James Entz: "In Depth"
PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
EVENT: Porterville College Art Show: In Depth: New Works by James Entz
DATES OF SHOW: November 8 – 30, 2023
ARTIST’S OPENING RECEPTION: November 8th, 5 -7 pm at the Porterville College Art Gallery
GALLERY HOURS: Monday – Thursday from 12 – 2 pm and 4 – 6 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The public is invited to the exhibition In Depth: New Works by James Entz at the Porterville College Art Gallery. The public is also invited to meet the artist at the Artist’s Opening Reception, where refreshments will be served (free of charge) on Tuesday, November 8th, from 5 - 7 pm, at the PC Art Gallery.
James Entz's work melds painting with sculpture, blurring the divide between the two forms. His sculptural paintings rigorously explore color, texture, and the evolution of their creation. Through a process of layered accumulation, each work, when cut into, displays the historical strata of its own making. Entz’s work embodies his belief that "The thicker it is, the more truthful it is." As he describes in his Artist Statement:
"These works are layered, excavated, cut away, and shaped, becoming embodiments of my studio practice—'Letting go of that and choosing this.' — Tao Te Ching (Ch. 12)"
In Entz's Law of Thickness, he advances a critical connection between material substance and expressive depth. By repurposing paint culled from previous works, Entz crafts pieces rich in history and intimate detail. His paintings draw viewers into a generational continuum, each bearing the enduring legacy of its artistic ancestry. The artworks ultimately demonstrate a sophisticated process that celebrates both the addition and subtraction of paint as a material, revealing profound histories that lie beneath the surface.
Biography
James Entz was educated at University of California, Irvine, where he received a B.A. in Studio Art and at Otis College of Art and Design, in Los Angeles, where he earned a M.F.A. in Painting. Entz has exhibited throughout the West in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and in Central California, including solo exhibitions at Fig Tree Gallery (where he has been a member since 1988) and the Fresno Art Museum. He currently is Professor of Art at Porterville College. Entz has appeared as featured artist on Works in Progress on KMTF (Valley Public T.V.)—A program featuring Central California Artists. He’s participated in Washington State’s Art in Public Places Program where eight artworks have been purchased and placed in public institutions. Numerous publications— newspapers, magazines, journals, and one book—have published his artwork, articles about his artwork, his writing, and poems. His artworks are in numerous private collections.
During the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to engage deeply with Entz's philosophy of painting. The show will run from November 8 to November 30, 2023. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 12 to 2 pm and 4 to 6 pm. The public is encouraged to attend the Opening Reception on Tuesday, November 8th, from 5 -7 pm, where refreshments will be served (complimentary), also at the PC Art Gallery. Parking is free and available to the public.
For more information, please contact Theodore Lyons at theodore.lyons@portervillecollege.edu.
