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University Art Museum Exhibits Work of Abstract Artist Linda Day

By Andrea Serna

The late Linda Adair Day, an internationally recognized award winning artist San Pedro resident, is the subject of an exhibition this fall at the University Art Museum at Cal State Long Beach. Among her honors were grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and multiple residency fellowships. A selection of abstract paintings, collages, and drawings will reflect her concern with symbolic language and the structure of “things unseen.” Day, who passed away last year, exhibited and lectured across the U.S. during her relatively brief career. She was recently featured in “PSST: Art in San Pedro 2000-2012.” An innovative voice in her field she was a much loved educator in the Arts Department at CSULB.

Curator Kristina Newhouse has clearly created a labor of love. The title of the exhibition, “Swimming in Paint” refers to one of Day’s favorite expressions a “good day in the studio is one where I’m swimming in paint.” Day derived pleasure from art by immersing herself in an embodied state of inspiration. Paint from her studio, jazz on the radio, even the local street noise served as an inspiration.

Day frequently used physiological terms such as “pulse,” “beat,” and “breath” to describe the oscillation of color and shape she sought to foster in her creations. Day embraces beauty and the sheer tactile joy of manipulating pigment. In horizontally stacked layers of mostly muted colors laid down in wavy and sometimes jagged lines, Day’s paintings display a visible, archeological record of their creation. With her use of vibrant color, Days’ work invites the viewer to participate through interaction.

Much of Day’s work was inspired by digital glitches, the type sometimes created by data corruption on your computer files. This compares to the snow effect that used to appear on our old black and white television wired to rabbit ear antennae. Here, her geometric construction pieces, sometimes assembled with staples and glue, appear as preliminary preparation for larger work to come. These paintings embody light, space, and a sense of speed and sound through the manipulation of color, transparency, and structure. The primitive TV speaker becomes surround sound. Saturated color extends across the screen. Day said “I am dreaming of Vistavision, Cinemascope.”

Exhibit: Swimming in Paint (Sept. 8 – Dec. 9, 2012)
Venue: University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach
Location: 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach

Terelle Jerricks

During his two decade tenure, he has investigated, reported on, written and assisted with hundreds of stories related to environmental concerns, affordable housing, development that exacerbates wealth inequality and the housing crisis, labor issues and community policing or the lack thereof.

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Amanda Fruta says:

August 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm

Thanks for the write up, Andrea. For those that want more information, please read more about our upcoming exhibitions on our website: http://www.csulb.edu/org/uam/EXHIBITIONSupcoming.html

OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, September 8, 2012 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
University Art Museum, CSULB
Free admission | No RSVP Required

Fall Exhibitions | September 8 - December 9, 2012
"Patrick Wilson: Pull"
Acclaimed Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Patrick Wilson presents 23 new abstract geometric paintings in his signature meticulous and sensual style in the Louise Carlson and Robert Gumbiner Galleries.

"Linda Day: Swimming in Paint"
Curator Kristina Newhouse creates an immersive space in the Project Room with an eclectic selection of abstract paintings, collages, and drawings by the late CSULB Art Department Faculty member Linda Adair Day.

"From the Vault"
Important Abstract Expressionist artworks from the museum’s Hampton Collection hang alongside recent acquisitions in the exhibition From the Vault, curated by UAM Director Chris Scoates.

Come out and see world class abstract painting in Long Beach soon!