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DEREK BUCKNER
NEW PAINTINGS February 24 - March 31, 2018 Artist Reception: Saturday, February 24, 5 - 8pm |
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
George Billis Gallery Los Angeles is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by New York based artist Derek Buckner. The exhibition will run from February 24 - March 31, 2018, with an artist reception on Saturday, February 24th, from 5pm to 8pm.
In Derek Buckner's most recent series of paintings, the vibrant palate and intensity of light lend his subject matter deferential weight. Buildings and factories appear not only as elements of industrial cityscapes but also as blocks of pure color. The artist writes of his work, ”For me, painting is not about inventing something new but instead it's the act of seeing and considering my world from new perspectives. A painting, unlike a photograph, does not represent a moment in time but is itself and collection of memories and decisions - an artifact of an experience. It is the desire to translate my experience of seeing through paint, which compels me to put my brush to canvas. In order for me to paint I need to be emotionally excited by a subject, “the artist states. Buckner’s goal is not to copy what he sees but to provoke that same excitement in the viewer also.
In this new series, Buckner moves away from the subject matter he is best known for, New York cityscapes, and sets his sights on the West. From the iconic Los Angeles River and freeways, to dirt roads in Mexico, Bucker challenges himself with new and very different images. Bringing his unique sense of light and brush stroke, what emerges from Buckner’s canvases is romantic, industrial, painterly, and compelling. Shafts of light pierce clouds, illuminating the now demolished 6th Street Bridge, freeways and cars border on abstraction under his hand, and dirt paths through desert scrub brush lead us into the distance - these paintings tell a story and capture a moment - a moment that makes the viewer pause and look at the world from Bucker’s perspective. With his signature expressive brushwork and mastery of light, this series offers a striking--and often surprising--point of view.
Born in 1970, the artist graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, as well as Vassar College, The Art Students League of New York and received his B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited internationally and his work has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, and The New Yorker, among others. Derek Buckner lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and their two sons and daughter.
In Derek Buckner's most recent series of paintings, the vibrant palate and intensity of light lend his subject matter deferential weight. Buildings and factories appear not only as elements of industrial cityscapes but also as blocks of pure color. The artist writes of his work, ”For me, painting is not about inventing something new but instead it's the act of seeing and considering my world from new perspectives. A painting, unlike a photograph, does not represent a moment in time but is itself and collection of memories and decisions - an artifact of an experience. It is the desire to translate my experience of seeing through paint, which compels me to put my brush to canvas. In order for me to paint I need to be emotionally excited by a subject, “the artist states. Buckner’s goal is not to copy what he sees but to provoke that same excitement in the viewer also.
In this new series, Buckner moves away from the subject matter he is best known for, New York cityscapes, and sets his sights on the West. From the iconic Los Angeles River and freeways, to dirt roads in Mexico, Bucker challenges himself with new and very different images. Bringing his unique sense of light and brush stroke, what emerges from Buckner’s canvases is romantic, industrial, painterly, and compelling. Shafts of light pierce clouds, illuminating the now demolished 6th Street Bridge, freeways and cars border on abstraction under his hand, and dirt paths through desert scrub brush lead us into the distance - these paintings tell a story and capture a moment - a moment that makes the viewer pause and look at the world from Bucker’s perspective. With his signature expressive brushwork and mastery of light, this series offers a striking--and often surprising--point of view.
Born in 1970, the artist graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, as well as Vassar College, The Art Students League of New York and received his B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited internationally and his work has been featured in The New York Times, LA Times, and The New Yorker, among others. Derek Buckner lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife and their two sons and daughter.
VIEW EXHIBITION
Billis Williams Gallery opened as George Billis Gallery Los Angeles in 2004. Tressa Williams joined as director in 2009 and became partner in 2021. Billis Williams Gallery builds on the Billis legacy and shows emerging to mid-career artists with a special focus on Southern California painters. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting exceptional work in richly varied visual vocabularies ranging from abstraction to photorealism.
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com
Billis Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
[email protected]
www.BillisWilliams.com