Los Angeles - October 11, 2004

Pick Floyd

"Wallflower and Other Visions" Exhibit

Each of us has a secret language.

Words, sounds, and images which resonate with particular, unique meanings.

It’s the job of the artists among us to find a way to put down these messages on paper, canvas, vinyl, or cloth. Artist Ambriel Floyd uses mixed media to express herself, creating an extended lexicon of images and beauty for the rest of us to interpret and enjoy. Her new show at Four x Four Gallery, “Wallflower and Other Visions,” features unusual works of art and fashion, comprising elemental forms derived from complex sketches of Floyd’s life, both inner and outer: rural scenes, urban environments, childhood memories of her grandparents’ garden.

What ensues is a series of archetypes (birds, bridges, flowers), repeated and reimagined in different contexts and on different media, from T-shirt to canvas. The effect is not unlike looking at a highly personal Rosetta stone, a cryptic but beautiful map of a cryptic but beautiful person, both deeply individual and strangely communicative.

If that all sounds a bit heady, keep in mind that this is also fashion we’re talking about: Floyd’s designs appear on shirts, hats, and housewares. So shopping is also an option.

See? Floyd speaks your language, too.

“Wallflower and Other Visions” will be on view through November 5 at Four x Four Gallery, 7922 West Third Street, between Edinburgh and Fairfax Avenues, L.A. (323-782-9220).