Cuts sent down 2b scanned 7-16

2c zest

Frank Wimberley, “Zest,” 2008, acrylic on canvas, 56 by 46 inches.

2c conclusion

Frank Wimberley, “Conclusion,” 2006, acrylic on canvas, 32 by 36 inches.

MUST FOR 8/1

FRANK WIMBERLEY ON VIEW AT SPANIERMAN GALLERY w/2 cuts

avv/gs set 7/16 #745973

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — On view through August 18, Spanierman Gallery, LLC at East Hampton presents “Frank Wimberley: Physicality / Action,” an exhibition of paintings by an artist, known as a painter’s painter, who is a prominent member of the artists community of Eastern Long Island.

Esteemed by his fellow artists for his masterly abstractions, consisting of unusual manipulations of paint, color and texture, Wimberley creates paintings that can project the heated dynamics and gestural qualities of Abstract Expressionism, while serving as cool acknowledgements of the factual, nonillusionist components of the artwork. The exhibition is accompanied by a brochure featuring an essay by art historian Phyllis Braff, who is writing a book on Wimberley’s art.

Consisting of paintings dating from 1994 to the present, the exhibition reveals the range of Wimberley’s production, demonstrating his inherent feeling for the expressive potential of material and surface as well as the bold experiments with texture that have long been central to his approach and to his predilection for using physical components to shape a work’s impact.

At times Wimberley’s varied and accumulating textures within a single work can build intensity. For example, the optically vibrating combination of thick, buttery overlapping red strokes adjacent to striated green color drags in “Conclusion,” 2006, create a compelling tactile effect. Other works suggest the artist’s interest in using the physical nature of paint’s fluidity to establish and evocative surface.

Many of Wimberley’s works include elements of collage, which challenge the illusionist appearance of a painting by creating another dimension and bringing in specific references to the real world. These collage components often retain some sense of a past — a life prior to being annexed for role in the visual arts.

A sense of action and movement makes a significant contribution to the energy and perceptual urgency present in Wimberley’s large-scale paintings, such as “Zest,” 2008. In these works, he furthers the Abstract Expressionist legacy while expanding the approach through exuberant paint strokes that reflect his respect for the role played by intuitive processes in studio decisions. This is a tradition that also values the visible brush stroke as direct evidence of the human psyche.

The gallery is at 68 Newtown Lane. For general information, www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com or 631-329-9530.