Nick McPhail | Channel

Maybaum Gallery is pleased to present ‘Channel’ a solo exhibition by gallery artist Nick McPhail. McPhail describes this multidisciplinary work as channels, a window into a faraway place, observing impossible views, and that which lies just out of reach. The show will be on view from April 1 – April 30th with an Artist Talk and Reception on Thursday, April 4th 5- 7 PM

Combining elements from sculpture and functional objects, McPhail’s work offers a contemporary perspective on a range of subjects including landscape and architecture as well as themes of light and access.

The Artist on his forthcoming show:

“Channel” at Maybaum Gallery, explores the paths in our vision. The foreground conceals aspects of the background, creating a limited sightline. Windows in each work create portals to further dimensions. Technology offers yet another dimension to the work. The viewer can only see what is painted — but what is missing?How might these channels influence what we see? What goes missing when a portal is opened?” 

A woman lost in her work, architecture meeting vegetation, shadows dancing on a wall, McPhail positions himself as the observer amongst his quiet subject matter. In his work, an observation is also a snapshot of the periphery,  asking the question ‘While we are looking, what are we not seeing?’

The artist describes his practice: ‘ Every piece begins with observation. I use photography to capture detailed moments as the reference material for future compositions. In the studio, the photographs are translated onto canvas through layers and washes of oil paint. The final works are not literal representations, but abstracted compositions saturated with memory and intuition. The three-dimensional nature of the ceramics re-contextualizes the painted compositions further, considering how the eye observes space.’

Nick McPhail (b. 1982) is Los Angeles-based painter and sculptor using renaissance techniques to consider the peripheral mundanity of urban life. Born and raised in Laingsburg, Michigan, Nick attended Michigan State University where he studied painting and ceramics, graduating with a BFA in 2006. Since then, he has maintained a consistent practice that has evolved to rely on personal observation and photography as the basis for his intuitive compositions. Recent solo exhibitions include: Massey Klein in New York (2023); Amélie Maison d’Art in Paris (2022); Ochi Projects in Los Angeles (2020); Untitled_1983 in Geneva (2019); and Holiday in Los Angeles (2018). He has completed residencies at Untitled_1983 in Geneva (2019); Ochi Gallery in Ketchum, Indiana (2019); and 100 West Corsicana in Corsicana, Texas (2018). In 2017 he was awarded a grant to attend a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont. His work is in private collections throughout the United States, Europe, and beyond.