Phyllis Floyd: Recent Watercolors

Exhibition Dates: February 26, 2007 - March 23, 2007

Reception: Thursday, March 1, 6 - 8 pm

The Painting Center is pleased to announce an exhibition of recent watercolors by Phyllis Floyd. These works were done on site in Madison Square Park and other spots around Manhattan. In the bustle of New York, there is constant motion. People come and go, shift positions; the light grows strong and then dims. The painter tries to absorb the essence of the moment, and the medium of watercolor lends itself to this goal. But, because it dries so quickly, there is no opportunity to correct mistakes. It’s like a performance on the stage, a one-shot opportunity.

Floyd’s process involves several steps. She starts by finding a shady place from which to gaze out on a scene that includes people unaware of being observed who will remain in place long enough to become part of her composition. (Occasionally, however, one of her artist friends shows up on a park bench.) Then, trusting eye and hand, she turns the unarranged event into a spontaneous work on paper. Finally, back in her studio, she selects those works that make an impact through pictorial means. In 2003 David Cohen wrote: “Her economical but keenly observed views of city parks deftly capture specific body types and gestures in a way that is neat and endearing, and she handles watercolor with business-like straightforwardness.”

Phyllis Floyd has been a life-long proponent of representational painting around which she has organized and participated in many group shows. This is her first solo show at The Painting Center.