JUSTIN TEISL
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THE LIGHT TAKES US
Justin Teisl
solo exhibition at
Mercury 20 Gallery
475 25th St. Oakland, CA 94612
MAY 5 - JUNE 10, 2023

Gallery hours: 12-5pm Fridays and Saturdays and by appointment

Opening Reception and artist talk: Saturday May 6, 4-6pm

First Friday Art Murmur:
May 5, 5-9pm
June 2, 5-9pm

In this collection produced over the last two years, Justin Teisl has infused his mixed media landscape paintings with an abundance of light. After a dark 2020, during which time Teisl produced a black and white series, he returned to his colorful paintings and added some rays of sunlight to the compositions. This was a natural addition to his landscapes; for years he’s been focused on the light sky seen through gaps in trees, the detailed shapes created by that negative space, and the act of looking equally at an image’s positive and negative space. The new element of sunlight sets his paintings in a more specific setting, that golden hour when the sun is closing in on the horizon and providing dramatic and intense yet peaceful bright light. Still, there’s a subtle element of anxiety in Justin’s work; in most of these pieces the image is doubled, with the second image being offset from the first, creating a feeling of vibration, movement when there should be still, the concern about, or possibility of, imminent destruction.

Teisl’s paintings are made with layers of paint separated by many layers of clear epoxy resin. At up to three centimeters thick, these paintings have a physicality and subtle parallax effect that is best experienced in person. The images are all hand painted; in the case of the rays of light, each line is rendered with carefully thinned acrylic paint applied with a refillable marker against a straightedge. Solid shapes that define light between branches and leaves are meticulously rendered with very small paint brushes and a patient, steady hand. All very labor intensive and deliberate, Teisl’s work speaks to a desire for control in a world that’s unpredictable and chaotic.

Another Day. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $2,500
The Day Is Ending. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $2,000
To Lose Ourselves. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $4,850
To Pieces. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $4,850
Alarm. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Resistance. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Exhaustion. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Anticipation. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Exposure. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Processing. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $850
Silent Acquiescence. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $1,250
Between Divergent Lines. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $1,250
Something To Chase. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $1,250
Hope Lies In Eclipse. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $4,850
Set Free In Waves. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $4,850
Fade Away With Me. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $4,850
In Pursuit. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $2,250
The Light Takes Us. Acrylic, resin, and oil on wood. $5,300
Copyright 2023 Justin Teisl
  • Justin Teisl
  • Portfolio
  • Available Work
  • The Light Takes Us
  • Info/Contact/CV