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GINA MINICHINO
HAPPY ACCIDENTS September 9 - October 7, 2023 Opening reception: Saturday, September 9, 4-7pm |
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Billis Williams Gallery is pleased to present Gina Minichino: Happy Accidents the gallery’s third exhibition of the artist’s oil paintings of classic American junk food. The exhibition features ten 12x16 inch paintings and continues through October 7th.
Gina Minichino’s classical portraits of contemporary edible treats harken back to the 17th Century Dutch Masters. In this new series she takes it a step further - instead of the cracked nuts or sliced apples that appear in the classic works, Minichino has painted a spilled can of Spaghetti-Os, a tipped container of Lucky Charms, and fallen ice cream cones. Beautifully rendered on a neutral ground, Minichino’s very formal compositions are whimsical, playful, and a technical tour de force capturing a moment that will not last: a spoon standing in ice cream that will soon be too melted to hold it upright, a DQ cone balanced momentarily on its cracked and melting hard shell topping, ketchup slowing running out of a bottle on its side.
Minichino paints a very modern subject but her paintings are heavily influenced by Dutch and Flemish masters’ use of light and composition. Similarly, Minichino draws on the 17th Century Dutch still life tradition, which depicted food in a way that almost reified it in sumptuous stillness. Minichino’s work has a subdued, almost gothic sense of isolation despite its subject matter which convey a simultaneous sense of both exuberance and loneliness.
After studying cartooning at School of Visual Arts in New York City, Minichino started painting. She discovered a true talent for rendering and as she says, “really got a kick out” of painting as photo realistically as she could. Over the years she discovered that being photo realistic wasn’t the most important thing to her - her desire is to portray the subjects in a realistic way, but also to pull the viewer in to see the brush strokes.
When working on a painting, Minichino examines the packaging and considers the well thought out design that a team of graphic artists created. Rendering and recreating the texture of the foods with the contrast of the smooth, shiny or waxy packaging is a challenge that Minichino enjoys. Her works tend to have a quiet contemplative look - her desire is for the viewer to look closely at these objects and possibly see them with a new appreciation, and to preserve the art and design of these iconic products from the times she lives in.
Gina Minichino (b. USA) received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1990 and has exhibited throughout the United States. Her illustration work has been widely published and her paintings most recently appeared in American Art Collector Magazine. She lives and works in New Jersey.
For all press inquiries, please contact 310.838.3685 or [email protected]
For all other inquiries, please contact Tressa Williams at [email protected]
Gina Minichino’s classical portraits of contemporary edible treats harken back to the 17th Century Dutch Masters. In this new series she takes it a step further - instead of the cracked nuts or sliced apples that appear in the classic works, Minichino has painted a spilled can of Spaghetti-Os, a tipped container of Lucky Charms, and fallen ice cream cones. Beautifully rendered on a neutral ground, Minichino’s very formal compositions are whimsical, playful, and a technical tour de force capturing a moment that will not last: a spoon standing in ice cream that will soon be too melted to hold it upright, a DQ cone balanced momentarily on its cracked and melting hard shell topping, ketchup slowing running out of a bottle on its side.
Minichino paints a very modern subject but her paintings are heavily influenced by Dutch and Flemish masters’ use of light and composition. Similarly, Minichino draws on the 17th Century Dutch still life tradition, which depicted food in a way that almost reified it in sumptuous stillness. Minichino’s work has a subdued, almost gothic sense of isolation despite its subject matter which convey a simultaneous sense of both exuberance and loneliness.
After studying cartooning at School of Visual Arts in New York City, Minichino started painting. She discovered a true talent for rendering and as she says, “really got a kick out” of painting as photo realistically as she could. Over the years she discovered that being photo realistic wasn’t the most important thing to her - her desire is to portray the subjects in a realistic way, but also to pull the viewer in to see the brush strokes.
When working on a painting, Minichino examines the packaging and considers the well thought out design that a team of graphic artists created. Rendering and recreating the texture of the foods with the contrast of the smooth, shiny or waxy packaging is a challenge that Minichino enjoys. Her works tend to have a quiet contemplative look - her desire is for the viewer to look closely at these objects and possibly see them with a new appreciation, and to preserve the art and design of these iconic products from the times she lives in.
Gina Minichino (b. USA) received her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1990 and has exhibited throughout the United States. Her illustration work has been widely published and her paintings most recently appeared in American Art Collector Magazine. She lives and works in New Jersey.
For all press inquiries, please contact 310.838.3685 or [email protected]
For all other inquiries, please contact Tressa Williams at [email protected]
VIEW EXHIBITION
Billis Williams Gallery opened as George Billis Gallery Los Angeles in 2004. Tressa Williams joined as director in 2009 and became partner in 2021. Billis Williams Gallery builds on the Billis legacy and shows emerging to mid-career artists with a special focus on Southern California painters. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting exceptional work in richly varied visual vocabularies ranging from abstraction to photorealism.
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com