New gallery to host Brad Choyt

By Felicia Menard
HippoPress.com

Trish Soule of the Anderson-Soule Gallery just opened her doors and already she's taking the Concord art community by storm.

An opening reception for Brad Choyt (pronounced "Hoyt") on Friday, Oct. 1 was well attended and surpassed expectations.

Choyt's work begins with interlocking pieces of ceramic based on forms he finds in nature. Hanging near his artist statement, Hoyt displays a marvelous found object, a piece of driftwood with rusting nails, holes, striations, and interesting texture and color. Choyt uses this piece as a jumping off point for his enigmatic ceramic work. The works in this show vary in size from diminutive to large scale.

A favorite series in the show is his "Small Works." These are lovely ceramic "paintings" which have been embellished with oil paint, rice paper and encaustic. The complex textures and layers of glaze bring Choyt's nebulous and ethereal dreams to life, at times reminiscent of a young Philip Guston, at times suggestive of Mark Rothko. The aptly named "Rhythm #15" is a delightful expressive piece that dances into one's psyche. The large, amorphous shapes of "Journey #1" and "Journey #2" are at once exciting, simple and complex. An accidental crack resulting from firing becomes a resource for this capable artist.

"Terrains: The Recent Work of Brad Choyt" runs through Nov. 30 at the Anderson-Soule Gallery, Two Capital Plaza, Concord. Call 228-3800 for more information. Hours: Tues., Wed., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thurs., Fri. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Felicia Menard can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com