Known for its focus on realist and photorealist painters, Skidmore Contemporary Art has been a go-to gallery for collectors of the genre since its founding in Malibu, California, in 1998. In early 2024, the gallery relocated to Palm Desert, California, bringing its roster of high-caliber artists along with it, 12 of whom will be featured in the upcoming exhibition Fresh Paint.
Anne-Marie Kornachuck, Blue Tide, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
On view December 6 through December 30, the show consists of 24 paintings by artists Brooks Anderson, Alexandra Averbach, Jim Bandsuh, Jay Brockman, Daryl Gortner, Michael Sheets, Doug Shoemaker, Brighton Smith, TR Colletta, Emile Dillon, Nicole Finger and Anne-Marie Kornachuck.
Among the diverse artwork on display are classical figurative works like Kornachuck’s oil Blue Tide which provides an aerial view of a woman ensconced in a sea of satiny sheets. While detail-oriented and true to her photo reference material, Kornachuck strives to create paintings that blur the line between reality and imagination. “Where photorealists seek to depict the world exactly as the camera captures it, my approach emphasizes a more personal interpretation,” explains Kornachuck. “I want my paintings to offer the viewer a space to experience a reality that feels true, yet distinctly painterly. I aim to evoke a sense of clarity, where detail and atmosphere coexist, but the subject matter takes on a slightly heightened, almost dreamlike quality. This allows my paintings to exist in a realm that feels both accessible and mysterious—rooted in reality but with a touch of the extraordinary.”
Nicole Finger, Sprinkled, oil on canvas, 24 x 24"
In Blue Tide, and others in her ongoing series Bodies of Water, Kornachuck is exploring depicting the human form within fluid expanses evocative of the vastness of the ocean. “The figure, though meditative and still, contrasts with the movement of the fabric around her,” Kornachuck says about Blue Tide. “Her small presence within this immense space serves to highlight themes of solitude and introspection, while the water symbolizes cleansing, healing and wisdom. The composition invites viewers to experience the tension between stillness and motion, contemplation and dynamism, reflecting on the complex relationship between self and the surrounding world.”
TR Colletta, Chapter Eight - It's A Mystery, oil on linen, 50 x 50"
Finger will be showing a piece that looks good enough to eat with Sprinkled, an oil of a over-sized chocolate donut topped with, you guessed it, rainbow sprinkles. “Food as the ultimate universal and inclusive subject matter is loaded with personal memory and attachments,” says Finger, adding that she has always been intrigued by the idea of elevating ordinary subjects through art. “The larger-than-life size and drama of the subjects emphasize the fantasy quality they had over us as children and the temptation they represent both literally, and figuratively as adults. Although each work has a tendency to find its own personified character in the process of painting, evoking an emotional response without imposing any particular statement is my goal. Preserving and expressing the physical properties of the paint while pursuing a high level of realistic detail is the balance in which I strive.”
Anne-Marie Kornachuck, Blue Tide, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
Another notable work is Colletta’s still life of a vintage typewriter. Chapter Eight – It’s A Mystery is a crisply rendered, almost illustrative piece that literally leaves the narrative in the hands of the viewer. Also of interest is Dillon’s Sky Ranch Motel, which encapsulates the mid-century modern aesthetic that defines the Palm Springs-area architectural landscape.
Fresh Paint opens with a reception on December 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. —
Skidmore Contemporary Art
73130 El Paseo, Suite K • Palm Desert, CA 92260 • (310) 922-5070 • www.skidmorecontemporaryart.com
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