Being There

art is my vessel, emotions drives paintings, love keeps it in motion.Phone Booth Gallery began organizing and curating art exhibitions in April 2008. Migrating all around Southern California, and now located on Broadway in Long Beach, we have since become known worldwide for our unique stable of artists, our modest method of operation, and our exceptional selection of printed art editions. The “Originals” section of the site is a small sampling of the work we have available outside of our normal exhibition schedule, but if you are looking for a specific piece or work by a certain artist, we will do our best to fulfill special requests. Many of the artists we work with are available for commissions, and we love working on new projects. Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the 12th century for simple decoration, but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. Thickness of coat has considerable bearing on time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly.Phone Booth Gallery is pleased to present “Reimagined,” an exhibition of new works that re-interpret old masterpieces. Each artist in the show chose a historical artwork to respond to – maybe “Cyclops” by French symbolist Odilon Redon, or paper cutouts by tale-spinner Hans Christian Andersen. The results range from whimsical to startling, and as contemporary artists’ toy with its forms, the authority of history becomes less and less weighty. The exhibition opens with a reception on August 4th, from 7-10 p.m. This all-ages event will take place at Phone Booth Gallery’s exhibition space, 2533 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90803. “Reimagined” will remain on view through September 18th, both at the exhibition space and on www.phoneboothgallery.com. “The burden of history” is a millstone for some artists. How do you add to a lineage that includes Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein or Willem de Kooning? How do you take inspiration from the historical artists who have informed your taste, even your worldview, while still saying something new?= Some artists in “Reimagined” take a subtle approach to masterworks. In Sarai Villalobos’ rendition of Winslow Homer’s 1873 painting “The Farmyard,” the little girl Homer once painted wearing boots with a serene smile on her face, now