Lexington artist plays with perception in abstract paintings

Working out of the living room of her Lexington home, artist Lynda Schlosberg delves into her abstract paintings for two to three weeks at a time. She describes the creative process for her brightly colored canvases — blanketed in minuscule dots, circles and lines — as “labor intensive.”

“The work is really, for me, an investigation of this idea that there kind of is no space between physical reality and our consciousness of our thoughts,” said Schlosberg, who teaches at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. “I’m constantly working on ways to collapse information down into a single plane but the paintings have a lot of depth because they’re so layered. But I’m more thinking of how they’re all weaving together.”

Schlosberg, 50, who has a background in graphic design as well as photography, noted the larger concept of her work has taken several years to develop, following the completion of her thesis at the Art Institute of Boston.

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Kenji Nakayama & Dana Woulfe - Friends, Collaborators, Brothers

Currently featured in 13FOREST’s exhibition Space/Light/City, Kenji's and Dana's solo and collaborative paintings and murals have been well received in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Toronto and many other cities. In a show of their paintings at Boston’s Lot F Gallery last spring, a PR piece referred to their work is a melding of order and chaos. It was correct, but stillness and motion would have been as apt a phrase. While much of Kenji’s work, particularly his stenciled paintings, have solid form, Dana’s nonrepresentational “splash” style exudes kinetic energy. 

The interesting question is not just how the two men’s aesthetics work when combined into single works of art, but also how two such different artists can work together successfully – seamlessly, as they put it.

Earlier this month I sat down with Kenji and Dana in their South Boston studio, and talked with them about everything from Kenji’s arrival in the US from Japan, to Dana’s youthful involvement with graffiti artists. It was a balmy night. The studio floor was incidentally beautiful from years of splattered paint. Soon the two men would have to leave to repair Dana’s motorcycle.

 

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INTENT and the Artist Behind It

For nearly two years the work's 333 incan- descent light bulbs will at first spell the wordINTENT but then slowly lose their message as they randomly burn out one by one. Right now, however, all Wade wants is a burrito, so we set out into a flawlessly sunny day with my husband Marc and Allison Carswell, who keep 13FOREST on course. Finding Mexican in a college area? It's the easiest thing Wade will do for the next few weeks.
 

 

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Make it better

In two of the stark black-and-white prints in Daniel Embree’s exhibition at an Arlington gallery, a man kneels, praying, searching. Shoulders are bent, body folded.

In the two remaining pieces in the display, Embree depicts a man in a suit, but this time he’s standing straight, adjusting his bow tie, celebrating with a glass of champagne.

The monotypes tell the story of a life not lived long, yet full of transformation. Six years ago, Embree was a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, a lifelong Mormon desperate to rid himself of his attraction to other men. Now he is living in West Newton with his husband, who also graduated from BYU. And his work, which explores his transformation, is attracting attention.

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Artist's work explores transformation

Daniel Embree's monotypes tell a story of transformation. Six years ago, he was a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, a lifelong Mormon desperate to rid himself of his attraction to other men. Now the artist is living in West Newton with his husband, Michael Barber, who also graduated from BYU. 
 

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