Local IQ: That’s Where You Need to Be

Local IQ Albuquerque Original Article: Local IQ Albuquerque: That’s Where You Need to Be

By Mateo Coffman  Tuesday, 22 July 2014

richard levy gallery richardson
That’s Where You Need to Be 16, oil on canvas

That’s Where You Need to Be showcases the perceptions of four artists, each using their craft to challenge conventional standards. William Betts uses software and a robotic setup to re-create photographs one drop of color at a time.

The result is a blurry, low-res image that is indecipherable up close, but from a distance his subject becomes clear — a technique Betts employs to manipulate the connections between painter, viewer and image.

Maria Park wants to examine how technology changes the way we look at the world. Using large walls and plexiglass cubes of her own devising, Parks adds thick layers of color to paint blocky suburban landscapes and scenic environments, challenging our everyday perception of beauty.

Using light and reflection, Xuan Chen conceives simple forms on her computer and then deconstructs her images in a way that exaggerates their irregularities.

Lastly, Willy Bo Richardson wants his viewers to consider the laws of nature while looking at his pieces. He uses an array of vertical streaks in expressive colors, each in its rightful space. His pieces are often large, colorful and abstract, embodying space and action and with a unique atmosphere all their own.

download PDF: Local IQ Albuquerque Aug 2014

Alibi Albuquerque Review

alibi albuquerque

Original Article: alibi Albuquerque: Galleries Get it Up | Be here now

By Elisa McGovern  V.23 No.32 | August 7 – 13, 2014

Be here now

richard levy gallery richardson
That’s Where You Need to Be 16, oil on canvas

How ever you like to beat the summer heat, Richard Levy Gallery’s (514 Central SW) latest group show, That’s Where You Need to Be, is right there with you. From the cool splash of William Betts’ neo-pointillist beach and water scenes to Maria Park’s lush deep forests painted on Plexiglas cubes, the outdoors looks better from a distance. Up close, Betts’ digitally precise dots and Park’s thick mash of earth tones form little more than a jumble of pretty colors.

Meanwhile, Willy Bo Richardson’s large-scale vertical bands of warm blues and oranges blend into one another, much like the summer sky at dusk, pulling you into the night after staying in the air conditioned house all day. Go all the way to the back room to see Albuquerque-based Xuan Chen’s iPad-sized aluminum screens floating in front of the wall. They bend, and cut-outs open wide, leaving shadows and brilliant rays of color that transverse the geometric angles, suggesting it might be better to stay inside and play on your computer during the day. Come in and cool off through Sept. 19, Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 4pm. For more, see levygallery.com or call 766-9888.

download PDF: alibi Albuquerque: Be Here Now Aug 2014