Allegra Lockstadt

beautiful economy in this drawing by Allegra Lockstadt.

Kris Lewis at David B. Smith

On Saturday night we went to the new David B. Smith location (no longer on Santa Fe Dr.) to see the Kris Lewis opening. It was a very good show - you can view it online here. David B. Smith gallery is by far one of the most consistently high-quality and diverse galleries in Denver. If you haven't been to the new space on Wazee (between 15th and 16th) you should. This show will be up through September 12th - which will be here sooner than you think. Here are my two favorites from the show:

Kris Lewis, "Low Tides", Oil on Board, 36x24"

Kris Lewis, "White Flag", Oil on Board, 36x24"

Interestingly, the stripe on the left side of this painting was painted over to be a aspen trunk -which is how it was shown at the gallery. That must have been a late decision because this is the only version I've found of it online.

A Pair, plus one

Mustafa Maluka, "Be Careful where you stand", Acrylic and Oil on Canvas 183 x 133 cm

Travis Egedy, 30X46'' MIXED ON WOOD

Rory Golden

Now Showing - Jenny Morgan and David Mramor Collaborations

On Friday, the show called Vis-A-Visage opened at Object+Thought. It was a high-quality show overall, but the collaborations of Jenny Morgan and David Mramor were my favorites. The piece called "She's Alive" is quite special. Compared to Morgan's solo works, these collaborations are a great new direction that I personally find much more exciting. I am looking forward to seeing how these collaborations may effect her future solo works. The collaborations loosen up the formality of her solo figurative works and in "She's Alive" especially there is a great play of expressive brush-work and mark-making with delicate well-rendered aspects like individual hairs flying out of place. There is also a contrast of flatness with photo-realistic rendering - seen especially in her red hand. The way Morgan and Mramor have brought the abstracted brush work and spray painted sections around and through the figure (note the blue line on the figure's left shoulder) is so alive and exciting. I really loved this work and I am not often inspired by figurative works. If you get a chance to check out the show - if even just for this work - it is well worth it.

Jenny Morgan and David Mramor, "She's Alive"

Plus Gallery intern Brittany Schall recently started a blog - where you can also read about the show. When writing about the same piece, Brittany stated, "The piece She’s Alive is quite remarkable in the entrancing gaze offered by the portrait and in the placement of dynamic color swatches. The figure gives a soul-penetrating stare with her mouth sensually open as she leans forward as if to speak. Diffused florescent pinks and yellows spread themselves over her hair and neck, giving an odd feeling of paranormal luminosity. The larger color sections appear active as they engulf the lower half of the chest region. Bands of vivid blue paint slip in and out of the forefront leaving resonating afterimages. Vibrantly colored lines oriented in reference to the figure gracefully contour the body and convey a sense of movement. The technical execution of this work in conjunction with the unique subject matter makes it an incredible piece of work."

How colourfully each other self unwinds

Here are some beautiful mosly figurative paintings by Kaye Donachie. I love the mysterious qualities these images have and the dramatic titles that sound like lines from plays. They also remind me of the work of Luc Tuymans both in palette and in brushwork.

Kaye Donachie, "How colourfully each other self unwinds", 2005, oil on canvasKaye Donachie, "Your untold dreams I love to see", 2005, oil on canvasKaye Donachie, "During the days, we move along like frightened animals", 2005, oil on canvas Kaye Donachie, "Then between lust and tragedy and I know not what", 2006, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 x 12 1/4 in.

Luc Tuymans, "Der Diagnostiche Blick V", 1992
photo by zwigmar


Luc Tuymans,"Turtle", 2007 , Oil on canvas, 144.88 x 200.39 inches
photo by tee R tee

From the Archives

I've been going through old disks from old computers, and came across several works that I haven't thought about in a while...Here's a couple pieces from the archives that I did during my undergrad studies: (with figures!?!)

Nathan Abels, "Anne Marie", Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas, 48x48", 2002
"To, From, Into" Lithograph on Paper, 16x20" 2001