Alexander Kroll "a bird is not an ornithologist" 76"x67" 2012 oil on linen
http://www.jamesharrisgallery.com http://www.cb1gallery.com
Controlled exuberance, deft paint handeling, performative, open ended are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind when viewing the new paintings of Alesander Kroll at CB1 gallery in downtown LA. There is a toughness to this group of paintings that is lacking in much of the current work being exhibited in galleries around town. These paintings were hard fought and the final result gives us that evidence. Kroll builds on the vocabulary of abstract painting and in doing so has found an authentic voice. His expansive fields of color are loosely held together with an ambiguous structure the sets up an unusual dialectic. Raw linen interacts with impasto and wash to become portals to a new way of seeing what painting can be.
Jim Lee
"Behind the Drapes, Under the Draft" 2012 acrylic on canvas with plywood and staples
27"x21"x6.5"
http://www.nicellebeauchene.com
"Whether it's pieces of wood, a slice of linen, graphite marks, oil, latex paint, rubber, aluminum, I try to be open and not get caught up with prescribed hierarchies. I don't want to have limitations when I work----I want more possibilities." Quote from interview on www.paintersbread.com
Lees' work is idiosyncratic, multifaceted, straight forward, ambiguous, questioning, intriguing, Steeped in history while jumping of the cliff of certainty. These odd configurations are very satisfying to say the least.
Zak Prekop "Untitled Transparency" oil and paper on canvas 72"x48" 2012
http://www.thomasduncangallery.com
Zak Prekop's new paintings at Thomas Duncan Gallery are obvious and obfuscated at the same time. Prekop gives the viewer the opportunity to decipher his take on perception and at the same time takes care not to give too much away on how he crafts his elegant efforts. The viewer is left with a quizzical sense of satisfaction and wonder. The artist has developed a strong sense of what problems and pleasures can be derived from intuitive rule making and deft paint handling. The show is not to be missed if you are in LA the month of November.
