The latest show at Wilde Meyer, "Live in Color" opened on Thursday, March 31st and features new work by
Sherri Belassen and
Ryan Hale.
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Left: Sherri Belassen "At What Cost" oil on canvas 60" x 36"
Right: Ryan Hale "Go West" acrylic on canvas 60" x 72" |
Ryan creates his abstract paintings with drywall and palette knives, using mainly red and ochre tones. He pairs these colors against each other to see how they’ll interact. His work looks spontaneous, but, actually, he says he’s very methodical, applying his paint thoughtfully and changing directions as the piece comes together.
Ryan told me that he’s influenced by aerial photography! Plots of developed areas coinciding with undeveloped land, roads and buildings all inspire his geometric compositions. His painting entitled “Through the City” implies the congestion and energy of city life. My eyes rest on the white form in the center, but all around shapes are colliding.
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| Ryan Hale "Through the City" acrylic on canvas 60" x 48" |
In
“Building Up,” he contrasts organized linear “roads” with the chaos of free-floating patches of color.
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| Ryan Hale "Building Up" acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" |
Sherri paints with gusto and a free, yet strong style. Her work is all about the paint – the subject is there to help her explore and show many levels of colors and textures. For example, in
“Splash” she uses large blocks of color to create interesting geometric shapes around the figure of a diver, whose body is defined by layers of paint scraped away to reveal another multitude of colors underneath.
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| Sherri Belassen "Splash" oil on canvas 48" x 30" |
It’s a very effective technique, used in most of her paintings. Many of the titles of Sherri’s work convey irony and humor, as in
“At What Cost."
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| Sherri Belassen "At What Cost?" oil on canvas 60" x 36" |
This is a strong show, with two painters who have contributed very interesting paintings.
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Left: Ryan Hale "Past Futures" acrylic on canvas 36" x 72"
Right: Sherri Belassen "Olas Surfers" oil on canvas 36" x 48" |
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Left: Ryan Hale "Thoughts Abound" Warming Day: I, II, III
(Right) Ryan Hale, 6 pieces: Warming Day: I, II, III & Late Afternoon I, II, III |
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| Sherri Belassen "Play" oil on canvas 48" x 72" |
"Live in Color" continues through April 16, 2011.
Our next show will be at
our gallery in Tucson: a group show featuring art by
Alix Stefan,
Robert Anderson,
Sarah Webber,
Michael Baum,
Chaille Trevor and
Judith D'Agostino called "
Nature's Visual Poetry," opening on April 14, 2011, 5-7pm.
