SLEEK, SIMPLE & SENSUAL: Shag's "Pink Elephants" at Corey Helford Gallery!

Though rare, sometimes a press release is just so good that I refuse to alter is…

The term “Pink Elephant” was coined by Jack London in 1913 to describe visions and hallucinations brought on by excessive alcohol consumption. Josh Agle’s (aka Shag) work has always celebrated and advocated the drinking of cocktails and liquor, and his own lifestyle reflected the paintings he created. Agle explains, “I used alcohol as an aid to create art and as a means to escape the expanding responsibilities of a successful art career. I pursued the variations and varieties of drink like the most dedicated stamp collector or fisherman might devote himself to his hobby. Because I was a well-known artist well known for the glorification of cocktails, I drank for free in many bars and restaurants. Painting became something I did between binges.The benders expanded. At some point, the end of one bout of drinking met the beginning of the next. I stopped drinking the day I realized I hadn’t lifted a paint brush in a week. I put my hobby on hold, cut myself off, yelled “last call,” and haven’t had a drop in months. I’m not declaring I’ll never drink again - I cherish my rum too much. But I will give it a long vacation. I do miss it, like one misses a close friend who’s moved to London. In the meantime, I can make paintings about drinking - paintings that embellish, rebuke, condemn, and extol it”. Shag’s current exhibition “Pink Elephants” is a collection of those paintings.

"Pink Elephants" opens on November 23rd with a reception from 7-10PM local time and will be on display until January 11th, 2014 at the Corey Helford Gallery, 8522 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.