All images via the David Zwirner gallery.

I am especially a fan of the way Christian has utilized trees as both a compositional element and as a character in his paintings. Branches that engulf an entire room is, to me, the defintion of abandonment and desloation.

All images via his website.

Artists got one hour to draw, paint, or collage on small or large sheets of paper, which were then tacked to the wall and for sale. The whole thing was loud, crowded, and fun. There was an awesome energy to the place as work was constantly being created and hung on the wall. It was an interesting mixture of buyers and artists, with the whole artistic process fast-forwarded and on display.

My MFA ILP cohort, Lisa Perrin’s drawing.

I am hope that the Contemporary puts that on again. I would definitely participate!

Amy Boone-McCreesh at work.


One of Steven Riddle’s pieces that he made that night.


My contribution to the whole shebang.

Timothy is represented by the Together Gallery in Portland Oregon, and the works there revolve around a handful of characters. What I like about Timothy’s work is that it feels small — not in size, but it in the scope of its world. The small cast allows for a more intimate experience of his work.

Timothy says, “Art for me is very personal and everything i make is a direct reflection on my feelings about this world and my struggle and fascination with trying to understand it and find my purpose within it.“

All images via the Together Gallery. Check out Timothy’s website here.

All images via their online store!

Benjamin Edmiston, Summer Dunk


Bonner Sale, 01


Christian Herr, Broken Teeth


D’Metrius Rice, Untitled 01


Michael Dotson, Pyramid Power

Steven Riddle’s studio is one after my own heart. The Baltimore-based artist is currently in his second year of the Towson MFA program. Upon entering his space, I was greeted by paper, color, and collage works. It was a bit overwhelming (as collage studios can be… so may scraps!) but I loved seeing the nuts and bolts of Steven’s multifaceted work, and left feeling inspired by what he’s working on and his attitude and ideas towards creating.

In terms of his current work, Steven has been working for the past couple of months on richly layered collages that he referred drew his inspiration from still lifes. His inspiration for this new direction was the show he will be in Philadelphia this fall, at space 1026. Titled simply Painting Show, Steven used this as a catalyst to explore one of the oldest and most recognized form of paintings– the still life. Other artists have put a contemporary spin on it, and using paint, an airbrush, prin-making techniques, his old drawings, and more, Steven re-imagines vases of flowers (among other things) in a unique way. Spending some time looking at his work allows you to see the complexity of its layers, which require a keen eye to match the sometimes conflicting color and texture.

I could probably talk shop on art supplies for hours, and Steven and I spent a fair amount of time looking through two large bins of paper scraps. What I really loved was his use of unexpected materials, including this old paint palette:

When creating a piece, Steven seems to have a good sense of when to step back from it. He has no qualms with making something totally over the top — playing around with materials at hand, then returning to his original task. The beauty of collage is that you (often) have time to move things around, add and subtract without anyone being the wiser.

Steven has lined up a couple of other shows this fall, including one with me in Baltimore and another in DC. He will certainly be keeping himself busy. Check out his Tumblr to see more of what he’s up to.

Thanks, Steven!

Steven uses a combination of original painting with oil-based mono prints or silk screens, assembling sharply-cut shapes and juxtaposing them on backgrounds that have a psychedelic feeling to them. The colors are bright and complex with a sense of organization. They are very well-considered and nothing seems out of place. It’s the arrangement of these shapes and design that really attract me to Steven’s work. His cut outs feel like the work of late Matisse — he’s painting with scissors.

All images via his Tumblr.