Reception: October 5, 5:30-7:30
Santa Fe, NM – Paradox exhibits the work of two young contemporary artists whose connection to form, texture, and pattern underlies their seemingly straightforward compositions. There is a beguiling congruence between the virtuosity of these two artists and their interaction with paint and surface material, very much like watching a captivating duet performed by musical prodigies. The minimalist lines and shapes of Keith Johnston’s encaustic and graphite works on panel and the apparent simplicity of Margaret Fitzgerald’s colorful oil paintings find resonance in their shared reverence for surface mastery. Both artists present works that compel a closer investigation into the layers, textures and surfaces to completely absorb the varied elements of the pieces.
As a painter of oils on canvas, Margaret Fitzgerald is a genius of pentimento, interested in exploring form, pattern, color and texture in layers of paint, then scraping through layers to reveal the passage of time and thought that lies below the surface. Her technique involves both accidental and intentional form to create paintings of great solidity and complexity. The exposure of materials concealed beneath boldly colored surfaces reveals a glimpse into a history that usually would remain hidden. For Fitzgerald, “the most interesting things in life are those that are not immediately visible but are revealed after a closer look.” She expresses this through the layering of paint, color, and texture in her highly complex compositions that may initially appear simple.
Fitzgerald often incorporates numbers, letters, or words on top of her brightly colored canvases the meanings of which afford beguiling mystery. These additions cause the viewer to reevaluate the significance of these characters in the piece in relation to the layers of color and texture. Her use of both accidental and intentional forms forces one to reconsider whether these numbers or letters have any symbolic significance to the meaning of the work or whether they are merely “accidental” in nature. This adds a supplemental layer of complexity to the comprehension of her paintings.
Keith Johnston’s minimalist works are spare, tonal arrangements of light and dark forms, with tentative whispers of drawings. He conceives the work on wood panel in encaustic, which is often scraped and reapplied, and then adds graphite. There are no preliminary sketches. He wants “to see the marking’s of the artist’s hand, the process of spontaneity, the economy—where subtlety, pitch, line or blocking, with the slightest of movement, can completely alter the work.” The simplicity of his paintings reflects this vision by the inherent significance attached to each line, shape or form, given the minimalist quality of the work.
His choice to use black and white intensifies the importance of line, form and composition as the central components of the painting. As stated by Jean McCartney, Director of Calvin Klein, Inc., “Johnston’s work relies upon evoking emotions and feeling, related not only to what appears on canvas—but as important, what he chooses to leave out.” In minimalist work such as Johnston’s, the void created by the absence of extraneous colors, lines, and details is equally significant in generating the ultimate feeling expressed by the piece. He aims to “convey a kind of energy… [that] this intensity will transmit to the viewer.”
Johnston lived and traveled extensively in Europe following his formal education, which he says “threw open my soul to the ultimate, living, breathing art history book, to take in daily, to feed on and digest.” This experience served as inspiration for him to develop a painting style that can be seen as a precursor to his current minimalist work.
Fitzgerald has exhibited her expressive canvases throughout the Southwest, Midwest and California since the early 1990s. Born in London, England, she attended the Instituto Allende in Mexico and the School of Visual Arts in New York City before receiving her BFA from the University of New Mexico in 1995.
Johnson has exhibited in solo and group shows in New York and Atlanta as well as Santa Fe. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1980. He first exhibited his paintings in New York City in 1995 while in mid-career as a freelance art director and photo stylist. His early paintings were in a figurative tradition but at the millennium he decided that a new century required a new outlook: back to drawing, back to basics, back to black and white.
LewAllen Contemporary is open 9:30-5:30 Monday through Saturday and 11:00-5:00 Sunday. Paradox opens Friday, October 5, and closes Sunday, October 28, 2007. For further information please contact Diane Kell at (505) 988-8997 or [email protected].
