[Art Scene]
Bar Basic, Tuesday Night, 5-10-16
“Geise has shown with artists like Richard Alan Morris and Walter Hasse Wojtyla. His work is included in the Vincent Price art collection.”
by Reviewer Rob
SAN DIEGO: Peter Geise was one of the artists in the show at Bar Basic tonight that I got a facebook event reminder of from Viz Cult. He does some photo collage in his painting, with mixed media oils, postage stamps and clippings from magazines. We spoke for a while as he sipped his beer and he lamented the lack of Prince photos in his collection British magazines. There were plenty of Bowie photos though. Good thing because the theme of this show he and another artist did this Tuesday night was “Station To Station”.
Geise, the artist, wanted to so some work with images of Prince and tonight when we talked briefly he was expanding on the fact that Bowie was a talent and influence far beyond the music world he dominated for so long, that his effect on film, fashion, and other realms, was profound. Prince, said Guise, was much smaller in that sense, but a huge artist musically nonetheless.
After we were done talking about Bowie and Prince, Geise asked me what my favorite band was. I was on the spot but he was showing interest so I had to think. I’d been listening to stuff recently he’d probably never heard of. I told him so, and had to repeat the name of an artist he’d never heard of. Then I also mentioned I’d “been listening to some Motorhead lately”, and he nodded in recognition.
I asked which piece took him the most time to make. He said, “That’s the question that artists hate most.” So I shrugged and rephrased it for him.
“Okay, which one took the most effort to birth, which took the most out of you?” I clenched my fists in front of my sternum as if I was a doctor pulling a baby out of a vagina.
He gestured towards an intricate medium-sized red patterned piece that was eye level and began talking about its concept of creation.
While he was saying all this I realized his pattered works are busy and asymmetrical yet well-spaced and harmonious and would make a great pattern for a bathroom shower curtain or bedspread. They had a wallpaper-like quality to them.
He didn’t want to agree at first but I also sensed he liked the comment. Being that visually appealing and commercially applicable is most artist’s secret desire.
Geise didn’t want to be thought of as willing to sellout but hey, we all like to be appreciated and we have to eat don’t we.
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His bio: Geise, a veteran of the San Diego scene, employs drawing, painting and collaged material with a stream of consciousness style. The self taught artist utilizes abstract figures and non objective elements in his work. Geise is influenced by the modern artists of the 20th century. Working along similar methods of Klee, Miro, and Picasso, Geise’s work is an “updating” of 20’s to 60’s abstract art. His work often features biomorphic “figures” or “glyphs” in formal and random or “automatic” compositions. Working in a primitive direction, Geise’s style ranges from folk to street art. Geise works mainly with acrylic paint, collage and colored pencil. Additional influences on composition and theme include music (alternative rock, etc), classic film, “underground” comics, 1950’s Science Fiction, graffiti, and various contemporary themes.
Geise’s work has been featured at the La Jolla Athenaeum and The San Diego Art Institute. Geise has won numerous awards, including 10 best of show awards. Geise has shown with artists like Richard Alan Morris and Walter Hasse Wojtyla. His work is included in the Vincent Price art collection.
Peter Geise can be found online at wonkagallery.com/peter-geise, email wickerfins@gmail,com.
