OPENING RECEPTION: 1st THURSDAY, August 5th | From 5-8pm
Sullivan Goss is excited to announce Sea Change, the first solo exhibition for NICOLE STRASBURG in five years. It’s been too long since the gallery has had a show of new paintings by the artist, but it was worth the wait. In the past few years, she has been avidly exploring new ways of approaching color, examining the sky, rendering clouds, and mapping the ocean in all of its many moods. The result is an exhibition full of the shape and wonder of Nature doing its thing.
While paintings such as Marshmallow Fluff and Rainbow Sherbet conjure up visions of confectionary clouds, others, like Bioluminescence and Sonorous Sea, focus on the ever changing surface of the ocean. This new body of work is all about the sky reflected in the ocean as the light shifts between dawn and dusk. A painting of waves whipped by wind reaching up to catch the last rays of a peachy sunset book-ends nicely with a morning meditation of sea silvered by a hint of what the locals call “June gloom.” Many of these larger compositions begin as small gouache studies on paper, which provide a space for pushing color boundaries and getting a feel for new palettes before they stretch out onto a larger panel.
The idea of a Sea Change reveals itself in the show in a few ways; the obvious is the painterly representation of the ocean and its shifting moods. Less obvious is the subtle message of how the artist has pressed herself to change how she approaches her artwork. To put it simply, we see simpler forms, a greater range of mood, and more vivid color. Lastly, Sea Change can be applied to the world in general right now; we are all surfacing, looking to find our place once again after such a tumultuous time.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Nicole Strasburg has been exhibiting with Sullivan Goss for more than 15 years. She is a graduate of the College of Creative Studies at UCSB. Nicole’s work is increasingly sought after by collectors worldwide and has appeared on the cover and within the Sundance catalog as a popular sales item.
Sea change is defined as “a profound or notable transformation, substantial change in perspective, transformation after undergoing various trials or tragedies.”
Which is why Nicole Strasburg thought “Sea Change” would be the perfect title for her first solo exhibition in five years at the Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery in downtown Santa Barbara, where she has been exhibiting for 17 years.
The paintings will be on view through Sept. 27.
“This is my church, my heart,” Nicole Strasburg says of her painting studio, adding, “I’m not a very good plein-air painter, I have no focus for painting when I’m out in the open air.”
Near the ocean, facing east to catch the morning sunrise, Strasburg and her husband have built a tidy freestanding studio. It’s small, yet big enough to fit a large wall for display, counters, storage, islands on rollers, easels and tons of inspiration – including the memories and sensations she brings in from the outside, plein-air world.
SANTA BARBARA — Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery has announced “Sea Change,” artist Nicole Strasburg’s first solo exhibit in five years.
The show is set for July 30 to Sept. 27 at the gallery, located at 11 E. Anapamu St.
The opening reception will take place 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 5 during 1st Thursday.
“In the past few years, she has been avidly exploring new ways of approaching color, examining the sky, rendering clouds, and mapping the ocean in all of its many moods. The result is an exhibition full of the shape and wonder of Nature doing its thing,” the Santa Barbara gallery said in a news release.
