Three Reasons Why Jack Reilly’s Art in Shape Makes Math Fun
Florida State grad and Los Angeles resident Jack Reilly is no dummy. An epically talented painter first and foremost, Reilly’s newest exhibition-which focuses on a number of large-scale, geometrically based works-will open on Thursday, January 24, at the Artamo Gallery (11 W. Anapamu St.), with an opening reception taking place on Saturday, January 26, from 5-8 p.m. The pieces take cues and design inspiration from linear mathematical structures and rules, making for a math lesson that’s a far cry from those seventh-grade chalkboard equations.
1) It Brings the Bling: While his design aesthetic might be all numbers and measurements, Reilly’s palette is anything but black and white. Each of the paintings featured in Art in Shape come alive through the use of high-shine acrylics, intensely brilliant colors, and a good deal of gold and silver paint. The texture and shine becomes even more apparent, as Reilly layers colors on top of one another to create a three-dimensional-and ultimately gleaming-finished product.
2) It Finds a Balance: Reilly’s Art is Shape prides itself on its juxtaposition between composition and canvas. While the paintings themselves are almost formulaic in their use of mathematic and geometric construction, the bizarrely shaped canvases that Reilly employs truly alter the way his works come across. Meticulously plotted designs become abstract, enormous works of art through out-there color palettes and almost sculpture-like presentation.
3) He’s Kind of a Big Deal: Long before stepping into his current gig as Art Department chair at CSU Channel Islands, Reilly was making waves in the national art community. A multi-award winner and recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Reilly’s works have also been exhibited in the Los Angeles International Airport, the Aaron Berman Gallery in New York City, actor/comedian/writer Steve Martin’s illustrious personal art collection, and on TV via the Discovery Channel’s In Pursuit of the Shroud program. In other words, this is a big act playing on a small stage. Don’t miss it.
