There’s much to admire in the work of Colorado-based artist Evan Hecox, there’s retro in varying doses of retroness (modernist fonts painted over century-old newspapers) there’s his intriguing technique (working from Polaroid pictures, he subtracts, re-imagines and amplifies architectural layers, creating fascinating snapshot memories of his travels), and there’s the materials (painting on top of the aforementioned vintage papers, with acrylic and gouache). But, most of all, there’s the echo of emotion and feeling that runs through his works; through the muted colour palette and disciplined dogma come engrossing situations, places and reminiscences – you can almost hear and smell the lower Manhattan and west Brooklyn that he depicts in this series.
Having been shown over the past few weeks (it ends tomorrow), at New York’s Joshua Liner Gallery, Dark Island is a brooding collection of mixed-media works that beguile and enchant, the artist’s travels, observations and reflections comprise a fascinating body of work with timeless aesthetic.
Sun Dat Trading, 2012,
Acrylic and gouache on treated vintage newspaper, 25 x 20 inches
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
Carol Gardens, 2012,
Mixed media on panel, 48 x 36 inches
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
Five Boroughs, 2012,
Acrylic and gouache on treated vintage newspaper, 30 x 44 inches
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
Delancy, 2012,
Mixed media on panel, 36 x 48 inches
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
New Amsterdam, 2012,
Acrylic and gouache on treated vintage newspaper, 20 x 14 inches (each)
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
Wilderness, 2012,
Mixed media on panel, 48 x 36 inches
Photo courtesy of Joshua Liner Gallery
