Page 17 - the NOISE February 2014

The Sky by Wiliam Ambrose is among the full variety of pieces by a sextet of artists at the MOCAF opening February 6.
PoWeRHoUSe PoRTRAiTS
If you missed their opening last month, fret not. The Museum of Contemporary Art Flagstaff (MOCAF) is hosting a second art show party 6PM Thursday, February 6 featuring new portrait paintings by Flagstaff heavy hitters William Ambrose, Jake Stan- house (aka Heavy Metal Jake), Jacques Cazaubon Seronde, Billy Fefer, Mike Frick, and Erica Vhay. If you’re not familiar with some of these names, it is one of the reasons why the group was formed.
The idea for MOCAF was born out of a shared love of paint and a general dis- satisfaction with the spaces available in Flagstaff to show art. To clarify, it is not an actual museum. It is a gallery space within Mr. Seronde’s home — the side wing of an old archeological building in downtown Mr. Seronde renovated into a living space. After a show together in Dallas, Messrs. Seronde and Ambrose noted the concrete floors and white walls would make an ideal space to present art.
“Finding a good wall for a painting in town seemed harder than it should be,” says Mr. Seronde. “And I heard more and more paint- ers talking about how they wished there was a new space to show, some place casual, but not a coffee shop or restaurant, with white walls, good lighting — a professional fine art environment.”
Mr. Seronde chose the name as a way to differentiate their space from other institu- tions and private galleries in town (MOCAF is not taking any profits from sales); and give a nod to the great museums they all love.
“At the most basic level, we did not have a satisfactory space for openings in town so we’re making one. Before MOCA Flagstaff, it
meant living and working in town and show- ing elsewhere,” says Mr. Ambrose, who has exhibited his work in Dallas, Portland, Los Angeles and London. “Now it means I can get together with fellow painters I admire, and for the first time show in a space that re- spects our work the way we do.”
Each of the six artists in the collective have their own unique approach, style and effect, but are all currently focused on portraits. Taken together, the 30-some pieces are a tell- ing slice of the myriad ways of perceiving and expressing the same general subject matter.
Mr. Ambrose combines shadowy grays and blacks with splashes of color to create an almost sculptural effect, and will show one large oil and four small experimental wa- tercolors he made sitting on the edge of his bathtub with the shower running. Mr. Stan- house will show acrylics and ink on wood heavily influenced by his interest in occult mysticism and esoteric thought.
Ms. Fefer, who used to work under another undisclosed name, is a successful artist who shows in Telluride and Philadelphia, but hasn’t shown in Flagstaff in about a decade. Ms. Fe- fer’s work dances on the edge of the illustra- tive, placing exaggerated, forlorn figures in sparse landscapes. Mr. Seronde’s dappled figures are simultaneously contemporary and impressionistic, sliding between form and ab- straction, solidity and disintegration.
“This is a show by painters for painters,” says Mr. Ambrose. “An insider’s show. When we meet, it feels like we’re planning a bank heist.”
At this point, MOCAF is still in an experimen- tal phase, and it is undetermined as of yet how often the group will host events. With its air of intrigue and the underground, check this one out while you can. 650 Coconino Avenue.
>> CoNTiNUeD oN PAGe 18
thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • FEBRUARY 2014 • 17