I always stop by Sperone Westwater when I’m on the Bowery. The gallery is beautiful. I admit I never know the artists they exhibit before I walk in, but I always come out learning something new.

In the show Kevin Umana: Wayfinding, I was interested in the process of how Umana merged glazed ceramics with painting on a canvas. It was quite lovely, and I enjoy art that makes me think of process. Umana is originally from El Salvador and now lives in Kansas City.

“Working with ceramics involves intense patience and trust in the process—cutting and modifying the clay, sketching the composition, assigning colors and tactile glazes, firing the kiln and waiting for the result. From afar, the hybrid paintings appear clean, simple and reductive, but upon closer inspection, they are raw, textural and gestural.” (Sperone Westwater)

While Umana had several glaze on stoneware wall pieces that were lovely, I was primarily attracted to the assemblage works of ceramics on canvas.

On the main floor of the gallery was Kim Dingle: Open Call for Blue Lemons. Eighteen paintings of mischievous girls were cheerful and fun in the bright gallery space. In an effort to get you content, please click on link above to learn more about Kim Dingle and her work.

The paintings on the bottles were a nice 3D element to the show.