When you’re visiting art galleries in Laguna Beach, your instinct is probably North Laguna, but don’t forget the LCAD Gallery downtown.
It’s often the most interesting place in town.
Take the upcoming “Parallel Disasters” exhibit, which runs Oct. 6-Nov. 13, with artists Perin Mahler and John Brosio.
In a word, iconoclastic.
It’s art that makes you feel a little unsettled. In other words, good art.
Visit on opening night and meet the artists – two interesting, humble guys who see the world in ways that others don’t.
John Brosio, for example, says he never felt comfortable growing up, so he drew things. He credits the opening of “Star Wars” as a turning point when he was about 10.
“Lots of monsters,” he said. “Lots of Wizard of Oz. I had a crush on The Wicked Witch.”
Brosio, an adjunct faculty member at LCAD, often juxtaposes ordinary life with catastrophe. The results are oddly comforting, as if we know that life balances itself between light and dark.
Mahler, meanwhile, also captures these seemingly contradictory universes of peace and chaos. Most recently he’s chaired the MFA program in painting and drawing at LCAD. His work is represented in several museum collections and prominent private collections.
So take some time out. Visit the LCAD Gallery on Ocean Ave.
Stand in front of these paintings, breathe and reflect on the transient nature of your life.
