TED LARSEN: URBAN RENEWAL Metal Assemblage

     Madelyn Jordon Fine Art presents URBAN RENEWAL an exhibition of Ted Larsen"s new body of work, on view from April 28 - June 10, 2006.   The artist"s dramatic turn away from his highly successful career as a painter of vibrant-colored pastel landscapes and barns after the disastrous events of 9/11 has produced a new artistic direction, creating objects which aspire to provoke environmental and social awareness.  In the past three years, Larsen has focused exclusively on making labor intensive, architectural assemblages from found material.  Constructed from cut strips of aluminum and steel from cars, appliances and scrap metal machinery, the discarded debris of American consumer culture, Larsen"s elaborate process includes painstakingly deconstructing, manipulating, distressing, bending and repainting the metal. The end result are architectural, geometric abstractions, fixed together in smooth and linear compositions.  Fixed to blocks of plywood, they are transformed into elegant sculpture.  Drawing on artistic forebears as varied as Donald Judd, Louise Nevelson, John Chamberlain and Frank Stella, Larsen"s sculptures have a unique signature style.
     The title of the exhibition aims to present Larsen"s objects within a framework in which to examine the work in relation to society, as well as a personal, internal conflict;  "The churning world has caused me to completely re-evaluate my work and its purpose to me and the world at large...I have come away driven to find the essence of my aesthetic;  and I have found that first constructing my images, next deconstructing my images, and then finally reconstructing my images is the most authentic representation of my internal struggle.."   Reconstructing bits of American urban decay into beautiful objects, the artist modestly offers a peace offering for a hopeful future world. 
     Ted Larsen was born in South Haven, Michigan in 1964.  He received his BA from Northern Arizona University in 1986, with the prestigious Award of Painting Distinction. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions, he has exhibited in more than two dozen gallery and museum venues across the country, and is included in many corporate and private collections including Reader"s Digest, Proctor & Gamble, Forbes, Inc., Pepsico, and Dreyfus. 
    Images can be previewed at www.madelynjordonfineart.com.




FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2006 6-8pm. All Welcome. Tues.-Sat., 10:30 am to 5:30pm.