Todd Schulz: Before the Sun Goes Down

before the sun goes down todd Schulz

Vernon Public Art Gallery May 23 - July 12, 2019

Todd Schulz: Before the Sun Goes Down

Todd Schulz is a Vernon based artist with his studio practice focused on abstract painting. His work is undoubtedly related to the Post-painterly Abstraction era which was influenced by a diminished appetite for the gestural style of Abstract Expressionism.1 In the 1960s, numerous artist started to experiment with clean geometric structures and while the works were abstract in nature, it is exactly that the colour became the subject matter of painting compositions. In this sense, the artists would no longer represent objects or space, instead, they would experiment with the phenomenological nature of colour and light. The new direction in artistic production under the umbrella term Post-Painterly Abstraction led to the development of various movements including Hard-edge painting, Op-Art, and Colour Field painting.2 Despite the fact that Schulz’s work can be classified as non-objective, there are references in his work to the phenomena of colour and light based on the observation of his immediate but also more distant spaces and environments. There is also a lyrical undertone of his short explanation behind his inspiration for painting: “Before the Sun Goes Down alludes to the period at which the sun crosses the horizon. Often regarded as a magical time of day, it’s when colour and light appear to be the most luminous and vibrant.”3 The paintings’ titles set the background and serve as descriptors of phenomena which Schulz observes and/or interprets through his paintings. Viewers are given an entry point to contemplate, perhaps piece together glimpses of possible interpretations. Through the geometric abstraction which he prefers, Schulz creates dynamic compositions with both strong and subtle diagonal lines which contribute to the shifting of pictorial space. The resulting paintings are made visually more unstable on purpose and leaving the viewers to confront the compositions that are seemingly predictable, yet suspended in flux.

Lubos Culen Curator Vernon Public Art Gallery Endnotes

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-painterly_abstraction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-edge_painting E-mail correspondence with Lubos Culen, March 14, 2019

Artist Statement

Before the Sun Goes Down alludes to the period at which the sun crosses the horizon - a magical time of day, when bright unpredictable colours at their height of vibrancy dance with sharply contrasting shadows, deepening perception, to create vistas that seem to come alive.

In this exhibition, I have likewise endeavoured to capture a heightened sensation of visual acuity. Juxtapositions of hard edged rectangular shapes, imbued with intense unbroken colours, simplify spacial relationships and emphasize the flatness of the pictorial plane.

My use of anomalous colours distinguishes adjoined shapes, while arrays of subtly unnatural colour gradations act to deepen the illusion of superimposition. Additionally, by arranging the rectangles slightly askew and distributing them unevenly, a quality of fluidity was added to these open compositions.

I’ve expanded the range of curatorial possibilities by using reconfigurable diptychs to offer alternative impressions. In some cases, the pictorial image was transformed into a sculptural object by stripping away the background, making the stretcher bars conform to the contours of the coloured shapes.

Cumulatively, these visual artifices aim to foster an uneasy calmness. My desire is to disrupt the viewer’s inherent paradigms of conditioned thought with works that are lively yet still, bewildering yet comfortable, and simple yet challenging. Associative gaps are created through conflicting dualities. These disconnects encourage the eyes of the viewer to swim about the images, searching for resolution, resulting in the emergence of new perspectives.

Todd Schulz April 2019

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Before the Sun Goes Down, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 36 in

Making Tracks, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 57 x 40 in in

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Solace by the Sea, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 814 x 83 in

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Colour Fault, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 in

Settling In, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 72 in

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todd schulz Curriculum Vitae Group Exhibitions

2018 - Gallery Artist 2018-, ARTE funktional, Kelowna, BC

- Exposed! Members Exhibition, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC

- Edge Abstraction (Kevin Spetifore - Todd Schulz), ARTE funktional, Kelowna, BC

2017 - For the Love of Art (Members’ Exhibition), Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2016 - Exposed! (Members Exhibition), Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2011 - Members’ Exhibition, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC 2008 - U8 3rd Annual, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna, BC

- Floribunda!, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon,,BC

2007 - Gallery Artist 2007-2008, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna, BC

- U8 Second Annual, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna, BC

- Members’ Exhibition, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC

2006 - Members Wall (Solo Exhibition Space), Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC

- Members’ Exhibition, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC

2005 - Members’ Exhibition, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC 2004 - 2004 North Okanagan Open Juried Show, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2003 - Gallery Artist 2003-2005, Front Gallery, Edmonton, AB

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- Fall Opening Show, Front Gallery, Edmonton, AB

- Edmonton Art Walk, Edmonton, AB

- Fall Show, Beyond Art, Vernon, BC

2002 - Moonlight Festival Cruse, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, Japan

- (October) Trance Dance Party, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, Japan

- (November) Trance Dance Party, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, Japan

2001 - Edmonton Art Walk, Edmonton, AB

Fundraising

2017 - Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts / Auction, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2015 - Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts / Auction, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2011 - 5th Annual Almost Famous Exhibition and Auction, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC 2008 - Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts / Auction, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, BC 2007 - First Annual Almost Famous Exhibition and Auction, Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC

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This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition: Todd Schulz: When the Sun Goes Down Vernon Public Art Gallery, May 23 - July 12, 2019 Production: Vernon Public Art Gallery Cover Image: When the Sun Goes Down (detail), 2019, acrylic on canvas, 54 x 36 in Printing: Get Smarter Copies, Vernon BC, Canada

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