33PA | 10/1-10/31 | Online

Perceptions Revealed

33PA’s new online show highlights males as the subject matter.

The male form is the subject of 33PA’s new online exhibition. With the abundance of figurative works highlighting the beauties of the female figure, gallery director Didi Menendez endeavored to place that same focus on the opposite gender, ultimately showing us “how the contemporary male is perceived by artists and themselves.”

Artists in the upcoming show include Sarah Warda, Victor Gadino, Christa Forrest, Weldon Ryan, Kelly Birkenruth, Lukas Moll, John Hyland, Aidamaris Román Tejera and others.

Aidamaris Román Tejera, The Quiet Lust, oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in.

Birkenruth’s Tempus Fugit depicts a man resting on a table with a pocket watch in his hand. On the wall in the background are a variety of clocks. The artist pulls the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes, she strives to evoke sensitivity and empathy, allowing her to create images that transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject.

“Portrait of Rickis a portrait of one of my favorite muses, Rick Niece. My goal was to capture his uniqueness and inner spirit,” Forrest says of her piece in the show. “Widely painted, Rick shares his portraits with creators to encourage inspiration with his vast collection of themed and costumed poses. I chose this specific pose and background because it spoke of strength and resilience. My work has personally gone through a change and period of growth and this portrait of Rick exhibited that feeling…The background of the painting is intentionally simple and muted, so as not to distract from Rick’s presence. I wanted to create a sense of intimacy and focus, as if the viewer is having a one-on-one conversation with [him]. I wanted Rick to stand tall and proud.”

Michele Del Campo, Blues Notes, oil on linen, 32 x 32 in.

Kelly Birkenruth, Tempus Fugit, oil on panel, 18 x 24 in.

In one of Michele Del Campo’s pieces in the show titled Blues Notes, an older man with a gray beard and gray hair plays the harmonica. “I create intimate figurative paintings that capture the inner, invisible drama of everyday life,” he says. “Whether walking by sun-drenched streets or resting in intimate spaces, the characters I portray carry the weight of youth, its urgency, its solitude and its fragile beauty. I focus particularly on gestures and expressions to convey emotional depth and a subtle narrative. Each portrait carries fragments of real stories, memories and places, drawn from my family, friends, and the people I have met while living in different cities and countries.”