Mark Todd and Catalina Estrada November 2, 2007

La Luz de Jesus Gallery
4633 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90027, 323-666-7667 Fax: 323-663-0243

CATALINA ESTRADA & MARK TODD

November 2 – December 2, 2007
Reception for the artists: Friday, November 2, 8 - 11 pm
www.laluzdejesus.com

CATALINA ESTRADA
Fascinating illusive worlds full of color, enchanting characters and nature burst from Catalina Estrada’s art, graphic design and illustration. Born and raised in Colombia and living in Barcelona since 1999, Estrada brings together the colors and power of Latin-American folklore and refines them with a subtle touch of European sophistication. Touted as a fresh, new design talent by both Communication Arts and Computer Arts Magazines, Estrada’s work has been utilized in advertising, merchandise, apparel, textiles, posters and packaging. Some of her clients include Paul Smith, Nike, Honda, Custo-Barcelon and Chronicle Books. Estrada’s art has been exhibited extensively in group shows, including the "Two Steps Back" exhibition that traveled to Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Rome, Barcelona, Zurich and Tokyo. She has shown solo at galleries in Seattle, Barcelona Spain and Medellin, Colombia. Estrada is currently showing work in the Ink This exhibition, "Dreams & Nightmares" that opened in Leicester, England and will travel to Hong Kong in the fall of 2007.

MARK TODD
Painter, illustrator and author Mark Todd took his first creative cues from comic books and Star Wars: worlds of inventive fantasy that still inform his art. His latest work involves intense scrutiny and alteration of classic comic covers from “Fantastic Four,” “X-Men,” “Iron Man,” “Spiderman” and other series, including the work of legendary illustrators like Jack Kirby. “I love the type, the heavy shadows, the colors and the way they seemed to use very inch of the page,” says Todd. “I sit and study them, and my brush reconstructs them.” Todd is referencing the past, waxing nostalgic about it and simultaneously lending his own post-modern sensibility to it, employing a limited palette, repetition, distortion and mixed media materials including spray paint, cel-vinyl, glossy varnishes and dusty stains. The pieces are rounded at the edges, unframed, appearing as prized objects; tablets encoded with civilization’s most iconic collective wisdom. His work has appeared in scores of publications including Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, Spin, New York Times, the New Yorker and on MTV. Todd graduated with honors in 1993 from Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design, where he has also taught since 2003. He has also written several children’s books, and most recently co-authored “Whatcha Mean, What's A Zine? “ with his wife and fellow artist, Esther Pearl Watson, published in 2006 by Graphia, http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/graphia, 112 pages, ISBN: 0-618-563156, $12.99.

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La Luz de Jesus is located at the Soap Plant/Wacko building, in Los Feliz at 4633 Hollywood Blvd, 90027. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 7pm, Thursday – Saturday: 11am – 9pm and Sunday 12-6pm.

For high resolution jpegs, interview requests and more information contact: Lee Joseph Publicity, 359 E. Magnolia, Suite F., Burbank, CA 91502, [email protected], p (818) 848-2698 f (818) 848-2699

Official Website: http://laluzdejesus.com