Ted Larsen: What You See Is What You Get

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TED LARSEN – “What You See Is What You Get”

June 5 – July 11, 2009



Madelyn Jordon Fine Art is pleased to present “What You See Is What You Get”, a third solo exhibition of work by Santa Fe artist Ted Larsen. The exhibit shall run from June 5 - July 11, 2009. A reception will be held on Fri., June 5, 2009 from 6:00 - 8 p.m. Previews and private showings are by appointment only.



The exhibition, comprised of over 25 works, reflects the artist"s continuing practice of transforming salvaged sheet metal into remarkably individualistic sculpture. The wall-hung works presented fall into two distinct categories: meticulously rendered, patterned constructions, reminiscent of minimalist painting; and fully dimensional, whimsical forms comprised of compressed steel, wire-stitched fragments, and rivet-attached compartments. Larsen"s creations are a new type of art; a unique blend of pure aesthetics with historical subtext. Both metaphorical and non-objective, he wants the viewer only to respond to what"s in front of him and is not attempting to symbolize or represent an outside reality. Larsen states, "I want to remind the viewer of something they know inherently but can"t quite place." The viewer is left to make their own connections, perhaps with an alternate object, mood, place, or time.



The choice of color, plane of color, line, texture, material, and mode of attachment are paramount in Larsen"s work. The artist is continually in pursuit of non-traditional art materials, re-claiming discarded aluminum and steel from cars, road signage, architectural elements, and industrial machinery. The metal fragments are in themselves ready-made, contributing their own physical attributes and history. Employing a variety of labor-intensive processes - deconstructing, cutting, distressing, bending, painting, and piecing together - his fabricated constructions and whimsical forms come together as objects reinvented.

Larsen"s current artistic journey began in the wake of 9/11, when the artist made a conscious decision to turn away from his highly successful career as a painter of vibrant-colored landscapes and barns. Propelled by the need to move beyond the "innocuous" and challenge both himself and his viewers, Larsen moved in a completely new direction. The years of exploration since 2001 have borne rich fruit.



Larsen was recently granted the 2009 Edward Albee Foundation Residency Fellowship and was honored with a grant in 2008 from The Pollock Krasner Foundation. He has exhibited in over thirty gallery and museum venues across the country. His work is included in the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Krasel Art Center, St. Joseph, Michigan; and in many corporate and private collections including American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Bank One, NBC, Capital One, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Inc., Prudential Securities, Reader"s Digest, United Artists, Proctor & Gamble, Forbes, Inc., PepsiCo, University of Miami, JP Morgan Chase, United Airlines, and Dreyfus Funds.





Tues - Sat, 10:30 - 5:30 p.m.