Brad Coleman: Reproductions was an attentive look at one series of drawings, Coleman’s Sheep series. Upon first glance, the upper gallery appeared to be occupied by twelve identical drawings of one sheep image. However, it was with careful observation, that viewers began to see differences in each drawing and eventually saw a noticeable difference between the first and last drawing.

Inspired by Dolly, the world’s famously cloned sheep in 1996; Coleman began with a photographic reference, each consecutive drawing attempts to meticulously copy the previous one. Through this rigorous endeavor, slight unintentional variances occur, producing what begins as a drawing of a sheep to a drawing of a drawing. Brad Coleman: Reproductions additionally featured works that relate to an expansive field-perspective.

Coleman was born in 1961 and raised in rural northwest Ohio. The figurative element of his work stems from this upbringing, using agricultural imagery and the vastness of the Midwest landscape. At the same time, Coleman’s work is equally rooted in conceptualism. Art critic Elizabeth Janus states, “Brad Coleman willingly enters into current discourse surrounding the relationship between man and the machine, between nature and science, with a vision that recognizes our own precarious place in the universe.”

This was Coleman’s first solo museum exhibition. Brad Coleman: Reproductions was curated by Grace Kook-Anderson, curator of exhibitions at Laguna Art Museum.This exhibition was supported in part by John and Lisa Mansour.