Cartouche

Uprise Art is pleased to present Cartouche, an exhibition of new paintings by Clay Mahn, Laura Naples, and Nicole Anastas.

Anastas’s unique process seamlessly integrates traditional techniques such as embroidery and fraying, enriching the canvas with a tactile and multidimensional surface. The predominantly monochromatic palette emphasizes the topography of her paintings, allowing for the interaction of light, form, and texture to shine.

Mahn directs our gaze to the canvas's surface, which he transforms with nuanced variations achieved through the application of chalk and buffed wax. Embracing a philosophy of subtraction over addition, Mahn meticulously sands each layer, gradually revealing underlying forms and compositional motifs. He introduces loose patterning across the canvas - delicate circles meander across the facade, their ethereal presence providing a striking visual contrast to the weathered texture of the surface.

Within her larger paintings, Naples embeds small canvas blocks that punctuate the works like gemstones, offering a tactile and visual contrast to the surrounding space. Similar to inclusions in diamonds, the irregularities and supposed flaws are identifying markers that underscore the specific series of events, such as the environment, confluence of materials, and asserted pressure, that created each unique work.

Like a cartouche, which demarcates a name or lineage within its circumscribed border and serves as an ornamental embellishment, these paintings by Anastas, Mahn, and Naples unveil the inherent beauty and complexities of their processes, and cement the artist’s signature strokes and vocabulary within the artwork surface.

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