TRNZ has a fascination for short storytelling. As a former advertising creative, he had a knack for creating really short stories (think 15-seconders for short attention spans). These eventually had fewer and fewer words—until he moved on to tell tales almost purely through paintings instead. You can see these stories come to life in Downward Facing Blooms, opening at Thinkspace Projects on October 19, 2024. 

Ana Barriga Writes a "Letter To My Mermaid" @ Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/ana-barriga-writes-a-letter-to-my-mermaid-richard-heller-gallery-santa-monica/

Spanish artist Ana Barriga, a recent guest on the Radio Juxtapoz podcast, is making her debut with Richard Heller Gallery with Carta a mi Sirena (Letter to my Mermaid). Barriga told us about the show, "Luck is that random force that accompanies us beyond our control, influencing the actions we take and the events around us. It’s a whimsical wink from fate that, since ancient times, humans have tried to attract through rituals and amulets. In this exhibition, luck and the amulet come together, materializing as a strawberry-shaped heart that everyone seeks, one way or another. A search filled with symbolism; a reflection on luck as the essence of which we are made. After all, we all have a heart, but…

Frog on lilly pad nature
https://www.deviantart.com/catfogkidney/art/Frog-on-lilly-pad-nature-1104060208

What is a Color?: Winsor & Newton Revive the Legacy of the Archives
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/magazine/what-is-a-color-winsor-newton-revive-the-legacy-of-the-archives/

I ask a chemist who works for a 192-year old paint company, “What is a color?” and admit to feeling a little out of depth. As art writers, we perceive paint as the medium that preserves time—the representation of a time past. Rarely do I think about the chemicals that go into paint or the history of a company that has for years addressed and perfected the wishes of artists who want paint that achieves their creative endeavors. Founded in 1832 by William Winsor and Henry Newton in London, Winsor & Newton’s DNA is in the exemplary paintbrush of Turner and the color theories of George Field. This is a company that takes color and material very seriously, is meticulous…

Esther Pearl Watson: Generating Auras
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/esther-pearl-watson-generating-auras/

Lately, I’ve thought a lot about comets," Esther Pearl Watson says. "The auras they create are spectacular. There is a comet called the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which is surrounded by its own nebulous aura or coma—an envelope of gas and dust. In his own way, my father is like this comet, generating his own aura, shaped by the changes in his body and mind. Just as a comet emits invisible light, he radiates a presence and energy that is deeply felt but not always seen, creating his own aura through this transformation."

Gretchen Scherer: Seeking An Exit
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/gretchen-scherer-seeking-an-exit/

"Everything is from life; it’s just rearranged. And as you can probably see, I’m very drawn to Neoclassicism, Baroque, Rococo, and Gothic," Gretchen Scherer told us in an interview earlier this year, "I will say that when I paint, I want certain things to happen. I want your eye to go to a certain place, feel a certain emotion, or enjoy this color." This gets us into the mindset of Scherer's new solo show, Seeking an Exit, on view at Monya Rowe Gallery starting on October 17, 2024. The exhibition’s title engages with themes of escapism, solitude, loss, attachment, memory and renewal. In Trubetskoy Palace, Dining Room, 1914 (2024), Scherer focuses on the collection of Sergei Shchukin. After the Bolshevik party…

Watering False Flowers: Erin M. Riley's Textiles Debut in Paris
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/textiles/watering-false-flowers-erin-m-riley-s-textiles-debut-in-paris/

Years ago, in an interview with Erin M. Riley, she told us "For a long time, I tried to remain respectful, but finally realized that while my work is made on a loom, these pieces are not traditional by any means, and rather than call them tapestries, I have just started describing them by the materials they are made with. I do love talking with the students who are studying textiles currently. They are excited about the work I am making, and I am glad they can see a different way of using materials that have been untapped and underappreciated for so long." Why this stood out to me, years later, as Riley opened Watering False Flowers in her debut in…

Samantha Joy Groff: Prophecy of the End
https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/samantha-joy-groff-prophecy-of-the-end/

A more sinister, looming presence takes hold in Samantha Joy Groff’s latest painting series at Nicodim Gallery, as she considers ritual practices, exorcisms, and religious texts, including the Book of Revelation. The apocalyptic text—primarily found in the Christian Bible, from which the title of the show, Prophecy of the End, is derived—sets a foreboding scene.