The Accomplished Liar

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 Founded In 1991, originally as Copro/Nason Fine Arts began as an entity to curate art exhibitions at museums and local galleries and publish lithograph & silk-screen prints. The first contemporary cutting edge artists that Copro/Nason worked with were Mark Ryden, Robert Williams, Big Daddy Roth, Shag, Pizz, Von Dutch, Coop and many others. In 1999 Copro/Nason Gallery was opened In Culver City and soon transcended the limits of Lowbrow. By incorporating gothic-inspired visons of fantasy, horror, and surrealistic excesses into an ambitious program, mixing acknowledged masters with newer talents such as Sas Christian, Amy Sol, Audrey Kawasaki, Lori Earley and many others Copro/Nason soon began to take shape. Copro 20th anniversary - group art exhibition WHERE: Copro Gallery - Bergamot Station Arts Complex 2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5, Santa Monica , CA 90404 Ph: 310/829-2156 E-Mail: CoproGallery@Live.com Web: www.CoproGallery.com WHAT: Copro 20th anniversary - group art exhibition WHEN: Exhibit runs; August 17 – September 7, 2013 Opening Reception: Saturday August 17, 2013 - 8:00 – 11:30 p.m. Contact: Gary Pressman, Gallery Director Copro Gallery Copro Gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary. Hatched from a friendship of Douglas Nason and Greg Escalante, that began when Doug bought a Robert Williams seriagraph from Greg that he published in 1989, Copro Nason Fine Art Publishing was formed in 1993. Publishing several serigraphs with Robert Williams, Big Daddy Roth, Sandow Birk, Russell Crotty and many other luminaries during the 1990’s and curating several group shows, Greg Escalante, Douglas Nason and occasionally Gary Pressman collaborated with many artists during the beginnings of the Lowbrow / Pop Surreal movement. Greg Escalante's art juggernaut led him to co-found Juxtapoz Magazine as well as sit on the board of several local art museums during this time and working with Doug Nason curated many important museum exhibitions as well as gallery shows. Copro/Nason didn’t have a permanent venue until December1999 when Copro/Nason Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media.