Ron Therrio’s Extraterrestrial Creatures Come to Life in “Wood, Paper and Paint”
On July 5th “Wood, Paper and Paint” opened at the Main Gallery at the Loft in San Pedro. Curated by Michael Stearns, the group exhibition features three artists, Ron Therrio, Michael Falzone as well as its curator/artist Michael Stearns.
I was immediately drawn to what appeared to be extraterrestrial inhabitants. These extraordinary wood sculptures were created by Ron Therrio. As I stared into the mouth of the life sized sculpture named le Feesh, I saw the fluid lines of expression rippling off of the art. These affable creatures shared a wondrous sense of movement and agility. Nine of Therrio’s sculptures are included in the show. Each tells its own gritty story.
Gallery Director Michael Stearns and Therrio recently met at a show in Long Beach. “It was a group show, said Stearns. “And Ron’s sculpture Zargon, because of its size, it’s subject matter, and his process of working with laminated plywood, was very striking. It spoke to his imagination and creativity.”
Therrio in turn, was familiar, and a fan of both Stearns and Michael Falzone’s work. Stearns obviously knew there would be a symbiotic relationship between these artists. Following his intuition, he reached out to Therrio, asking the artist if he would be interested in participating in a three person show, “Wood, Paper and Paint.” It’s a good thing that Therrio said yes…the work beautifully compliments one another to create a strong crafted exhibition.
Stearns said his favorite work in the exhibition was the large sculpture entitled Zargon (for all the reason stated above). He would come to marvel at it in its current home (his own gallery). “As I saw his other work and was surrounded by them in the gallery they started talking to me. There’s a wall piece called Pod, which reminds me of a snowshoe and has a very indigenous feel. The craftsmanship of the wood and other materials is so polished and worthy of a fine cabinet. To me it has an understated spiritual quality.”
Stearns added, “Zargon and le Feesh draw the immediate attention, then visitors enjoy exploring the rest of his work which is very engaging.”
The artist (Ron Therrio) was kind enough to explain his process…”Creating le Feesh was a challenge because of the internal parts of the head.” Standing 69 inches, this is truly an impressive piece.
When asked which was his favorite from the show, the artist replied “Cultural Roulette is my fav…it was a challenge all the way around from the esthetics to the mechanism. It’s a game, one of cultural/colonial genocide.”
When asked which was his favorite from the show, the artist replied “Cultural Roulette is my fav…it was a challenge all the way around from the esthetics to the mechanism. It’s a game, one of cultural/colonial genocide.”
Both Therrio and Stearns said they enjoyed working together. “Michael has focused vision, said Therrio. “He knows what works, communicates his ideas clearly and is easy to work with.” Therrio added, it was a great experience all around. “I enjoyed working with Michael Falzone & Michael Stearns, they are both similar in their ability to combine the mundane, discarded or overlooked castoff elements in our society & turn them into wondrous and truly masterful works of art.”
This is a show worth seeing. Be sure to stop by to see this compelling exhibition and enjoy the work of these three talented artists. 401 S. Mesa Street, San Pedro, CA 90731; 562.400.0544; https://www.michaelstearnsstudio.com/
Find out more about the art of Ron Therrio on his website http://www.rtherrio.com/ or on Instagram @RonTherrio