Artist Reception: Thursday, January 25, 2024 from 5pm to 7 pm The Blue Room at El Nido, 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029 “Lines, Dots, and Thoughts - Before Language" is a captivating exhibition by Shane Guffogg that transcends verbal communication, offering viewers an insightful exploration of artistic expression. Through intricately painted lines and dots forming patterns, Guffogg delves into the genesis of thoughts, creating a visual language that predates spoken words. This exhibition serves as a condensed yet comprehensive survey, providing a glimpse into Shane Guffogg's artistic journey spanning from 1991 to 2018. The carefully curated selection of works presents a visual narrative of Guffogg's evolving creative exploration over 27 years. Guffogg's artistic perspective delves deep into the human experience, contemplating civilizations both historical and contemporary. He views time as interconnecting threads binding all people, seamlessly combining the spiritualism of abstraction with the realism of the old masters. This fusion surpasses conventional distinctions, serving as a powerful testament to thoughts that illuminate our collective identity in the 21st century. The chronological timeline of the exhibition commences with an early ribbon painting, initially resembling an image of the cosmos. However, it reveals itself as a depiction of chance, as Guffogg would often throw pennies onto the floor and paint them as points of light where they landed. The journey continues with Guffogg's distinctive pattern paintings from the 1990s, featuring layers of translucent oil paint on canvas to achieve internal illumination. What sets these works apart is Guffogg's unique approach of overlaying patterns onto the existing ribbons found in his earlier works. Executed with small brushes, the patterns cascade across the canvas, reflecting his meticulous consideration of conscious and subconscious perceptions. The outcome allows viewers to witness dancing light within the artwork, engaging in a visual conversation with the lace-like patterns. In 2009, Guffogg introduced his "At the Still Point" series, drawing inspiration from T.S. Eliot's poem, 'Burnt Norton (No. 1 of Four Quartets).' This series represents a continuous dialogue between past and present, aiming to generate movement from stillness and bring abstract concepts into tangible reality. Unlike typical abstract art, Guffogg's objective is to create a sense of depth. The movement of light through the lines in this series serves as a documentation of his physicality, captured through visible brushstrokes. The lines intricately weave through each brush movement, giving the illusion that the web consists of a single continuous line—a singular moment of time. In essence, "Lines, Dots, and Thoughts" manifest within each of Guffogg's works, collectively speaking of moments of reflection about the nature of being human. - Victoria Chapman, Curator By appointment - Contact: Victoria@vcprojects.art