Norma Jean Pilates & Roman Fine Art are pleased to present Superheavy Nights, an exhibition of new paintings by painter and sculptor Jeff Muhs. Muhs’ first solo show includes a selection of works from his ongoing Slipstream series.
Muhs’ abstract paintings are pictorial descriptions or interpretations of events and observations. Through his work, Muhs endeavors to examine, challenge and expand our understanding of beauty and our perception of it. Superheavy Nights opens Thursday, May 27th and will continue through Sunday, June 27th. Like many of the Action and Gesture painters before him, Muhs uses a variety of painting techniques including, but not limited to, dripping, smearing and pouring paint. The backgrounds are typically black paint that is moved around resembling the whiting out of windows during times of construction or closure. This technique is then over-painted by a dense and colorful mass that calls to mind landscape and Color Field elements. When combined, the push and pull of the eye, causes the viewer to slip between the two disparate yet synthesized elements. The black and white swirling masses are grounded by the opaque denseness of the foreground elements. This oscillation between background and foreground allows the viewer to move in and out and through the matrix of paint. The paintings also afford areas where the eye can rest, areas of deep space to float around in, as well as rich islands of color to float upon the work’s surface.
The Scattering, 2021 Oil and resin on canvas stretched on wood panel
62 × 72 × 2 in 157.5 × 182.9 × 5.1 cm
“Over the last 25 years my work has undergone an evolution from its beginnings as literal depictions of the environment, through a journey of synthesis, simplification, and abstraction roughly paralleling the history of twentieth century art. The inspiration is the same, but the works are now contemplations and actualizations of creative and physical forces at work in our experience.” - Jeff Muhs
About Jeff Muhs: Jeff Muhs (b. 1966, Southampton, NY) currently lives and works in Southampton, NY. His father, an artist and third generation hunting and fishing guide, instilled in Jeff an intimate knowledge of their local natural environment. Thus, the barrier beach of Long Island’s south shore would later become the heart of the inspiration for Jeff’s work. It was in these early years that Jeff, also a world champion sculptor, first learned the art of wood sculpting from his father. It is this traditional and exacting art form that developed in Jeff a dedication and penchant for excellence he has carried throughout his life. From 1984 to 1988 Jeff attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, from which he received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. Muhs is largely known for his work as a painter. His works have been exhibited in galleries, collections and museums nationwide as well as in Europe. Muhs’ work can be found in several public collections, namely Cantor Fitzgerald; Time Warner, Inc.; Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Hunter Museum, Memphis, TN and Ward Museum, Salisbury, MD. Muhs’ solo exhibition, The Uncanny Valley, will open at the Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton, NY, October 2021.
Opening Reception is Saturday May 29 5-7 pm at 11 Bridge Street Sag Harbor, NY 11963 or view on Artsy here >