Mark Masyga

Untitled.06.15.12

2012

24"x30" oil, graphite on canvas, signed on reverse by the artist. This contemporary abstract painting by New York artist, Mark Masyga is visually laid out with painted lines of color intertwined and layered on top of each other. The neutral warm grey ground is activated by the multiple layers of paths of blues, beige, cream white, dark greys and near blacks, interspersed with fine curved and bent lines of light green, orange, lavender and rose pink. This is an engaging linear abstract painting with an immense visual depth of field. This painting is featured in a solo show released by the Front Room Gallery in New York, entitled, "Charitable Deceptions". In this new body of work, the title “Charitable Deceptions,” refers to a passage written by Gabriel García Márquez in which, “…memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good.” Mark Masyga ruminates on this concept through his process of addition and subtraction in his compositional constructions. The linear abstract paintings in this exhibition chronicle a passage of time as explored through the artist’s application...

72"x48" acrylic and oil on canvas, signed on reverse by the artist. This is a contemporary abstract painting by the New York/ Hawaiian artist, Debra Drexler. Violet and blue hues are contrasted with neon orange and deep red orange forms. A circular form of violet attracts a central focus in the fields light orange and nearly pastel blue undertones in this stunning vibrant painting by the artist Debra Drexler's paintings are informed both by participating in the contemporary resurgence of abstraction coming out of New York, and by living in the Post Colonial Pacific for close to three decades. In the 21st century, much of our experience is mediated through the screens of our devices. In contrast, the making and viewing of paintings remains a direct, engaging experience in Drexler's paintings. She aims to take us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. As a colorist, Debra Drexler provokes unexpected color relationships and creates spatial contradictions that come from those interactions. Some of her color choices reference the post digital experience with its highly saturated synthetic color. The luminosity and saturation also mirror the unique quality of light and tropical color interactions in Hawai’i, where Drexler also lives. Her work is driven by an athletic painting...