Establishing Shot is a solo exhibition of new paintings by Josh George opens at Ghostprint Gallery on Thursday, September 30th, 2010.

In this series of paintings, George draws on the cinematic concept of the establishing shot, which the artist explains as, “the frame in a film that introduces a new scene and puts the upcoming action into a context. Often, there’s a tension to these shots, a promise that something exciting, or of consequence is about to happen. For this body of work, I wanted to create smaller images that functioned as establishing shots of larger companion pieces depicting a narrative. The small pieces set the scene, then open-up into the larger image whose scale and action involve the viewers , inviting them into the painting.”

George chooses images that are at once playful and complex, images more often associated with comics, action movies or sci-fi book covers, and imbues them with the grace and sophistication of the 16th-17th century Italian masters he admires- Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Annibale Carracci. His glimmering colors, layering of collage materials (cloth, paper, wallpaper) and strong painterly effects create works that are both sophisticated and theatrical.

George envisioned making these paintings for a number of years, but was inhibited by his studio space in Brooklyn. Only after moving to Richmond a year ago did he have the room available to make the paintings in their ideal, large-scale dimensions.

Josh George has had numerous one-man exhibitions in New York (Tria, The Suchman-Bart-Metheny Gallery), Kansas City (Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art), Brooklyn (Garage Gallery) and Italy (Entroterra, Milan) and has been included in many group shows. He has taught painting at Pratt Institute of Art and is a faculty member with the Illustration Academy. He has guest lectured at Accademia di’Arte di Brescia, and Syracuse University’s MFA in Painting Program. He is currently the Studio Lead at TAD (The Art Department) here in Richmond. His work has been featured in numerous publications in the U.S.A. and Italy.

FIRST FRIDAYS: OCTOBER 1, 2010; 7PM-10PM

EXHIBITION: OCTOBER 1-30, 2010

THERE WILL BE A PREVIEW RECEPTION ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 FROM 5:30-7:30PM THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.