San Marcos artist challenges expectations, prejudice with 'Lost Exhibition'

By: KIRBY FAIRFAX - For the North County Times | Wednesday, August 9, 2006 11:23 AM PDT ∞

Artist Chris Polentz has thrown down the gauntlet and invites all comers to pick it up at his exhibit, which opens tonight at Escondido's Distinction Gallery.

A veteran illustrator for many major commercial enterprises, Polentz has decided to branch out into the fine arts, and with that move offers his own bold definition of art: "If I can grab 10 people off the street and ask them to copy something and they can't do it, then it's a work of art."

The San Marcos resident realizes his position is controversial in our contemporary artistic climate.

"I don't have a schtick. Maybe I ought to pierce something ... but I think I'm refreshingly normal, and that a lot of people will agree with me. I think art should be uplifting and beautify the world," said Polentz, whose graphic art clients have included Atlantic Records, Cobra Golf, Las Vegas Flamingo Hilton, Mattel Toys, the Grammy Awards, Reebok International and the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

A professor at both Palomar and MiraCosta colleges and Pasadena's Art Center College of Design for the past 20 years, Polentz said he also finds the trajectory of most art schools frustrating.

"The disciplines I teach are being de-emphasized as digital technology continues to take precedence over a thorough grounding in traditional rendering. We have used these principles and practices since the Renaissance. How can they not still be important?"

"So I saw the writing on the wall. My decision to have my own show was based less on an 'a-ha' than on an 'oh no.' I figured maybe fate was giving me a kick in the butt, telling me it was time ---- I just hope fate is going to be kind," he continued.

The genesis for the exhibit at Distinction Gallery occurred in a class Polentz was teaching.

"I was doing a demo in class, but instead of throwing it away, I decided to finish it. And that became my first painting. I was using it to teach technique, but it morphed into my own style. Most of life is accidental, not planned, I find," he added.

That portrait, as with most of his work, was based on a photo he unearthed while doing some historical research. With the features exaggerated for effect, his subjects become almost caricatures of themselves, while simultaneously representing universal themes such as denial, hope and fear.

Painstakingly crafted, the pieces have an illustrative feeling that hearkens back to an earlier aesthetic.

"I paint slowly and meditatively, and as I work I make up stories about the characters in my pictures. I'm creating a made-up world in which everyone is escaping to an island because the world in which they find themselves is a terrible place to live," he explained.

Perhaps because Polentz paints against the grain, he also challenges his fans and potential detractors not to be intimidated by what the art world considers fashionable.

"Make your own decisions about what you like, and even about what you consider art to be. I have my own opinions, many of which are unpopular, but I'm willing to debate the issue."

To join the discussion, check out "The Lost Expedition and Other Curiosities" through Oct. 7, or corner him at the opening reception from 5-8 p.m. Saturday.