TIGHT SPACE presents “We Still Got A Long Way To Go” by Megan Thomas-Melly

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper was playing when Megan Thomas-Melly (b. 1985) came kicking and screaming into this world. She grew up in and around Hartford, Connecticut, but Megan contends that the veteran halls, warehouses and basement shows of Greater New England were more responsible for raising her. Megan attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, graduating with honors and a BFA in Sculpture and a minor in Art History. Her artwork deals with how we communicate, our modern communication’s intricacies, its necessity and its failures, all the while maintaining a feminist perspective on culture. She has utilized drawing, bookmaking, video, installation, performance and sculpture to this end. Megan has exhibited her work consistently throughout the United States, as well as Weimar, Germany. She is currently living, working and caring for two weird cats in Brooklyn, New York.

Her work is available for viewing online: http://meganthomas-mellyfineart.blogspot.com

WE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO will be artist Megan Thomas-Melly’s first solo exhibition. It will be a one night only event (and then by appointment) taking place in a new project space located in the heart of Orange County, California as part of the monthly Santa Ana Art Walks. The show will feature a recontextualized sculptural installation and many works on paper, in cloth and on canvas presenting a hotchpotch of themes related to the artist’s perception of modern (popular and sub-) culture.

Liberty Fine Arts will be exhibiting Claudia Rubio and Armando Hernandez; two artists with very contrasting techniques.
www.liberty-finearts.com

J. Lewis Gallery feature works from Ronald Reekers

Artist Statement:

I wanted to explore the idea of bread.  We have attached many ideas to the value of bread within our culture; we identify money as “Bread”, bread on a table signifies abundance, in our spiritual rituals bread is a center symbol.  These ideas pushed me to a metaphorical look at bread.  Most ideas are faith driven, but others are whimsical and exploratory.  I used a variety of media, such as wood, plaster, mirrors, rope and branches to bring together a cohesive show, but nothing that brings this idea to closure.  I think of this as a work open ended and in progress.  It is important for the viewer to see this as unfinished and open to their experience.

Beamish Photography will be showing the works of Danny Schutt.

Danny Schutt is an artist, graphic designer, and cancer survivor. He works in a variety of mediums, and is continually coming out with something different. Danny is always open to new ideas and draws inspiration from every part of life. Over the last year and a half his life has changed pretty dramatically. Danny battled cancer and was paralyzed by a tumor on his back. He is currently in remission and is working every day on the recovery of his legs. Even though his energy is still pretty low, he does as much as he can to continually create and inspire. Some of his art is featured in the IncredibleArtist gallery in Palm Springs.

Curbside Gallery
Todd is a graduate of San Jose’s photography and fine art’s program and currently resides in the bay area. Todd spent his formative years in Costa Mesa shooting bands all over the place, but primarily at the original Koo’s.
www.apartment50.com

ART from the HIVE is showing graphic art on various mediums from Justin Boatright and paintings by Rene Cardona. Rene will also paint a canvas and limited edition hats live in the southside courtyard next to the band, The New Rome Quartet. In addition to all the great art being displayed… it’s tennis theme at AftH as we will be hosting a Wii Tournament with a trophy to the winner! Limited edition Wii/AftH t-shirts available only May 16th.
More details visit www.ARTfromtheHIVE.com

J. Lewis Gallery will be showing some new stunning works by artist John Lewis.
www.jlewisgallery.com

The Rebel Unit will be featuring Steampunk lamps by Barry Berman, as well as various works by other artists.

Beamish Photography
Blake Beamish is a wedding photographer who has collected a diverse range of travel photographs throughout the years.
www.beamishphotography.com

912 Santa Ana Boulevard will be selling pickled delights and delicious jellies prepared by Master Preserver Delilah Snell of Santa Ana’s eco-friendly store, The Road Less Traveled.

JOJEWKAH is a family owned and operated California based company offering  environmentally conscious apparel, accessories, and fair trade items. JOJEWKAH donates 10% of yearly sales to food banks. At JOJEWKAH we carefully select only the best products for our customers. We hope you enjoy our Eco-friendly product line.
www.jojewkah.com

Kavika Works will host art by traditional and digital artist Tony Cabrera.
http://artbytony.com

Neue Transit Studio
An urban graffiti artist from Ft. Collins, Colorado, Mike Gallegos combines the use of spray cans and acrylic paints to create finished pieces that have a refined quality not often seen with most graffiti artists. His paintings reflect the street art that he is well-known for in the Greater Denver area. The subject matter he paints is very natural, often depicting stylized scenes of mountains and trees, or random animals juxtaposed with graffiti lettering, giving his work a very urban feel.
This is Mike’s first show in California and is definitely one NOT to be missed!
www.myspace.com/mikegallegos

910 Civic Center Drive will be featuring Koury Angelo.
Koury Angelo was born and raised in Temple, Texas. He received his BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin, then seized an opportunity to move to Paris, France where he spent a year working as a staff photographer for Le Figaro and studying his craft at the prestigious Speos Institute of Photography. Koury then moved to New York City where he worked at Milk Studios, facilitating productions for such clients as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, V Mag, Glamour, Interview, Spin, GQ, Coach and others. He has assisted renowned photographers Nathaniel Goldberg, Ben Watts, Greg Kadel and Terry Tsiolis.
www.kouryangelo.com

Salu Gallery proudly presents Sarah Strader. Sarah Strader lives for color–she paints intense insignia that can be found in our environment. Sarah also has been formally trained as an Interior Designer so her vibrant paintings will be juxtaposing her architectural drawings.

This is truly a show that you will not want to miss.
www.sarahstrader.com

OC Loft Gallery will be showing recent photography by Spencer Hoo. In addition, will be having a silent sealed bid auction on various wall art.

Liberty Fine Arts will be showing Liberty’s “Abstracts and Atmospherics”.
www.liberty-finearts.com

Also this month…
Canvas photography, furniture, fragrance, soaps at Sundaze Gallery.

Mike Paxton will be showing and selling beautiful custom mid-century modern furniture pieces in Renere Studios (near South courtyard–just follow the music).