Visuals 10.19.23

GORDON MORTENSEN

Born in Idaho and raised in Utah, Gordon Mortensen began his education as an artist by accident. In 1978 Mortensen formed his first graphic design studio in Santa Barbara, then moved the business to Palo Alto to take advantage of the rapidly expanding Silicon Valley economy. In 2016, he decided it was time to fully reengage his passion to become an abstract painter. He closed his design business and officially launched his painting career. Since that time he has had many exhibitions of his work in California, including one currently on display through Oct. 26 at the Pacific Grove Art Center in Pacific Grove. The above piece is titled “Waveform No. 3,” part of the exhibit Conversations with Chaos. “Chaos is texture, a primary component in all of my paintings,” Mortensen wrote in an artist statement. “When the chaos is satisfactory, I proceed.” [AP]

MELISSA LOFTON

It is not the first time the Weekly is presenting Big Sur’s Melissa Lofton in this section, but it was impossible to ignore her image of an owl and pussycat on a midnight boat trip. This mixed-media piece is part of Mythic II exhibit, on display throughout October at Carmel Art Association. Lofton led the group of artists participating in an artistic challenge – transcending time and space, weaving together characters from global myths, legends, and folklore. Lofton is a skilled abstract and landscape painter, but she is also fascinated with the possibility of painting a more subjective inner world: dreams, thoughts, the qualities and feelings of living on Earth. [AP]