Kevin Archer’s Enigmatic Undulations of Color

“My paintings invite viewers to imaginatively participate; like looking at the clouds and seeing the head of a lion,” says Kevin Archer of his abstract paintings – better described as freeze frame images of moving paint.

Kevin Archer – Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas 52″x95″

Archer creates his master pieces via the exploration of liquid animation, quintessentially a process of manipulating wet paint into more wet paint. His canvases are a saturation of colors that intertwine with one another rhythmically; the actively flying and floating biomorphic forms are suggestive of human, animal, and microcosmic shapes. They are busy colliding, overlapping, and engaging each other in an imaginary landscape space, frozen in a moment of time.

Perhaps, the biggest draw to Archer’s paintings is the multiple detailed vignettes that come into play when one takes a closer look at each of his creations. Consequently, welcoming the viewer to experience the dynamic aspects of the work – the paintings also encourage engagement, making them an interactive visual coalesce.  Due to the purely abstract nature of his work, the viewer’s experience of the piece is constantly changing; this unique dialogue between the admirer and the canvas can be rightfully termed as ephemeral. The paintings can be experienced as meditations in color, form, and energy, as well as compositional arrangements of suggestive imagery. The imagery in the paintings invites an imaginative participation, a moment in which the viewer is propelled into a cosmic ultra-world of color. In essence Archer’s work serves as an oxymoronic experience – the paintings represent a freeze frame of a moment in time; however the viewer’s experience is anything but static.

Archer has taken time to master his process of creation. According to Bill Lowe, “Archer’s work has a universal appeal; his luxurious application of paint creates enigmatic undulations of color on the canvas and almost always lures the admirer in for a closer look.” Bill Lowe Gallery has proudly showcased his work for more than a year, and we are excited for our patrons to experience his work once more as it will be exhibited alongside Pierre-Marie Brisson’s on the 4^th of April 2014.

Pierre Marie Brisson – In the Mood of Matisse 04/04/14

Parisian Painter Pierre-Marie Brisson Channels the “Mood of Matisse” to Southern Sensibilities with Atlanta Debut on 04-04-14 at Bill Lowe Gallery

Pierre Marie Brisson – Welcome, Mixed Media on Canvas 59×69″

Bill Lowe Gallery is proud to present a breathtaking compilation of new works by internationally-acclaimed French painter Pierre-Marie Brisson.  Brisson’s southern debut follows the smashing success of his shows in San Francisco and New York and opens on Friday, 04-04-14, from 6PM to 9 PM.

Pierre-Marie Brisson was born in Orleans, France in 1955, and works out of his studio in the South of France. Brisson was initially intrigued by art at the tender age of fourteen.  Though he worked in a variety of non art positions, he eventually devoted his life to his passion for contemporary art.  Brisson studied with painter Bernard Saby during his teenage years, and then settled in Paris in 1979 to study with James Coignard, Antoni Clave, Joan Miro, and Antoni Tapies. These influences are apparent in his painting style, which is often compared to cave painting.

The simplicity of the images used are intended to contrast with the textured elements in his work, to give the impression of being both timeless as well as chic and current. Brisson’s work is held in the private collections of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale Jewish Museum, New York’s George Page Museum, Paris’ Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris Musee de la Poste, Paris Pushkin Museum, Moscow’s Musee Faure, haute couture Paris Groupe Cartier, and the Argentina Musee de L’Hospice Saint-Roch, among many others.

Prominent gallerist Bill Lowe of Bill Lowe Gallery comments that “Brisson’s works capture the imagination of an immense audience that is inspired by their aura of European art history conveyed with an invigorated freshness.  The works possess a uniformly exquisite topography or surface development that underscores the classical lineage of the imagery in these icons to love and a joie de vivre.”

Riding Like Royalty

Paris trumped us again.

For just a little extra oomph in the morning metro ride, the French RER system in Paris has refurbished a train to resemble the iconic extravagance of Versailles. Funded by the Palace itself, this transformation is a little bit ridiculous and a little bit amazing – much like it’s royal origins.

You have to hand it to them for embracing their sordid history and twirling it for the 21st century.

