“Big Painting” Exhibition

Patrick Parrish Gallery

This event has ended.

Organized by Jonathan Travis

Patrick Parrish Gallery presents BIG PAINTING, a group exhibition comprised of large scale works by twelve figurative painters admired, supported, and collected by Jonathan Travis; Aaron Elvis Jupin, Chiffon C. Thomas, Cynthia Talmadge, Didier William, Emily Ludwig Shaffer, Jordan Artim, Leigh Ruple, Michael Cline, Sara Anstis, Sasha Gordon, Scott Kahn, and Walter Robinson.

Jonathan is not an art historian and did not want to over conceptualize this show. He did not come from an art family, nor did he have fine art surrounding him growing up. Jonathan developed a passion for art simply by seeing the labor, talent and emotion on display through art in the world around him.

So here he presents an exhibition of large visceral works that can be understood and appreciated by all who take the time to see.

Jonathan has been responsible for finding the spaces and negotiating the deals for most of the galleries that have recently moved (or are moving) to Tribeca. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Artnews, as well as several other publications.

Jonathan has become a committed collector of figurative painting, constantly supporting young artists by buying their work, and using his relationships with gallerists to help their careers whenever possible. His collection now compromises over one hundred figurative paintings.

Jonathan lives in Brooklyn with his dog Banks.

WORDS FROM JONATHAN ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Aaron Elvis Jupin
Aaron paints bright, hypnotic scenes of interiors and semi-animate objects using the traditional cartoon animator’s medium of airbrush and cell vinyl. Growing up in the shadow of Disneyland, his childhood and subconscious were fundamentally molded by Walt Disney imagery. The works use the ambiguous familiarity of cartoon motifs, which seem cheerful and innocuous on their own, but in concert seem to allude to an unseen, vaguely sinister subject just out of frame. He received his BFA from Otis College of Art and Design painting and is currently based in Los Angeles.

Chiffon C. Thomas
Chiffon’s embroidery and mixed media works are immediately striking through their raw energy and emotion. Like her personality, they are bold and powerful. Her practice serves as visual language to explore her own feelings of nostalgia, longing to belong, and affirmation of self-identity. Chiffon received her BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently an MFA candidate at Yale University. Her work has been reviewed in Art in America, along with other publications.

Cynthia Talmadge
On first glance, Cynthia’s work appears colorful and cheery, but as you scratch the surface, you realize these paintings have a much darker significance. The contrast between the happy exterior and sinister meaning behind the works makes them fascinating. She works primarily in two mediums; pointillism and paintings made of sand. Cynthia received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and her work has been reviewed in numerous publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Artforum.

Didier William
Born in Port-Au-Prince Haiti, Didier creates evocative and eye catching mixed media paintings that explore how memories and cultural elements travel through time. His work brings together multiple forms of media including paper, charcoal, stucco, and relief carving. Didier earned his BFA from The Maryland Institute College of Art and his MFA from Yale University. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Art in America, Hyperallergic and has been exhibited at many museums.

Emily Ludwig Shaffer
Emily creates oil paintings that transform a place or object that typically feels familiar, into something enigmatic and surreal. Her highly detailed works evoke a sense of curiosity that breathe mystical life into plants and landscapes, taking the viewer on a journey to an unfamiliar place. Emily received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from Columbia University. She is based in New York and represented by Galerie Pact in Paris.

Jordan Artim
Jordan’s current body of work explores the depths and dynamics of queer identity and relationships through paintings that are highly saturated with bold color. His emotionally charged paintings examine universal human feelings like love, trust, sex, and self-doubt. Jordan received his BFA from the Tyler School of Art and just recently completed his MFA from Hunter College in 2018.

Leigh Ruple
Leigh’s paintings depict quiet moments of romance within glowing urban environments, often capturing light in motion. Views of the city, observed and imagined, appear digital or air brushed with streetlights and other artificial sources. From close inspection, precise gradations of color and sharply defined planes are rendered by hand, revealing a highly accurate touch. Leigh received her BFA from the Cooper Union and MFA from Bard College. Her work will be the subject of a solo presentation at the Independent fair in 2020 with PAGE (NYC).

Michael Cline
Michael’s oil paintings encompass a level of skill and detail reminiscent of the old masters. An expert draftsman, Michael beautifully renders figures in ominous landscapes that evoke a feeling of uncertainty. He received his BFA and MFA from the Arts Institute of Chicago. His work has been shown at numerous prominent galleries including David Kordansky, Corbett vs. Dempsey, Sean Horton Presents. Michael’s work is included in many important public collections such as MoMA, Walker Art Center, and the Parrish Art Museum.

Sara Anstis
Sara’s mythological pastel works explore memory and desire. Unruly female figures can be seen frolicking around in imaginative landscapes, often engaging in debauchery. This odd imagery creates beautifully weird and engrossing scenes. Sara received her BFA in Studio Art and Sociology at Concordia University in 2013 and her MFA in Fine Art from Valand Academy in 2016. In 2018, she completed the Drawing Year Postgraduate Programme at the Royal Drawing School.

Sasha Gordon
Sasha’s work is an introspective look into her own thoughts, feelings and identity. At just twenty one years old, she is by far the youngest artist in this show, and yet her work already displays a sophisticated range in style. Sasha’s paintings challenge the constraints of oil paintings, creating variance in texture, surface, and spatial perspectives. She is currently finishing her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Scott Kahn
Scott’s practice over the past five decades serves as a striking visual diary of his life, with a surrealist twist. His highly detailed oil paintings often depict landscapes and people that have made an impact on him, while rendering them in a way that feels slightly unfamiliar. Scott received a career survey from his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, and his work has been reviewed in publications such as the New York Times, and Art in America.

Walter Robinson
Walter began his painting practice in the 1970s, creating the pulp romance imagery that he is most known for today. His paintings are provocative and sexy. Along with being a painter, he has been a writer, editor, and critic. Since the 1970s, Walter has been a highly respected fixture in the New York art scene. His work was recently exhibited at the Whitney Museum, and in 2016 he received a monumental retrospective by seminal dealer Jeffrey Deitch.