Josh Reames

May 24, 2016, 10:05am

New American Paintings: Midwest Edition at the Elmhurst Museum

For the second year in a row, EAM is organizing the exhibition New American Paintings: Midwest Edition. Based on the acclaimed juried publication, an exhibition-in-print, this year’s version was selected by Kelly Schindler, associate curator at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, and features an equally diverse group of artists and practices from across the Midwest. The thirty-nine artists participating in this year’s NAP broadly span the spectrum of varying themes in contemporary painting, including figural representation, material studies, optical abstraction and spatial depictions, while continually redefining the limits of formal categorization. EAM’s exhibition includes a combination of works featured in the catalogue and new works by selected artists in an effort to expand our understanding of this most traditional and fluid of artistic mediums.


Issue #119...Cover Artist, Alex Jackson

Listed under: NAP News

September 16, 2013, 8:30am

MAKING [IN] DALLAS: VOLUME 3

Volume III: JOSH REAMES BRINGS TRIPPER TO CIRCUIT 12

Located in the Dallas Design District, Circuit 12 is run by husband and wife team Dustin & Gina Orlando. The Orlando’s sharp and ever searching eye brings a national and international freshness to a sweltering  arts community that’s thirsty for a new flavor. What sets Circuit 12 apart is what could be thought of as the “cult of color” that the gallery presents.  The space offers a crisp, brash and theatrical flair to a community that, at times, treads lightly. The gallery extends invitations to curators for their Regional Quarterly series that opens the space to experimental exercises from Texas based artists, exposing work that might not otherwise make it to Dallas. For their current show, Circuit 12 mounted Tripper, a solo show from Chicago based artist Josh Reames. The paintings in Tripper flicker light and are full of an absent neon glow that references your local corner stores cheap beer signage. Unlike the trap of a promised R&R scenario that those signs offer, Reames’ work never takes a break. It’s in constant motion and only interrupted by abrupt, painfully ordinary images. In their blatant dumbness the works beg to be dismissed as trite, formulaic approaches to painting. But Reames’ masterful sense of space and line pull these out of the naïve conversation. After recognizing their formal power, the paintings reminded me how Sean Penn’s understanding of his craft allowed for Spicoli to exist. Reames, like Spicoli challenging the oncoming wave, surfs abstraction; “Surfing's not a sport, it's a way of life, it's no hobby. It's a way of looking at that wave and saying, ‘Hey bud, let's party!’" Indeed. Arthur Peña, Dallas Contributor

Listed under: Interview

August 07, 2013, 9:00am

Timeshares at LVL3

Is the myth of paradise all that compelling? The resort paradise, the motel bliss, dreams of tropical shores and youthful ocean air – are these the same dated visions of vacationing we still cling to, or has anything supplanted their modern aspirations? Do we really delight in a shallow image of shared retreat locations, or long to buy our piece of time from out of a brochure or agency – just another one of many touristic occupants? The theme of the temporary vacation and all its shortcomings has garnered quite a lot of attention by contemporary artists over the past few years. An exhibition by this very namesake, Timeshares, currently on view at LVL3, pictures three artists preoccupations with the idealism the term represents – if not the effects that summer tends to have on more “relaxed” thematic group shows, as well. Paintings and objects by Josh Reames (NAP #89, #95), Calvin Ross Carl, and Maria Walker prod at this artificial fabrication of time as it relates to art and practice; while some pieces directly picture seascapes, palm trees, and other brochure-ready visual ephemera, others take the spirit of vacation as a material cue ­­­– works that deal with pattern, perhaps belonging to a swimsuit, a lawn chair, or mosaic brickwork, and detritus wrapped in colored fabrics, the idea of something less refined simply wrapped into a higher context, masking themselves as paintings. – Stephanie Cristello, Chicago Contributor

Calvin Ross Carl and Josh Reames, “Mañana,” 2013. Sand, 136” x 54”

Listed under: Review

October 09, 2012, 8:25am

Geoffrey Todd Smith at Western Exhibitions

Geoffrey Todd Smith recently opened his third solo show at Western Exhibitions entitled Looker. The show features an array of vibrant, uber-meticulous enamel/gouache/ink paintings on panel. The new group of paintings is a slight departure from his previous body of work of edge-to-edge pattern-fields, now employing a larger pattern within the micro-pattern; often these larger patterns resemble the irregular compositions of Gee’s Bend quilts.  In some moments the paintings are strikingly vivid, with neons and vibrating colors that create a push and pull with the foreground and background; other times the paintings are entirely about clever nuances within the surface textures, glossiness, and composition.

Listed under: Review

April 05, 2012, 8:15am

Sweet Water: Carl Baratta at Lloyd Dobler Gallery

Carl Baratta’s current solo show at Lloyd Dobler Gallery is a fresh blend of old and obscure references. His work is steeped in painting history, the kind that exists in the back corner of the basement section in the library. In his studio you will find printouts of old alchemy prints, Moghul miniatures, and lesser-known Fauvist paintings. Lately Baratta has been using a lot of egg tempera, watercolor, and gouache on panel. The surfaces are rich with layers upon layers of transparent colors that give the illusion of depth while also maintaining a graphic, or illustrative quality.

Listed under: Review

March 17, 2012, 10:35am

Weekly Recap (Week of March 12)

Last weekend was fun, with a trip to NYC for the art fairs. That led to quite a few posts summarizing our experiences there. We also had some great interviews throughout the week given to us by contributors Ellen C. Caldwell and Josh Reames. If you missed any of the posts, check them out below!

Listed under: Art Fairs, Art World

March 16, 2012, 8:15am

Reinvention: a Q&A Session with Adam Scott

I recently went to Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago to see Antonia Gurkovska's first solo show with the gallery, after viewing her show I stepped into Kavi's second gallery where a group show of his artists was installed.

Listed under: Chicago, Interview

February 06, 2012, 8:15am

Joshua Abelow at Devening Projects + Editions

Devening Projects + Editions just opened up a solo show of Joshua Abelow's work entitled Songs From a Room. The exhibition features an assortment of Abelow's small-ish paintings spanning the last four years. I'm a big fan of Joshua's work, and the show is happening at an important point in his career; since his recent move to James Fuentes in NYC and the ever-growing popularity of his obsessively updated blog, ART BLOG ART BLOG, the name Joshua Abelow has been unavoidable.

Listed under: Review

January 02, 2012, 8:15am

Top 10 NAP Posts of 2011

Even though we are looking forward to 2012, it's still fun to look back. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our blog contributors for making our site a great place to find commentary on relevant contemporary painting. These very talented writers and videographers from all over the country include Ellen Caldwell, Brian Fee, Josh Reames, Erin Langner, Nadiah Fellah, Graham Kolbeins (Future Shipwreck), Hallie Miller, Catherine Wagley, Paul Boshears, Joey Veltkamp, Alex Ebstein, and Matthew Smith.

On that note, after the jump we list the top 10 most viewed posts by our contributors in 2011. If you haven't had a chance to read them, please check them out now! And, it's never too late to comment.

Listed under: Art World, NAP News

December 29, 2011, 8:15am

New American Paintings Annual Prize: 2011 Panelists

As we have previously mentioned, it's time for our Annual Prize. Every issue of New American Paintings features two "Noteworthy" artists, one selection made by our editorial staff, and the other by the issue's juror. Those twelve artists are automatically in the running to receive top prize, which includes cash, a gift certificate sponsored by BLICK Art Materials, and a chance to have their work displayed at the Next Art Chicago fair.

Listed under: Art World, Noteworthy, Vote!

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