“Creativity takes courage”
Henri Matisse
Artist Nigel Cooke in his studio. Photo by FADMagazine
2019
Oil and Acrylic on Linen
164x225x5cm
"The myth of Acteon makes me think of being misunderstood, condemned. About irreversible consequences, of punishment and judgement. But his transformation also calls to mind coming closer to nature, in his case at the cost of how he considered himself human, cultured, separate, and a predator. Maybe there’s an ecological thought in here, but also one about what it feels like to be a painter, balancing 2 kinds of inner nature". Nigel Cooke
2019
Oil and Acrylic on Linen
164x225x5cm
Conjured Parts (eye), Ferguson, 2016
"I am interested in the potential of ‘psychogeographies’, which suggests that within an invisible and invented creative space the individual can tap a resource of self-determination and resistance." Julie Mehretu
©An Interview with Julie Mehretu: Drawing into Painting. By Olukemi Ilesanmi. 2003
Image ©Julie Mehretu - Courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery
Ink and acrylic on canvas,
84 x 96 in - 213.4 x 243.8 cm
The Broad Museum Collection, Los Angeles, CA
Fugitive Breath Drawing, 2018
"One of the reasons I have always been interested in working within the limits of abstraction is because there is the capacity of chance, possibility, and opacity. There is a deep history of the semiotics of representative work, and the cultural specificity in it is undeniable." Julie Mehrethu.
© An Interview with Julie Mehretu: The Mark of an Artist.By Mark Benjami.2020
Image ©Julie Mehretu - Courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery
Ink and acrylic on paper
Paper: 26 1/8 x 40 in -66.4 x 101.6 cm
Frame: 29 1/4 x 43 x 1 1/2 in. (74.3 x 109.2 x 3.8 cm)
Michael Wolf is an NYC area artist whose work encompasses sculpture, installation, and drawing. Architectural spaces and forms inspire Wolf's artwork. He uses these forms as a metaphor for the human experience. The human need for shelter both physically and psychologically permeates his work. The artist primarily uses wood, stone, metal, and gold leaf, creating contemporary art with an ongoing dialogue with history.
Palladian Dream, 2021
"Palladian Dream was inspired by my travels in Italy and Greece. While traveling, I noticed many
sculptural niches incorporated into the architecture, some of which housed and sheltered sculptures, and
some were left empty. I was particularly attracted to the empty niches, they fueled my imagination of
what they could contain and protect. Palladio was, of course, the Italian renaissance architect known for
his use of symmetry and harmonious proportions." © Michael Wolf - Courtesy of the artist
Palladian Dream:
Wood, 24k gold leaf, oil paint 13 x 15.5 x 2.25 inches
Sanctuary in Fairyland, 2021
"I started the series Sanctuary in Fairyland during a residency sponsored by the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation during the early days of the pandemic. The title comes from a social media post by an English museum director who had been taking rides into the English countryside to escape the monotony lockdown. Once, he stopped at a medieval church in an area of England known for its stories about fairies. It began to rain, and he took refuge in the church. During the brief shower, he "spent what felt like an enchanted time watching through the doorway as the rain lashed down on the Downs." I was also taking trips into rural areas near me in the same period, discovering new and unusual places. My drawings and sculptures attempt to capture the feeling of that unique period." © Michael Wolf - Courtesy of the Artist
Sanctuary in Fairyland:
Wood, 24k gold leaf, oil, and acrylic paint 30 x 24 x 2.25 inches