Learning to Fly, by Spanish sculptors Coderch & Malavia, depicts a boy leaning forward, poised on tiptoe, confident that his dream of flying will be realized by his wings of corrugated cardboard, bamboo and rope that will carry him above the trees and the sea.
Ironically, it’s the sea into which Icarus fell when he ignored his father’s warning not to fly close to the sun because it would melt his wings of feathers and wax. Daedalus had designed the wings to escape the island of Crete where he and his son had been imprisoned by King Minos. Daedalus told Icarus to fly a middle route, away from the melting heat of the sun and the moisture of the sea, which would clog his wings. Icarus, thrilled by the sensation of flying, rose too close to the sun, the wax melted and he plunged to his death in the sea.
RJD Gallery, Everything Will Be Beautiful, oil on canvas, 43 x 43", by Fatih Gurbuz.
William Turner Gallery, Toppling, gold leaf and acrylic on wood panel, 24 x 18", by Mark Steven GreenfieldCoderch & Malavia’s intrepid potential airman is typical of their figures, depicted in a “captured moment.” He is full of youthful confidence that he will fly freely, escaping the restrictions of daily life. He knows the story of Icarus, but perhaps he has read the aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, who wrote, “I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things,” a sense of freedom even a young boy can feel.
In his enigmatic paintings, the Turkish artist Fatih Gurbuz explores the relationship of mind/body/spirit and nature/human/animal. In Everything Will Be Beautiful, a young girl faces away from the viewer toward a halo that casts a blue light and her shadow on the ground. She stands between a bison and a hyena with doves flying above her head. It is an image of physical and mystical harmony. Gurbuz leaves us to read into the symbolism. 
Rashmi Rekha, Wisemen I, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40"
He explains, “My main objective is not to answer questions or impose them, but to make the audience ask questions and think.” He cites the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who “says that the main source of creation is nature and it encircles, feeds, and guides people. In this sense,” he continues, “for a person to understand nature is to understand his/her own boundaries in the universe. Thus, I build my compositions upon a nature-animal-human centered structure. The position of these three elements in the composition is independent of hierarchical arrangements.”
Nietzsche wrote, “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”
Clockwise from top left: Stone Sparrow NYC, Neck Hair, oil on wood, 30 x 24", by Joshua Lawyer; 33 Contemporary Gallery, Mona, oil on aluminum composite panel, 40 x 25½", by Marcus Callum; Tracy Frein, Waiting on my Rebirth, colored pencil on Grafix Drafting film, 24 x 16" (framed); 33 Contemporary Gallery, O lisoús éklapse (Jesus Wept), oils and wax on wood panel, 24 x 18" (30 x 24" framed), by JuliAnne Jonker; Tracy Frein, Solitude in Turmoil, colored pencil on Grafix Drafting film, 23 x 20" (framed)
Mark Steven Greenfield, in the catalog to his exhibition Black Madonna, writes, “fear of the ‘other’ often devolves into mindless hatred. Yet sometimes the path to empathy lies in the visualization of one’s physical victimization—particularly when paired with a symbol that has come to be associated with universal love.”
Greenfield explores the enigmatic Black Madonnas that began appearing in medieval Europe—dismissed by some as having accumulated dirt over the centuries and seen by others as connected to pre-Christian myth and the physical roots of humanity. Greenfield paints Madonna and child images in a traditional style, but his figures are Black. He replaces the bucolic and innocuous backgrounds with fantasy scenes of retribution upon those who have oppressed Blacks throughout American history. In the background of Toppled, for instance, a monument to a Confederate general is toppled from its base, which contains a representation of the Confederate flag.
33 Contemporary Gallery, The Fish Whisperer, oil on canvas, 27½ x 23½", by Teresa Brutcher
Stone Sparrow NYC, If Our Paths Never Cross, oil on wood, 24 x 20", by MJ Lindo-Lawyer
Greenfield says, “My work incorporates irony, humor, tragedy, pathos, history and a myriad of other tools to challenge long-held notions of race in a different way.”
In the pages of this special section, collectors will gain insights into figurative artwork being created today. The pieces reflect the artists’ surroundings and experiences and often delve into complex narratives that lead the viewers on their own paths.
At Chicago-based 33 Contemporary Gallery collectors can find an array of figure paintings from artists such as Teresa Brutcher, JuliAnne Jonker and Marcus Callum.
