At the Peppermint Lounge

Painter, illustrator and designer Josh “Shag” Agle is the master of sharp, swinging lounge aesthetic that embraces illustrative finesse, flat perspective, vivid colours and the type of subtle humour that has been described as addictive. He says, “Achieving the slick look of the commercial illustration and design from the '50s and '60s is something that really appeals to me. I take a lot of time trying to keep the paintings sharp and clean, and… working on the colour palettes… I'm just trying to make something that I'd like to look at myself!” The paintings are visually influenced by avant-garde animation of the early fifties and sixties (Terry Toon animated shorts when Gene Deitch headed the studio, Disney's educational short-subjects, beer & cigarette commercials) as well as generic advertising art of the same era (sci-fi pulp art, sixties clip art, etc.). His highly collectable paintings celebrate consumerism through depictions of characters who smoke, drink and socialise in fantasy settings. High profile fans of Shag include Seth Green (Dr Evil's son), Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller, David Arquette who all have Shag originals in their collections. His paintings that are filled with references to popular culture from across the ages capture slices of intriguing moments Jonathan Levine Projects is committed to new and cutting edge art. Our roots go back to 1995 when LeVine's life-long participation in punk and underground music grew into a curatorial experiment with the visual culture that surrounded him. In 2005, he opened Jonathan LeVine Gallery in the Chelsea district of New York City and had great success nurturing the careers of many celebrated artists. In 2017, the gallery relocated to Jersey City with a newfound focus on community and collaboration. The newly named Jonathan LeVine Projects aims to create engaging programs and interesting partnerships beyond the traditional gallery space. With an eye towards honoring and connecting with the history and context of Post War art, Jonathan LeVine Projects explores the terrain of the high/low and everything in between. Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media.