Upcoming Exhibition

West with the Night

New work by Nathan Abels

Public Reception, Friday, June 13, 6-9pm
June 13 - July 4, 2014

Rule Gallery Pop-up exhibition being held at
Hinterland Gallery
3254 Walnut St, Denver, Colorado

"This Is What It's Like"

Sarah McKenzie at Rule Gallery Opening Friday

Sarah McKenzie, a friend and fellow Colorado artist whose work I greatly admire has an opening tomorrow night. As it turns out I will have a few newer works in the group show in the back as well including my recent moon painting and the small mountain painting called "further".

One thing I love about Sarah's work is how varied her paint application can be on one canvas - something that rarely translates well online. There are parts that are thick and pasty, parts that are washy and so thin you can see the weave of the canavs and other parts that are very flat. I took this detail photo today to give you an idea:

Concreate/Abstract is a very solid show - highly recommended. See you tomorrow night.

Opening Tonight at Rule

Gregory Hayes "Primary Array #9 (Triadic Harmony)" acrylic on canvas 12in x 12in 2009
_________________________
Gregory Hayes - re-seeing, Recent Paintings
...Exhibit opens Friday, October 1, 6-9p.
Exhibition runs October 1 - November 13, 2010

New works from Gregory Hayes. Group show "Detention" including: Christine Buchsbaum, Joseph Coniff, Hector Madera Gonzalez, Dmitri Obergfell, Zach Reini.
_________________________

Gregory’s current direction in art is a series of paintings based on the behavior of prime numbers. He is exposing their elusive ability to create shapes and patterns when they are distributed in set ranges on predetermined arrays. There are many unanswered questions about prime numbers and why they behave as they do. In these paintings he is acting as an interpreter of his own vision, but following the set rules of prime numbers in mathematics; to perhaps discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers.

Gregory is also exploring the idea of brush-less painting using a paint drip method. This involves applying paint to the surface of the canvas and allowing it to form natural concave circles. Gravitational force causes the paint to form these circles in a very uniform manner. This also adds a subtle 3 dimensional aspect to the traditional 2 dimensional painting, giving the viewer the ability to engage more in the painting’s viewing space.

Gregory is a graduate of the State University of New York and Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. He is now attending Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York for his MFA in Painting.

(from the press release)

Rule Gallery - Editor's Choice for Top of the Town 2010

In the current (July) issue of 5280 magazine, the Editor's Choice for "Top of the Town" Art gallery went to Rule. They write,

"Ask 100 people for their favorite art gallery, and you'll get 100 different answers. But if you enjoy art for its sheer simplicity, you won't be disappointed at Rule. Specializing in minimalist work, this gallery on Broadway showcases—at most—two dozen pieces of contemporary art, both local and national, every six weeks. Pieces include everything from midscale installations to photo imagery to paintings. Take a late-afternoon lunch along the SoBo corridor, follow it up with a visit to Rule, and get lost in the edgy visions of artists like Pard Morrison and Nathan Abels."

Today is the last day of "Natural Causes"

If you haven't been down to Rule Gallery yet, today is the last day to see my exhibition and the show I curated. Don't miss out!

Examiner: Best art exhibition for February 2010: Nathan Abels at RULE Gallery

Read the article here.

Anthony Farfalla of Examiner dot com writes;

"Nathan Abels’ latest work depicts a solemn and dark figment of nature. The Denver painter's solo show, appropriately titled ‘Natural Causes,’ is a collection of ghostly paintings exploring various landscapes and their inhabitants. Each painting captures a moment of an on-going event that seems to play forward in the viewer’s mind. Intimate portrayals of wildlife and desperate cityscapes compile a beautiful showing.

Of the collection, the piece ‘Lost to Sight,’ seems to capture the talent and creativity of Abels’ work. The painting depicts a startling scene as a mountain lion approaches a young deer. Deep within the woods, the images is set in a fantastic night light, creating a dark sense of solitude.

The show runs through March at RULE Gallery (227 North Broadway, Denver). In conjunction with the exhibit, Nathan Abels has also curated a small group show including the work of Alan Kitchen, Mindy Bray, Eric Lo Presti, Alexander Binder, Jason Stopa, and Yoshitomo Saito."

Natural Causes pdf catalog

Natural Causes pdf Catalog (click to download pdf)

• The 20 page pdf catalog includes installation images, images of my work, and images of the works in the curated show. The curated group show is made up of site-specific work by Mindy Bray, paintings from New York artists Jason Stopa and Eric LoPresti, photographs by German photographer Alexander Binder, works on paper by Alan Kitchen, and new bronze work by Yoshitomo Saito.
• Also included is a curatorial statement by me, and an introductory essay by Christopher Reiger, and excerpts from the Denver Post article reviewing the curated show.

