Winter in Jersey, Skin Kitsch at La Luz de Jesus Gallery

John Puglisi "The Cold, Hard Ground"
Mitch O' Connell "Pre-engagement Ring"
October 2 - November 1, 2009
Artist reception: Friday, October 2, 2009 ~ 8 -11PM
LA LUZ DE JESUS GALLERY
4633 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90027 323 666 7667
www.laluzdejesus.com

In "The Cold, Hard Ground," John Puglisi revisits his favorite subject of growing up in a small town in northern New Jersey where, apparently, the winter is a time of change, sometimes bleak, but perhaps hopeful and there is always a sinister hint of The Sopranos in the air.

In previous shows, Puglisi's paintings depicted working life in New Jersey industrial towns and summer vacation down the Jersey Shore. In "The Cold, Hard Ground," Puglisi explores his memories of New Jersey in the dead of winter. He is inspired by memories such as the frozen tundra of the town cemetery, and the wasteland of classic cars in city junkyards. Puglisi has also worked as a conceptual illustrator and storyboard artist on animated and live-action films for DreamWorks, Disney, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Industrial Light and Magic, and Twentieth-Century Fox. Puglisi currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Mitch O' Connell's imaginative, vividly colorful, smart and well executed artwork is undeniably and unabashedly old-school low-brow.

O’Connell is one of Chicago's most well-known illustrators and his tattoo designs are also a fixture on the walls of tattoo shops around the word. His distinctive style fuses cartoony and iconic imagery plus an innate sense of humor to create pop-kitsch masterpieces. 

LA LUZ DE JESUS GALLERY is located at the Soap Plant / Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours are Monday - Wednesday: 11am - 7pm, Thursday - Saturday: 11am - 9pm and Sunday 12 - 6pm.