no press is bad press??? Ty at ELLO gallery makes THE HERALD…

September 20, 2007 on 3:21 pm | In Ty's Archive |

Work by Ty Williams
By Ann Bryant
September 20, 2007 6:00 AM
During the surrealist movement of the 1920s, there would be these amazing parties with gin and music and ideas. Salvador Dali’s moustache mingled with Julian Levy’s sometimes famous gallery visitors. It was fantastic and foreign. It was odd and beautiful.

I walked into the new ellO gallery and shop during Friday’s opening through a small crowd that was spilling out onto the street. An amble through the door in the maze of attendees and an “excuse me” or two around the corner revealed Owen Thompson sitting on the floor, manipulating two television sets with controls. Their high-pitched white noise was barely audible through the din of experimental music played by another lad sitting behind him at a mass of electronic instruments. He’d play a note on the guitar and then fiddle with knobs, bending and distorting the sound.

WHAT SEACOAST UNDERCURRENT

WHERE ellO Gallery and Shop, 110 State St., Portsmouth
WHEN through Oct. 12
CONTACT 433-9110,
www.ellogallery.com
People of all ages and sorts were hobnobbing and milling around, sometimes stopping to look at pieces for quite some time. There were noses hovering inches away from small ink drawings or assemblages made from odd, repurposed artifacts. People stopped to stare at the people playing occasional cacophony. People stopped, and people stayed.

I really couldn’t help but think that I was at a surrealist party. It had the vibration of excitement and the promise of a hopeful new venture. The enthusiasm of the place is so catchy.

Most of the show is a found-object treasure trove, proving that there is no lack of material out there for the thrifty, resourceful artist. Same for the thrifty art collector — you can find original clothing, hand made cards, archival-quality prints of photos, small framed drawings, and other great stuff.

The gallery is a two-room artstorm, run by four local people whose combined focus has pulled together an amazing opening in a short period of time. It was only about eight weeks ago that they had all sat around, musing about renting the State Street space for the purposes of showcasing original art, installations, hand made clothing and the occasional performance.

Fittingly, their first group of artists has been dubbed “Seacoast Undercurrent.” Pieces range from different to bizarre, and from beautiful to hilarious. This is going to be a venue for edgier and perhaps maybe even more urban or underground-oriented art. What a breath of fresh air.

Matt Serven’s latest pieces are hilarious and well done. He’s taking a different approach that favors high detail but also that same sense of humor, as in pieces like “We’ll All Gain 10 Pounds in Hell.” These spray-painted, multi-stencil pieces are incredible when you consider the work that goes into the stencils and the process of painting, drying, layering and painting again. Proctology makes an appearance. Like I said, hilarious.

I also really enjoyed Nick McClung’s paintings, which he describes as having a “dissentive style.” Again, urban or surf-art would describe these pieces, as he takes on violence and, well, picky eating.

Ryan Murphy’s photographs printed on glass are backlit and are suspended over a wall covered with a tangle of wire and chords behind. These shadowy self-portraits are plainly framed with wood. They are contemplative and beautiful.

Keep an eye out for Ty Williams, who is also showing with this group. He had some things up at Ceres Bakery a while ago, and it feels as though his illustrative paintings tell miniature stories about characters. It’s a welcome sight to see these clear lines and bright colors — they are beautiful in their patent simplicity.

I must say that there are so many great things that I wish I could mention them all. Stop in- this is a friendly gallery that loves to see you visit. They’ve got a pretty little back yard, too.