Jimi Gleason
Biography
Jimi Gleason has spent his career exploring the reflective possibilities of a painterly surface. “By using an iridescent surface coat, I have managed to create visual spaces that respond to both the play of light and the location of the viewer,” he says. Mixing nontraditional materials such as silver deposit with acrylic paints, Gleason’s surfaces are highly reactive to light and shifts in the viewer’s position.
To achieve his luminous surfaces, Gleason utilizes industrial materials - silver nitrate to be exact - in a process he’s been investigating and applying for over a decade. Performing an act of sheer alchemy, Gleason treats acrylic-coated canvases with a chemical mixture, which he then sprays with silver nitrate solution, transforming the surfaces into sterling sheets of metal.
His silver deposit surfaces act as enigmatic mirrors that are activated by the viewer and the environment they are situated in. Light, color and form are injected into the paintings via the external world - through this movement, Gleason hopes to induce a meditative experience for his viewers.
Jimi Gleason was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated with a BA in Fine Art from UC Berkeley in 1985, later moving to New York. Upon his return to California, Jimi worked as a studio assistant for renowned abstract painter, Ed Moses.
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EDUCATION
1985-1986 MFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
1985 BFA, University of California, Berkley, CA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 William Turner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2012 Silver Deposit Paintings, RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2011 Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2011 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2011 Toomey-Tourell Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2011 Samuel Freeman, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2010 Works on paper, Philadelphia, PA
2010 LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2009 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2009 Toomey-Tourell Fine ART, San Francisco, CA
2009 Samuel Freeman, Los Angeles, CA
2008 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2007 Patricia Faure Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2007 Toomey-Tourell Fine ART, San Francisco, CA
2007 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2006 LewAllen Gallery Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2006 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 Kidder-Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2005 Patricia Faure Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2005 Works on paper, Philadelphia, PA
2005 LewAllen Gallery Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2005 Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 Toomey-Tourell Fine ART, San Francisco, CA
2004 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2004 Kidder-Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
2004 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2003 Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 New Urban Art, Phoenix, AZ
2002 Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999 Ewdard Giardina Contemporary Art, Santa Anna, CA
1994 Dakota Studio, New York, NY
1992 637 Gallery, New York, NY
1990 SFA, New York, NY
1988 The World, New York, NY
1987 Clancy Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 Bruno David Gallery, Clayton, MO
2013 Gold Rush, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2013 THICK, a group show, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2012 Mixed Media, a group show, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2010 Just Enough, a group show, R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2010 “Elements of Nature: Selections from the Frederick R. Weismann Art Foundation,” Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA
2009 Royale Projects, Palm Desert, CA
2009 Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2009 “Well Tempered,” RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2009 “A Three Legged Table,” Samuel Freeman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 “The New Irascibles,” AC Projects, Pamona, CA
2009 “East/West,” Royale Projects, Palm Desert, CA
2009 “Gallery Artists,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2009 “The Surface Space II,” Phantom Gallery, Long Beach, CA
2008 “2332,” Huntington Bach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2008 “Ten,” Toomey-Tourell Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
2008 “Liquid Light,” MODAA, Culver City, CA
2008 “Supermarket,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2008 “The Surface of Space,” Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007 “In Focus,” Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
2007 “Reprise,” RB Stevenson Galler, La Jolla, CA
2007 “Liquid Light,” dba Gallery 256, Pomona, CA
2007 “An Eclectic Eye: Selections from the Dan Leach Collection,” Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
2007 “West Coast Abstraction,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2007 “Selected Works,” RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2007 “Pink,” Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA
2007 “Pallette to Palate,” Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 “Abstraction Reduced to White,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 “One Shot,” LA X ART, Los Angeles, CA
2006 “Summer Group Show,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2006 “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” Mandarin Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2006 “Pink III,” Arena One Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2006 “Jimi Gleason and Thomas Zitwitz,” RB Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
