Image courtesy Shane McAdams
Shane McAdams - Algoma
"Algoma" by Shane McAdams
Water and paint are fluid elements giving rise to life and the possibility of human creativity. For a painter, paint is the carefully cultivated source material in a process that brought hydroponics to mind for the organizers of a group show at Real Tinsel Gallery (1013-1015 W Historic Mitchell St.). The exhibition is called, simply, “Hydroponics” (through Oct. 24).
Gallery owner (and artist and critic) Shane McAdams explains that the three artists in this group show are really a group. “Jon Faber, Stephanie McMahon and Nina Rizzo met in the graduate painting department at University of Texas, Austin in the early aughts,” he says. “Despite having very different practices, each shares an appreciation for the fluidity and juiciness of paint.
“Whether they were drawn together by this sensibility or grabbed it out of the crisp Austin air at the same time is worth thinking about. And it’s definitely worth looking about, as the 15 paintings in the show demonstrate a luscious and tactile painterly presence that doesn't exist in images on social media.”
Faber describes his painting, abstract yet linked to real-world imagery, as “a physical thinking process.” McMahon’s paintings “extract and distill her observations and perceptions of a particular environment,” according to McAdams. Using direct experience of places or experiences as a catalyst, Rizzo abstracts his perceptions in fluid brush strokes and spatial ambiguities.
There will be a closing reception for “Hydroponics” 6-9 p.m., Oct. 22 at the gallery. For more information, visit realtinsel.com.
