On Sunday, March 12, the Triton Museum of Art (1505 Warburton Ave.) celebrated another artist reception with over 500 art enthusiasts in attendance. The reception celebrated the opening of three new shows–Bill Gould’s “Unlikely Elements: the Rhythm of Repetition,” a 30 work collection of Doug Glovaski donated by an anonymous art patron, and the “Salon at the Triton: Statewide 2D Competition and Exhibition.”
The reception buzzed with excitement as locals scoured the museum looking for plaques posted next to the winning art of the 2D competition. Bob Nugent–the artist, art educator, and curator responsible for the Triton’s recent exhibit “Imagery Art for Wine Collection” served as this year’s juror for the four award categories (painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography). The Best of Show award winner was selected by the Triton’s Curatorial team. Jennifer Sturgill won with her piece, “Globe (Monument)” and now has the opportunity to present a solo show at the Museum.
Of course, visitors had plenty of other art to enjoy. Viewers of Doug Glovaski’s mostly oil transfer drawings inspired by Swiss artist Paul Klee were fascinated by his use of deceptively simple, intuitive-seeming designs. The “consistent, fluid” lines of these pieces are created by objects found around an artist’s house–small forks, etching scribes, a dress pattern pouncer (for dotted lines), and even old letterpress tools. While Glovaski is now working in a more geometric style, these pieces are “very representative of my work,” he explained. Glovaski, once an on-call installer for SF MOMA, now lives and creates full time in Spreckles, CA. He certainly has plenty of time to create art, estimating he has easily “2,000 works at home” and hopes to continue exhibiting his designs. “It’s my first museum show ever,” Glovaski said. “I hope [this exhibit] starts a chain reaction for more of my work.”
Inside the main rotunda space, the crowd vied to study Bill Gould’s collection. Gould, along with his business partner Martin Hochroth, runs the firm Artik: Art and Architecture which brings a blend of natural themes to human-created structures for public spaces around the Bay Area. Read about Gould’s exhibit at the Trition here: www.santaclaraweekly.com/2017/Issue-11/bill-gould-melds-manmade-and-nature-in-new-exhibit.html
“Orchards,” his site-specific work for the Triton, exemplifies this flair for bringing the outdoors in. Gould explains, “What I am trying to do is replicate real things in the world–wind, moving water, fire, trees.” Visitors marveled at the piece, for, hanging from the rotunda are literally hundreds of various-length cable lines dripping with thousands of individually sliced segments of preserved citrus fruits. The effect– like walking into a bright, natural grotto filled with colorful and delicate stalagmites–sets a tone for his collection.
Another highlight of Gould’s solo show included the large-scale “Andrew Hill’s Dream”–laser-cut Masonite panels cut based on an upward view of a Redwood tree. These panels, set along the Triton’s glass windows, lead the viewer to see two visions of trees–the panels themselves and the trees in the Triton’s garden outside peeking through the holes in the panels. This piece, destined for production at Andrew Hill High School, reflects Gould’s love for designing work for schools. “I believe kids who are exposed to art at a young age are more likely to enjoy and appreciate art, and also to enjoy making it. Good art is nuanced and makes you think–it is more about creating questions than answers; it’s also about exploring ideas, limits, and edges, and so it’s good training for critical thinking,” Gould said.
Adults also have the opportunity to enjoy Gould’s work too. The artist has generously donated his services to create a site-specific installation designed for a home or yard as a Triton auction prize, held on April 29. Even if you aren’t planning on bidding, visitors will have a chance to see all these exhibits through the end of April at the Triton.