"Untitled (U #2)", 2019
acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 22" x 28"
Mom's Dead 1, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #6)", 2019
acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 30" x 24"
Mom's Dead 2, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #7)", 2019
acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom's Dead 4, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #8)", 2019
acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 22" x 28"
Mom's Dead 6, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #11)", 2019
acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom’s Dead-Black and White, 2019
"Untitled (U #12)"
2019, acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom’s Dead-Black Mom, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #15)"
2019, acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom's Dead-Dark Mom, 2020
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #16)"
2020, acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 22" x 28"
Mom's Dead-Night Mom, 2020
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #17)"
2019, acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom's Dead-Red Mom, 2020
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
"Untitled (U #18)"
2019, acrylic & spray paint on dibond, 28" x 22"
Mom’s Dead-White Mom, 2019
archival inkjet pigment print, 30 x 48 inches
Phil Amrhein
I joined 750 Gallery about 20 years ago when it was located in downtown Sacramento between 7th & 8th on J Street. The space was about 500 square feet upstairs on the 2nd floor. Jim Adan, David White, Richard James, and Les Birleson were some of the members (can’t remember all the names). We exhibited members work and curated challenging contemporary shows every month. After a few years the landlord raised the rent, and we were forced to find a new space.
We moved to 25th & R in 2003. It was a large mixed building complex that included two theaters, art studio spaces and our small space (about 300 sq ft). After a couple years the landlord increased the rent, and we were ready to move on. We were looking for a place that was more visible and accessible. At this time member Ron Peetz, and I knew that the Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento located on Del Paso Blvd. was looking for a new space. We talked to their board members and proposed renting a shared space that would house both galleries. Lower rent made our proposal viable for both parties. Louis Greenwald (the Center’s board president) and I spent many days searching the midtown area for a building that could house both galleries. We eventually found an abandoned building on 19th street for rent – great location but needed lots of work (2005). The owner of the building liked the idea of leasing to art galleries, and he was willing to refurbish the building to fit our needs. We were very fortunate. The Center occupied about 2/3 of the building. Our space was small (about 350 sq ft.), but we made it work. The gallery now had a new space, great location, and a new name – Axis Gallery.
Axis was at this location for 9 years. The Center was struggling – board members were leaving and our Gallery was in limbo again. The Center closed in 2014 and their board members joined a new art center – Verge Center for the Arts – housed in a large warehouse building in Sacramento on the corner of 7th and S street. About this same time, Verge offered to rent a corner of their building to us. The space was almost 2000 sq ft. By increasing our membership, the rent was well within our budget. Axis moved to the Verge Center in 2014.
Phil Amrhein is a practicing artist living in Sacramento, Ca. and has been exhibiting his work for over thirty years. He is a graduate of UC Davis with a MA in studio art from CSU Sacramento. Amrhein taught high school art for many years and was a longtime member of Axis Gallery. His current studio focus is “undoing” – a painting series covering or burying images with fields of black.
Tavarus Blackmon
Going back to 2012, I have had an extended and non-traditional relationship with Axis Gallery. Between 2012 and 2014 I submitted artwork to the Axis Annual Exhibition. During my first submissions I was a Film Student, only practicing art part-time and learning about professional practice through trial and error. The work I made then was Art Brut, I was then untrained and, my work was Low-Brow.
Over several years and two Master’s in Art in Studio Art, my work improved and developed. After graduating from UC Davis I was contacted by fellow member, Omar Arason. He asked if I was interested in applying for membership. I was happy to have applied and been admitted as a member. Before I knew much about the Sacramento Art scene, I knew that Axis Gallery was a prominent space for contemporary art. I became a member in 2018.
Tavarus Blackmon, also known by the Anglo-Saxon, Blackmonster, lives with his partner and three children in the City of Trees, Sacramento, California. He earned his MFA as Provost Fellow at the University of California Davis and MA at Sacramento State University. He has been under Fellowship at the Headlands Center for the Arts and the Kala Art Institute. His practice is interdisciplinary and intermedium.