Not for the meek of art

Young Chang

Art dealer Jamie Wilson and artist Bradford Salamon say they speak the

same language. It’s as if they’re conversing in one tongue and assuming

everyone understands. But very few do, and they’re not sure why everyone

doesn’t.

Theirs is the visual language of art, one that makes communication

possible just by looking at something. It happens all the time when the

two go to museums together. In hidden little Chinatown galleries, the

partners bond.

“I just look at her, and I know she gets it,” said Salamon, a

38-year-old artist with an eponymous gallery.

Their first show, “Figuratively Speaking,” will open Sept. 22 at

Square Blue Art Inc. at Bradford Gallery on Newport Boulevard. Square

Blue Art is Wilson’s company. Featuring four artists, Salamon included,

the opening will provide many in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa their first

glimpse into an atypical sort of art in Orange County.

“It’s a new idea on how to look at realistic,” Wilson, 34, said of the

art in the gallery. “We wanted to see something where you could get a

more contemporary, less mainstream” collection.

Here, you won’t find the typical landscapes, seascapes or tropical

watercolors. The images are edgier, more modern and more abstract. The

portraits show every crease and eyelash with a proximity that’s almost

too close for comfort.

“We can bring the quality of a Manhattan show . . . or top galleries

of San Francisco, or even if you wanted to compare it to something in

Laguna Beach, here,” Wilson said. “The collector who lives here doesn’t

have to go out of town.”

And that’s probably how life will get a bit more comfortable for

collector Carl Lovegren. The Newport Beach resident did, in fact, travel

to San Francisco and New York and, yes, even Laguna Beach to purchase

what he calls a “unique” type of art.

“There were certain small galleries that would carry different

artists, but it’s difficult to find them,” the 43-year-old said.

Lovegren bought six pieces from the gallery -- two by Salamon. One of

his portraits is titled “I Told You to Box It.” It’s the only piece where

a face is accompanied by a full figure. The gentleman has a cigarette in

his mouth.

“Mr. Bradford paints the expressions of people,” the collector said.

“That is one of the most difficult areas to paint. There are a lot of

people who paint, but they don’t paint the faces because it’s so

difficult.”

Paintings at the gallery range in price from $350 to $10,000, with the average cost somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000.

“I think if you educate the collector on what to look for, you can

find great work at, really, not high prices,” Wilson said. “And we

believe there are a lot of collectors who don’t know they’re collectors.

They will have an epiphany and awakening to what’s available.”

FYI

WHAT: “Figuratively Speaking”

WHEN: Sept. 22-Oct. 14. An artist’s reception will be held from 6:30

to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

WHERE: Square Blue Art Inc. at Bradford Gallery, 355 Old Newport

Blvd., Newport Beach

COST: Free, but reservations recommended

CALL: (949) 548-1101