Californian artist Jon Pestoni’s painting work is constantly evolving, and part of that evolutionary process is the addition of new materials. This exhibition of mixed media paintings on paper, mounted on aluminium, features a surprising new element, but one which plays a key role in the textural quality of the works: cat litter. The absorbent property of the litter is an important factor in the paintings’ composition; layers of oils fuse with each other in surprising ways, and the particles suggest a crumbling of the distinction between foreground and background, while also giving a tactile quality to the work.
Impressive when viewed as a whole, each canvas comes into its own when studied in minute detail where the effects of the composition process comes into its own. Some of Pestoni’s canvases are 10 feet tall, and the artist works with them laid flat on the studio floor. Some can be viewed as displaying contradictory emotions, as Pestoni “confronts” each unfinished work anew each day over the course of its creation in a process described as “productive self-sabotage”. For a closer look, head to David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles before the show ends on 23 May.
Jon Pestoni,
March 28 – May 23, 2015,
David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA,
Installation view
Jon Pestoni
Untitled, 2014
oil and mixed media on paper,
mounted on aluminum with frame
31 x 23 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches
(78.7 x 59.1 x 3.2 cm)
Jon Pestoni
Hung Out, 2015 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on canvas
88 x 68 x 1 3/4 inches
(223.5 x 172.7 x 4.4 cm)
Jon Pestoni
Underbite, 2014 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on canvas
103 x 78 x 2 inches
(261.6 x 198.1 x 5.1 cm)
Jon Pestoni,
March 28 – May 23, 2015,
David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA,
Installation view
Jon Pestoni
Underbite, 2014
oil and mixed media on canvas
103 x 78 x 2 inches
(261.6 x 198.1 x 5.1 cm)
Jon Pestoni
Untitled, 2015 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on paper,
mounted on aluminum with frame
48 3/4 x 32 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches
(123.8 x 82.6 x 3.2 cm)
Jon Pestoni
Hung Out, 2015 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on canvas
88 x 68 x 1 3/4 inches
(223.5 x 172.7 x 4.4 cm)
Jon Pestoni,
March 28 – May 23, 2015,
David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA,
Installation view
Jon Pestoni
Handful, 2015 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on canvas
88 x 77 x 1 3/4 inches
(223.5 x 195.6 x 4.4 cm)
Jon Pestoni
Underbite, 2014 [Detail]
oil and mixed media on canvas
103 x 78 x 2 inches
(261.6 x 198.1 x 5.1 cm)
All images courtesy, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Photography, Fredrik Nilsen
