High Contrast is a show that personifies the Shine Gallery. It is inviting, ambitious, exceptional, mediocre, fun, irreverent and inclusive, all at once. Local talent runs free in this context, and, despite some blatant west-coast influence, the show works toward a representation of the actual art scene in El Paso. It bears mentioning that despite any shortcomings addressed here, Shine is light years ahead of the nauseating panderage of annoying venues like the Hal Marcus Gallery. So let’s get into it…
Immediately to the left of the door is Jason Lucero’s work. The 5’ x 5’ loose canvas window piece is a triumph of color, pattern, painterly sensibility and abstraction. To be short, it is simply delightful without being saccharine. Exuberant yet controlled, it recalls Klee, Klimt and Stella’s early, sprawling cityscapes. This particular painting is supported by a couple of smaller, similar works in the same vein. Unfortunately, these works are undermined by some seriously half-assed, hokey installation (with Technicolor bunnies, Astroturf, and throwaway wall painting) and unforgivably bad collage/surrealist wankerism. High contrast, indeed.
Probably the most solid and considered work is that of Keith Spencer. He’s able to bridge the seemingly disparate worlds of color field abstraction, landscape and graffiti. His two offerings (which were actively solicited by Miguel Bonilla, co-owner of the Shine…) are anchored by small elements of collage and miniature street art. The finish and texture of the paintings were so matte and dry they gave me cottonmouth. He accurately captures the dehydrated feel of El Paso in a painting, and one work features our local rock walls, a feature conspicuously absent from the local painting vernacular. I was also impressed with his restraint, as he is not over-represented in this context.
Easily the most derivative work in the show is offered by Zeke Pena, the Shine’s co-owner. The mostly plywood pieces are held together by a commonality of untreated surface and also by the use of gimmicky, disruptive gold spray paint hastily applied to the gallery wall. And while there’s some decent linework in these pieces, the overall affect collides somewhere between the angst-ridden “truths of high school journal keepers” (quote borrowed from the song Skip Tracer on Sonic Youth's Washing Machine LP...) and the “edgy” graphics that appear in recent commercials framing the logos of Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon and MTV (actually, MTV2 was running similar graphics during the At the Drive-In years…). In other words, you can see the same damn thing executed much more proficiently on TV. Ouch, my eyes hurt. The influence present in this morass is decidedly west coast, but almost a decade behind the curve. That being said, his design work can actually look good on webpages and his custom t-shirts seem more suited to this graffiti-cum-graphics style.
Tim Razo’s work, like Spencer’s, is not overdone. It is, to be sure, traditional portraiture rendered with a cool palette and a quick, loose-yet-crisp brushwork. Collaged just under the surface are original computer-rendered spirograph patterns, and the long, vertical canvasses recall John Singer Sargent. In another solid allusion to art history, Razo’s heavily applied pattern on the dress of “Amy” recalls Van Gogh in both color and texture. And, like any meaningful portrait, Razo is able to distill the essence of a person into a two-dimensional microcosm.
Next to Razo is El Sol 25, who has the largest number of pieces in the show. I will attempt to ignore the annoying use of a surname and the fact that this joker wears a bandana to conceal his “secret identity” (how very avant-garde…). I will also try to forget that he still vandalizes city property and behaves like a communist with little understanding of property rights. Perhaps he would like to let me custom paint his house or car or sister (is her name La Luna 26?) in hot pink, yellow ochre and metallic lime green, with polka dots. Anyway, his work shows the greatest range, and despite a couple failed experiments (like “Relocator” which consists of a mule stencil, terrible color and thin, weak process all around…) most of it is exciting, colorful experimental mixed media. There’s very strong drawing, bizarre textures, color harmony and discord, odd frames, collage and sculptural elements. It’s hard to fault someone who’s so prolific and daring. A great example of this is “Giver,” a mixed media on cardboard with excellent color choices, stencils and a more realized feel. I was also struck by “Spooner,” which is a distilled, controlled, and more stripped-down piece that has great clarity and is just plain funny. Sol’s greatest strength is his greatest weakness: namely that he casts such a wide net that very little is filtered out. On one hand, it’s a mirror for society and culture, but on the other, it seems too quick and shows a lack of discernment. Whatever…I see the courage in this artist and he proves that he is unafraid to fail or succeed out loud.
Lastly, Miguel Bonilla has three pieces at the end of the show. The standout is a bizarre hummingbird/bumblebee critter straight out of a nightmarish fairytale, with partially demolished frame. But to review his work is to ignore the best feature of the Gallery: Miguel himself. He’s incredibly enthusiastic and capably supports, exhorts and represents his artists. He really tried to get me to buy the whole commie graffiti art aesthetic (fortunately I’m immune…) through sheer force of genuine discussion and passion. And he’s taking the Shine in directions that, for El Paso, are cutting edge. From the artsy toys my son was trying to get me to buy, to art rentals, web design and specialized spraypaint tips, he’s attempting to create an entirely new market simply not represented by other galleries. Even the bad and mediocre work easily outstrips the garbage at the Hal Marcus Gallery, the tired, lumpy, badly-rendered figures of that hack, Jose Cisneros, and simultaneously kicks the crap out of dull local fixtures like Manuel Acosta and Tom Lea (yes, I called Tom Lea boring…). It provides a balanced alternative to the established, academic art of UTEP and EPMA, and gives us art folk a place to gather for a good time.
And speaking of that, the closing reception for High Contrast is April 27th at 7 p.m. Be there. April 28 is the Gallery's last day at the Kern space, and this will be the final show at the current location before the gallery moves to 714 Montana. The Shine Gallery’s phone number is 915.533.3399 if you have a question. The next show will be on May 1st. All in all, it’s very important that we support this kind of asset – it can only get better.
Shane Wiggs is an art pimp. He actively despises unquestioned local art fixtures that dumb down the discussion and can be reached by hatemail.
