Erika Whitney

"Remnants" Contemporary Colorful Abstract Expressionist Landscape Painting

2019-2021

Abstract expressionist oil painting by contemporary Houston artist Benji Stiles. The work features a book page surrounded by gestural marks in pastel blue and orange set against a pink background. Currently unframed, but options are available. Artist Biography: Born in New Orleans, Robert Benjamin Stiles (Benji) is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who lives and works in Houston. He holds a B.A. from the University of St. Thomas, with a major in Art History and a minor in Studio Arts, and is currently an MFA candidate at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art). His work ranges from non-representational painting focusing on diverse mark-making and color theory to conceptual sculpture and assemblage using historical and found objects. Since 2019, Stiles has established a successful art practice at Hardy and Nance studios while exhibiting work throughout the region including three solo shows (Hardy & Nance Gallery 2020, Lonestar College 2021, G-Contemporary 2022). Recent group shows include Collect it For the Culture 2021 (curated by Robert Hodge...

Exhibited in "Benji Stiles: A Human Day" at Reeves Art + Design. In “A Human Day,” a solo show dedicated to the work of contemporary multidisciplinary artist Benji Stiles, we explor...

Exhibited in "Benji Stiles: A Human Day" at Reeves Art + Design. In “A Human Day,” a solo show dedicated to the work of contemporary multidisciplinary artist Benji Stiles, we explor...

Colorful dark humor painting by Memphis-based contemporary artist Alex Paulus. The work features naturalistically depicted fox head on the end of a worm...

I grapple with the unpredictable world, and make sense out of chaos. I start with a loose idea and let the materials guide the work, using diverse media and unconventional materials ...

I grapple with the unpredictable world, and make sense out of chaos. I start with a loose idea and let the materials guide the work, using diverse media and unconventional materials ...

"Ghosts" - Abstract Composition in Acrylic, Oil, and Ink on Cradled Wood Panel Dramatic abstract composition by Michele King (American, b. 1962). This piece resembles a nebula, with swirling texture and subtle variations in color. Although the piece appears to be mostly black, there are a variety of colors that peek through the top layer. A layer of high gloss varnish creates a nearly iridescent quality to the piece, and the colors shift subtly depending on the viewing angle. Signed "Michele King" on verso. No frame, but the edges are painted for a frame-less display. Board size: 24"H x 24"W Michele King (American, b. 1962) was born in Cleveland, Ohio and moved to California in the 1990s. She attended Virginia Tech and Harvard, where she earned her MPA. She pursued graduate studies at the Glasgow School of Art in 2013. Her work is focused on “memory, the future, and ways in which perception is shaped through a combination of reality and imagination.” King’s process involves layering of various media, creating depth and texture. AWARDS and RESIDENCIES 2019 Individual Artist Grant, Center for Cultural Innovation, San Francisco CA 2017 Creative Research Grant/Artist-in-Residence, Jiwar Creació i Societat, Barcelona, Spain 2014 Development Grant, Bay Area Video Coalition, San Francisco CA 2013 Individual Artist Grant, Center for Cultural Innovation, San Francisco CA 2012 Artist-In-Residence, Can Serrat, El Bruc, Spain 2010 Artist-in-Residence, Red Cinder Creativity Center, Na’alehu, Hawaii 2008 Artspan Selections (Juried), LIMN Gallery, San Francisco CA 2007 Studio Grant/Artist-in-Residence, Red Ink Studios, San Francisco CA (2 years) 2007 Cultural Exchange Invitational, Le Genie de la Bastille, Paris, France 1999 Emerging Artist Award, 42nd San Diego Art Institute, San Diego CA SELECTED EXHIBITIONS and PROJECTS 2019 Infinite Sketch Installation, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, New York The Happiness Project Interactive Installation, Oakland Murmur, CA Love is Thicker, site specific installation, TBA 2018 Poetics of Light, Avenue 12 Gallery, San Francisco, CA (with Truong Tran) Exhibition Gràcia Plaça de la Vila, Barcelona Spain (with Elfi Gulen & Isador Fernandez) Urban Mobility Archive Project/Color of Belonging, Barcelona, Spain (with Jiwar) 2017 Stanford Urban Resilience Lab Collaboration, ELL Gallery & Stanford University Animate Objects, Curated State Pop-Up Exhibition, San Francisco, CA Familiar Distance, 123 Bolinas, Fairfax, CA (solo) Art for AIDS, Metreon, San Francisco CA 2016 Altered BooksMarks, Adobe Backroom Gallery, San Francisco, CA (co-curator) Daylighted Projections Exhibition, Phoenix Hotel, San Francisco CA Levi’s Vintage Textile Workshop, Monterey CA (assisting Sherri Wood) Aesthetics and the Night Sky, San Juan Bautista, California The Essence Library, San Francisco Art Institute ACE, San Francisco, CA 2015 Form + Substance, Curated State, San Francisco, CA Under the Moon, Avenue Gallery, San Francisco, CA (with Michelle Brandemuehl) 2014 After Dark, SOMArts Ramp Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo/installation) 2013 The Telephone Project, Brooklyn NY/global (with Satellite Collective) 2012 The Lost and Found Project, Can Serrat AIR, El Bruc Spain Eyes Closed, Can Serrat International Art & Music Festival, El Bruc Spain Here/Now Auction, Royal Nonesuch Gallery, Oakland, CA 2011 Can’t Trace Time, Mina Dresden Gallery, San Francisco, CA (with Andrzej Karwacki) Live Paintings, Red Poppy Art House, San Francisco, CA (with Adrian Arias) The Magic Hour Installation, Columbia Collaboration Lab, New York NY Angry at the Movies...

Acrylic, transfer, oil, spray paint on linen