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The following review was written by Laurien Dusharme. Urban Renewal: New Paintings by Gwyn Stramler Sometimes I imagine artists as creating offerings to appease some mighty deity of art. In the scenario I run through my mind, the artists are entirely oblivious to the existence of her (cliché though the gender may be), yet they are driven to feed her with the best they can yield from the powerful but capricious paintbrush they wield. They sweat and they slave over canvases and papers and boards, journeying within, seeking new truths that won't slip through their fingers on the trek back. They know she wants sincerity; they can't b.s. her. They all are hoping to receive the gentle smile of pleasure from the supreme art lover, yet fear she will smash their handiwork and send them back to the studio with no dinner. In the case of the latest offerings by Gwyn Stramler, I think she is pleased. Stramler, a Northern California contemporary painter, is presenting recently created paintings at her Open Studio event December 9th and 10th. The new works, from a series entitled "Urban Landscapes," represent a shift and a decided departure for the artist. But before I describe where she is now, let's talk about where she has been. Gwyn Stramler worked as a freelance illustrator for 15 years before shifting to fine art. After attending the respected Art Center College of Design, Stramler had no shortage of clients soliciting her signature, highly rendered style of illustration. Yet she found herself frustrated with the inconsistency in her oeuvre the result of creating images for a multitude of clients and concepts. The one concept that beckoned was to develop her own style, to paint works that spoke her visual language and that would enable her to trace the movements and maneuvers of her work, over time. A decision to move from Pasadena to Nevada City in 1996 gave Stramler the opportunity to step back from illustration and toward exploring new artistic expression. Coinciding with this relocation was Stramler's first exposure to Afro-Cuban drumming. The simply organized, call and response patterns of the music resonated deeply for the artist and became intrinsically tied to her paintings. Over the six years she has been studying and playing the drums, Stramler has discovered parallels that create a bridge in the optical structure of paintings and the audible structure of music. As she describes it: "Timing, movement, and rhythm are the same as color, shape, and form." And thus, these are the elements she is hearing and envisioning and melding as she works. Early pieces by Stramler, such as the "Fragmented Landscape" series (acrylic on panel), evidence both her skill with material and color, and her caution as she took her first, tentative steps. Like visual diaries, the works allow the viewer to witness the process of an artist who is needing and wanting to express. An internal process is made visible. As obstacles are overcome, expression flows. Early works are gems; like the napkin sketches of great designs, they mirror the skill, the drive, the discomfort, and the questions of the artist. The drumming played heavily upon Stramler's first paintings. Elliptical forms resonated - large and small, high and low - referring to the tonal harmonies, conflicts, and resolutions the artist was experiencing in her drumming. As she gained confidence within the rhythms of her music, the freedom to speak her visual language became increasingly confident. With the latest series, "Urban Landscape," Stramler put the heat in her paintings and the gloves, it would seem, have come off. The previous works, which were commanded by beautifully blended earth tones, olives, greens and blues, are now injected and overlaid with brick red and gold over fields of black. The elliptical forms and grids, which Stramler had been employing frequently, have loosened - floating, twisting, sometimes barely there. They are now simply compliment to the greater rhythms coming from the distorted shapes that disrupt and create new, exciting relationships. Colors and shapes are moving, jettisoned, peeking out, coming toward, and away. And when the song is over, she finishes them off with a tight seal of resin. These paintings tell the story of an artist speaking her own language, communicating universal rhythms. They come from a place that initiates the choice to follow the need to grow. This is where old forms are broken, old systems recycled for future use. To return to the initial metaphor of this interpretation, Gwyn Stramler has made the trek and returned with something solid, something real. And she will make the trek again. -Laurien Dusharme |