“Interplay” New Paintings and Pastel Works on Paper
by Ruth Pastine
Ruth Pastine’s work is focused on the phenomenological investigation of color and its optical invocation of temperature, light, and spatial interplay. Her painting process explores the perceptual interaction of saturated and nuanced color relationships that explore the dialogue between object, presence, and phenomena. By utilizing a limited palette of specific complementary color systems Pastine is able to investigate infinite color experiences that transcend personal aesthetics. Working in oil on canvas, the countless small brushstrokes appear visually seamless. By carefully working these color systems through multiple layers she is able to push each painting beyond their own material substance and into a de-contextualized realm that speaks to the dialogue of materiality and immateriality, presence and absence, matter and light, surface and depth. Although the appearance of her brushwork remains indiscernible, the eye detects the presence of her hand in each work, informing the nuanced shifting of color and light, engaging the viewer in the present tense of discovery.
In contrast to the continuum of the seamless surfaces of her earlier paintings, her new “Interplay” series uses the iconic structure of the canvas, predominantly the Suprematist Square, to reaffirm the internal architecture of the work. With the introduction of soft “edges” between hue, value and saturation separations, the parameters and margins present a subtle yet complex geometry. These parameters first appear structural, but paradoxically dissipate into pure atmospheric aura and light as the viewer attempts to focus on them.
Ruth Pastine was born and raised in New York City. She received her B.F.A. from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, NY in painting and art history, and her M.F.A. from Hunter College of the City University of New York in painting, color theory, and critical theory. She received the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Grant in 1999, and in 2000 in conjunction with The Shifting Foundation matching grant. In 2001 she relocated to Southern California where she currently works and resides. In 2009, she received a public commission from Brookfield Properties and created a site-specific installation titled Limitless, comprised of eight large-scale vertical paintings installed as two series in the adjoining lobbies of Ernst & Young Plaza in Los Angeles, CA. Pastine will have her first survey exhibition at MOAH – Museum of Art & History Lancaster, CA in January 2014, with an exhibition catalog essay by Donald Kuspit. She has exhibited widely in the United States and Japan, and is included in many public and corporate collections, including: Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA; AXA Art, Cologne, Germany; Brookfield Properties, Ernst & Young Plaza, Los Angeles, CA; Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, CA; Goodwill Industries International, San Francisco, CA; Lakeshore Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA; Lehman Brothers/Townsend Analytics, New York, NY; Qualcomm, San Diego, CA; and UNICEF, New York, NY.
About Scott White Contemporary Art
Scott White Contemporary Art has assisted in developing private and public collections for over two decades. Since 1991, the gallery has committed itself to the promotion of emerging to established artists, the majority of which are represented in the permanent collections of museums throughout the world. SWCA features contemporary painting, prints, sculptures, and photography from the United States, Canada and Europe. In addition, Scott White Contemporary Art represents private collections and estates for the acquisitioning and deaccessioning of artwork by significant modern and contemporary artists.
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