Steve Reidell at Howard Scott Gallery Opening, 1/13

(Thursday) 13 January - (Saturday) 12 February 2011

Reception for the artist : Thursday, 13 January, six to eight p.m.

Gallery hours : Tuesday through Saturday , 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Howard Scott Gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition of Recent Paintings by the Philadelphia based artist Steve Riedell.

"Physically, Riedell's works can be described as relief paintings that employ primary forms - mostly horizontal and vertical elements with some diagonal members - to suggest architectural structures. Numerous layers of color underlie the mostly pale-hued, seemingly monochromatic surfaces. This hidden color complexity, along with the light-receptive character of the oil-and-beeswax medium and the built-up structures which are enveloped by it, allows each painting to take on an ambiguous, changing atmosphere.

These sculptural forms developed out of his desire to give each aspect of the painting (wood support, canvas, paint) equal importance. Palette knifes and cloth rags are used to develop oil and beeswax surfaces on flat pieces of canvas. These canvas "skins" are then cut and applied to the faces of geometric wooden armatures. The paint is given more substance (literally) through the addition of the beeswax mixture. Traces of the making process remain visible in many of the works. The exposed cut-edge of the canvas functions as a delicate line revealing a thin line of exposed under-painting - a subtle detail that becomes an entry point into the works anatomy.

Mr. Reidell was educated in California, receiving his BA in 1982 at Art Center College of Design and his MA at Moorpark College. He has received numerous grants and prizes, including the Pollock/Krasner Grant in 2001 and the ElizaBeth Grant in 2000. He lives and works in Philadelphia.