Lily Pad West is pleased to host an exhibiton of new works by Concord, Massachusetts-based artist, Andy Newman, who also spends time at his family home in Cavillargues, France. His time spent in both locales have helped shape this body of work, which consists of figures, abstracts and the more dominantly featured landscapes and architecture. In 20 to 25 paintings, Newman showcases his love of place, along with perspective, form, color and light—all the hallmarks of a truly talented artist.
Lane in the Cevennes, oil on canvas, 18 x 24"“Thinking of the title of the show Within Villages of Stone,” says Newman, “it’s a literary way of expressing the genres I work in. Many of my landscapes are anchored by architectural subjects, which allow me to center my interest on form, light and composition, with less stress upon the particulars of a given locality. Thus, it is with architecture that I can feel most abstract. What drives the image is the array of shapes and how they occupy the picture plane, rather than whether a building or road happens to be in France, Spain or England.”
Newman also expresses that the show exemplifies how he’s constantly trying to look at the same subject matter and tackle some of the same challenges, but in a new and bolder way. The artist is known for returning to similar scenes to not just repeat, but to find new perspective and “strength” in his artistry. “Since architectural subject matter lends itself to the composing of forms within a space, I have over the years returned again and again to the same buildings to produce closely related images,” he shares. 
Arch to the Place aux Herbes (Uzès), oil on panel, 10½ x 4¼"Also, since his last show with Lily Pad West almost exactly a year ago, “it raises the stakes on how I can do this differently,” he says. “Maybe there’s a little more depth, more atmosphere and emotion out of what is ostensibly, a little more subject matter.”
Show attendees will be privy to awe-inspiring paintings like Arch to the Place Aux Herbes (Uzès), which Newman notes is a good example of addressing a different way of looking at a scene. The town of Uzès, France, is a popular tourist destination for its city center, La-Place-Aux Herbes, which is home to medieval architecture and gorgeous arches that serve as buttresses and as beautiful accents. 
Several Barns Grand Isle, oil on canvas, 9½ x 23"
“I did a series of paintings on Uzès for an exhibition put on by the town itself,” Newman explains. “I was faced squarely with the question ‘how am I going to avoid cliques about the town?’—Because everyone captures its architectural history and brilliance, especially the city center itself. He continues, “Here is where I came up with the idea (like in the show painting) to focus on the alleys leading to the center.” Newman also shares that the exhibition for Uzès was the first generation of paintings while this one for Lily Pad West is the second. He quotes the great Mark Rothko, an inspiring force in Newman’s work, as saying, “Something that is worth painting is worth painting again and again…”
Houses Descending on a Hill (Torre de Compte), oil on canvas, 21 x 33"
The show will not only focus on regions in France, as in other show pieces like Lane in the Cevennes, featuring a colorful row of trees, but will highlight other of Newman's travel destinations in Spain and England, as well as his home in New England. His piece, Houses Descending on a Hill (Torre de Compte), shows the village of Torre de Compte in Barcelona, Spain, where Newman has spent a great deal of time. Over the years, Newman has created around 10 different paintings of a group of houses on this particular hill, relying on old sketches and memory.
Join in on the exciting energy of Newman’s new work at Lily Pad West’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin, location. The show will hang through February 26. —
Lily Pad West
215 N. Broadway • Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 509-5756 • www.lilypadgallery.com
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