Edward Cella Art & Architecture presents two new exhibitions, “Rema Ghuloum: Love is a Feeling” and “Jeffrey Vallance: Other Animals,” on view from Jan. 12 to March 16. An opening reception will be held for both shows on Jan. 12 from 6-8 p.m.

The works presented in the exhibition “Other Animals” showcase the range of animals artist Jeffrey Vallance has investigated, and also reference his childhood in California, travels to the Polynesian Islands and Iceland, and more. (photo courtesy of Edward Cella)

“Love is a Feeling” is painter and sculptor Ghuloum’s debut exhibition. Her vibrant abstract paintings show influences among such artists as Edouard Vuillard, Giorgio Morandi, Claude Monet and the lyrical works of Alma Thomas, Joan Mitchell and Lee Krasner.

Ghuloum’s improvisational processes are fluid and indirectly inform one another. She focuses on the ways in which one sees, feels, recalls and absorbs an experience, then translates and transforms this into paintings. These works emerge from a slow buildup of the surface with stains of paint and sanding in between to preserve the previous layers. Patterns and shapes are manifested through these mercurial actions.

“Other Animals” is a survey exhibition of Vallance’s animal paintings and drawings made over the past 40 years. Deploying an array of techniques, the works presented in the exhibition direct attention to the wide range of animals Vallance has investigated. In many of the works, there is aggressive mark making which he makes by scratching the surface with pure emotion. Other works are more carefully articulated, showing off his meticulous draftsmanship with a rendered image that is entirely his own.

Known for his critical and humorous eye, Vallance’s drawings, performances, sculptures and installations often reference his childhood in California, voyages to the Polynesian Islands and Iceland, residences in Texas, Las Vegas and the Arctic, and travels to the Vatican. The artist’s examination of these experiences combines a pseudo-anthropological approach with an art historically informed practice, and addresses themes of faith, myth, ritual and popular culture, along with the geopolitical landscapes of the past and present.

Edward Cella Art & Architecture is located at 2754 S. La Cienega Blvd. For information, visit edwardcella.com