Paint has long had a special allure for artists—its rich viscosity, its nearly primal dynamic nature. As a material, paint brings with it a history of both romance and rebellion: artists often simultaneously reject the medium’s conventions and pay homage to its lofty legacy. Painters talk about the "skin" of a painting or the "body" of the paint—intimate terms that also suggest that the material is a living being with a will of its own and a certain sensuousness. On view in this installation are works that exemplify the ways painters "push paint around" with finesse, struggle and juicy experimentation. Included are works by Sue Chenoweth, Terence La Noue, Jeffrey Long, Jim Lutes and Ricardo Mazal, among others.

Ricardo Mazal, Eve 2, 1998, oil on linen, 75 x 100 inches. Collection of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Gift of Stephan and Ursula Gebert. Photo: Tim Lanterman. © Ricardo Mazal.

May 10, 2008-
September 7, 2008

Michael and Ellie Ziegler Gallery, SMoCA