MEDIA RELEASE   TONY SCHERMAN & R. KENTON NELSON EXHIBITIONS FEATURING RECENT PAINTINGS AT SCOTT WHITE CONTEMPORARY ART MAY 24 - JULY 5, 2003 Lecture & Opening Reception: Saturday, May 24, 5-7 pm   San Diego, CA - For Immediate Release Scott White Contemporary Art is pleased to announce the forthcoming solo exhibitions featuring recent paintings by Tony Scherman and R. Kenton Nelson. The exhibitions will be available for viewing beginning Saturday, May 24 through Saturday, July 5, 2003. Gallery I will feature new encaustic paintings by Tony Scherman from his new series "The Seduction of Oedipus". This exhibition follows two critically acclaimed series Chasing Napoleon and The Blue Highway, which toured selected museums throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The series Chasing Napoleon was also published as a book by Cameron & Hollis publishing, and features essays by Hans Belting, Jacques Henric, Sanford Kwinter, Bruce Mau, and David Moos. Tony was recently featured in a six-page editorial in the November 2002 issue of Art in America. His works are included in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Denver Museum of Art, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, among others. In each series he executes, Tony portrays historical, contemporary, or literary figures in the context of personal and public identity, and the discrepancy that lies therein. In 1974, after observing Jasper Johns' flag paintings and collages of the 1950's, Scherman began using the encaustic medium exclusively. Since then, Scherman has established himself as a contemporary master of the encaustic medium, and his technique has been compared to that of Johns'. In his closely cropped portraits, Tony uses micro-crystalline wax mixed with oil pigments to depict what is beyond the surface of the figures - to reveal the inner soul or psyche. The saturated surface of his paintings separates the viewer from the image underneath, much as the public persona of a figure often conflicts with their personal or intended identity. The work from his new series, The Seduction of Oedipus is premised on an alternate interpretation of Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex. This exhibition is the U.S. premiere of the works from the series The Seduction of Oedipus. Gallery II will feature new paintings by R. Kenton Nelson. Nelson attended Long Beach State University and the Otis Parsons Art Institute in Los Angeles. He has exhibited in much of California and New York, and in Seattle, Santa Fe, and London. Influenced by American Regionalism, American scene painting, and the work of the WPA artists of the 1930's, Nelson depicts engaging images of historic or contemporary scenes, utilizing rich color and depicting light that is nostalgic, yet timeless. The figures depicted are heroic and bold, and appear within a landscape or an architectural setting. In his artist's statement, Nelson states that he paints to "intrigue, inspire, or engage the viewer, using the paintings as a suggestion or a preface to a narrative." A preview of these exhibitions can be viewed by visiting our website: www.scottwhiteart.com Contact: Aki Kameyama, Marketing Coordinator - 858.551.5821   Gallery Information: Scott White Contemporary Art has assisted in developing private and public collections for over two decades. Since 1991, the gallery has committed itself to the promotion of emerging and mid-career artists, the majority of which are represented in the permanent collections of contemporary art museums throughout the world. SWCA features contemporary painting, prints, sculptures, and photography from the United States, Canada, and Europe. In addition, Scott White Contemporary Art represents private collections and estates for the acquisitioning and deaccessioning of artwork by significant modern and contemporary artists.   Scott White Contemporary Art 7661 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, California 92037 Phone. 858.551.5821 Fax. 858.551.5822 Hours: Tue. - Sat. 9-5 p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon.   ####