Rosalux Gallery presents Elixir featuring new paintings by Duane Ditty and Shawn McNulty.
Reception: Saturday, April 6th, 7:00-10:00 pm Exhibition Dates: April 6th-28th, 2019 Gallery Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 12noon-4:00 pm
Elixir is the first time these longtime non-objective painters have shown together, and it’s a fantastic pairing of two artists who approach painting with a rich diversity of technique and approach. Both artists have a process that involves working the canvas with a combination of geometric and organic gestures in a state of experimentation where the next move could be failure or completion, much like how alchemists create the perfect elixir. There is a method of trial and error that eventually leads to a solution.
Duane Ditty says of his work, “My paintings are contemplative in nature. I see painting as a very physical act, and I often work on a human scale. My paintings are a direct example of the artists’ process and contain within them the record of their realization and implementation. The non-specific structural space of these paintings distances them from the noise of the outside world and allows for a contemplative respite. The works invite the viewer to relate on an intuitive and spontaneous level; without irony or jest they manifest a gravity and beauty often absent in our daily visual lives.” Visit his website at duaneditty.com
Shawn McNulty’s paintings explore the relationship between man-made structures and the natural world and the idea of recognizable shapes and structures living within irrational thoughts and emotions. The artist applies many layers of acrylic and pumice to the canvas using unorthodox methods such as a shoe palette knife (with his foot), knives, brooms, and almost anything that is not a brush. McNulty, now a mid-career artist, has moved away from his signature style geometric abstractions into an arena of organic forms and complex compositions. The heavily textured work in Elixir incorporates his vibrant color palette. Some paintings, like Nautilus, bring to mind exotic sea creatures living amongst colorful coral while others have his signature geometric forms and horizontal division of space. There are two pieces, Cosgrove and Midway, that he completed at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair as an all day demo in the Fine Arts Building. The artist avoids the common zone out of many abstract painters for a refreshing battered mediation that doesn’t let you relax completely. Visit his website at shawnmcnulty.com