Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Brett Baker


              Brett Baker  Night Studio  2009-2015  oil on canvas  30" x 24" 
               eharrisgallery.com

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sheila Lanham

Sheila Lanham  Pollen Cloud ll  2015  oil on panel  12" x 16"
sheilalanham.com

Sheila Lanham's paintings have a totemic quality to them. The imagery reminds me of two of my favorite artists, Forrest Bess and Alan Davie. Her paintings are bold in their use of color and direct in their paint application. The paintings are not too fussy and are abstract with a poetic undertone that imbues them with an almost native american feeling. These modest size works have a power that resonates beyond what one would expect when viewing them.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Alexander Tovborg


Alexander Tovborg  Prometheus (5) 2015  acrylic, felt, gold leaf and collage on canvas
25.5" x 17.75"
nicellebeauchene.com

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Robert Bordo


Robert Bordo  Yankee Dollar  2011  oil on canvas  16" x 20"
sikkemajenkinsco.com

I like the simple solution Bordo has for this elegant little painting. Activating the painted areas with confetti like paint strokes of similar hued red, green and blue pigment lends movement and interest within the formal structure of the compositional grid.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Andrew Seto


                Andrew Seto  Biscuits  2015  oil on canvas  9.75" x8"
                theodoreart.com

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Philip Guston

Philip Guston  Paint Brushes  1978  oil on canvas  42" x 48"

Richard Gray has such an unerring eye for quality work. This Guston is an example of some of the great art he has shown over the many years he has been in Chicago.

When I graduated from SAIC in 1976 I had the hubris to think he would like to see my work with the idea of perhaps showing it in his gallery. I contacted the gallery and made an appointment with him. He was very patrician and cool in demeanor but showed some interest has he looked over works on paper I had brought for him to peruse. He told me to keep working and contact him in a year or so. I never did. 

Lesson: Follow up. Follow up. Follow up. Not that it would mean getting a contract with him but perhaps he could have lead me to another opportunity to follow.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Sterling Ruby

            Sterling Ruby  SP123  2010  spray paint on canvas  96" x 84"
            foxyproduction.com

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Andrew Holmquist


Andrew Holmquist  Secret Of The Ooze  2015  oil and acrylic on canvas  44" x 36"
andrewrafacz.com

Friday, June 19, 2015

Cody Hudson

Cody Hudson  Flat Landed Loop Processor Plus  2015  acrylic and spray paint on panel  24" x 24" 


Cody Hudson is an artist from Chicago. His bold graphic images reference vernacular art as well as fine art and design. He will be in solo show at Left Field Gallery in San Luis Obispo this month that looks interesting.Owner Nick Wilkenson, has given notice that the Central Coast has more going for it than wine.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Chris Johanson

Chris Johanson  Abstract Art With Cosmic Narrative  2014  color print on paper  40" x 44"
paulsonbottpress.com

I like Johanson's work and have for quite some time now. He weaves an interesting line between street art and the critical thinking that encompasses the fine art world. The work always has a simple quality and is not overly cleaver. He works primarily on paper or found wood not canvas so his work does not have a particular preciousness to it. They are always accessible and enjoyable for me to view.

The recent suite of prints produced at Paulson Bott Press in the Bay Area are exceptional in their execution. Using every possible method of intaglio printing at his disposal Johanson has created a well crafted body of work that is not overly reliant on the process of printmaking. However, he has taken full advantage of the process in a fresh and vibrant manner.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Ann Seidman

Ann Seidman  Untitled  2012  water based paint on wood  12" x 12"
anneseidman.com

Ann Seidman continues to develop her geometric abstraction with opaque and translucent elements that enhance the viewers experience. Her painterly surfaces with geometric forms floating in, out and around the compositions are masterful and intoxicating.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Rachel Maginnes


Rachel Maginnes  Balancer (detail)  2013  gesso, acrylic and ink on sanded feedback with drawn thread embroidery  44.5" x  38.5"
plainweavestudios.com

A lot of painters are experimenting with substrates in their work. Maginnes is a painter that borrows from her weaving and textile background. She uses existing fabrics such as feed sacks as well as weaving her own materials then paints, scrapes and sands the work until she finds resolution.

Monday, June 15, 2015

John Smiddy


John Smiddy  Lost Angles  2010  25" x 25"  oil on panel  
john-smiddy.squarespace.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

J.J. Manford


J.J. Manford  Manford And Nanu On The Hill  acrylic, oil and spray paint on canvas 74" x 68"

Monday, June 8, 2015

Stevd DiBenedetto


                  Steve DiBenedetto  Open Container  2015  oil on canvas  20" x 16"
                   davidnolangallery.com

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Wendy McLean


Wendy McLean  Water From The Same Source  2014  oil on cotton  29 3/4" x 19"
wendymcleanartist.wordpress.com

In spite of the Frankenthaler feel to these paintings, I think these minimalist tropes are quite interesting. They say a lot more to me than what they appear to be at first glance. Poetic in every sense of the word.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

David Willburn


David Willburn  Smokey Rose Melted  2015  acrylic, embroidery on muslin  27" x 21"
davidwillburn.com

David Willburn is an artist and friend living and working in the Fort Worth area of Texas.
He makes hi-bred paintings using unconventional media such as thread, felt, and muslin.
I enjoy the formal attributes of the work but even more, I enjoy his pushing the idea of painting into different realms. He has a great sensitivity to his materials and an inner compass that helps guide his work to a successful conclusion.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Will Fowler

Will Fowler  Comet  2012  acrylic on canvas  65" x 78"  
davidkordanskygallery.com