Mike Childs and Melissa Staiger are thrilled to start this new online project to be able to serve artists. It started during the pandemic in 2020 to shine a light of hope and support. 100% of sales generated from this project go to the artists. www.s-t-r-e-a-m-i-n-g.com
Julie Torres, Melissa Staiger, Sharmistha Ray, Ben Pritchard, Rafael Melendez, Keisha Prioleau-Martin, Deanna Lee, Mike Childs
The artists represented in this group show all produce works on paper of an intimate scale, not as a plan for larger projects but as a complete idea in and of itself. The work is boiled down, strong and intense. This seems at times to be going against contemporary art with its pension for largeness equated with importance.
Each artist shows a kind of manic drive. An "unable to stop" stream of work that flows from them naturally and compulsively as cataloged on their social media presence. Working on images for them seems as natural as taking a breath.
Color in this group show, either polychromatic or monochromatic, stems from a historically emotive reference. Many of the works are often referring to this history of expressionism. There is an emphasis also to unlock the contemporary expressive possibilities of color, perhaps even as a response to the current struggles in many of their lives. Perhaps color can work like music here, where the artist uses it as a medium to channel their varied experiences of social unrest, conflicts, tragedies, self-care and/or peaceful balance.
The group pays great attention to the actual application of paint onto paper, sometimes via collage. There is a heightened attentiveness and dedication to the specific nature of their chosen medium and the hand that applies it. All have that same dedication to the practice of painting imagery as an activity both current and meaningful.
