Hope/Wings

New Works by Jane Park Wells

Opening Reception: Friday, August 3rd 2018, 6-9PM

August 3rd, 2018 — September 30th, 2018

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden


(626) 399-1721

From August 3, En Gallery at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden will feature vibrant new paintings by Korean American artist Jane Park Wells.
‍
A trained artist with a BA in Studio Art from Scripps College and an MFA from Claremont Graduate University, Wells has explored both figural and abstract painting as well as collage, but for the last 20 years she has been known primarily for abstract compositions made up of seemingly meandering veins of color interconnecting rhythmically over a hidden grid pattern. At first glance the lines seem random but closer inspection reveals a carefully calculated structure and rhythm.
‍
“The introverted thinker in me is drawn to analytical systems,” Wells explains, “like the parameters of the grid or the mathematical structure that produces rhythm and meter in music.” The union of her analytical side and her emotional, artistic side produces fluid, pulsing lines solidly grounded in mathematical patterning. Her new series Hope/Wings is a continuation of the theme of Hope inspired by the origami cranes – a global symbol of peace and hope. The paintings are positive expressions of hope and wishes for a more compassionate world.
‍
We will host a special Opening Reception for the exhibition on Friday, August 3 from 6pm to 8pm. The exhibition will run through Sunday September 30.

Jane Park Wells New Paintings

Hope/Thousand Origami Cranes

Opening Reception: Tuesday, August 29 2017, 6-9 PM

August 29th, 2017 — September 8th, 2017 

Claremont Graduate University

(909) 621 8071

Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm

Return to Roots Exhibition

Opening Reception: Saturday, July 25, 5-7 PM

July 25th — September 5th, 2015

Ruth Bachofner Gallery
2525 Michigan Ave. G2
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 - 6 PM

Ruth Bachofner Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Jane Park Wells. There will be a reception for the artist Saturday, July 25, 5-7 PM.

In her current body of work, Jane Park Wells continues her long-standing approach of working within the parameters of self-imposed systems, particularly the grid. Wells previously employed this framework as a vehicle for exploring cadences in music, rhythms in Korean dance and growth structures in trees and vines. For this series, she returns to nature via the inspirations of Gyorgy Doczi's “The Power of Limits,” which has been a strong influence on Wells throughout her career. The book explores the underlying order frequently present in nature, and subsequently in art, architecture and design over centuries.

The paintings in Return to Roots essentially revisit her modular Vine series, a project that has evolved over a 20 year period, and is here expanded upon on in approach, scale and medium. Working on panels that range in size from 15” squares to 24” squares, each piece holds a network of undulating lines that weave over and in between fields of color. The linear movements are guided by the constraints of a grid, but never quite resolve into regularity; at times, the lines take on the improvised impression of painterly gestures. Her modular approach allows the lines to connect from one panel to the next, creating a loose rhythm throughout each installation. For this series, Wells places more emphasis on underpainting and creating additional layers and means of connectivity between the panels. As Wells evoloves her formal strategies, she continues to push the limits of constraints created by her systems and sets up both a creative and visual challenge that is at once playful and earnest in approach.

Jane Park Wells received her art education from Scripps College (BFA) and Claremont Graduate University (MFA).