The oil paintings Kent Williams are often blends of bold figures and vibrant abstractions, moving between exhibiting the strength, frailty, and elegance of the human form. In his newer works, the subjects are increasingly obscured. Yet, they’re intimacy is amplified, as rendered by Williams. The painter was last mentioned on HiFructose.com here.
“EMOTIONAL CONTENT: Works on Paper” brings the work of nine artists to Evoke Contemporary in Sante Fe, N.M. Curated by artist Kent Williams, the show defies what Williams considers to be a prevalent aspect of contemporary art: detachment. In a statement, the artist clarifies the charge of this show, which kicked off Sept. 30 and runs through Nov. 19 at the gallery.
Symmetry and beauty are often claimed to be linked, however over the years, artists have discovered that the less predictable beauty in asymmetry results in a more interesting piece of art. American artist James McNeill Whistler’s “The Artist’s Mother” is often used as a prime example of how imbalance can improve a composition, while Andy Warhol’s famous “Marilyn Diptych”, a work consisting of two panels, is argued by art critics as one of the best pieces he ever created. Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles noticed the influence of these visual concepts and asked artists to combine them, resulting in the “Asymmetrical Diptych Group Show”.
San Jose based comic book artist and “professional hater” Jonathan Wayshak draws energetic illustrations which were featured in Hi-Fructose Collected II. At his Facebook page, he writes “I draw pictures with a lot of lines and huge nipples”, but that’s a modest description of his rough and enthralling drawing style. Wayshak works with a variety of materials; brush ink, gouache, acrylic, pencil, watercolors, pens, on whatever else is handy – paper scraps and leftover cut down illustration boards or watercolor paper. Take a look inside Wayshak’s sketchbook after the jump.
The word “samurai” immediately brings to mind the famed Japanese warrior skilled in the art of war. Samurai were artists as well, and applied their strategy to studies like calligraphy, ink painting, and architecture. Perhaps more importantly, they were patrons of the arts. Their exploits continue to pique the interest of Contemporary artists today. Some of these artists will exhibit in Worcester Art Museum’s upcoming exhibition “Samurai!”, curated by Eric Nakamura, such as Andrew Hem, Audrey Kawasaki, Mari Inukai, James Jean, kozyndan, Mu Pan, Masakatsu Sashie, Rob Sato, and Kent Williams. They each present their interpretations of samurai as cultural icons of history and our fantasies.
Bright flora bursts in Kent Williams’s paintings (featured in HF Vol. 21). Thick brushstrokes of hot pink, mint and navy hint at an arrangement of organic growths. Williams frequently positions his subjects in the outdoors, where they inhabit areas that seem wild and overgrown yet feel contained like miniature Edens. His characters fervently move as if enacting a frenetic dance performance, their motion captured by his expressive use of paint. While Williams has been widely recognized for his figurative work over the past 20 years, his first solo show with 101/Exhibit in Los Angeles, “How Human of You,” marks a shift into abstraction. Figures are still present in many of the works, but Williams removes the idea of time and place, instead suspending them in an imaginary space where his flamboyant color choices elicit a visceral, emotional response.