Greg Slick

The beginnings of a new series

2009-07-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Little Monolith, 2008, acrylic on canvas.

There Are Coincidences, 2009, acrylic on birch panel.

Experiments with black, white, and grey silhouettes have led to a new level of inquiry in hard-edged abstraction.

Combining natural forms with hard-edged abstraction

2009-07-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Good with a Knife, 2009, acrylic and charcoal on birch panel.

After the representations of landscapes only elemental forms or their shadows were left, after the articulations of narrative, only the impression of something having taken place. There it is: a way to wrap my head around a body of work that is identifiably abstract, but freighted with a rich memory of natural forms. Increasingly, I am bushwhacking my way through the topography of formalized painting with a method that both builds color and texture and degrades the image through abrasion, stripping, and cancellation. Soiling my hands through a process of calculated erosion. Something else, too, to further complicate matters: textures and colors (most new for me) that suggest nature reclaiming its turf from an industrial landscape.

Natural underpinnings

2008-03-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

These tree stumps (graphite on paper, 2007) are examples of an abiding interest in nature's structures, bare and exposed.

Phase transition

2008-03-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Drift I, 2008, acrylic on canvas.

Autumn Vectors, 2008, acrylic on canvas.

This body of work can be described as a type of abstraction loosely influenced by the tropes and conventions of scientific data set imagery, Native American iconography, Chinese calligraphy, and abstract expressionism. A formal inquiry into group movement, the work is based on elemental images that reference what we know of crowd dynamics, migratory patterns, and seemingly random groupings of natural phenomena. The compositions are simple yet expressive: planes of muted or neutral color, upon which I layer lines, lozenge- and ovoid-shaped figures, repeated designs, and bands of vibrant and/or textured color.

Preparatory drawings

2008-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

These 3 charcoal drawings (untitled, 2007) are based on organic forms and may provide the basis for paintings, or at least play a cameo role in a more articulated form on canvas.

Post-studio work

2008-02-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

The original white box.

Starting an art gallery is a lot like buying a home. You dream of space, of hardwood floors and generous walls. A Victorian, maybe. Porches and wild ornamentation set your mind ablaze. But you end up with something more sensible and affordable. You make the best of whatever resources you have.

That’s how Karlos Carcamo, my business partner, and I ended up with the storefront now known as GO NORTH: A Space for Contemporary Art. Originally, it was a white box with a small footprint—the size of most guest bedrooms—but possessed a lofty ceiling and a display window that worked hard to advertise what was inside. In the 18 months since we opened, we’ve moved to a much larger space next door, added Joe Millar as a third partner, and managed to stage one exciting show after another with relatively modest means. We’re lucky we already knew some great artists whose work we could draw upon; but every week new artists, as well as a few independent curators and gallerists, approach us, intrigued by what we’re doing in Beacon, NY.

GO NORTH is an artist-owned gallery. We show art we believe in, not art we merely think we can sell. Creating context through curated shows, helping to shape artistic vision, and providing exposure for artists is just part of our post-studio practice. Interestingly, I’ve come to understand my own work more thoroughly while curating the work of others. I’ve also gained a deeper insight into the strange relationship between art and its perceived value—cultural, monetary, etc.—through my do-it-yourself approach to becoming integral to the creation of value. More and more artists with DIY attitudes, it seems, are becoming artist-producers who open their own galleries and/or organize public events, publish ’zines, or provide virtual exhibition spaces that show what they deem to be relevant and compelling work, thereby creating value.

Of course, artists who become artist-producers have no choice but to do this. Increasingly feeling the encroachment of traditional gallery culture, artists have come to regard the DIY aspect of post-studio practice as a breath of fresh air. If the roiling art market continues at its present pace (and it will), further commodification of art and the art stars who make it is inevitable. That can only leave us in an even worse state of dullness and conformity veiled by empty gestures. So it’s incumbent upon artists to help shape the context in which their work and that of their colleagues is experienced, however humble that context may be.

(GO NORTH: A Space for Contemporary Art is located at 469 Main Street in Beacon, NY. gonorthgallery@hotmail.com. www.gonorthgallery.com. Gallery hours: 12 – 6 pm, Saturday & Sunday and by appointment)