March 28, 2006 - May 14, 2006
Central Library, Lobby Gallery (branch info)

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Tornado Flowers by Scott Malbaurn

Artist Talk: Tuesday, May 9, 6pm, Lobby Gallery

My work is hard-edged painting that is minimal and linear. I mix synthetic water-based mediums such as silica, urethane and acrylic resin with pigments to make my own paint. I work on stretched canvas or linen stretched over panel. My paintings are flat color fields with lines that race, zip and carve themselves through the surface. These lines are seen as gesture, yet they are highly structured with the strict use of a curved line and a directional shift that stays consistent through each line.

The forms presented are nouns found in nature such as tornados and flowers. I chose them for their timelessness, reference and dialogue with nature and art history. They are iconic forms that are transformed through the dynamics and poetics of abstracted form and color that, in turn, act as signs, symbols and metaphors. This series is an attempt to deal with a push and pull within the natural and synthetic, as well as strict formal rules and expressive qualities.

Scott Malbaurn has exhibited his work in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and at such venues as New York University, Central Utah Art Center, Rhode Island School of Design and Gallery 138. In addition to painting, he has curated numerous shows, including Making the Timeless Now that appeared at the Broadway Gallery in March 2006. Mr. Malbaurn received his M.F.A. in Painting from Pratt Institute and lives and works in Brooklyn.