David Richard Gallery will present new reductive geometric paintings in a combination of seductive and neutral palettes by Steven Alexander. The exhibition, “Slave To Love,” will be presented June 21 through July 27, 2013 with an opening reception on Friday, June 28 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the gallery located on 544 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, phone 505-983-9555 in the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District.

At first glance Steven Alexander’s paintings seem to be straightforward, colorful and geometric. However, closer inspection reveals a multitude of polarities, between the masculine grid and sensual palette; smooth surfaces with textured edges; luminous colors next to soft powdery hues; the appearance of pure color from a distance and the richness and depth of many layers of color up close. These tensions engage and hold the viewer and allow one to go beyond just “seeing” the colors to actually “experiencing” the painting. The lush, sensuous hues in large and small blocks on canvas with the surprising depth of under-color transforms a classic formal element, the square, into an entirely new and fresh visual experience. Each block of color is created organically, painted layer by layer and color by color, which is why the oppositions that are presented work so well, because ultimately, everything is in balance, harmony is achieved in each composition.

Steven Alexander holds an MFA in painting from Columbia University, where he studied with Richard Pousette-Dart and Dore Ashton among others. His artwork has been presented in over 20 solo exhibitions and included in numerous group exhibitions in New York, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Baltimore, Miami, Florence, Italy and Takasaki, Japan among other cities. His work has been collected extensively throughout the US and abroad. Alexander’s awards include a studio residency at P.S.1 in Long Island City and a Belin Foundation grant for painting, as well as numerous commissions including major works for the Hines Building in New York City, the Liberty Mutual Building in Boston, and the MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston. Currently a Professor of Visual Arts at Marywood University, he has been Artist in Residence at Studio Art Centers International in Florence and Visiting Artist at Parsons School of Design in New York. He maintains a home and studio in the hills of eastern Pennsylvania.