If every train was re-envisioned to the tune of royal architecture – like say Buckingham, Alhambra, or the Forbidden City – perhaps we could spend our daily commutes channeling our ancestors’ historic aspirations for glory. Just a thought.

[via MailOnline]

A Twenty Something Tour of the Town – Florence

With summer officially knocking on the door, a trip I took from two summers ago has me wishing I was back in Florence.  During this summer abroad six of my close friends and I had the privilege of soaking up the best in Italian cuisine, cocktails, and of course you can’t leave Italy without some fine Italian leather!  Can someone PLEASE take me back! Here is a look at some of my favorite spots in one of my favorite places on earth: Florence, Italy.

Il Latini – A lovely family style Italian restaurant.  There are two seatings at the restaurant and expect massive lines to get in the door for both!

La Giostra – best pear ravioli in the world

Grom – I highly recommend the Creme de Grom

The Secret Bakery – This hole in the wall is a true treasure of Florence.  Opening up after hours you are lucky if you can find the bakery and snag a chocolate croissant!

Acqua al 2 – the pasta sampler is a must!

Procacci – best specialty foods made with truffles!

Art Bar – Here you will find the most thoughtful and artfully created drinks in the world.  Try the passion fruit caprioska!

Infinity – beautifully crafted leather goods

Ponte Vecchio – Notorious for high prices and gorgeous jewelry; great for window shopping!

Bobboli Gardens and Pitti Palace

Piazzale Michelangelo – The views walking up and from the piazzale are stunning.

San Lorenzo Market – a great spot for weekly shopping, people watching or to grab a bite to eat.

This brief list doesn’t begin to touch the surface of what Florence has to offer.

If you haven’t been, it is a must!

Paradisio

Bill Lowe Gallery presents “Paradisio” featuring new works by Jimmy O’Neal, Kimber Berry, Tom Brydelsky, and Bassmi Ibrahim. If you’re in Atlanta, please join us for the opening reception one week from now – Friday, May 4th from 6-9 pm! For more information, visit our website.

More about PARADISIO:

We live in a time where life is lived in multiple and simultaneous dimensions. Consciousness is constantly traveling back and forth between the real and the virtual. As a result, our sensory appetite has become insatiable and no singular experience feels complete or gratifying for more than a millisecond. The work in this show demonstrates a possible solution to this manufactured ennui. Illustrated here are pathways for us to navigate our own visions of paradise; time stands still, speeds up and becomes liquid form all at the same time. Paradisio explores the visual and psychological landscape of the multi-dimensional experience, enveloping us in our own yearning for heightened self-awareness.

 

About Jimmy O’Neal:

Southern artist Jimmy O’Neal invigorates archetypal icons of myth and legend with new meaning through his utilization of scientifically-augmented traditional materials, such as his own unique colorless paint that brilliantly reflects light as a mirror. His opulent showmanship pushes the envelope of pictorial expectation and charters the definition of new beauty in our image-bombarded world. The result is an articulated vision that embraces the breadth and depth of our collective cultural mythologies, independent of traditional time-space parameters.

 

About Kimber Berry:

American abstractionist Kimber Berry has captured the attention of the global art community over the past decade with her explosively colorful, visually dense, multi-dimensional canvases and installations. Her masterful integration of the digital with pure paint creates a symphonic dance between the virtual world and the organic universe. This universe is an ultra-world that exists within and without the time-space continuum.

 

About Tom Brydelsky:

Tom Brydelsky’s mixed-media encaustic paintings are an investigation into the ephemeral nature of perception, memory and the living environment. After manipulating digital photographs, he then encases them in cloudy layers of wax which act as a metaphorical time capsule. In this process, Brydelsky reclaims and preserves the reverent nostalgia that mankind has for the natural world.

 

About Bassmi Ibrahim:

Bassmi Ibrahim’s work is unique in its ability to produce emotional, ethereal, and hypnotic responses in its viewers. None of his paintings insist on literal narrative; instead they speak in a language we intuitively recognize through atmospheric vibration. Whatever is recalled, it is the play of presence and absence that asserts itself as the fundamental rhythm of life.