Exhibition / March 26 - May 8, 2010   Artist's Reception / Friday, March 26, 2010 / 7-9pm Artist Talk / Saturday, March 27, 2010 / 11am Artists often see the extraordinary in the mundane, everyday world.  Louisiana artist Troy Dugas brings this phenomenon to an entirely new level.   In our consumer culture, the constant barrage of brand logos is familiar to the point of banality.  Andy Warhol reflected this with his infamously snarky Brillo boxes. Product labels often do little more than subconsciously influence our purchasing habits.  Rather than thoughtlessly dismissing this prosaic printed matter, Dugas is inspired to reconstruct the formal design elements into mesmerizing repetitious forms.  The mandalas and woven compositions he creates are surprisingly beautiful. From a distance, the symmetrical forms have a meditative effect, pulsating with their own rhythm.  A closer look reveals a dizzying array of meticulously placed text fragments, cropped images and other fractured graphic elements of the original label.  The consumer context of the label is transformed into a new and refreshing language, singular to the artist.  While the product of this translation is completely modern, his method is deeply rooted in the domestic traditions of crochet and quilting.  Dugas' abstract minimalistic designs are at once sophisticated, witty and charming.   Troy Dugas holds an MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.  Featured in numerous public and private collections including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art,  his work can be seen in volume 52 of Open Studios Press’ juried publication New American Paintings, the inaugural issue of Studio Visit Magazine (also a juried publication), the New Orleans Art Review, and David Rubin’s book “Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s” available from MIT Press, April, 2010.   Dugas has received numerous accolades including the recent 2009-2010 Pollock-Krasner Grant. Though Troy Dugas has been previously represented by Barbara Archer Gallery, this is his first one-person exhibition in Atlanta.

Landscape I, 2005/2006 54" x 44" vintage prints on wood panel $3500	Ship II, 2010 36" x 48" vintage prints on wood panel $3000	Still Life, 2007 24" x 36" vintage prints on wood panel $1800

First Cabinet, 2009 60" diameter cigar labels on cut paper $5200	Starkist Tuna, 2009 36" x 48" tuna labels on wood panel $3000	Justice 38, 2010 38" diameter cigar labels on cut paper SOLD

Rolling Rock, 2009 42" x 42" beer labels on canvas $4000	Virgin Bourbon, 2009 42" x 42" bourbon labels on canvas SOLD	Jewel Pride Green Beans, 2007 11" x 14" various labels on wood panel $600

Purple Lion, 2007 11" x 14" various labels on wood panel $600	Green Castle, 2007 11" x 14" various labels on wood panel $600	Bourbon Tuna, 2007 11" x 14" various labels on wood panel $600

Odd Moments 60, 2010 60" diameter cigar labels on cut paper $5200	Still Life with Statue, 2007 36" x 24" vintage prints on wood panel $1800	Miller #3, 2006 96" in diameter beer labels on cut paper $4000

Ship I, 2005/2006 36" x 45" vintage prints on wood panel SOLD	Salmon Decagon, 2010 59" x 59" various product labels on paper $6500	Poppies and Dogs, 2008 40" x 32" vintage playing cards on wood panel $2000

The Cowboy and the Ballerina, 2008 40" x 32" vintage playing cards on wood panel $2000	Vodka Tuna Ginger Beer, 2009 36" x 48" various product labels on wood panel $3000	Brown Blunt 38, 2009 38" in diameter cigar labels on cut paper $2000

Blue Sun Ray 48, 2010 48" in diameter cigar labels on cut paper SOLD