by Garrison Frost

"Twigs Exposed: Six Beach Cities Artists" is the second straight exhibition of local artists at the Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Center, and seems to be emblematic of a new commitment on the part of the city-run space to support the local arts community, such as it is.

While a casual observer might be quick to say that quality is what separates the current exhibit from its predecessor, "Close Proximity, that doesn't quite do the job. Perhaps its easier to say that the difference is a question of scale. Nowhere in twigs will one find any 14-foot long sculptures or giant metal sculptures or slabs of marble or bronze. What you will find are smaller, perhaps more intimate pieces, crafted with simpler materials. And sure, the artists are of a different type than those in "Close Proximity." It might be safe to say that they are one or two gradations lower on the professional artist food chain, but that is not to say that they aren't reaching for the same goals or capable of fine work.

There are several pieces in this exhibition worth seeing. We'll start with Frank Matranga's "Untitled Blue, Untitled White and "Untitled Yellow." We've seen these in other local exhibitions but that's not to say that the whimsical, organic shapes of these ceramics sculptures are any less pleasing. We also liked Matranga's "Six Hidden Dancers," but it's hard to talk about his other work in the show as long as the previously mentioned three are in the room.

Also intriguing are Allen Bollinger's mixed media/oil representations of birch forests. Bollinger is up to something pretty interesting here, flattening the depth of field of a birch grove in much the same way Klimpt did 100 years ago in a similar series. However, Bollinger uses what appear to be old mathematical tables — fading paper — to stand at the birch trees' trunks. Perhaps he's trying to make some statement about technology and nature. Who knows, but it is a pretty cool effect.

Mariann Scolinos has an interesting idea with her mixed media pieces created from painted paper mixed with metal screen and hardware. Problematically, some of these pieces look a bit like lamps and wall sconces; one half expects to find light bulbs in them. Scolinos tries to defeat this interpretation in "The Waves," which features bent screen in a wave-like shape. But this is probably the least successful of her pieces. We much prefer her "Variations."

(A few additions: I didn't mention in the original piece how much I liked Winston Marshall's "Untitled Flag Triptych," although that painting may get the award for the most pointlessly named piece in the show. While I didn't necessarily fall for Marshall's other Rothko-like color fields, the deep green, red and blue of this one really stood out. And I also continue to be amazed by the gallery's rather overt advertising that all the pieces are for sale in this exhibit. When I saw the price sheets in previous shows here on the counter, I was a little surprised, but now I can see that it's part of the policy at the Manhattan Cultural Arts Center to help artists sell their work. Now, this type of thing is far from unusual in public and non-profit spaces, however it's usually done much more quietly, lest it arouse the ire of those who feel that commercial interests are inappropriate here. I'm not sure where I fall on this, but it is interesting. –G.F.)

(Feb. 9, 2003

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