Unpolarized Light @ George Billis Gallery Los Angeles 4/2013

Press Release:

TODD WILLIAMSON

“UNPOLARIZED LIGHT”

4/6/2013

Todd Williamson’s current body of work continues his exploration of light, gesture, and space.  Unpolarized light is a light wave vibrating or existing in more than one plane and is a fitting analogy for this body of work. The artist is working to depict the disparate and sometimes opposing elements in himself.  He writes, “I am trying to create a body of work that wholly represents all of who I am, the strength of the vertical planes and the passive calm of the horizontal. The anger and passion of the deep movements of color and the calm, tranquil, sexual nature of the lines as they move up the canvas.”

Williamson’s process is as reductive as it is additive - nearly as much paint is removed from the canvas as is applied. It is removed methodically and carefully to bring out the greatest texture and movement and then reapplied to achieve the final vision.  Each painting is, as Marco di Mauro stated his essay on the work, “the visible perception of emotions on canvas” and reflects a moment in what the artist sees in the world around him.  It is his means of depicting the vibrations of color and of emotion.

Williamson writes of his work, “I see the chaos and the uncertainty that exists in the art world and with the use of my textured, parallel lines I attempt to control this chaos. Chaos surrounds us in everyday life. Each time we turn on the news we are inundated with more and more unsettling actions and happenings. My lines help me to lay all that I see out in a readable manner, like the way an ancient fresco is read by a scholar. Each movement, color, gesture, tone, and vibrancy in the work is deeply symbolic and can be read by each person that stands in front of the work and looks into the depths that exist there.”

Unpolarized Light: "Light emitted by the sun, a lamp, or by a candle flame is unpolarized light. Such light waves are created by electric charges that vibrate

in many directions, thus creating a wave that vibrates in many directions. Unpolarized light has a wave that has half its vibrations in the horizontal plane and half in the vertical plane."

George Billis Gallery LA
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
T: 310-838-3685
F: 310-838-3438
www.georgebillis.com/galleryLA.html