Nathan Redwood: Construction under the Sun

Reception: Saturday, January 6, 6-9 p.m.

Tuesday – Saturday 11-6 or by appointment


In his first solo show with Carl Berg Gallery, Nathan Redwood introduces a new body of work that consists of four monumental paintings that are distinguished by his unique painting technique and complex narrative. A recent graduate from the Chicago Art Institute, Redwood made his way to Los Angeles in 2005 via the Skowhegan residency in Maine. His first L.A. exhibition was at Carl Berg Gallery in a summer group show entitled “Debut.” During that show, his work sold out as he gained immediate attention from artists and prominent collectors alike; in short Redwood became an instant success.

In his upcoming show, Redwood will feature new paintings that have his consistent explosive quality but these works exhibit a much greater intensity in color. Although the space within his composition has also opened up, Redwood’s idiosyncratic use of paint and complex narrative style still carries through.

At first, it is his unique painting technique that immediately identifies Redwood’s work to the viewer. His distinctive brush stroke makes the viewer reevaluate what he or she is seeing; his mark is both immediate and gestural, while at the same time it is smooth and flat. Redwood’s stylized gesture freezes the movement in his paintings and sometimes it appears as if several instants in time are captured at once. Then it becomes the task of the viewer to follow the narrative. This process can be a slow discovery as the figure has been removed from the composition and only clues are left to its former existence. The viewer is left with the feeling of an occurrence that has erupted and is forced to look and move his or her eyes searching through Redwood’s rubbled composition to uncover the interlinking of elements and solve the mystery of his complex narratives.


For more information and images contact:

Carl Berg at 323–931-6060