Polished and Pressed

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE: Polished and Pressed, Nov 29, 2007 - Jan  5, 2008

A two-person exhibition with new works by Bill Thompson and Peter Weber. Both artists have been included in curated group exhibitions at the gallery in past years. This is the broadest presentation of their works at Thatcher Projects to date.

Weber and Thompson produce works that address painting as object. Bill Thompson describes his pieces as “variations on the traditional square monochrome”. He refers to the shapes he employs as “species” the kinds being Nodes, Rounds, Altered Flats, and Mixers to name several. The works have dimension and exist in a true physical sense, carved from urethane substrates painted with automotive lacquers. Peter Weber sees the starting point for his work as surface, whether of felt, linen or paper. His folded felt objects achieve three-dimensionality only in the last working step. The Weber folds are actually a single layer of connected surfaces. By pushing together the various felt surfaces in the folding process, a sculpture suddenly appears. 

Thompson is a master at creating lush reflective surfaces achieved by applying many layers of specially mixed paints. His palette ranges from subtle soft tones, to bold saturated violet reds, deep blues, bright yellows and acid greens. Weber’s palette is defined by the production colors of his manufactured felt materials – deep red, cobalt blue, grey and white.

Barbara Krakow Gallery in Boston will present a solo exhibition of works by Thompson entitled Dialects, running concurrently with this exhibition. Peter Weber is a Munich-based artist represented in Europe by Galerie Renate Bender.