“A Pointed Remark” Exhibition

Feuer/Mesler

[Image: Betty Bailey "Medical Marijuana Manor" (2014) Watercolor, pencil, and paint on paper 18 x 24 in.]

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Feuer/Mesler presents A Pointed Remark, featuring colored pencil works by Betty Bailey, Andrew Brischler, Nick Payne and Mason Saltarrelli.

Betty Bailey (b. 1939) creates figurative drawings of seemingly everyday life, that upon closer look have humorous riffs on these moments. A group of elderly adults gather in a circle smoking at “Medical Marijuana Manor,” six fire-haired women run in organized rows while in the nude and naked men gather to create portraits of each other in a life drawing class. Bailey has no formal training in drawing and the result is folk art styled imagery with odd perspectives and figures. She works using memories of people and places mixed with invented situations.

Andrew Brischler (b. 1987) works on panel and paper to produce richly colored text and abstract works. Using references of his own life, art history and pop culture, Brischler examines the lineage of color and form and the power of text. From song lyrics, to film quotes to words or sentiments personal to the artist, the text provides insight into modern life and cultural history. Covering entire surfaces with colored pencil pigment, the works are incredibly labor intensive, evident from the mark making a viewer can observe when up close to the pieces. Brischler’s work is intentionally battered and awry, stray marks and lines permeate the surface, giving the viewer insight into the artist’s process. This method of production gives the final works a duality between the image that is viewed from afar as a vibrant, clean-lined pop image and the work up close that reveals the process of production.

Nick Payne (b. 1982) develops warped scenes with strange characters that vary between human and beast. Payne’s work is haunting and foreboding while also maintaining an underlying element of humor. Red ants attack a deformed gentleman while picking up a coin, a pointy nose villain sculpts a live figurine, or a baby vacillates between demanding more milk and using his bottle as a weapon. These odd scenarios and alternative universes from Payne’s imagination present clues that leave the viewer to complete the story line.

Mason Saltarrelli (b. 1979) presents works on paper and panel. His drawings on paper begin with soaking the paper in a plant based liquid mixture that adds a patina and becomes an aesthetic element of the work. The drawings play between abstraction and figuration—a beautifully rendered composition presents an alligator intertwined with a kachina doll while also paying homage to color blocked abstraction. Saltarrelli creates dynamic works that reference symbols from history, religion and his personal life.