Unapologetic Flowers Reception

I was quite lucky that my recent trip to Claremont coincided with Roland Reiss' reception for Unapologetic Flowers. I haven't seen Roland in probably ten years so it was good to see him and catch up. There was quite the CGU reunion during the opening at Claremont Museum of Art on April 7th.

Husband and Wife team of Gary Geraths and Joyce Hesselgrave going through the catalogue of the show with Roland.

Here are some of the Unapologetic Flowers. The blue piece on the left is extremely thick paint on the background, and I believe is the more recent work. On the right is a bit older from maybe 2008. I had only seen images of these works online and it was quite satisfying to finally see them in person. In the work on the right, parts are painstakingly detailed and painted, and other small silhouette images cut from what looks like sign vinyl.

Fleur du Mal II, 2008, acrylic on canvas, 68 x 52 in. I found this series the most intriguing with the mixture of mediums. Oil, acrylic, vinyl and even some sand and small pebbles thrown in as well. The washes in certain areas were spectacularly executed. I'll need to ponder Roland's technique in terms of the washes I use in my own work.

Of course a Roland Reiss show, at least a retrospective, would not be complete without at least a few examples of his miniatures.

Roland was the head of the art department at the Claremont Graduate University for decades, and there when I received my MFA in 1986. He was notorious for recruiting graduate students with specific skills as his studio assistants. I think maybe his greatest compliment to me was after seeing my MFA show he asked, "how did you get away from me?"