Material World at Techne Art Center

By Patricia Frischer 

Ye Hongxing detail

Every gallery needs a personal identity. Artists may come and go but the gallery itself has a style and a viewpoint. This is what attracts collectors as well as art consultants. The personality at Techne Art Center is created by Chuck Thomas, the owner/director and it is unusual for San Diego as it is based on Thomas’s connections to the New York Art scene. At Techne Art Center you see not only local talent, but a spread of those from the big apple.

This gallery is a little off the beaten track in north east Oceanside. But the journey, if you are south or north is worth the trouble. The art is always high quality, but each of the artists is showcased like multiple mini one person shows. This takes a large space and Techne has that in spades. 

This is how the current exhibition Material World curated by Thomas and Jason Clay Lewis  can present such a large diversity of mediums in such large quantities. I saw, water, asphalt, acrylic resin, salt, sand, glass, rice paper, cotton fibers, fabric, thread as well as metal, paint, photography, and all sorts of plastic.

By the way, Thai and Sushi on college is a good stop for a meal near by, or go that extra mile for Italian at Ciao. You can feed the body and the soul.

Trevor Amery, Annie Claflin, Ben Godward, Becky Guttin, Ye Hongxing, Adriene Hughes, Monica Loss, Michelle Montjoy, Jason Rohlf, Kline Swonger, and Christana Updegraf and Matthew Bacher.

Downstairs Galleries

Ye Hongxing - Our number one choice for talent to watch in San Diego with incredible details and astonishing scale.

Ye Hongxing

Ye Hongxing

Ye Hongxing

Kline Swonger - Amazing how this very large metal sculpture can look so intimate and intriguing in a smaller space with beautiful lighting

Kline Swonger

Ben Godward - Huge molds were made onsite by this first artist in short residence at Techne. He resides in New York, and his made-on site poured acrylic candy colored flower shapes are a contrast to his angular metal and plastic pieces which were trucked in from LA.

Ben Godward

Jason Rohlf - Work rags are the substrate for colorful patterns in the other New York artist in this show.

Christana Updegraf  - This generations Eva Hesse, these rope pieces seem to be all about flesh

Christana Updegraf 

Trevor Amery -Don’t overlook these subtle slightly strange creations.We recently saw this work at the faculty show at Mesa College. Each one can become your own story.

Trevor Amery

 Matthew Bacher - Hard to be surprised with figurative painting, but this group of swirling distorted bodies kept our attention

Michelle Montjoy - A new direction for this artist, so enjoy the experimentation of these tiny  sculptures. Love the pink floor!

Michelle Montjoy

Michelle Montjoy

Upstairs Galleries

Becky Guttin - Really a mini retrospective with lots of new work in glass and stitched paper.

Becky Guttin

Becky Guttin,

Monica Loss - Another chance to see this artist at Techne, this time with more crocheted hangings

Monica Loss

Adriene Hughes - Luscious colors photographs and felted balls feed  off each other, bringing these images into the third dimension

Adriene Hughes

Annie Claflin - We loved the distorted landscapes in so many different mediums..

Annie Claflin

Annie Claflin

 

Material World  May 3 to July 26, 2025
Trevor Amery, Annie Claflin, Ben Godward, Becky Guttin, Ye Hongxing, Adriene Hughes, Monica Loss, Michelle Montjoy, Jason Rohlf, Kline Swonger, and Christana Updegraf and Matthew Bacher.

Techne Art Center
1609 Ord Way
Oceanside. CA 92056
Chuck Thomas 917.9721.752
Opening Days: Thursday-Saturday 1-6pm