Spotlight

August 03, 2021, 3:19pm

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Kimberly Brooks

Written by Michael Wilson

The sky fades from a deep red-brown down to a dusty pink above an indistinct horizon. Mountains slope down to a valley, their surfaces muted shades of orange and ochre marked by patches of more strident mustard yellow and wine red. Areas of dirty blue-green denote a river flowing between them—or perhaps this is nothing more than a mirage, a side effect of the crepuscular light. In the center of the scene, a broad, diagonal stroke in shades of vegetal green sweeps up and to the right before coming to an abrupt halt. Occupied by its own distinct scene, it suggests a portal into another landscape altogether—or perhaps the same site at a different point in time. The mysterious interruption pulls the rug from under the onlooker’s feet, disrupting the comfortable illusion of a single, unified subject and reminding us of the confusions and conflations that painting necessarily entails. We’re looking at something that is at once modest and expansive, materially real and an absolute illusion, figurative and abstract.


Kimberly Brooks, Red Canyon, 2021, oil on panel, 20 x 16 inches

Listed under: NAP News, Spotlight

April 05, 2013, 8:30am

New American Paintings Spotlight Archive: William Cordova

As we continue working on a new and vastly improved NewAmericanPaintings.com, there has been a lot of time spent looking into our past. It's been a good excuse to peruse older issues and all of the great work within. Also, in doing so, we recalled some great Spotlights that were in print and we think are worthy of another view. While the work may be a bit dated, the articles are still awesome. So in this new Spotlight Blog series, we'll bring you some of our favorites.

Listed under: Spotlight

December 20, 2012, 8:25am

Spotlight: This Is Your Brain on Grant Miller

Technology creeps me out. And I realize this is a first world problem, but I find myself avoiding gadgets and the internet whenever possible. I don’t tweet, I don’t chat on Facebook, my iPod was born in 2007 and I’m audacious enough (apparently) to forego the tablet for real books. I just recently took the smart phone plunge and this was only because it became abundantly clear that, by today’s social standards, it is considered rude to let even a few minutes pass by before responding to an email. Whilst drafting the pros and cons list that eventually led me to acquiring my fancy phone I found myself wondering if I’m the only one who feels the need to heavily evaluate technology before welcoming it into my life.

Listed under: Spotlight

May 07, 2012, 8:30am

Modern and Natural Worlds: The Evolution of Davin Watne

It looks quite strange when the modern and natural worlds collide. Like an alligator gut full of aluminum cans or a birds’ nest made of soda straws and bits of dental floss – we think we know what natural looks like. Artist Davin Watne began an exploration of the collision of these two worlds early in his career, but his latest work poses his gaze on a more basic aspect of this dichotomy. Using glamorously cycloptic eyes and a slew of richly hued sculptural pieces, Watne has taken his focus from the literal collision of the modern and natural worlds, slowly seeped out the physical drama, and cast his eyes upon our biology. - Halcombe Miller, Kansas City Contributor

Listed under: Spotlight

November 11, 2011, 8:00am

Fact, Fiction, and Friction: Frohawk Two Feathers

During a time when fiction dances eerily with fact, it feels appropriate to look to a contemporary artist from my generation who is using acrylics, tea-dyed paper, and a variety of mediums to blur, illuminate, disguise, and play with these lines.  I first saw Frohawk Two Feathers’ (NAP #73) work at Taylor De Cordoba in 2006 and have followed him and his empire literally through many gallery and museum openings, and figuratively through 100’s of years, numerous battles, wars, and revolutions.  Lives have been lost, prisoners have been taken, but Frohawk always comes out on top.

Listed under: Los Angeles, Q&A, Spotlight

October 08, 2011, 4:03pm

Mark Grotjahn at Anton Kern Gallery (Video)

James Kalm, AKA the well respected New York City-based painter Loren Munk, has been a well known figure in the New York City art world for years. When he is not painting, James is often busy visiting the dozens of gallery shows that open each month in Chelsea and New York’s other gallery districts.

Listed under: Art World, Spotlight, Video

September 28, 2011, 8:52am

Absence as Catalyst for Social Change – William Cordova at Saltworks Gallery

William Cordova's (NAP MFA Annual 2003) recent show in Atlanta [Saltworks Gallery; September 16 – October 29, 2011] búscame en el torbellion: but also time itself is a complicated knotwork of imagery that potentially provides a rich discussion. - Read the full review by Atlanta Contributor, Paul Boshears, after the jump.

Listed under: Atlanta, Review, Spotlight

October 25, 2010, 9:35am

MFA Annual - Where are they now?

Matthew Day Jackson, August 6th, 1945 (Dresden), 2010 | Burnt wood, lead on 2 wood panels, 96 x 123 3/4 inches. Courtesy Peter Blum Gallery, New York.

June 17, 2010, 2:36pm

Sneak Peek: Peregrine Honig


Peregrine Honig, Feathered Puke, 2010 | mixed media on paper, 15 x 10.5 inches

Featured a whopping four times in New American Paintings (Editions #29, #41, #53, and #71), Peregrine Honig is no stranger to the spotlight. In fact, her work frequently deals with the idea of celebrity, using popular culture and her gritty surroundings in Kansas City, Missouri as creative fodder.

Listed under: Art World, Sneak Peeks, Spotlight

June 15, 2010, 12:54pm

Spotlight: Jen Stark (A Preview)

Jen Stark, Celestial Continuum, 2009 | felt-tip pen on paper, 26 x 40 inches

Listed under: Spotlight
Tagged as: Jen Stark, spotlight

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