Last Final Friday was colossal. There were wonderful events happening all over the city and artists and collectors were out in full force.
I arrived at Reuben Saunders Gallery to view the work of Rebecca Hoyer and found the exhibition almost completely sold out an hour after it opened. The gallery was jammed with viewers who were as excited as I was at the tour de-force that is a Hoyer show.
Hoyer had taken the pristine white walls of the space and painted whimsical chairs, couches, a fireplace, and even a chandelier, directly on the surface of each wall. She then asked Wichita collector Joe Goodwin to help her arrange and hang the work. The results were stunning. The paintings were all landscapes, so it felt like I was in a living room, looking out windows, which were the paintings themselves, on to College Hill landscapes.
Hoyer's work, always well done, has turned another corner. The works feature slightly darker, earthier tones. Colors overlap like never before. She has scratched into the surface of the paint to create more texture and direction. Hoyer paintings always feature skewed perspectives yet manage uncanny balance. Viewing the work up close allows one to fully realize the unbelievable amount of labor that goes in to a Hoyer painting, and why living with one is so special. They feel, for the lack of a better word, precious. These are important works. Hoyer told me she feels this is her best show to date.
And--kudos to Saunders for bringing one of the foremost regional painters of our era into the fold.
Rebecca Hoyer's paintings will be on view at Reuben Saunders through April 24th.