An Exhibition of New Paintings by Stephen Westfall in His First Solo Exhibition at David Richard Gallery

Westfall's recent paintings have integrated diagonal energies into his well known deconstructions of the grid that have long walked a woozy line between abstraction and pictorial reference. Slanting vectors and diamond patterns invoke angelic rays, byzantine tessera floors, Native American decorative patterns, gothic stained glass, and harlequin costumes.  

David Richard Gallery is pleased to be presenting its first exhibition of paintings by veteran abstract painter, Stephen Westfall. Westfall's recent paintings have integrated diagonal energies into his well known deconstructions of the grid that have long walked a woozy line between abstraction and pictorial reference. Slanting vectors and diamond patterns invoke angelic rays, byzantine tessera floors, Native American decorative patterns, gothic stained glass, and harlequin costumes. In some of the most recent paintings the diamond patterns open up into larger asymmetrical fields that invoke figures and open color fields. In two paintings, “Reclining Harlequin” (2015), and “Three Kings” (2015), the coordinates of the grid misalign with the perimeter of the canvas, suggesting a larger, tilting topography that can't be contained by the frame. Westfall's palette uses a spectrum range of primary and secondary colors that have been cross mixed with complementary colors to create an unexpected overall light, like signs in the sun.  

Stephen Westfall received his graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara.  He has had over 40 one-person exhibitions in the United States and Europe.  His work has been written about in “The New York Times”, “The New Yorker”, “Vogue”, “Arts”, “Art in America”, “The New Criterion”, and “Modern Painters”, among other publications.  Westfall has work in the collections of the Albertina Museum, Kentler Museum, Louisiana Museum, and Whitney Museum of American Art, among other institutions. Among his numerous awards and fellowships are the Rome Prize for 2009-10, Nancy Graves Fellowship in 2007, Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007, and two awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the Graduate Director of Visual Art at The Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University and a long-term instructor and former Painting Co-chair at the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College.  

“Jewel Curtain”, a presentation of new paintings by Stephen Westfall will be exhibited at David Richard Gallery from June 26 through August 9, 2015. An opening reception with the artist will be held Friday, June 26 from 5:00-7:00 PM. The gallery will also host a talk with the artist on Saturday, June 27 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. The gallery is located at 544 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, phone 505-983-9555 in the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District.