Buster Levi Gallery is pleased to present New Abstractions by Rick Brazill at 121 Main Street in Cold Spring, New York. The exhibition will run from August 2 to August 31, 2025. There will be an opening reception for the artist on Saturday August 2 from 6-8 pm.

In Rick Brazill’s last show at Buster Levi, he presented works that explored the relationship of circular shapes and geometry. His recent work included in this show is almost exclusively focused on the circle as a generative motif for the paintings. The first paintings of this series are a continuation of the spatial explorations of work seen in his previous show. In these works, color is used along with scale variations and various paint applications to achieve layered and complex spatial relationships. There is a sense of ambiguity, a feeling that Brazill’s shapes are floating; first here, now there. His use of paint is diverse; thick, thin, glazed, dragged, bold and subtle. Brazill’s color ranges from dark and menacing to bright or muted. The paintings are active, yet they move slower rather quickly in the sense that it takes time to appreciate the relationships within each work. 

The most recent works in the show are derived from a copious series of drawings that helped Brazill move into new territory. These drawings and paintings are less interested in compositional and spatial exploration. They are based on a grid that all but eliminate contrasts in scale . However, it is not a tightly ruled grid, but rather one that is the result of the gestural manner in the application of graphite, charcoal and most importantly; a Wolf carbon pencil.  Although the circles are layered on top of each other, you can see the dynamic manner in which they were made. In the paintings that followed the drawings, Brazill has used a scribe in addition to the carbon pencil to etch into the surface. The surfaces of the paintings are also extensively worked. They are built up and then burnished, erased, scraped and sanded. Some of the works have lost much of their surface while others hardly any. Similar to the other paintings in this show, they share a concern for light. In this case a soft almost glowing light that emanates from the surface of the painting. In describing one of the works in progress that is painted in warm and cool red tones leaning toward orange, Brazill mentioned that he was trying to capture the freshly cut color of a watermelon. A glistening, rich and varied substance comprised of numerous tones that make up the color of the fruit. Work that on the one hand is energetic and physical and on the other, contemplative.

The gallery will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon to five pm.

For more information: busterlevigallery.com