Pamela Jorden | Art In America

Art in America has published a review of Pamela Jorden's show
at Romer Young Gallery.

Quarry, 2011
33 in. x 33 in.
Acrylic and bleach on fabric


Pamela Jorden by Mark Van Proyen December 2011

Pamela Jorden (b. 1969) is an emerging abstract painter whose work looks distinctly different from the "provisional painting" so visible in the past decade. Raphael Rubinstein coined this term in his widely discussed article of the same name, published in these pages in May 2009. Where provisional painting can be characterized by a rather theatrical lack of finish Jorden's work – although it likewise can have a casual quality – appears decidedly untheatrical. Hers moves toward a somber introspection that recalls Symbolist ideals, while also embracing a forward-looking vocabulary of very unconventional shape/pattern relationships.

The largest painting in this exhibition was Vega (2010, 54 by 40 inches). A bold, yellow, inverted triangle on a loosely applied gray ground spans the composition. A second central triangle, this one right side up, emerges as if in relief, pushing up from below the picture plane. Two of its sides have been traced by wobbly ultramarine lines that enliven the entire canvas. By virtue of its declarative graphic form and devil-may-care execution, Vega was the only work in the show that might be mistaken as an attempt at provisional painting. Yet, it seemed more an exploration of modernist principles than a flaunting of informality.

An untitled work from 2011, one of four circular compositions on view, offers a rich and intimate visual experience that balances soft shapes with forms bearing hard, decisive edges. Fluid areas of deep viridians and gray-violets give off a reflective sheen, the paint having been mixed with pulverized mica. The 33-inch-square Quarry (2011), which contains a busy assortment of intersecting lines and jagged shapes in whites and blues, suggests a mélange of dance-step diagrams superimposed over one another. As in the untitled circle, the brushwork ranges from crisp to free-flowing and the darker areas shift in chroma and iridescence.

Some of Jorden's paintings engage with a neo-Op strain of abstraction, also popular during the past 10 years. But her works stand apart, due to their wide range of painterly elements and relatively small scale. They remind us that the true subject of any abstract painting is the position that it self-consciously takes in relation to the history of abstract painting.

Pamela Jorden | Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery

Pamela Jorden | Sun and Moon

October 21- December 4, 2011
Opening Reception: October 21, 6-8pm

Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Pamela Jorden. The show will consist of recent abstract oil paintings on linen and fabric; opening October 21, and running through December 4. Please join us at the reception for the artist on Friday October 21 from 6 to 8pm.

Pamela Jorden’s paintings are composed of fragments, accumulations of shape, line, texture, and pattern which form varying optical densities. The paintings are influenced by her day-to-day surroundings; she often uses her observations of changing light during the day, the shifting of perspectives as one moves through space, and the dense layered appearance of the Los Angeles landscape stacked and compressed in haze and smog. Jorden’s process is experimental—she lays down initial marks and then responds to them—creating an improvisational surface throughout the work. In each painting the palette is restrained to a handful of colors, while the mark making engages texture, gesture, mass, and scale. At times she uses straight, wide brush strokes contrasted with thinner angular lines and interspersed with washy, less defined areas, to build a rich tapestry.

In her latest body of work she has also varied the materials upon which she paints, and the references from which her compositions emerge, taking cues equally from artists such as Sonia Delaunay and Jasper Johns. One painting features silver paint on a silver fabric ground, while another involves a target made on a circular stretcher. Jorden plays on art historical references but also experiments in her own practice with layering similar properties, whether it is repeating shapes (circles within circles, triangles with triangles) or similar color (silvers on silver, blacks on black). Jorden’s studio practice is one of exploration and invention revealing an inquisitive and restless approach to painting.

Pamela Jorden lives and works in Los Angeles, California. This is her fourth solo show with Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery. She has been in numerous shows in Los Angeles and New York, and in September had her first solo show in San Francisco at Romer Young Gallery. Her work has appeared in Art in America, Artnet, the Los Angeles Times, and Artweek.

Pamela Jorden | Square Cylinder.com

Interesting discussion around Pam's current show in San Fransico on Squarecylinder.com
Read more here.

Pamela Jorden | Romer Young Gallery Review

Pamela Jorden's show in SF reviewed here.
enjoy!

Pamela Jorden | Romer Young Gallery

LOOKING THROUGH TREES
ROMER YOUNG GALLERY
1240 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.romeryounggallery.com

OPENING RECEPTION:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 6:00 -9:00PM

Romer Young Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition with Los Angeles painter Pamela Jorden. Jorden is part of a new generation of painters whose work is at the forefront of an ongoing and unfolding conversation around the possibilities and potential of ‘abstraction.’