Update

The opening on Friday was a well-attended success. Thanks to everyone who came out. There was a article in Sunday's Denver Post about the part of the exhibition that I curated in which Kyle MacMillan wrote that it was a "welcome burst of freshness" and that I had chosen six artists "who share [my] meticulous attention to detail and fascination with the less obvious, sometimes indistinct aspects of the world around [me]."

"Natural Causes"

My solo show “Natural Causes” opens tonight at Rule Gallery -the opening reception is from 6-9 pm. The exhibition will run through March 20th. I have curated a group show to go along with my show - it is made up of Alan Kitchen, Mindy Bray, Eric Lo Presti, Alexander Binder, Jason Stopa, and Yoshitomo Saito.

My statement for the exhibition reads:

The works in “Natural Causes” explore the landscape and its inhabitants with each image depicting a visual pause in an ongoing event. What I am capturing in these paused moments is a sense of “straining at particles of light in the midst of great darkness.” (Keats)

Here are the works in the show - some you may have seen previously and some that I haven't posted until today:

“Wildfire”, Acrylic on Panel, 42×60″

"Half-Seeing", Acrylic on Panel, 36x48"

"Lost to Sight", Ink and Acrylic on Paper, 22x30"

"Passage", Acrylic on Panel, 24x48"

"Kairos",Acrylic on Panel, 36x48"

"Harbinger", Acrylic on Panel, 11x14"

"Sullen Roar", Acrylic on Panel, 36x48"

"Floating", Charcoal, Graphite and Pastel on Paper, 20x24"

"Murmur", Charcoal, Graphite and Pastel on Paper, 20x24"

"Portent", Charcoal, Graphite and Pastel on Paper, 20x24"

A Preview of "Natural Causes"

My work can be seen in the background and in the foreground is a cut felt piece by Mindy Bray - photo by Valerie Santerli

Seen here - Mindy Bray's site-specific wall painting, two small works by Jason Stopa and a painting by Eric LoPresti - photo by Valerie Santerli

Photos of the entire exhibition will be up on Friday. Stay tuned...

Things are falling into place

Here's a photo of things as they were on Saturday. As of yesterday, Mindy Bray's site specific work directly on the wall of the gallery is nearing completion (you can see her working in the background of the above photo) and nine out of ten of my works are installed. We will be laying out the group exhibition for installation this afternoon. It is a real honor to present my work with such a talented and inspiring group of artists.

Less than a week...

I'll be back to more regular posting after next week. Hope to see everyone in the area at Rule this coming Friday.

"Natural Causes" update

As previously mentioned, my opening is next Friday (February 5th). I'm holding out on you a little because I have almost five new works that won't be posted online until the opening. Here are a few of the things for you to look forward to:

• A pdf catalog of the works in the exhibition including images of my work as well as the works in the curated show
• The catalog includes a curatorial statement by me, and an introductory essay by Christopher Reiger.
• Five of my never-before exhibited large works and four works on paper.
• A curated show with site-specific work by Mindy Bray, paintings from New York artists Jason Stopa and Eric LoPresti, photographs by German photographer Alexander Binder, works on paper by Alan Kitchen, and new bronze work by Yoshitomo Saito.

"Natural Causes" opening February 5th

My solo show “Natural Causes” will open February 5th at Rule Gallery with an opening reception from 6-9 pm. The exhibition will run through March 20th. In conjunction with my show I have curated a group show made up of Alan Kitchen, Mindy Bray, Eric Lo Presti, Alexander Binder, Jason Stopa, and Yoshitomo Saito.

My statement for the exhibition reads:

The works in “Natural Causes” explore the landscape and its inhabitants with each image depicting a visual pause in an ongoing event. What I am capturing in these paused moments is a sense of “straining at particles of light in the midst of great darkness.” (Keats)

New Work: "Passage"

"Passage", Acrylic on Panel, 24x48"

I've been working on that face since Thanksgiving. Finished it this morning and I'm glad it is done. It will be in the upcoming show at Rule Gallery.

