MAIN GALLERY
Double Cross: Stephen Beal, Recent Paintings
September 8 - October 20, 2017
In the Main Gallery, Stephen Beal will present Double Cross: Recent Paintings, a selection of works on muslin and linen completed in 2017. Interested in perception and the intensity of sustained visual examination, Beal employs the grid as the basic structure upon which to explore themes and formal relationships he believes are common in all painting, whether narrative, abstract, or figurative. Citing his early years working in construction and furniture shops, the foundation of Beal’s practice lies in the astute crafting and consideration of his chosen materials. Mindfully engaged in the slow, rhythmic process of preparing each surface and layering the grid’s gracious geometry across the canvas, Beal likens the ritual to practicing scales in music.
Stephen Beal attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and earned his M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1973. His work has been shown in several solo, two-person and group exhibitions including: Warp and Weft: Selected grid Paintings 2005-2015 (New Museum of Los Gatos, CA); Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art (San Francisco, CA); Klein Art Works (Chicago); Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago); and the Evanston Art Center (Chicago). In addition to his artistic career, Beal is an educator and currently serves as the president of the California College of the Arts in San Francisco/Oakland, CA. The artist is represented by George Lawson Gallery in San Francisco.