It Happened at Pomona
This was my first Pacific Standard Time show, and I thought it was a wonderful introduction. When I entered the gallery, I was first struck by the minimalist photographs of Lewis Baltz. There was a series of nine black and white photographs, each having an urban or suburban landscape, and I was drawn to the simplicity and clear architecture of each image. The clean lines represented its subject very well, and the composition itself reminded me of the straightforward, linear life of Southern California suburbia.
I enjoyed Robert Irwin’s piece as well; the clear disk with a hazy, grey strip was mesmerizing, and the similarity in color between the disk and wall created an optical illusion. It was difficult to differentiate the foreground and background, and the shadows cast on the wall made it even more difficult to discern. Even the dark strip, which was the only hard line, was difficult to focus on because of the color gradient.
Another piece that played with light was Tom Eatherton’s “Rise.” Walking into a dark room, you are surrounded by two arching walls of blue, hazy light. Though the walls are a single color, there seems to be depth as you stare into the sheer intensity of blue. The womb-like shape of the room also helped draw your eye to the surrounding black walls, which is an intense contrast to the brightness of the walls of light. The architectural light created a calm, meditative environment, and I found myself going back to the piece before I left the gallery.
The final piece that I saw was by far my favorite: Lloyd Hamrol’s balloon piece. The light pink balloons hanging from the ceiling, the lead wires interspersed throughout the room, and the few inches of reflective, glass-like water on the floor created a seemingly infinite space. Seeing the room through the limited viewspace also made it feel like you were looking in on a different world. I almost missed the piece entirely, since its set-up was so hidden and unexpected.
