exhibitions

for immediate release


clayton murdach & Travis somerville
november 3 through DECEMBER 8, 2008

cREOSOTE/THE GREAT AMERICAN LET DOWN
Opening reception: SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2008; 6-10PM

OVERTONES gallery is pleased to present a two-person exhibition: CLAY MURDACH’s work in “Creosote” and TRAVIS SOMERVILLE with “The Great American Let Down”.

Clayton Murdach collects things from his urban environment—anything from toys and medical supplies to parts of furniture and electronics, to create assemblages that tell a story about the society we live in. Murdach manipulates the found materials by burning, melting, painting, scratching, welding—almost completely destroying the original design to create anew and discover his own sense of beauty, both within the piece itself and its relationship to the outside world. Murdach’s assemblages/sculptures comment on many aspects of our society by using the detritus of the culture to delve deeper into its structure and narratives, such as the power of the Catholic Church that Murdach experienced as a young child. Clayton Murdach is an emerging artist from Tacoma, Washington and “Creosote” is his first exhibition in Los Angeles.

Travis Somerville’s installation “The Great American Let Down” was inspired by the artist’s visit to New Orleans, post hurricane Katrina. “The Great American Let Down” presents a wooden house, “sinking” into the floor as if in water. There are no windows or doors on the structure, offering no way out. Hand-painted vintage photographs are scattered about the roof of the house, representing the stranded people of New Orleans. “The Great American Let Down” is a potent statement about America and the mishandling of a natural catastrophe that left those in most need without help, and ultimately, homeless, in the richest nation in the world.
Travis Somerville was born in 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia to an Episcopal minister and a school teacher. He grew up in various cities and rural towns throughout the Southern United States and along the Eastern sea board. After a brief stint at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, he settled in San Francisco in 1984 where he attended San Francisco Art Institute. His work is in private collections throughout the United States, and the collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The di Rosa Preserve and The Weithorn Collection. He is a recipient of an Art Council Grant to Individual Artists (2000). Travis Somerville is represented by Nathan Larramendy Gallery in Ojai, CA and Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, CA.

OVERTONES is a contemporary Los Angeles art gallery whose focus is two-fold: supporting and promoting emerging artists in all media; and showcasing work of established artists to inspire the coming generations. OVERTONES gallery is dedicated to searching outside the confines of established art institutions and presenting work that has the potential to engage a wide range of audiences.
For more information please contact Elizabeta Betinski at 310.915.0346 or word@overtonesgallery.com

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