TORU SUGITA: NEW PRINTS AND PAINTINGS

September 4^th to September 29^th, 2007

Opening Reception, Thurs., Sept. 6^th, 5:30 to 7:30 PM

Public Talk by Mr. Sugita, Sat., Sept. 8^th, 3:00 PM

San Francisco, CA – Mark Wladika, director of Newmark Gallery San Francisco, announces an exhibit of new prints and paintings by Toru Sugita in September 2007. Mr. Sugita has been a featured artist for the past two years in Newmark Gallery’s annual San Francisco Cityscapes show. This will be Newmark Gallery’s first solo show for Mr. Sugita.

Born in Shiga, Japan in 1964 and trained in fine art and printmaking at Kyoto University and San Francisco State University where he received an MFA in Printmaking, Mr. Sugita has received numerous awards as a master printmaker and been featured in many publications. He is collected in the Achenbach Foundation of Graphic Arts, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California, the Machida Museum of Graphic Arts, Tokyo and The Royal Museum of Antwerp, Belgium among others. Since 2006 he has been an Assistant Professor of Art at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado.

His skill and sensitivity acquired from printmaking, most notably the graphic arrangement of black and white, lends itself well to the lines and shapes of architectural elements in precise etchings, aquatints and oils on canvas. In his words: “I feel moved when sunlight touches an object in the afternoon and visualize the space around me. I wander around to observe shapes of shadows. I realize that shadows make spaces visible. I find myself in the spaces enjoying architecture delineated by sunlight. Buildings and their shadows are layered and blended together creating momentary beauty of colors and shapes. These scenes are temporary, and will change or disappear in the next moment. The graphic nature of black and white allows me to follow the directions of lines and shapes and to describe architectural elements. In my prints and paintings, depth of black and openness of white meet and angular lines intersect to depict temporary nature of light, space, and architecture and myself assimilating to it.”

Newmark Gallery San Francisco is located at 251 Post Street, Suite 412 in the Union Square area of San Francisco. We are committed to representing the highest quality contemporary Bay Area and International art. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 am - 6 pm. Please view our website at www.newmarkgallery.com for more information and upcoming events.

Mr. Sugita’s complete resume and exhibition history can be viewed here: http://www.torusugita.net/biography/biography.html