On May 24th, Michael Ramstead will be debuting "Bygone" in the Thinkspace project room, a body of work featuring new works. Inspired by the Old Masters, the Long Beach-based artist portrays surreal moody oil paintings that hint at a paranormal influence. His highly refined painting skills evoke details that delve into the darkness that lies within the complexity of human emotions. His narratives usually reveal a subject silently pondering on what the viewer can only guess to be an intense moment of inner tribulation. "Bygone" exposes Ramstead's "fascination with the psychological disquietude of the surreal to the creation of quasi-mythological hybrid creatures". His ambiguous settings often make it difficult to distinguish whether his paintings are a pop surrealist portrayal of early 20th Century Americana or a rural "gothic" inspired take on an eerie occurrence. The unsettling factor of these renditions is heightened by Ramstead's juxtaposing elements, such as animal and human, the pastoral with the nightmare, and the contemporary with the historical.
Take a look at a few preview images via the gallery of Ramstead's work in progress at his studio.
Saturday, May 24th 6-9 pm
Thinkspace Gallery
6009 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
www.thinkspacegallery.com
