Contemporary representational art in its many guises, from Trompe l’Oeil to luminism, will be on display at Cavalier Galleries in Palm Beach, Florida, from March 8 through 22.
Joel Carson Jones perfects the ancient technique of Trompe l’Oeil to comment on contemporary life. In Existence he depicts not only the static objects typical of a still life but also the movement of the flames of matches as they fly through the air. Aided by photography but also by careful physical observation of the objects in his still lifes, he creates paintings of many layers. It’s startling to see the flaming matches in a still life and to observe that they’ve left the control of the Joker juggler, about to plummet onto the string on which the Joker is precariously balanced.
Joseph McGurl, The Florida Waterways, Venus Rising, oil on panel, 24 x 36"
He says, “As a painter, I strive for consistent improvement. I am drawn to heightened realism with the painstaking dedication it takes to achieve this. I am also driven to the challenge of interweaving emotion into these technical pieces. Through emotion, I strive to give a humanistic quality to such work.”
Joel Carson Jones, Existence, oil on panel, 10 x 8"
Paul Oxborough revels in the qualities of paint, allowing it to be itself while making up an image on the canvas. He explains that he paints “not with photographic accuracy, but with impressions. I think of myself as an impressionist—painting the impression of light hitting your eyes; the impression of color you see at a glance.” The multiple visual stimuli of a bar and the effect of light on a variety of physical materials is apparent in his painting Bar George. Despite the lack of photographic exactness, the qualities of the objects are easily observable, from the tattoos on the bartender’s arms to the transparency of glass jars and bottles.
Peter Poskas, Outcropping, oil on board, 29¼ x 24¼"
The effects of light on the sea are captured by Peter Poskas in his painting Outcropping. A sturdy house rests on a stone outcropping at the edge of the sea scintillating in the sunlight. He lives in Connecticut and summers on Monhegan Island in Maine and has been painting scenes of New England for decades. He often returns to farms and other sites over and over again to paint them in different seasons and light conditions. Poskas’ realism is enhanced by his sense of abstraction in making his compositions.
Robert E. Zappalorti, Frosted, oil on panel, 10½ x 18¾"
The luminist painters of the 19th century are characterized by their treatment of light in the landscape. Joseph McGurl is called a 21st-century luminist. He is fascinated not only by the physics of light, but also by the spiritual qualities of nature. The Florida Waterways, Venus Rising is his impression of a moment at the end of the day as the natural light fails, artificial lights are turned on, a fisherman returns to port and a woman takes a refreshing dip. 
Paul Oxborough, Bar George, oil on linen, 36 x 48"McGurl says, “Often, a literal transcription of the scene does not convey the emotional response I feel. For instance, when looking at a mountain, it often does not look as massive as it ‘feels.’ That is because if you record only what you see, you are missing out on what you feel…So much contemporary art seems self-absorbed, and it may be of interest to people who know the artist personally, but I want to minimize my presence in the scene. I don’t want my ego to get in the way of the viewer being able to enter the scene and almost subconsciously drift to that place that inspired me—even if it is a scene from my imagination, as many of my paintings are. I am able to do this by maintaining a fairly close fidelity to the impression of the real world rather than having an obvious style or ‘stamp.’”
There will also be artwork on view by artists Robert E. Zappalorti, Frank Corso, Edward Minoff, John Terelak, William Nelson, Guy Stanley Philoche and more. —
Cavalier Gallery
292 S. County Road • Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 770-3168 • www.cavaliergalleries.com
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