Brutcher’s “poetic realism borrows elements of the surreal to make visual puns with an acute sense of irony tempered by a deep respect for the shared hopes, fears, joy and dreams which bind all of us together,” she says. “I invite the viewer into my world of magic where human folly seems much less serious and often quite laughable.”
Coderch & Malavia, Learning to Fly, bronze, ed. 8 and 4 PA, 122 x 112 x 39"
Jonker’s recent painting O lisoús éklapse (Jesus Wept) is one of her most personal works to date and is the third in her series of Gods and Goddesses, which represents her faith. “A painting for the current time, the translation of the Greek title is simply Jesus Wept,” she says. “The words are imbedded (as Greek symbols) in the wax and paint in the lower left of the painting. The handmade frame is crafted from vintage wood, carries ancient red stains and the original rusted nails.”
For his painting Mona, Callum was inspired by the minimalist works of Sol LeWitt and Frank Stella. It is from “a series of homages to European portraits from the Renaissance to the 19th century— in this case the Mona Lisa,” he explains. “Juxtaposing abstraction with realism, the series explores the integration of the digital world with the organic and the reproduction of the past in the present.”
Loretta McNair, Emily & Her Figs, oil on canvas, 30 x 30"
Also found at 33 Contemporary Gallery are the works of Bethesda, Maryland-based artist Evan Goldman, who says, “I am drawn to making figurative art that conveys drama and implies a narrative.” In Self-Portrait in Bethesda, Goldman portrays himself in front of the skyline of his hometown, Bethesda, a suburb of Washington, D.C. In this portrait, Goldman reflects on his past and looks to the future at the same time. In The Enchantress, Goldman paints his longtime artistic muse, Maria Gracia, as a mystical tarot card reader. Her provocative wardrobe and the ornately patterned fabrics give the painting a feeling of mystery. This painting will be featured in Goldman’s New York City debut exhibition Lost in Dreams at Dacia Gallery in spring 2021.
From November 18 through December 24, Stone Sparrow NYC will host four mini solo exhibitions in the show Parallel Universe. The exhibition explores the dichotomy of the work of artist couples including figurative artists MJ Lindo-Lawyer and Joshua Lawyer, who work from their home studio in the Bay Area of California.
“My body of work for this exhibition is titled object in motion,” says Lawyer. “This was used as a prompt to guide the work, as well as help the viewer further understand the narrative. Each piece has an object in motion that is the linchpin to explaining the intent behind the work.”
Magdalena Gallery of Art, Just Dance, oil on linen, 25 x 46 x 2", by Magdalena Hoyos-Segovia
Lindo-Lawyer’s art for the exhibition is a “representation of changing ‘seasons.’ It is a subtle look into dealing with things changing in your life that you cannot control and ways that people find to cope. Whether you cope through food, drink [or] sex, or not coping at all and choosing to run from your problems.”
Award-winning artist Tracy Frein draws inspiration “solely from my subjects and their hidden emotional truths,” he says. “Each subject is a compelling visual portrayal of the human spirit, determination and courage. I strive to show the viewer that while at first glance, my subjects seem serene and normal, but show a sense of inner fragility.”
Informed by life in the rural South, paintings by Alabama artist Sarah West continue to elevate conversations relating to the narrative of American life. Her works addressing cultural diversity, stewardship, sustainability and equality were recently celebrated in the historic exhibition for the ALABAMA 200 Bicentennial and the National Women’s Suffrage Movement Centennial at the Alabama State Capitol. They are now currently on exhibit at The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art in Smiths Station, Alabama. 
Kari Visscher, Vanilla Shake, oil on canvas, 12 x 9"
Left: The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, Wartime, oil on canvas, 78 x 50 x 1½", by Sarah West. Right: JC Hayes, Jeans, graphite pencil on white Stonehenge paper, 24 x 16"
West advises that collectors “should consider investing in works that directly reflect a record of modern life, as these are the works which fill institutions today providing generations with a historic record painted by those who actually lived it. Collectors should invest in works for posterity because it is the work painted for posterity that will endure.”
Artist JC Hayes works in graphite pencil drawing realistic figures. He says, “I don’t do flowers. I do pinups. Slightly twisted pinups. Pinups that are true realism as defined by the genre’s creators with the highest detail and greatest accuracy I can achieve. No corners cut.”
