Sam Reveles
Iarnród: New Drawings

Talley Dunn Gallery
March 20 – May 16, 2015

With the six works on paper presented in the exhibition, Reveles continues his exploration into the expressive possibilities of line and space.  Inspired by the subtle colors of Ireland’s grey landscape and skies, Reveles uses a paired down palette of grey and blue in gouache, punctuated by white and black lines of scrawling abstraction.  The exhibition’s title, Iarnród, references the national railway system and its service lines that cross the country.

In paintings such as Iarnród No. 3, Reveles begins with an underpainting of lighter grey horizontal bands, which he overlays with layers of darker colors and gestural mark making, creating a sense of depth and space within the composition.  Other pieces such as Iarnród No. 1 feature layers of dense overpainting, which read as clouds of grey compressing the sense of space as they hover over the surface.  Of the series, Iarnród No. 4 offers the greatest concentrations of color, with flat areas of slate and dark blue layered over an expanse of light grey underpainting.