Situated in what is essentially the embodiment of urban atmosphere, George Billis Gallery in New York City, explores the eclectic elements of the city during an exhibition this summer. The show In the City will include a dynamic selection of cityspaces from such artists as Todd Gordon, Paul Chojnowski, Dean Larson, Karen Woods, David Leonard, Michael Chapman, James Oliver, Russ Havard, Andrew Woodward and Nicholas Evans-Cato.
James Oliver, Crowd (Composition #16), gouache on panel, 8 x 20"
Andrew Woodward, Liberty II, acrylic on panel, 12 x 12"“I compose paintings using a visual language that best represents the way I see things in my mind. The subjects I use come from the movies, photos and paintings that I have accumulated in my mind over the years,” says Chapman, whose oil P.C.H. Sparkle looks like a blast from the past with three classic 1940s to ’50s cars in line along a road. “I feel as though my choice of subjects from that encyclopedia of imagery in my mind are the result of impulsive utterance rather than thought-out narrative.”
Havard’s work in the exhibition, a watercolor aptly titled Central Park, depicts the iconic NYC park. “The work...consists of a combination of urban and nature…My framed trees are usually taken from shopping center parking lots, where they are isolated and away from the forest (you can’t see the tree for the forest). There’s a surprising amount of nature in the city, on the streets and in the many parks, where foliage blends in with buildings. I [enjoy] the approach of miniaturizing, framing and isolating parts of such a grand city, to reconnect to the feeling of being there.”
Paul Chojnowski, Straight into the Night, burned paper, 30 x 22"
Todd Gordon, View of Vàˆrtaterminalen, oil on linen, 28 x 63"Modern Sunset, an oil by Leonard, captures the Hudson Yards area in Manhattan, where the High Line bisects the railroad tracks leading into Penn Station. The sunlight gleams over the faces of the buildings, creating bright orange lights that tell of evening. “The Vessel structure, as it has come to be known, was just about completed,” says Leonard. “At the time, I had no idea what it was and in fact, I thought it was still under construction. Nonetheless, I was fascinated by the mosaic of summer sunset colors reflecting off it and the buildings around it. And in the background you will see the iconic Empire State Building.”
A nocturne created through a process of burning paper, Chojnowski’s Straight Into the Night is striking. “My drawing process is unique: I burn, scorch and sand and re-burn paper (or wood) to create my work,” says the artist, whose piece is part of his American Nocturne Series, nighttime images of city streets and buildings. “I begin these cityscapes on paper by carefully placing water (as a resist) on the surface of the blank sheet and using a large industrial torch, slowly burn the paper until the image appears.”
The exhibition runs from August 3 to 29. —
George Billis Gallery
525 W. 26th Street, Ground Floor • New York, NY 10001
(212) 645-2621 • www.georgebillis.com
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