Current Exhibition: September 2 - October 4, 2008

While his previous paintings explored aerial views of freeways, airplanes and trucks, this new series of oil paintings engages a more abstract and ambiguous subject: marshmallows. Tumbling heaps of white marshmallows are simultaneously humorous, somewhat grotesque and somehow beautiful. They are at once voluptuous and sweet, confining and claustrophobic; they expertly explore the subtlety of amorphous form. Brooklyn based artist Derek Buckner will exhibit his recent paintings from September 2 - October 4, 2008 at George Billis Gallery. A reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, September 4, from 6 - 8 pm. The George Billis Gallery is located at 511 West 25th St, ground floor, between 10^th and 11^th Avenues, and is open Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm.

The process of actually painting hundreds of marshmallows piled upon one another is an obsessive act that has left its mark on these paintings. The artist purchased bag upon bag of marshmallows for nearly a year, scattered them throughout his studio, examined them from different angles under many different light sources, and though there is certainly anxiety present in these mostly large-scale paintings, it is extraordinary beauty that prevails. This ability to move fluidly between beauty, humor and anxiety is what distinguishes Derek Buckner as a painter; with each new series his work continuesto compel.

Derek Buckner grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at Vassar College and received his B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited in New York, Houston, Chicago, Italy, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe.

His work is in numerous private and corporate collections in this country and abroad. His previous show at the George Billis Gallery in New York was reviewed favorably in the New Yorker, The New York Sun as well as other publications. He has also been featured in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. The George Billis Gallery marks its eleventh year in the Chelsea art district and recently opened a second gallery in the burgeoning gallery district of Culver City in Los Angeles. For more information please contact the Gallery via e-mail at gallery@georgebillis.com or visit their website at www.georgebillis.com.

GEORGE BILLIS GALLERY
511 W. 25 Street, Ground Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-645-2621