DOUGLAS WITMER at Blank Space

Douglas Witmer, Tonight We Do, 2013, 30 x 24 inches, black gesso and acrylic on canvas

Extended through March 8, 2013 -- don't miss Douglas Witmer's exhibition of new paintings at Blank Space. Continuing his exploration of the nuances of the painting language, Douglas wrings an amazing amount of painterly incident out of spartan formal structures. The compositions focus on the contrast between an opaque rectangle and a washy field, and the proportional relations between the interior rectangle and the perimeter of the canvas. But this dry description does not hint at the beautiful soft surfaces and subtle slippages that occur within the structures. Employing a keen sensitivity to the most minute attributes of his materials, Witmer builds paintings that breathe with a quiet living presence.

Douglas Witmer, Guiding Light, 2012, 54 x 44 inches, black gesso and acrylic on canvas  

Douglas Witmer, Love is Natural and Real, 2012, 35 x 28 inches, black gesso and acrylic on canvas

Douglas Witmer, Still Alive for Your Love, 2012, 30 x 24 inches, black gesso and acrylic on canvas

 Douglas Witmer, installation view, Blank Space, NYC

Images courtesy Douglas Witmer 

DOUGLAS WITMER at Some Walls

Douglas Witmer, selections from Fruitville, paint on found wood, all less than 8" in any direction

Douglas Witmer is for the first time showing a remarkable group of 3-dimensional works at Some Walls in Oakland through July 25. The exhibition is also featured online with a fine essay by Chris Ashley who is the mastermind of the Some Walls project. The pieces, collectively titled Fruitville, are at once ephemeral and physical, witty and iconic. They are parts of an ongoing project in which Witmer has engaged for years, and are brilliant examples of how the probing sensibility of the painter investigates and activates all aspects of the world. Images from the artist's website.

DOUGLAS WITMERat the Philadelphia Cathedral

Douglas Witmer, Joseph's Coat, 2009, Installation View (from Doug's website)

For most abstract painters, it is rare to have an opportunity to work within a loaded context, one that rather than just a showcase, offers a rich sounding board for the work. When such an opportunity arises, it can be a valuable chance to expand beyond our own conventions and those of the requisite white cube, to tap into an alchemical process in which the resonance of the work merges with the resonance of the setting to create a third entity that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is certainly true of Douglas Witmer's new installation called Joseph's Coat in the Philadelphia Cathedral (through February).