The Lennon and Weinberg Gallery in Chelsea has announced a series of works by Richard Kalina in an exhibition titled New Paintings and Watercolors. Colorful dots, hexagons, squares, and other shapes. The show includes seven paintings and a group of new watercolors by Kalina, who possesses a keen eye and unique method for each project he undertakes.
First, he does a small sketch, and then draws the composition to scale on vellum placed over the surface of a panel. Next, he masks the edges and areas intended to remain exposed, then sets down a white ground layer, and puts together hundreds of cut and torn pieces of painted paper onto the linen.
Using transparent pigments on sheets of rice paper, Kalina rips and cuts out small pieces of paper and overlaps them to create an array of ovals, rings, circles, bands and hexagons. The shapes are scattered across grids of white lines that connect the squares to one another. Paraliax is the only painting in which the squares are not exposed and the grid lies behind the shapes. Kalina is a well known art critic who also serves as contributing editor to Art in America magazine.
New Paintings and Watercolors is Kalina’s ninth show at the gallery. His works are featured in various museums and galleries nationwide and he teaches studio art and art history at Fordham University. He is a recently elected member of the National Academy. At the Lennon and Weinberg Gallery (514 W. 25th St.) through Feb. 25. The gallery is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
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