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(R)evolution artist, James Griffith, speaks about his art work. His dislay is current being shown in the Art Gallery until April 3.
Making a connection between art and nature
Cellne West
Staff Writer
@ECCUnionCeline
H
e appeared to be standing next to a group
of close friends as they watched the
video play on an unusually fragmented
screen. Images of a monarch butterfly
landing on lush green foliage, followed
by more images of a familiar world moving on a continual
cycle.
As he mingled through the gallery, Los Angeles artist,
James Griffith could easily be recognized by his popular-
ity among friends and fans who appeared to be as equally
attracted to him as the butterfly was to the foliage.
Griffith reveals through his use of natural elements as
his primary medium, the between
art and nature in his portrayal of Darwin's Theory of
Natural Selection.
"This is about Darwin coming to the scene. Revolu-
tion is about how man was center stage and then Darwin
put it into a perspective where people and animals were
equals," Susanna Meiers, art gallery director, said. "The
revolution is that people didn't think of that as a possibil-
ity. James is talking about his own take on the theory of
evolution intuitively, combined with his own sense of it
too."
Griffith said that he used to do more traditional work
and worked with oils, but 5 years ago, he gave that up.
"Now I use tar, pollen, and ash.
It's more physical and attached to
meaning. Tar is primordial goo,"
Griffith said. "It's from La Brea
Tar Pits."
Darwin was highly into the
idea that nature is self-perpetuat-
ing and that Griffith is trying to
paint those ideas to convey that
poetically.
Before Darwin, nature was
this thing that popped out, and af-
ter that, we were done. But nature
is always changing and the work
suggests the fluidity of nature.
Lei Ann Grace, 19, child-
hood major, was verY. James Griffith's exhibit that can be seen at the Art Gallery.
f l dJJ
1
intrigued by Griffith's work and
thinks that he is "trying to open up
our senses."
"The ears surrounding that painting are sea shells with
ears painted into them," Grace said. "I think art can edu-
cate people, really just by not talking."
Griffith began working on this project one year ago.
He worked with abstract imagery before doing this and
had also done large scale paintings.
"It's different for each artist," Meiers said. "He started
one year ago for the show, which is phenomenal. Artists
don't usually do this much for a particular show. He pro-
duced it."
Griffith's hard work was just something small he put
together but it will continually grow from here.
"Doing the work was a transformational experience.
Making this show took a lot of time. I started it a year
ago, and I'm a different person now," Griffith said, "I only
scratched the surface. This is something that I'm going to
be working with for the rest of my life."