Corey Helford Gallery presents FOUR
Jason Shawn Alexander • Sarah Folkman • Melissa Forman • Karen Hsiao
With Special Guest Artist Miso
Opening Reception Friday, May 30, 2008 from 7 to 10pm
On View May 30 until June 21, 2008
Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present “Four”, a group exhibition of painting and photography by four dynamic Los Angeles artists of the New Fine Art movement who are exploring the boundaries of creative expression through their diverse personal experiences: Jason Shawn Alexander, Sarah Folkman, Melissa Forman, Karen Hsiao and Special Guest Artist Miso. Open to the public, the reception for “Four” will take place on Friday, May 30 from 7 to 10pm, and the exhibition will be on view during the Culver City Artwalk.
Jason Shawn Alexander
Los Angeles artist Jason Shawn Alexander was born in Iowa and grew up in Tennessee. He is a self-taught painter whose early childhood experiences shaped his style and technique. Alexander’s father exposed him to the masters from the Renaissance era, and taught him how to draw and express himself through art. Influenced by the world around him, Alexander absorbs everything he sees: films, books, art, music, life, the news, people-watching on street corners and in coffee shops. His work has been shown in numerous galleries and is included in the collections of director Darren Aronofsky, screenwriter Andrew Cosby, and novelist Greg Rucka. For more information, please visit www.jasonshawnalexander.com.
Sarah Folkman
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sarah Folkman is a self-taught painter who was interested in music at an early age. She started her first band when she was eighteen and went on to work with musician George Sarah in the band THC. Folkman’s songs have been featured on television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as in motion pictures Curve and Cleopatra’s Husband. Throughout her music career, painting has stayed with Folkman as an outlet to express herself. Her work is based on a variety of personal subjects from childhood ray-gun fantasies to a lifelong battle with insomnia. Her recent paintings are snapshots of people and animals caught in the act of being inappropriately awake and are images of what goes through her head in an awake-but-not-quite-conscious state. Folkman is working on her first novel which will be available later this year. For more information, please visit www.sarahfolkman.com.
Melissa Forman
Melissa Forman was born and raised in Hartville, Ohio. Since she was 14 years old, she has been drawing and painting commissioned portraits. In 2002, Forman graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Columbus College of Art and Design and went on to work as an illustrator at a large greeting card company in Cleveland. With her days full of teddy bears and birthday cakes, she spent her nights exploring darker, more evocative themes and building upon her roots as a portrait artist. Forman uses the art of portraiture to explore the elegance, beauty, and sincerity of human emotion. She draws upon her own experiences to create symbolic, idealized characters and the worlds they inhabit, finding beauty in the subtle realities of the human experience. Her paintings have been shown in galleries across the country from New York City to Los Angeles, and her growing list of prominent collectors includes Mark Parker, CEO of Nike. For more information, please visit www.melissaformanstudio.com.
Karen Hsiao
Karen Hsiao is a Chinese-American artist who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Growing up, Hsiao always knew that she wanted to be an artist. She loved working with her hands and creating through painting, sculpture, and photography. She went on to attend Art Center in Pasadena where she received a BFA in Illustration and developed her style as a painter. However, it was photography that became her passion. Self-taught in the art form, Hsiao is known for her antique photos infused with modern elements. She has collaborated with a number of notable artists and creative companies including Gary Baseman, Liz McGrath, Mother of London, AMF Korsets, Fiercecouture, Skin Graft, and Torture Garden. Her work has been included in exhibitions worldwide at galleries such as Vanilla Gallery (Japan) and Gallery Nucleus, as well as featured in numerous publications including Eyemazing, Marquis Style, Marquis, City Slab, Imago Zine, Nocturne, Savage, and Skin Two. For more information, please visit www.karenhsiao.com.
Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in April 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Passionate art collectors, the Helfords are producers on the art documentary The Treasures of Long Gone John and have partnered to open their first gallery. Corey Helford Gallery presents a wide range of artists, from members of the new fine art movement, such as Andrew Brandou, Natalia Fabia, Korin Faught, Eric Joyner, Brandi Milne, David Stoupakis, and award-winning photographer Chris Anthony, to early Modernist William S. Schwartz. Notable shows include Charity By Numbers, which was co-curated by Gary Baseman and featured an unprecedented lineup of artists including Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Shepard Fairey, Todd and Kathy Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, and Michael Hussar. Corey Helford Gallery presents new exhibitions approximately every four weeks. For more information and an upcoming exhibition schedule, please visit coreyhelfordgallery.com.
Corey Helford Gallery
8522 Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
T: 310-287-2340
www.coreyhelfordgallery.com
Open Tuesday - Saturday, Noon to 6:00pm
