Regino Gonzales

I love this new painting by Regino Gonzales. I saw it featured on a blog on Fecal Face. His website says NYC, but he shows with people from the west-coast. The assemblage is wonderful -- bits and pieces of all types of birds, vermin, trees... It's so complex but so well done. What strikes me most though is the Andrew Schoults influences I think I see, and how well they're married to Regino's own style. The colors of this painting are so great -- everything is pretty subdued, but the contrast between that bright blue and everything else just makes the whole thing come to life.

It's interesting that there's such an obvious difference between work from the west coast and work from th east. The west is so much more fun and illustrative, and the east is so much more pretentious and conceptual. Sometimes I feel like New York is trying too hard to be art... and that they just need to chill out a little, like the west coast.

Regardless, I think that both sides produce really interesting work. I'm glad that there's an outlet and market for both kinds, even if it is on the other end of the country.