Jeff Bailey Gallery is pleased to present Kris Chatterson, New Paintings. This is his first exhibition with the gallery.
Chatterson’s abstract paintings evoke vast, ever changing and unfamiliar spaces. In a multi-step process, he combines images from his earlier paintings with layered patterns that he creates on a computer or smart phone. These are manipulated, distorted, then printed and transferred to a painted surface (where he continues to paint and build the overall image).
As Chatterson states, “Being able to work digitally allows me to create infinite possibilities while working with very little”. The computer acts as a synthesizer of Chatterson’s abstract forms: calligraphic gestures are manipulated into non-linear spatial compositions. However, the physical act of painting is equally important. It is the combination of each method that enables Chatterson to create his unique imagery.
Shades of grey and black are mixed with one or several high-keyed colors. Giant brush strokes, magnified pixelations, dot matrixes and tunneling perspective collide and morph, suggesting both creation and destruction. Distinctions between physical and abstract worlds break down and shift into a new type of pictorial space.
Kris Chatterson recently co-curated (through Progress Report) Working Title, at The Bronx River Art Center, an exhibition of contemporary abstraction. In spring 2011 he had his second solo exhibition with Western Project, Los Angeles. He received his MFA from Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, in 2004.