Narciso Maisterra, Green Board No. 6, 2010

Narciso Maisterra, Hung Figures (1 of 6), 2011

Narciso Maisterra, Model and Cable, 2009

Narciso Maisterra, Reclining Nude with Plastic Wrap No. 5, 2012

Narciso Maisterra, Model and Green Shadow, 2009

Narciso Maisterra, Self Portrait, 2011

March 2013

Passing Through the Body Without Staying

Maisterra’s exhibit Passing Through the Body Without Staying is more than just a collection of works; it is a testament to an emotional process of recuperation from illness via artistic creativity. In January of 2011, Maisterra had an accident that affected his physical appearance. As soon as he regained the use of his right arm, he resumed painting, and this was the key to his recovery.

Maisterra decided to start a series of self-portraits—one self-portrait a day for 18 days—inspired by the ugliness and sadness he saw to create an unsympathetic image of himself. The series of 18 self-portraits shows an artist using art as therapy to familiarize himself with his new face. The search to understand his own body took place at the same time as a change in the way he saw others´ bodies. Two series take up the study of intentionally deformed figures. In the first instance, female nudes are tied up, suspended in the air, defying gravity, but maintaining light contact with the ground. The model ties herself up, thereby producing what seem like impossible poses and foreshortening. The participation of the model is fundamental to this creative process which involves staging and photography. The human being becomes a marionette that is manipulated by a force outside the frame of reference of the painting.

In another series the human body is deformed under the pressure of plastic wrap. Figures rest on top of green tables reminiscent of hospital stretchers. The body, converted into mere flesh, wrapped up like packages of meat in the supermarket, is imprisoned and is trying to free itself, to abandon the flesh, to go beyond the embryonic state and to achieve a spiritual existence. Light softens the forms like a second layer of skin.

Born in Palencia, Spain, Narciso Maisterra was educated in the fifties at traditional art schools and at the University of Madrid. This initial experience was followed by 20 years in the US which coincided with the birth of Pop Art and Hyperrealism there. His work moved from the Baroque tradition to a cautious association with the latest artistic tendencies.

To view more of Maisterra’s work, visit www.museomaisterra.com

Garth Fry, Reclamation, 2013

Garth Fry's installation

Garth Fry, Cascading Emotions, 2013

Garth Fry, Put it on the Shelf, 2013

Garth Fry, Patience #1 - #3, 2013

March 2013

A Deeper Look Inside

Garth Fry explores the psychology of isolation by creating shapes and forms that are void of applied color. He investigates this concept through his use of raw, coiled paper and glue. The imagery he creates derives from expressive formations, which upon inspection reveals a terrain of emotion that is symbolized by a sea of hand crafted coils. Each coil is designed to represent the passing of time and can be viewed as a statue of tension, a pillar of anxiety, a mark of guilt, a dot of frustration, or a roll of regret. Visual tension is created through his use of light and shadows, further emphasizing refuge and loss of identity.

Visit Fry’s website at www.garthfryart.com.

Watch the artist interview here.

Amy Hughes Braden, We Have Similar Noses

Amy Hughes Braden, Mrs. Henry White (Mrs. Alex Braden)

Amy Hughes Braden, You Pay For This Shit

Amy Hughes Braden, Professor Biscuits

Amy Hughes Braden, Ghosts

Amy Hughes Braden, Weenie Head Junior

February 2013

Red & Grey Paintings

In her new body of work, Red & Grey Paintings, Amy Hughes Braden interprets the stream of consciousness into two-dimensional rectangles. The collages are created from reserves of paper: magazine cut-outs, photos, photocopies, doodles by other artists, coupons, old books, stickers, miscellaneous scraps that have been preciously collected over the years. In contrast, the actual assemblage of the work happens in short bursts. Braden then uses the collages to inform her larger paintings. There are many rules and regulations tied to painting that must be negotiated along the way.  She finds it acceptable to display the lyrics of that Alanis Morissette song onto an almost bare canvas. In some cases the subjects of the paintings are important (see: Ghosts), in others they are purely formal constructions.

View more of Braden’s work at www.amyhughesbraden.com

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Temple, 2009

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Spin, 2011

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Incline, 2009

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Grid, 2008

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Flutter, 2011

Marcia Wolfson-Ray, Ascend, 2009

February 2013

Rythms

“You can’t know the way” is a Taoist saying that sums up Marcia Wolfson Ray’s feelings toward her work. She believes that the mystery at the center of life is echoed in the forms, rhythms and patterns represented in nature. She is inspiried not only by beauty, but also physical properties of objects. And when she creates, she allows for a certain degree of improvisation so that the work could evolve and dictates its own form. She collaborates with nature.

Ray received both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Arts, Baltimore, MD. She has received various awards and grants throughout her career, and has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the U.S.

View more of Ray’s work at www.marciawolfsonray.com

John Reuss, The Architect, 2012

John Reuss, Initial Conversation, 2012

John Reuss, Three, 2012

John Reuss, Hotel Bed, 2012

John Reuss, He Kept Disappearing, 2012

John Reuss, Disintegrate, 2012

John Reuss, Dawn, 2012

John Reuss, Untitled, 2012

February 2013

Mind and Matter

John Reuss’ work is characterized by contrasts—the juxtaposition of opposites on several levels—which can be seen throughout his paintings. Fine detail, drawn lines and meticulously painted shapes clash with bold brushstrokes, spatters and blurred contours.

The world Reuss depicts is not a physical location in space and time. It is an inner world, a world where thought, emotion and raw cognition defines not only the figures, but also the space they inhabit. Reuss’ main inspiration rests in how we relate to the world we live in. In general he is very interested in the inner life of people and that carries through in the way his figures turn out. Their various disfigurements, missing body parts and multiple angles are symbolic of their psychology and cognitive mechanisms.

Reuss’ medium of choice is acrylic paint—it dries fast suiting both his temperament and his technique very well. He often includes charcoal and pencil drawings in several layers, resulting in a more sensitive and fragile “feel”. For him creativity is as much about tearing down and destroying as it is about creating and building up. Reuss’ final work is the result of the process rather than a planned image.

Reuss’ work is cyclic and therefore virtually endless—he will often revisit already “finished work” and rework it all over again, giving it a new dimension and adding to the historicity of the work.

View more of Reuss’ work at www.johnreuss.com