CURTIS RIPLEY: Nightfall
William Turner Gallery is pleased to present Nightfall, an exhibition of recent work by Los Angeles based artist, Curtis Ripley.
Curtis Ripley’s newest works allude to intangible moments and phenomena we collectively experience- a season come and gone, the flicker of an emotion, a time of day or a quality of light. In this new series, Ripley will be presenting works that celebrate the night itself as well as nocturnes in music, poetry and paintings.These works are improvisational and concerned with creating an atmosphere and spacial depth that capture the mood of an evening’s mystery.
The influence of music and poetry in Ripley’s creative process is evident as vibrant strokes shimmer and dance over the canvas, like words on a page or notes in a song. His paintings are rhythmic, playful and intimate. They surpass the constriction of literal interpretation and instead are meant to be evocative and experienced. Taking cues from the anti-figurative aesthetic of American Abstract Expressionists, Ripley’s process is one of spontaneity and gesture. Color is applied in broad strokes atop a black gesso surface. The paintings show the marks of their creation - splatters and drips are allowed to live on the surface, serving as reminders of the artist’s process. Ripley uses brushes and rags to wipe out and repaint the surface, obscuring previous layers while gradually building up others to create depth and movement. As Ripley says of his work - “My hope is to create paintings that are timeless, lyrical and full of life.”