Welcome to Julie Baker Fine Art

Tad Lauritzen Wright: Sugar Coated
Opens Friday, April 7, 6 – 9pm
April 7, 2006 – May 7, 2006
Open Monday - Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm

I Am Better Than the Last Painting, Tad Lauritzen Wright, 2005

>> preview the art of Tad Lauritzen Wright

“These paintings and drawings - sometimes happy, sometimes hilarious, sometimes beautiful and sometimes just plain smart - are reminders of another way of seeing that everyone used to know how to do, back before television, Gameboys or Instant Messaging were ever dreamed of, once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when looking at something meant really seeing it.”

- Maria Porges on the work of Tad Lauritzen Wright

Julie Baker Fine Art is pleased to present a solo show of paintings and drawings by Memphis artist Tad Lauritzen Wright. Wright's work is a mixture of collage, collected memories, wit and pop culture that entice the viewer to interact with the work. His continuous line pencil and conte drawings which range in subject from the “Beautiful Kama Sutra” to “Beautiful 18 Holes” and “Beautiful Traffic Jam” engage as you follow his hand from beginning to end. Says Wright, “One-line drawings are another example of my efforts to bring interaction to the work. These time-based works involve drawing one continuous line to form various images in a somewhat subjective approach. The intricacy of the line is contrasted by the simplicity of the images depicted. Images are not necessarily readily discernable and the viewer must follow or study the line to discover the content of the piece”

In this exhibition his narrative word string paintings such as “Boy Scout” and “Tinkerbell” focus on our culture's desire to connect through personal ads but with his own blend of sardonic humor. Also on view in Sugar Coated are Wright's word search paintings such as “Prisoner's Dictionary” and “Blind Date”. One is reminded of grade school puzzles but is quickly reminded that the tone is clearly adult. Tad Lauritzen Wright's most direct pieces are his cartoon-like acrylics, playful and to the point. There is a special “Wright language” in these that is up to the viewer to decipher. Says Wright, “ These works function as riddles that allow insight into the meaning of the work…The figures, words, and symbolic markings that fill my work are my own synthesis of culture, both past and present, creating what I consider visual poetry." Wright's most recent works are collages that include his doodles, personal lists and random thoughts alongside childhood memorabilia, newspaper ads and painting. They appear to be a new direction for Wright, less structured, more chaotic but beautifully balanced. The viewer is allowed much more personal access to Wright and his inner thoughts and struggles as evidenced in the hyper scrawl of “I am better than my last painting.”

Lauritzen has exhibited at the David Lusk Gallery in Memphis, Barbara Archer Gallery in Atlanta, Scope Art Fair, New York, San Francisco International Fine Art Exposition, New York's Park Avenue Armory, Virginia's Muscarelle Museum of Art, The University of Memphis Art Museum and elsewhere, and his work can be seen in public collections in Memphis, Houston, Dallas and Oceanside, CA. This is his first solo exhibition in California.

The opening reception is also the launch of the JBFA store and gallery in our new location at 246 Commercial Street in downtown Nevada City. We will feature contemporary design objects including accessories for women, men, kids and the home. We will also now sell a selection of books on contemporary art, the literary publication Zyzzyva and monthly art magazine Artweek. We are also expanding our jewelry lines to include Cameron Cox, Jessica Cusik, Cheryl Freemen of Fazul Design, Amy Tavern, Amy Schilling, Kristiana Spaulding Michelle Stitz, Beth Van Dusen, the Zellerbach collection and many more.