Kari Visscher is a radiologist and artist who find moments from her day-to-day life to interpret on canvas. “Inspired by patients’ healthcare experiences and medical culture, my artistic focus is on recognizing and bridging gaps in knowledge and communication not only between physicians and patients,” she says, “but also between patients, between medical colleagues and within one’s own development of professional identity.”
Clockwise from top left: Evan Goldman, The Enchantress, acrylic on linen, 24 x 36"; The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, Vesper, oil on canvas, 78 x 42 x 1½", by Sarah West; The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, Wonderland, oil on canvas, 78 x 90 x 1½", by Sarah West; Evan Goldman, Self-Portrait in Bethesda, acrylic on linen, 18 x 24"
Loretta McNair loves to paint people and animals. “Ever since a second grade charcoal portrait of a classmate captured a likeness that startled everyone and made his mother deliriously happy, I learned that portraits were a way to bring people happiness,” she says. “And I derive equal pleasure when I capture the spirit of my subject in a story moment or an emotional look in the eye.” Her artwork is available at Parkhurst Galleries in San Pedro, California, and she plans on several California desert exhibitions in 2021.
Painter Magdalena Hoyos-Segovia owns and operates her gallery Magdalena Gallery of Art in Carmel, Indiana. Explaining her artwork, the artist says, “I use the human figure with a combination of moving curving lines and high value colors to reflect on the richness of emotion about being alive. My work focuses on those activities that uplift the spirit.”
JC Hayes, Kindle, graphite pencil on white Stonehenge paper, 24 x 16"
Rashmi Rekha, In Harmony, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18"
Annie Meyer, At the Beach #2, oil monotype on paper, 14 x 11"
Peace and tranquility is a goal of the monotypes of Portland, Oregon, artist Annie Meyer. Her vibrant minimalist landscape and figurative works transport one to a calmer place. Luminous colors and sparse lines capture the essence of a figure or a landscape with simple but brilliant power, which match the composition’s intriguing essence of an abstract sense of time and place. She has been drawing the figure from a model for 50 years. Her body of work At the Beach is a recurrent theme of her work—a lone figure relaxing on the beach.
Rashmi Rekha, Wisemen III, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"
Left to right: Kari Visscher, Mentor, oil on canvas, 12 x 9"; Annie Meyer, At the Beach #5, oil monotype on paper, 14 x 11"; Rashmi Rekha, The Trial III, oil on canvas, 30 x 40"
Painting has been a passion of Ontario, Canada-based artist Rashmi Rekha since an early age. Though she has studied physics and worked in information technology and business management, she continued to pursue her artistic ventures. “My paintings depict my investigation and interpretation of the social landscape of the world around me. With influences as diverse as Franz Kafka and David Chalmers, new insights are derived from both mundane and transcendent meanings,” the artist says. “Each of these paintings tell a story through a combination of familiar human forms and satirical elements.” She adds, “Art is the fire which melts the frozen sea within me.” —
Featured Artists & Galleries
33 Contemporary Gallery
Zhou B Art Center, 4th Floor
1029 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60609
www.artsy.net/33-contemporary
Annie Meyer
Annie Meyer Gallery
(503) 957-6800
anniemeyerartwork@gmail.com
www.anniemeyergallery.com
Coderch & Malavia
info@coderchmalavia.es
www.coderchmalavia.com
Evan Goldman
evan@evangoldmanart.com
www.evangoldman.com
JC Hayes
(210) 367-617
jchayes369@earthlink.net
Kari Visscher
karivisschermd@gmail.com
www.karivisscher.com
Loretta McNair
www.lorettamcnair.artspan.com
Magdalena Gallery of Art
27 E. Main Street, Carmel, IN 46032
(317) 844-0005
art@magdalenagallery.com
www.magdalenagallery.com
Rashmi Rekha
(613) 797-1231
rashmirekhaart@gmail.com
www.rashmirekha.net
RJD Gallery
2385 Montauk Highway
Bridgehampton, NY 11932
(631) 725-1161
www.rjdgallery.com
Stone Sparrow NYC
45 Greenwich Avenue
New York, NY 10014
(646) 449-8004
www.stonesparrownyc.com
The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art
2750 Lee Road #430
Smiths Station, AL 36877
(334) 480-2008
sarahwestgallery@att.net
www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart.com
Tracy Frein
tracyfrein@gmail.com
www.tfrein.artspan.com
William Turner Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue, E-1
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 453-0909
www.williamturnergallery.com
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