“The structure of light is geometrical compared to the structure of matter which is ‘organic.’ (Organic = Free-form) Both matter and space have ‘density.’ Light opens peep-hole tracks in the ‘density’ of space, because of the structure of light and allows us to ‘see.’” (1)

Pamela Jorden’s exhibition Looking Through Trees presents a new series of paintings, each one an invitation for a phenomenological experience of a painterly space defined by color, mark, composition and light. Jorden emphasizes that the world we experience is not solely figurative and our senses that interpret our surroundings do not operate in a solely rational manner. This perspective informs her paintings and challenges the compartmentalizing of abstraction. Resisting depiction in favor of slow suggestions, the works quietly allude to such things as the natural effects of changing light, the densities and geometries of urban landscapes, the haze of atmospheres and environments. The works balance a play between foreground and background, void and form, light and dark, hard and loose. Gradually assembled, the paintings are composed of fragments with varying optical densities and accumulations of shape, line, texture and pattern - each mark an isolated experience adding to the synthesis of the whole. The end results existing as “experiments in which color has weight and energy with the power to harmonize or disrupt.”

Pamela Jorden received her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 1996. She will have her fourth solo exhibition at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery in New York City, NY in 2011. Recent projects include solo exhibitions at David Patton Gallery, Los Angeles; the Mason Gross Gallery, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Group exhibitions include "The Working Title", Bronx River Art Center, Bronx NY, "One Year Anniversary Show," "Swap Thing" and "Sun Zoom Spark," WPA, Los Angeles CA, “Some Abstraction Occurs”, 65 Grand, Chicago, IL (2008), “Themes and Variations”, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA (2007), “Reality is An Activity of the Most August Imagination”, Rental Gallery in Chinatown, Los Angeles (2006), and “(keep feeling) Fascination: Recent Abstract Painting in Los Angeles”, Luckman Gallery, Cal State LA (2006).

For additional information, please contact the gallery at 415.550.7483 or email info@romeryounggallery.com. Romer Young Gallery is a San Francisco based contemporary art gallery committed to showing regional and international emerging and mid-career artists.

1. Lee Lozano, private notebook excerpts, August 18, 1969

Pamela Jorden + John Pearson | NYC Group show

For Immediate Release-

SNOWCLONES

INNA BABAEVA
DREW BEATTIE
SUSAN BRICKER
DAVID DEUTSCH
MICHAEL DOPP
EJ HAUSER
PAM JORDEN
RACHEL LIEBER
BENJAMIN KING
LAUREN LULOFF
MICHAEL MAHALCHICK
ROB NADEAU
JULIA OLDHAM
JOHN PEARSON
CLINTEL STEED
JACKIE SACCOCCIO
HOLLY ZAUSNER

ART BLOG ART BLOG is extremely pleased to announce the opening of "Snowclones" curated by Benjamin King (HKJB) and Rob Nadeau. This show is the fifth in a series of exhibitions ART BLOG ART BLOG is presenting at a temporary location in Chelsea, NY on the 11th floor of 508 West 26th St. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 4th from 6 - 9pm. The exhibition runs through Saturday, August 13th. Open hours are Tuesday - Saturday, Noon - 6pm and by appointment.

The tendency toward artists employing a multi-disciplinarian approach seems today more prevalent than ever. In the spirit of Alan Kaprow, Buckminster Fuller, Stewart Brand, happenings, liquid light shows, shamans, tricksters, wits, oracles and so on, we have invited a group of 17 artists to come together in a collaborative effort entitled Snowclones.

It could be argued that many visual artists work within culturally identifiable visual templates, such as sculpture, painting, video, installation, performance, etc. Similarly, a snowclone takes a linguistic template ( as in "X is the new Y,” or “if by X, you mean Y,” and “X2: Electric Boogaloo,” and so on) where the substitution of the variables change the meaning of the statement while still retaining the original form.

Drawing upon this concept, the form of the group show could be considered just such another timeworn template with endless possibilities for customization. In Snowclones, the organizers seek to foster an experiential environment in which each person, or artwork, plays off one another, generating meaning through the juxtaposition, presentation and re-presentation of interwoven layers of artistic content. The resulting event will ideally affect a shift in focus from that seemingly well-known format to something surprising, improvisational and unique.

The artists involved represent a wide spectrum of visual templates, disciplines and conceptual practices. Everyone is free to experiment and alter their own work as they see fit throughout the run of the show. Whether each artist contributes an already existing piece or chooses to work site specifically in the gallery, the continually evolving show seeks to be collaborative, fluid and open. Boundaries become blurred between disciplines and authorship, while content bleeds from one source to another, thereby altering and subdividing the existing space to reveal some underlying and intuitive logic.

* A snowclone is a type of cliché and phrasal template originally defined as "a multi-use, customizable, instantly recognizable, time-worn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different variants". An example of a snowclone is "grey is the new black", a version of the template "X is the new Y" where X and Y may be replaced with different words or phrases. Snowclones are related to both memes and clichés. . . In the study of folklore, snowclones are a form of what are usually described as a proverbial phrase which have a long history of description and analysis. There are many kinds of such wordplay, as described in a variety of studies of written and oral sources. The term was coined by Glen Whitman on January 15, 2004. (Wikipedia)

Benjamin King and Rob Nadeau
HKJB.org
info@hkjb.org

&

ART BLOG ART BLOG
artblogartblog.com
joshuaabelow.blogspot.com

Pamela Jorden | The Working Title | Group Show NYC

The Working Title
On View from March 25 – April 29

A 32-artist group survey of recent abstraction organized by Progress Report Opening Reception: Friday, March 25, 6-9pm Temporary Gallery Location: 305 E 140th St #1A Bronx, NY 10454 Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) is pleased to present The Working Title, a 32-artist group survey of recent abstraction organized by Progress Report, opening on March 25, 2011. The exhibition, which runs until April 29, 2011, is the third in a series hosted in our temporary location, "On the Block", at 305 E 140 St. #1A, Bronx, NY, while we undergo a seven-million dollar renovation to our West Farms facility.

