Arthur Brouthers, a Charlotte, N.C.-based artist, experimented for years with acrylic paint and other mediums before arriving at his current process, which produces wild textures that mimic celestial bodies and microscopic processes. In the artist’s figurative work, the human body takes on otherworldly form when it consists of this material.
On his website, Brouthers discusses on how he depends on the unpredictable to created his work. He’s described his current technique as pouring acrylic paint on wood panel, followed by resin coats. “I pour the paint and create a reaction that mimics natural phenomena, forming images in an unorganized unity,” Brouthers says, in a statement. “A thick clear medium is often applied to finished pieces, providing a looking glass into an ever evolving natural reaction. The viewer is left to find resonance between the piece and their own perception.”
Pieces like “Personal Universe,” shown below, are four feet in diameter, an absorbing size with its trapped bubbles and star-like apparitions. The artist is one-half of the team behind Culture Initiative, a Charlotte-based organization that organizes shows in the Southeast.
Peter Saul’s surreal acrylic paintings have reflected, challenged, and parodied the status quo for the past six decades. In a new show at 
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Though dipping into the otherworldly,