Hales Gallery is pleased to present a series of new works by Adam Ross, the Pasadena based painter, in his first solo show at the gallery.

Interest in America’s West Coast art scene in recent years has been phenomenal, which has, in part, been attributed to the sunny and laid back nature of its open spaces and cities. Whether there is any truth in this as an influence on the artists living and working in California is a debatable point, but it serves as a useful point of entry into the disquieting, surrealistic abstractions of Adam Ross.

Ross’ earlier works certainly suggest clear, cloudless skies and warm, fuggy air created with immaculately worked oil and alkyd grounds over which Ross picks out forms resembling futuristic townscapes. It is easy to see how a constant flow of Sci-Fi pumped out by the LA film studios and the strange vernacular architecture of the region have influenced and formed Ross’ creative vision.

By contrast, whilst retaining some of the earlier intricately smoothed and shaded shapes, Ross’ recent works have moved on. The harmonious palette has been replaced with sulphurous yellows, acrid blue-black swirls and fiery red plumes suggesting something much filthier and violent. The mediated images of burning oil fields and the smoky air above bomb damaged buildings in Baghdad and Basra replayed over and over on the US networks have certainly had an effect on Ross’ painterly sensibilities.
Generally, Ross’ influences are European in origin. The surrealists, especially Yves Tanguy have had a powerful effect on the early vision that led Ross’ paintings in to this new territory. Ross’ status as half English (his mother is English) has also prompted his enquiry into the landscapes of the British war artists Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash.

The painterly flourishes in Ross’ works are however, distinctively American in origin. Ross is enjoying again the lush paintwork of the Abstract expressionists which has led to a distinctive loosening of the brushwork in his new works. Ross is now even pouring, rollering, stippling and palette knifing the paint onto the canvas.

Ross’ works are widely collected and he is featured in large number of public collections including The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum, The Museum of San Diego and the Orange County Museum of Contemporary Art.