Norbert Prangenberg

Norbert Prangenberg 

FÜR CASPAR (01.07.09), 2009 

Günther Förg

Günther Förg

Fresh discoveries

Heidi Pollard

Chicken, 2007

Casein on paper

30 x 30 in

Neill Clements

Untitled Monument

20x20cm

Jamie Partridge

Aidan Doherty

Beehive Bedlem 2010

oil on linen

Painting blogs

Today I discovered some excellent painting blogs. First: http://blogaart.blogspot.com/ (and thanks to NSP -nice paintings! - at Word of Hand for posting a link) Next, check out Glaze : http://avanttarde.tumblr.com/

...not a statement - Douglas Witmer

....not a statement by Douglas Witmer

Tell the birds -2009

Black gesso and acrylic on canvas

28x22inches

Fruitville - mixed media on wood

I found the work of Douglas Witmer online some time ago. On reading his 'artist statement' I was instantly captured by the circular structure and the simplicity of his words about painting and what it is (or isn't). When I recently got in touch with him to ask if I could post it here he told me that the words took him some time to write. To my mind the best 'artist statements' have clarity and need to get straight to the heart of an artists practice -even if they do take time to write - and Douglas Witmer certainly writes clearly and simply about his process. His insights into the nature of painting are thought provoking and particularly meaningful for abstract painters where the task of negotiating a position; attempting to work in a relevant and fresh way, can be difficult. Indeed, to put these challenges into words is a personal thing but also, when overdone, can become meaningless and detract from the work. Visit his website to look at his paintings and mixed media on wood. Like his words, his work is a direct and honest inquiry into the nature of paint and the surfaces on to which he applies it.


Douglas Witmer's current show, "Fruitville", can be viewed at Some Walls, Oakland CA, June 20 - July 25th 2010

Ken Weathersby (update)

173 (lnd), 2009, Acrylic and Graphite on Linen, Reversed, with Removed and Replaced Areas, 18 x 24 inches

Above: Full image; Below: Detail view

image from: Pierogi Gallery

Ken Weathersby is an artist I wrote about last year because I was really drawn to the intellectual nature of his work in which he plays with our expectations of painting as an object of pleasure. It's a dialogue between painter, materials and surface that he engages with; his 'constructions' are visual conundrums that play with the viewers notion of what painting is and what might lie behind or underneath the surface. But, as I said in my post last year, there really is so much more to explore and I urge readers to visit his blog - including a great list of links - for a very interesting read. Ken has been showing regularly however his first solo in NY opened recently at Pierogi Gallery. So a big congratulations, Ken!

Trudy Benson

Tape Deck 2010

oil and acrylic on canvas

66 x72 inches

Image from: Freight and Volume

Been thinking a lot lately about how to make a painting in these times, how to stay connected and to feel that painting is relevant. I like painting that adds to a dialogue about materials, the craft, the effort. I love these paintings by Trudy Benson - a New York painter who is currently having a show at Freight and Volume Gallery. Why? I think the press release says it all:

Working in the rich abstract vein of Hodgkin, Oehlen, and Murray, Benson conjures up a dazzling theatre of mark making and pure delight in paint. She is unafraid to explore new avenues of proof that painting never dies, it only becomes more emphatically alive in its varied and stubborn pleasures. Benson provides a framework of superimposed and overlapping picture planes, thick sculptural relief, and brash color to convey this enjoyment. From subtle vignettes such as "Basketball" to bold tableaus such as "Space Jam 1" and "Painting", we share in the artist’s unbridled enthusiasm for the medium..... read more here.

So yeah, 'pure delight in paint'. I can't ask for more.

Here's a link to James Kalm's video of the opening night. Thanks to Untitled Painter for drawing my attention to it.