Schedule:
Exhibition: November 7 through December 6, 2018
Reception: Wed., Nov. 7, 4:00 – 7:00 pm, Artist Talk at 4:30 pm
Gallery Hours: Mon. – Thurs., 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and by appointment
The McNish Gallery at Oxnard College is proud to present, “Trail Work: Notes, Sketches & Signs,” a solo exhibition featuring the work of Luke Matjas. The exhibition will open with a reception on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, 4:00-7:00 pm with an artist talk at 4:30pm. The McNish Gallery is located at 4000 South Rose Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93033.
In Trail Work, artist Luke Matjas combines his longtime interest in the aesthetics of scientific illustration, signage, and the irreverent renderings of skateboard graphics. His clean, sharply stylized drawings seem to stand in contrast to the rugged surroundings he seeks to capture, but there are plenty of crisp edges to be found in nature. Just look at a saw-toothed ridge backlit by the morning sun, or the robust shadow cast beneath a granite boulder, or even the tiny glinting line of a beetle’s leg.
Luke Matjas has exhibited in museums, galleries, alternative spaces, and even scientific conferences. His work has been featured in Jeffrey Vallance’s experimental installations and is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Ventura County. In 2015, Matjas served as the Artist in Residence in Joshua Tree National Park, where he alternated his time between a rustic off-grid cabin and many miles of twisting trails. His work has been included in exhibitions at the UC Davis Design Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Longmont Museum in Colorado, and the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, CA. His first solo museum exhibition was at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oxnard, CA (2016).
Matjas earned his B.A. (1997) from the University of California, San Diego, and his M.F.A. (2002) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Professor of Art and Department Chair at California State University Channel Islands and he can usually be found running amuck, amidst the nearby Conejo Alps and the mighty Santa Monica Mountains.
For more information, contact gallery director Christine Morla at cmorla@vcccd.edu or (805)678-5046
