Art from the Left Coast
November 29, 2013 - January 26, 2014
Special holiday event for kids - Saturday December 14 from 3-5pm

The West Coast
Elisa Contemporary Art presents Art from the Left Coast. The exhibit opens November 29, 2013. It will run through January 26, 2014. As the winter approaches, we venture to California and the Pacific Islands to see refuge and a reprieve.

Featured artists include:
  • Los Angeles flow artist, Kimber Berry
  • San Jose constructionist, Michael Buscemi
  • San Francisco minimalist, Jeffrey Palladini
  • Kauai painter, Carol Bennett
  • Big Island artist, Mike Field
  • Maui hyper-realists, Madeline & Peter Powell


  • Art from the Left Coast highlights include:

    A Small Miracle of Circumstance by Kimber Berry, a recent painting from latest series, Plastic Gardens.

    In this series, Kimber addresses the ongoing diminishing natural environments. According to Kimber, "Amongst hundreds of thousands of miles of concrete and steel we feel a distance from nature and are compelled to create green spaces, oasis, parks and gardens of cut grass, pruned trees and waterfalls constructed of painted concrete rocks encircled by highly designed flower beds, essentially nature on our terms. I've constructed this series of paintings inspired by these plastic gardens."

    Chaise #7 by Jeffrey Palladini from his Hotel series. According to Jeffrey, "Hotels are a microcosm. In my many years of travel, having spent countless days and nights in accommodations spanning the full spectrum from luxury to decrepitude, I have increasingly recognized the hotel as a crucible. Human emotion and interaction seem to be distilled, amplified, magnified, and intensified in this setting. I've experienced or been witness to sweet bliss, desperate loneliness, mind-numbing boredom, ecstatic joy, and unfettered sexuality – all on display in the close confines and forced intimacy of the hotel's guest rooms and public spaces."

    Clear Color by hyper-realist artists Peter and Madeline Powell, a limited edition giclee canvas, signed and numbered, created from their original acrylic painting. About their painting process: For this husband and wife team, each painting starts with setting up and taking multiple reference photos of the subject matter. They mostly choose to concentrate on close-up, “larger than life” images of everyday things with a bit of a nostalgic feel, in this case Crayons. Once they have taken over 72+ photos, they select the one image. The canvas is stretched and Peter and Madeline are both involved in the painstaking layout of each painting, which is completely laid out in graphite on the canvas in detail, showing the shadows and highlights, as well as the folds, crinkles, lettering and reflections. The layout process can take several days, if not weeks to complete.

    Then, the actual painting process begins with the smooth layering of the base colors, which in some cases is done with an airbrush. This allows for a very “flat” surface foundation without brush strokes. Each color is masked off separately and then the lettering is usually painted in with fine sable brushes. In some cases, an old style architectural ruling pen is used which allows them to fill the pen well with paint. With the base colors and lettering complete, the shadows and reflections are painted in, followed lastly with the highlights.

    Special holiday event for kids:
    Paper Construction Holiday Decoration workshop inspired by Michael Buscemi artwork
    Saturday, December 14 from 3-5pm RSVP required



Madeline & Peter Powell
Madeline & Peter Powell
Mike Field
Mike Field