2006 “Grey Scale,” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2005 “Incognito,” Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
2005 “Abstract Los Angeles,” Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA
2005 “Mass {RE}Production,” College of Santa Fe, NM
2005 “20/20 Visions,” I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 “Pink,” Patricia Faure Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 “Small Works Exhibit,” LewAllen Contemporary, NM
2004 “Big & Holy,” Cartelle Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 “BIG,” Toomey-Tourell Fine Art, 511 Harrison, San Francisco, CA
2004 “The OsCene,” Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
2004 “Twentieth Anniversary Show,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 “Ed Moses and Jimi Gleason,” Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
2004 “Abstract Los Angeles,” Soho Myriad Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2004 “Heavens Gonna Burn Your Eyes,” Cartelle Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 “Modes and Methods,” Contemporary Art Museum, Amarillo, Texas
2004 “Pink,” Cartelle Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 “White on White,” Patricia Faure Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 “Painting Today,” The Art Institute of California Orange County, Santa Ana, CA
2003 “9th Annual Holiday Group Show,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 “Black and White,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 “SOULdiers,” SCA Gallery, Pomona, CA
2003 “Art X,” Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
2002 “No Pictures Here-Non-Objective Painting from Los Angeles,” dA Center For The Arts, Pomona, CA
2002 “California Dream,” Museum I Magli, Sarezzo (Brescia), Italy
2002 “California Dream,” Museum Forno Fusoria, Tavernole (Brescia), Italy
2002 “Minimal Works,” ANDLAB Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2002 “8th Annual Holiday Group Show;” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 “Rising Tide, Southern California Abstraction 2001,” Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2001 “Group Show,” Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA
2001 “7th Annual Holiday Group Show,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000 “10 Degrees of Abstraction,” Biola University Gallery, La Mirada, CA
2000 “Emulsion,” POST, Los Angeles, CA
2000 “Group Show,” Andrew-Shire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000 “Black and White,” Splendid, Brooklyn, NY
2000 “Nice work if you can get it,” Holly Matter Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
2000 “The Spurgeon Experience II,” Santa Ana, CA
2000 “New Drawings,” Edward Giardina Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
1999 “The Spurgeon Experience,” Santa Ana, CA
1998 “Drawings,” Chimeat Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1998 “Group Show,” POST, Los Angeles, CA
1997 “L.A. Current View: New View, Art Rental and Sales Gallery, Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
1997 “Group Show,” POST, Los Angeles, CA
1993 “Tres Colores,” The Apartment House, Los Angeles, CA
1992 “Made In New York,” Koven Fine Art, New York, NY
1992 “Alphabet City Drawings,” SFA, New York, NY
1991 “New Paintings,” Dakota Studio, New York, NY
1989 “Two from New York,” West End Gallery, Portland, ME
1987 “Oaktown Drawings,” Tony Venegas Gallery, Oakland, CA
1986 “Fort Point,” Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, SF, CA
1984 “Student Show,” Worth Ryder Gallery, U.C. Berkeley, CA
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
1981 Maine Times, “New York Painting,” Calendar
1994 Los Angeles Times, Local
2001 Appearances, “Collective Painters,” Number 27
2002 STILE arte, Anno VII N. 62, 15 Ottobre-15
2002 Catalog, “California Dream,” Museum Forno Fusoria, Tavernole (Brescia), Italy
2003 Phoenix New Times, “Los Angeles Painter at New Urban Art”
2003 Artweek, “Jimi Gleason at Ruth Bachofner,” Volume 34, Issue 9
2004 Catalog, “Big & Holy,” Cartelle Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004 Orange County Register, “Elegance in the Abstract,” Visual Art Show
2004 Los Angeles Times, “Inaugural Exhibition”
2005 Los Angeles Times, “Liquid Light”
2005 Orange County Register, “Artist see white”
2005 Coast Magazine, “ OC’s Blue Chip Artists”
2005 The Philadelphia Inquirer, “ The Layered Look comes to Color Field Painting”
2005 Where Magazine, “Orange County”
2005 OC Metro, “Gallery Row,” Fine Art After hours
2006 Orange County Register, “Bold reflections of nature and light”
2006 San Diego Union-Tribune, “Daydreamers”
2007 San Francisco Chronicle,”Rough around the Edges”
2007 Art Ltd. Magazine, “Artist Profile”
2007 Orange County Register, “Shades of Grey”
2007 Boston Globe, “Centering techniques”
2007 Riviera Magazine, “No Colors Anymore”
2008 ArtScene, “2332,” Vol. 28, No. 3
2009 ArtSlant, Los Angeles.”West/East,” Stacy Davies
2009 San Francisco Chronicle,” Jimi Gleason at Toomey-Tourell,” Kenneth Baker
2009 San Diego Union-Tribune,”Quartet of soloists at La Jolla gallery, ”Robert Pincus
2010 Pasatiempo, “Visions that vary by Vantage,” Michael Abatemarco
2010 Orange Coast Magazine, “Artist Spotlight,” Anastacia Grenda
2010 OC Arts & Culture,”Artist Spotlight: Jimi Gleason,” Roxana Vosough
2010 Riviera Magazine, “Chromatics,” Daniella Walsh
2011 Los Angeles Times, “A Cornucopia of Delights,” David Pagel
2011 OC Arts & Culture, “The Art of Chromatics,” Roxana Vosough
2011 San Francisco Chronicle, “Gleason tilts between fresh, flash,” Kenneth Baker
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Sun American/Kaufman Broad Home Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
The Dan Leach Collection, Tucson, AZ
Dakota Studios, New York, NY
The Voit Companies, Newport Beach, CA
The MGM Grand, Detroit, MI
Armand Hammer Museum
Long Beach Museum of Art
Seattle Art Museum
Tucson Museum of Art