Artists featured: Amy Feldman, Benjamin King, Britton Tolliver, Cordy Ryman, Dennis Hollingsworth, Douglas Melini, EJ Hauser, Eric Freeman, Gary Petersen, Halsey Hathaway, Ian Pedigo, Inna Babaeva, Ivin Ballen, Jasmine Justice, JD Walsh, Jered Sprecher, Joshua Abelow, Joy Curtis, Keltie Ferris, Kris Chatterson, Lauren Luloff, Letha Wilson, Matthew Deleget, Omar Chacon, Osamu Kobayashi, Pamela Jorden, Patrick Brennan, Stacy Fisher, Tamara Zahaykevich, Tisch Abelow, Vince Contarino, Yadir Quintana

The name of the exhibition refers to the changing classification, description, or title that is given to abstraction. By nature, abstraction resists tradition and categorization transforming itself into a highly visual moving target. These artists employ abstraction as a means to investigate different approaches to materials, systems, media and content. Rather than following a pre-established doctrine of romantic sentimentality, most of the works elicit an air of experimentation, familiarity, and an overall sense of purpose.

The Working Title brings together different perspectives on abstraction in conversation with each other. Minimalism, post-modern, geometric, gestural, formal, color filed, video and process-driven works occupying the same room, creating unpredictable relationships through contrasting approaches.

Having direct access to technology has become an important tool for artists to share and discuss their practice, making connections on a regional and global level. The collective stance and attitudes on making art are less defensive than they used to be, opening up conversations with the past by seeking out and elaborating on previous approaches that may have been marginalized or forgotten.

The Working Title is less about seizing the moment, but more of a selection of current voices that use abstraction as a starting point to create work that expands the trajectory of what is possible.

This exhibition was organized by Progress Report, a visually-driven project that offers a glimpse of the creative process that share various perspectives from the working artist’s point of view.

WPA in Knoxville | Screening

Sun Zoom Spark | A group show organized by Pamela Jorden

Sun Zoom Spark
March 26 - April 25
Opening Reception, March 27th, 6-9pm

WPA is proud to present Sun Zoom Spark, featuring work by Julie Becker, Katy Crowe, Pamela Jorden, Alice Könitz, Virginia Holt, and Terri Phillips.

Opening | West Los Angeles College Art Gallery

Art Exhibition: "Newman's Subconscious" a group exhibition curated by Suzanne Adelman & Keith Walsh

Exhibition Dates: October 19th - December 4th, 2009.
Gallery Reception: Tuesday, Oct. 27th from 6:00-9:00 PM.

Gallery Hours: Mon.-Fri., 10:00am-4:00pm

This show will feature artworks by: Aaron Brewer, Kristin Beinner James, Suzanne Adelman, Pamela Jorden, Kristi Lippire, Christopher James, Tracy Miller, John Pearson, Ernie Ramirez,
Keith Walsh and Matt Wardell.

"Newman’s Subconscious"

In touching upon the issue of identity and shared consciousness, the objective of this show is to stimulate confusion and contemplation around it's subject matter: Newman’s Subconscious.

The group of artists selected in this show have the skills and sensibilities to articulate a range of viewpoints that highlight the confusion of the subject: Which ‘Newman’ are we speaking of? The artists may address the question of the subject by way of means not limited to formalism, popular imagery, high/low cultural juxtapositions, the esoteric, ephemera, spirituality, art history, and music. Some ‘Newman’ subjects may be living, some have passed on, others are fictitious. Regardless of their corporeality or not, each shares one that ultimately reflects a facet of America’s own character and culture.

Recent scientific research has shown that we can 'read' or enter each other's minds by way of reading expressions that set off a firing of mirror neurons. The brain is activated in the same way for both the subject and the receiver. As well, very specific areas of our brains have been mapped while picturing a variety of objects. Perhaps conscious or not, this mapping points to an amalgam of culture and shared identity within us. But then again...what exactly is a subconscious and who knows what is lurching in the neurological alchemy and accumulated warehouse of each other's minds?

Within this mediating capacity, between the process of the artwork and what the spectator brings to the gallery, art is therefore in the service of role-playing, exploring the nature of the self, and the nature of itself, as a mirror of shared consciousness.

West Los Angeles College Art Gallery
4800 Freshman Dr.
Culver City, CA 90230
310-287-4200
http://www.wlac.edu/