CURTIS RIPLEY Here and Now
WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY BERGAMOT STATION ARTS CENTER 2525 MICHIGAN AVE., E-1 SANTA MONICA, CA 90404 P 310-453-0909 F 310-453-0908 www.williamturnergallery.com
HERE AND NOW The William Turner Gallery is pleased to present, Here And Now: Recent Paintings, an exhibition of new work by Los Angeles based artist Curtis Ripley. In this newest series of paintings, Ripley leaves behind reference to worldly objects, abandoning any semiotic tendencies in search of something more elemental. These works are improvisational - Ripley’s pictorial concern lies with creating an atmosphere, a spatial depth and a mood. His work alludes to those things which are the most difficult to describe - a season, a time of day, a quality of light or an emotion. Taking cues from the anti-figurative aesthetic of American Abstract Expressionists, Ripley’s process is one of spontaneity and gesture. Color is applied in broad strokes atop a black gesso surface. The paintings show the marks of their creation - splatters and drips are allowed to live on the surface, serving as reminders of the artist’s process. Ripley uses brushes and rags to wipe out and repaint the surface, obscuring previous layers while gradually building up others to create even deeper space and movement. As Ripley says of his work - “My hope is to create paintings that are timeless and poetic and full of life.” Much like the pioneers of abstraction that came before him, Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, music plays an important role in Ripley’s creative process. His rhythmic brushstrokes dance across the canvases and these flickering flashes of color result in bursts of sparkling light. Ripley’s paintings are lyrical - he cites poetry as a key influence, stating, “It is the economy of means, the resistance to strict interpretation and the intimate relationship with the viewer which I find essential. These paintings are not puzzles. They are meant to be experienced.” This show marks Curtis Ripley’s sixth solo exhibition with William Turner Gallery. Curtis Ripley was born in Lubbock, Texas in 1949. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
A New Day, 2013, oil on canvas, 48”x72”
Blue Nocturne, oil on canvas, 60”x72”
Here and Now, 2013, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
Holiday, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
Grand Central, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
The Spanish Dancer, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
All the Way, Oil on Canvas, 48”x60”
Blues of Evening, oil on canvas, 42”x54”
All at Once, oil on canvas, 48”x72”
Revelry, oil on canvas, 48”x72”
Letting Go, 2014, oil on canvas, 38”x44”
Springtide, oil on canvas, 38”x44”
Modern Poetry (For Wallace Stevens), oil on canvas, 48”x36”
Prelude #16, 2013, oil on canvas, 48”x36”
Where or When, oil on canvas, 48”x72”
Nocturne #27, oil on canvas, 40”x30”
O Brasileiro (The Brazilian), oil on canvas, 40”x30”
A New Beginning, oil on canvas, 60”x72”
Nocturn #26, 2013, oil on canvas, 30”x24”
This June Night, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
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WIL TUR GAL
LIAM RNER LLERY