Gail Dawson

"Soulsbyville"  2009  oil on panel  24" x 24"

"Malvern #6"  2010  oil on panel  48" x 48

"Malvern #3"  2009  oil on panel  48" x 48"

"Bernal Disturbance (Final State)"  2008

"Bernal Satellite View"  2008  oil on panel  19" x 22"

Gail Dawson's paintings are another reminder of the ever so slippery slope between representation and abstraction. She has used representational images to convey abstract shape and form, as in the google satellite-like image directly above, but more often she paints abstract images that hint at and suggest representation, like the wave-like formations in the first three images here, consisting of multi-hued rectangular planes peeling apart like so much construction paper and cardboard debris. In "Bernal Disturbance" she began with a straightforward realist rendering of an urban neighborhood (see the first state here) and then "disturbed" a large portion of it into abstraction as if the process from representation to abstraction was a kind of force of nature. This suggestion of natural forces, of waves and tornadoes and earthquakes, is central to her work and evokes the fascinating links between chaos and order that is expressed throughout nature.

To see more visit gaildawson.com 

and congratulations to Ms. Dawson on having her work appear in New American Painting 91, which is where I came across it.

William D. Lewis

"The Next Morning"  2010  Oil on Linen  77"x84"

"Medusa"  2010  Oil on Canvas  60"x76"

"Smolder I"  2010  Oil on canvas  30"x40"

"Embers"  2009  Oil on Canvas  36"x36"

"Night Fire"  2010  Oil on Canvas  64" diameter

Wiiliam D. Lewis' interests have consistently moved along the boundary between representation and abstraction. Much of his work bridged this gap in a very conspicuous way, adding abstract elements alongside or overlapping representational ones or setting representational objects in abstract arrangements. However, in his more recent work, especially his paintings of the smoldering aftermaths of burn piles, he uses the native abstraction of his subject matter to blur rather bridge the divide. His somber palette and loose brushwork both help to evoke the experience of the scene. 

Check out more of William's work on his website:  wmlewispainting.com

In an odd twist of coincidence I came across his work because it was mentioned by the gallery directory at the Visual Arts Center in Boise ID. Where I'll have a painting in a juried show that opens January 28th. That painting is of a bridge on fire. My name is David Lewis by the way. William's middle name is David. wooo-oooo.

Jenny Robinson

Title unknown

"Billboard"  monotype  53" x 35"

"Dipper"  monoprint  30" x 30"

"Harrison Street Billboard"  monoprint  47" x 30"

"Water Tower Red"  monotype  53" x 35"

Jenny Robinson depicts the monumental derelicts that litter the modern landscape; decaying billboards, old water towers, an abandoned roller coaster... Our penchant for building on a grand scale is hardly limited to banks and stadiums. The mundane infrastructure of our daily lives is frequently enormous, and strangely invisible due to its ubiquity. And when these structures begin to decay they somehow manage to recede from our attention as if they were growing slowly invisible. Many artists have been drawn such ghostlike relics of modernity, but Ms. Robinson captures something of their ethereal presence in her gorgeous monotypes. She relies heavily on initial impressions recorded in sketchbooks but the final work is stylized, and carefully formatted to fill out the frame in dramatic fashion. Her use of large scale prints  is itself "monumental", a way of documenting, memorializing and extolling a fading art form in a digital age.
go to her website (www.jennyrobinson.com) to see more!

Thanks to the artist Sarah M. Newton for the recommendation

David Molesky

"On a Detour From Valhalla"  oil on linen  45" x 58"  2008

"Hill Fire"  oil on panel  20" x 30"  2009

"Rogue"  oil on canvas  36" x 48"  2009

"Sliding Down Tongues"  oil on linen  50" x 85"  2010

"Southbound Junction" oil on linen  16" x 26"  2010

"Griffith Park"  oil on linen  24" x 30"  2010

David Molesky's paintings revel in the primacy of nature. Much of his work embraces chaos and randomness, especially his vast series of waves and sea spume. But inherent in even these pieces is a suggestion of meaning, as if these displays of chaos are not merely that. For us, the human observer, a they can be a focal point for meditation, for wonder. His work has a mystical streak running through it as he strives to convey his own profound experiences of the world in paint (he has travelled widely and had several life threatening adventures including being held hostage by pirates - there's a fascinating interview on the Juxtapoz website). Mr. Molesky studied under the exceptionally odd and quasi-mystical Scandinavian painter Odd Nerdrum, and the relationship was clearly a good one. Fortunately he never succumbed to the desire to emulate the style of Mr. Nerdrum as others have. Instead he has found his own path to his own ends.
Go to his website: www.davidmolesky.com to see more.
...and congratulations to Mr. Molesky on having his work included in the 91st edition of New American Painting.