Continuing Color Abstraction

Exhibition Dates: April 13 - May 8, 2010

Reception: Thursday, April 15, 6 - 8 pm

The Painting Center presents Continuing Color Abstraction curated by Rella Stuart-Hunt. This invitational exhibition includes Lisa Abbott-Canfield, Carla Aurich, Ellen Banks, Siri Berg, Audrey Bergensten, Doug Canfield, Beth Caspar, Sherri Cobb, Dan Crews, Gabriele Evertz, Halsey Hathaway, Changa Hwang, Joanne Klein, Charles Koegel, Charlotte Nicholson, Pierre Obando, Susan Post, Shawn Powell, Russell Roberts, James Vanderberg, Ken Weathersby and Jean Wolff.

Color abstraction has been a subject for painters for almost a century. The innovative masters of this genre in the early 20th century made a concerted decision to create space directly through the experience of canvas and paint as an object in itself.  By the sensual experience and further contemplation of their works, these artists opened up the possibilities in paint for visual meaning to take place in the eye/mind of the viewer. 

These 22 painters continue to explore and discover ways of using color and paint on canvas. Though the earlier practitioners tended to live and paint during a time when life seemed to be moving at a slower pace, these artists, by their very choice to use paint on canvas as their medium, express themselves today in counterpoint to the barrage of fast-paced media constantly vying for ones attention. Their art may invite a quiet response or an intellectually and visually challenging one, or a balance between these two; but seen as a whole the exhibition Continuing Color Abstraction presents a visual conversation among artists who are deliberately creating a more or a less structured use of color and space.  It is to be hoped that individually and by juxtaposition, these paintings will elicit a slower paced response by the viewer.