Inspired by nature, Way’s precise geometry evokes the geometric beauty of fractals, ice crystals and cell matrices. Way works in ink, acrylic and glass beads on paper, in a palette of deep blues, rich grays, velvety blacks and the careful use of stark white negative space. While Way uses strict mathematical rules to guide her compositions, Fowler maps out each composition, and builds it up accordingly.
Courtesy Brian Gross Fine Art
(Left) Adam Fowler, Untitled, Spectral Resolution #7, 2017, graphite and ink on paper, 14 x 9 inches, 24 x 19 inches framed
(Right) Andrea Way, Coney Island Skies, 2016, ink on paper, 30 x 22 inches, 33 3/4 x 25 1/2 inches framed
At Brian Gross Fine Art this month, two artists approaching drawing with similar interests and parameters achieve intriguingly different results. Andrea Way and Adam Fowler both craft meticulously detailed layered drawings featuring intricate repetitive patterns. A Delicate Crossing, Way’s fifth solo exhibition at Brian Gross Fine Art, consists of ten mixed media drawings of systematically layered patterns, occasionally adorned with glass beads, adding texture and radiance to her work. Fowler’s second exhibition with Brian Gross Fine Art, Spectral Resolution, showcases his first excursion into color. To create dense masses of delicate shapes, Way and Fowler use a mixture of intention and improvisation to create stunning work of depth and complexity.
Courtesy Brian Gross Fine Art
Andrea Way, Alien Field, 2016, ink on paper, 30 x 22 inches, 33 3/4 x 25 1/2 inches framed.
Courtesy Brian Gross Fine Art
Adam Fowler, Untitled, Spectral Resolution #10, 2017, graphite and ink on paper, 14 x 9 inches, 24 x 19 inches framed.
Fowler’s cut paper drawing constructions begin as networks of graphite gestural lines on multiple sheets of paper. He carefully cuts away the negative space, and layers the cut paper to form dense, multi-dimensional compositions.The repetitive loops and swirls in earth-tones create patterns out of randomness. The colors and shapes of the layers interact, giving added dimensionality to the pieces. Fowler’s lace-like latticework is similar to the random orderliness of a bird’s nest or the interlocking root mass of a forest.
Both exhibitions will be on view through April 28 at Brian Gross Fine Art, 248 Utah Street, San Francisco.
For more information, visit http://www.briangrossfineart.com/exhibitions/index.html
