The Art Program at California State University Channel Islands (CI) has announced an upcoming exhibition by Douglas Alvarez entitled, “The Basic Nature of Things” at the CI Exhibitions Art Gallery located in old town Camarillo. The public is invited to an opening reception to be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9. The exhibition will continue through Sept. 30.

Douglas Alvarez received his BA in Art from California State University, Northridge and maintains a studio in Studio City, CA. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in Los Angeles and the Southern California area, New York City, and Berlin, Germany.

Daily life is Doug Alvarez’s muse. Beauty seems to emanate from decaying walls, strange people, old cars, strip malls and endless advertisements. In a world, which at first glance seems bleak at best, nature and sunlight manage to overcome negativity. Having grown up in Southern California during the 70s and 80s, Alvarez captures the sensibility of a simpler time and place, a counter balance to the evolving complexities of 21st century life.

Utilizing a pallet knife to apply his paint, Alvarez creates distressed surfaces as a foundation for his stylized subjects. Exploring images of human contact with inanimate objects, the artist invites the viewer to ponder these strange interactions. Commonplace objects such as an ice cream cone or a skateboard or serve to represent positive solutions to the human dilemma. Regardless of the bleak situations depicted in his thought-provoking paintings, a metaphorical rainbow of happiness and sunlight seems to prevail.

The art gallery is located at 92 Palm Drive, Camarillo and is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, contact the CI Art Program at 805-437-8570, e-mail art@csuci.edu, or visit: http://art.csuci.edu/gallery.

Image: Lemonade by Doug Alvarez. All rights reserved to the artist.