Tad Wiley, Counterpane, 74 x 56 inches. oil based enamel on wood panelAt Heidi Cho Gallery through May 22 is a powerful show of recent works by Tad Wiley. Towering vertical configurations evoke architectural references, but also possess a mysterious totemic presence. The luscious surfaces, which vary from matte to shiny and thick to thin, are built with layers of oil enamel in slabs of flat color with bits of previous colors sometimes visible. These paintings command the space dramatically, creating an arena of undulating rhythm in the gallery. But each work also pulls the viewer up close to examine the nuances of its surface. Wiley is making deeply sensuous objects that are alive with a primal pulse -- grounded in their solid materiality and asserting the possibility of transcendent states.
Tad Wiley, Kuoshio, 72 x 48 inches, oil based enamel on wood panel
