Primary Color Inspired by The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau

In antiquity, ________ was sacred, a symbol of light, warmth, and prosperity. As time progressed ________ became more mixed in its associations, even nefarious.  In medieval Europe: greenish ________ came to signify demonic sulfur and bile, the color of forgers, lawless knights, Judas, and Lucifer―while warm ________ recalled honey and gold, serving as a sign of pleasure and abundance. In Asia, ________ has generally had a positive meaning. In ancient China, ________ clothing was reserved for the emperor, while in India the color is associated with happiness. Today in certain Asian countries, ________ is the color of Buddhism, whose temple doors are marked with it.  

But how do artists work with ________ today particularly in Southern California? 

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What is color, beyond the visual manifestation of energy?  How does color affect mood, mental formations, and the body’s response to its physical environment?  How can it be manipulated and harnessed to produce specific mind expanding and consciousness altering experiences?  These are some of the ideas that Ricardo Harris-Fuentes plays with in the presentation of his paintings, which he conceives of as interdimensional portals for healing and transformation.

Anita Kucharczyk  looks for light in color. Strongly influenced by the Light and Space Movement, she has a deep interest in how the luminous properties of a painting alter our perception of reality and how they affect our feelings. Each color and its visual properties carry a specific emotional resonance and—when used properly—can convey a spectrum of emotions to the viewer.

Grapefruit, a citrus hybrid native to Barbados, holds a special place in the heart of Alisa Ochoa. Her neighbor, whose tree produces an abundance of these fruits, graciously shares them with her family. The flavor is incomparable—like sipping liquid sunshine. Ochoa’s ceramic sculpture, intricately crafted to capture the season’s final grapefruit, serves as a reminder that more of these golden delights are yet to come.

Not-Yet-Spoiled Fruits, is a series of small orbital, embodiment fiber sculptures by Jynx Prado.  Presented in Primary Color, “I AM” and “BLOOM” (both 2023), are two of twenty individuals works in the series.  The two sculptures are based on “Biblically-accurate angels” and the short life of fruits as they decay in people’s homes, forgotten as they decompose. Jynx presents these sculptures as the most simplistic form of a body, both genderless and timeless for most people, like fruit, either devoured and enjoyed, or forgotten and discarded in regret. The words used are both intertwined within philosophical ideas surrounding human existence or the progression of life. Currently a new series of “Spoiled Fruits” is in the works. 

Enchiladas verdes con arroz y frijoles is part of a series of works that focus on the experience of cuisine and non-linear time. Often food has the ability to navigate spaces where people can’t, to cross borders, to cross oceans, and to enter homes. Through this work, Jose Guadalupe Sanchez III wants viewers to consider the complex layers and histories of food, our cravings for it, and who we share it with. 

Katya Usvitsky makes sculpture referencing body and gender. The work is process oriented and is deliberately slow and meditative. The pieces embody a delicate balance of structure and fluidity, referencing the tension between rigidity and softness, control and surrender. Yellow is a divisive color but has been Usvitsky’s favorite as long as she can remember and she uses it in her work often. In addition to being positive or joyful, yellow is a tart flavor and can be cautionary, loud or garish. Its wide range is likely what keeps Usvitsky coming back to it time and time again.