Hasta La Ideas

A simplified color scheme only heightens the drama in Vanessa Prager‘s new collection of works, a series dubbed “Love You Too.” Using only red and blue ink, the L.A.-based artist draws on blank vintage sheet music, illustrating her penchant for both music and Bic Cristal ballpoint pens.

With “Love You Too,” Prager—who tends to bore easily with concepts she has already explored—manifests her personal challenge to create imagery that interests her while repeatedly using the same limited supply of materials.

This unease with repetition also leads Prager to invent new ways of displaying her works. From placing her paintings in a fairytale outdoor terrarium to juxtaposing her works with digital artist Kathy Grayson in a traditional gallery setting, Prager’s creativity just doesn’t quit. Playing with the latent musical theme of “Love You Too,” Prager will debut the collection to a performance by reputed composer Ali Helnwein and The L.A. Contemporary Ensemble.

While admitting to an earnest passion for music (“it’s right up there with painting for me”), her use of vintage music sheets as canvas stems more from “a serious dislike for most sketches” presented as finished items. She also favors the way the images appear visually, with the lines and notes throwing off the impact of the drawing without affecting it entirely.

“Love You Too” will show first in a private exhibit at the new SoHo House West Hollywood on 3 June 2010 and again in an exhibit open to the public on 10 June 2010 at Em & Co. Michael Pena hosts both shows and they will feature the L.A. Contemporary Ensemble.