56 Henry is proud to present new paintings by New York based artist Richard Tinkler. His paintings begin with a white base of oil paint, onto which Tinkler applies thick sections of color. He then uses a brush to spread the paint across the canvas to produce texture. Tinkler is concerned with the experience of affecting and being affected by the world, of constantly changing and evolving over time. For him, the relationship between figure and field in the paintings embodies the connection between the self and the world, the highly controlled process making space for randomness and chance. Colored paint remains on the brush as it makes its way across the surface of the work, creating an ebb and flow that counters the geometry and rigor of the texture and application.

The effect is a glow that emanates seemingly from within the painting, a sensation of the sublime. A gentle modulation of color creates movement, while the saturated areas of the canvas become solid. These techniques, reminiscent of impressionist masters, create an undeniable association between the color fields on the canvas and the world. Drawing from a rich history of process-based abstraction that began in New York in the 70s, Tinkler, with his rigorous set of rules and procedures for painting, is the conceptual successor to the likes of Clyfford Still, Pat Steir, and Mary Heilmann.

Tinkler completes each painting within a day, sometimes two, always with specific reverence for the products of his process; the scales, the edges. In these new works, the edges are situated front and center in the textured seam that bisects each work. Tinkler rotates the painting as he works, pushing paint towards the center line. The final orientation of the painting belies Tinkler’s own treatment of the works, as portraits. Even so, the allusion to life is present in a variety of ways, compounded by the reflection that the seam of each painting creates. This division helps connote a horizon, a building, a body. Tinkler deftly invites and dispels these connections in turn, producing paintings that are as familiar as they are elusive.