers and imagery are sanded or painted away leaving only their ghosts, like overhead whispers. The narratives in the work are often opened ended, allowing small glimpses into the artist's mind, while leaving room for the viewer to bring their own experiences to the pieces as well. The graphic style of comic art, graffiti, surf and skate culture, advertisement lettering and illustration from the 50's and 60's, as well as the art of his contemporaries inspire Rick's own art. Combing these and many other influences, his work continues to evolve, be free and most of all fun. Rick loves what he does, and its apparent in his art.
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