Two-painter show opening Saturday night at the Hygienic

Hygienic Art
83 Bank St., P.O. Box 417, New London, (860) 443-8001
Will Holub + Nathan Lewis
May 30—June 27, 2009
Opening reception: Sat., May 30, 7—10 p.m.

Press release

Both gravity and wit are at play in the storytelling paintings of Nathan Lewis coupled with a beautiful selection of "pairings" by visual artist Will Holub. There will be an opening for this two-person show this Saturday from 7-10 p.m.

Visual Artist Will Holub's exhibition at the Hygienic Galleries pairs his figurative oil paintings with textural abstractions made while living in New York City (1975 to 1991) and Santa Fe (1992 to 2006). These pairings invite the viewer to go beyond the assumed differences between varied approaches to art making to discover shared and unifying characteristics, a process that in itself mirrors Holub's on-going artistic explorations.

The paintings of Nathan Lewis weave historical reference, pop culture, religion, and politics into complex narratives that speak to the present. Both gravity and wit are at play in this storytelling. Text and image are employed in the work which ranges from intense naturalism to painting inspired by collage and vintage poster design. These works beg for interpretation. Lewis is an alum from Lyme Academy and School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Art at Sacred Heart University.

Starting in early childhood, Will Holub began sketching and painting the people and things around him. After many years of private art instruction, the study of Old Master painting techniques in college and post-graduate coursework in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts, he moved to New York City in 1975. Holub lived and painted there for 17 years, varying his approaches to art-making to include abstract and non-objective work and eventually becoming an active participant in the East Village art scene of the 1980s. Once established in Santa Fe, NM, where he relocated in the 1990s, his paintings were frequently exhibited in its galleries, museums and colleges.

In 2008, Holub returned to New England and settled in southeastern Connecticut. He is a member of the Hygienic Art Galleries and the Cambridge Art Association, where he most recently received a Best In Show Award from Jen Mergel, Curator of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.