Upcoming Exhibition

I'm sorry I've missed a couple of days - I'm also sorry to report that my posting may be a little sparse in the next month or so because I have a show opening on February 5 and I have tons of work to do. Expect to see some of the progress here. Mark your calendars:

• February 5 - March 20, 2010
  Nathan Abels
  Natural Causes at Rule Gallery
  
  Also on view:
  Alan Kitchen, Mindy Bray, Eric Lo Presti, Alexander Binder, Jason Stopa, and Yoshitomo Saito
  
  Opening Reception:
  Friday Feb. 5, 2010, 6-9pm
  Show runs through March 20, 2010

Opening Tonight

Last time I stopped by Rule they were installing this show and it is exquisite. Highly recommended. There are lots of good openings tonight (First Friday) - get the full list at Denverarts.org.

Opening at Rule Tonight

Opening @ RULE Gallery, Friday, July 10, 6-9

"Stills" in the Denver Post

I have copied my new review into this blog - fully illustrated, in case you unaware of some of his references:

Nathan Abels' own stamp

Haunting imagery permeates young painter's exhibit at Rule Gallery

By Kyle MacMillan
Denver Post Fine Arts Critic

Posted: 01/16/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

Nathan Abels, an Indiana native who moved to Denver in 2007, is spotlighted in his first solo exhibition at the Rule Gallery. Among the 12 works on view is
"Central City," 2008, acrylic on panel, 24 by 36 inches.

The shadowy silhouette of a building and the glow of a dozen or so windows are all that can be seen through the fog in Alex Katz's hushed nighttime view of New York City, "New Year's Eve" (1990).

Borrowing some of the innovative approaches he employs in his more widely known portraits, Katz merges representation and abstraction in the oil on canvas, a highlight of Denver Art Museum's collection of modern and contemporary art.

Alex Katz, "New Year's Eve"

Nathan Abels, a highly promising 28-year-old artist who moved to Denver in 2007, takes up

where Katz left off in "Stills," a striking new group of paintings on view through Jan. 31 at the Rule Gallery.

Indeed, "Not Lightness, But Darkness Visible," a 16-by- 20-inch acrylic on canvas with three glowing windows in an invisible building piercing an otherwise unbroken blackness, can be seen as a direct echo of Katz's painting.

Nathan Abels, "Not Lightness, But Darkness Visible"

These dozen peopleless works, which can be categorized loosely as land- and cityscapes, all exude a sense of emotional detachment and mystery while never seeming distant or cold.

A few of these pieces, such as "A Lot of Little Rain," even possess a gently romantic quality. In the gray, monochromatic 16-by-20-inch oil and acrylic on canvas, the faint, dreamlike outlines of pine trees and glow of rain drops can barely be seen.

Nathan Abels, "A Lot of Little Rain"

Abels, an Indiana native with a master's degree from the Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design, is clearly aware of the many styles and movements that have rocked the art world in recent decades. Like Katz, he fuses abstraction and representation, but the younger artist injects his works with a subtle conceptual edge at the same time.

All this gives his paintings a decidedly contemporary feel. He can be counted as part of a recent surge of painters who are reincorporating narrative into their works, though his story lines are more remote and his style considerably more nuanced than many of his peers.

While speaking to the present, he also conjures the past. It's

Echoes of Edward Hopper can be seen in Nathan Abels' "There, There," 2008, acrylic on panel, 24 by 36 inches. (Rule Gallery)

nearly impossible not to look at many of these pieces, especially the nocturnes, and not think of precedents in American art history, such as the shrouded landscapes of Ralph Blakelock at the turn of the last century.

Ralph Blakelock, Moonlight, 1885

"There, There" (2008), a spare, straight-on view of a lonely house with a barren tree in front, is reminscent of similar forlorn compositions by Edward Hopper, such as "House By the Railroad" (1925) or "Ryder's House" (1933).

Edward Hopper. (American, 1882-1967). House by the Railroad. 1925. Oil on canvas, 24 x 29"

Rather than full-on depictions, many of Abel's compositions offer little more than a glimmer, a glimpse, an enigmatic hint at something larger — an isolated fire in "Nothing Is Fair or Good Alone," a section of chain-link fence in "Somnambulism."

In others, though, the subject matter is evident. The exhibition's largest selection by far — "Overpass," a 3-by-8-foot acrylic on panel, depicts a prototypical expressway interchange.

Nathan Abels, "Overpass"

But in Abels' hands, even this recognizable scene remains elusive and distant. Other painters have taken on similar imagery, but he puts his distinctive stamp on it, giving this expansive work a haunting presence.

Here and elsewhere in the show, the young artist successfully marries concept with craft, matching his distinctive creative vision with deft, well-honed paint-handling skills.

"Stills" demonstrates again that gallery owner Robin Rule's eye for talent remains keen. Abels possesses all the ingredients necessary for a significant artistic career.

Kyle MacMillan

Article on Denverpost.com here