Ferrin Gallery’s exhibition Covet, will feature contemporary artists creating new works in response to museum collections. The group exhibition of works in all media, will be presented at the gallery in Pittsfield, MA opening May 26 and running through September 2.

My work for this exhibition responds to Ernst Meissonier’s painting 1807, Friedland.  Meissonier was considered to be the most prominent painter in Paris during his lifetime and yet was largely forgotten by art history. His painting of Napoleon’s greatest victory was certainly the magnum opus of his forays into the history painting genre. This painting, his largest and perhaps most ambitious, resides at the Met in NYC. I was particularly interested in the visual enshrinement of Napoleon and his segregation from the cavalry in the foreground.

Joshua Field, The Clothed Emperor, 2012. 61″x25″

Ernst Meissonier, 1807, Friedland, Meissonier.

I was excited to be selected by New American Paintings to provide photo coverage of the NYC art fairs this year. Though it was a whirlwind as always, the fairs were excellent on the whole. The shows felt a bit more introspective than in previous years, perhaps due to recent economic woes. In some ways, this was a nice break from the “look at me” aesthetic that seemed to dominate previous fairs. Glitz and bling were replaced by lots of framed work on paper, paintings on canvas and plenty of work that had more depth than the pervasive one-liners I’d seen at some of the fairs. Don’t get me wrong, Scope was still awfully slick with lots of reflective surfaces and plenty of images of guns and money, but the zeitgeist of the fair scene seemed more thoughtful and considered when taken altogether. Perhaps the anticipation of big bucks has given way to a more grounded sensibility rooted in the search for meaning beyond the almighty dollar. One can only hope.

Day 1 – Armory and Scope:
http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/scope-art-fair-joshua-field-checks-in/

Day 2 – Volta, Independent and Fountain
http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/fountain-volta-independent/

I am happy to announce that my work will be included in an upcoming exhibition at William Bennett Gallery in NYC (SoHo). “GLIMPSE: Enigmatic Visions” opens October 13 from 6-9pm – if you are in the city, please stop in and say hi!

http://williambennettgallery.com/exhibitions/upcomingexhibition.php

The Labor of Fantasy and the Boy Delivered from Fathoms, 2010
Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Charcoal, Gold Leaf on Synthetic Fabric, 36″ x 130″

The 5th installment of the annual Cultural Corridor exhibition opens this Saturday, June 5th with a reception from 6-8PM at the Storefront Artist Project.

On view till June 27th will be art works by: Jessica Hess, Michael Oatman, Holly Lynton, Joshua Field, Jennifer Reeves, David Ricci and Lisa Desrosiers.

The exhibition was co-curated by Susan Cross (Curator, MassMoca) and Peter Dudek (Program Coordinator, Bascom Lodge).

Selections from the Cultural Corridor V
June 5 – 27
Hours: Sat & Sun: 12-5

Storefront Artist Project
124 Fenn Street, Pittsfield, MA
413-442-7201

A poem (or a painting) needs understanding through the senses. The point of diving in a lake is not immediately to swim to the shore; it’s to be in the lake, to luxuriate in the sensation of water. You do not work the lake out. It is an experience beyond thought. Poetry soothes and emboldens the soul to accept mystery.

– from Jane Campion’s film about Fanny Brawne and poet John Keats

“I am naturally drawn to drawings with fine lines and abstract qualities, and I love collage. This has all of those elements, plus I enjoy the uneven edge and the cutout areas. The time travel aspects of the piece are incredible.” – Daniel Cooney, DCFA

I’ve been working on a series of drawings/paintings on paper/vellum dealing with the idea of the passive observation of violence.

I was recently invited to create work for the Berkshire Fringe Festival’s fifth anniversary as part of “SCORED!”, a series of six theatre, dance, animation, and film projects. Each project was to respond to an original 7-minute sound composition by Peter Wise. I made three paintings for the festival which related to the movements of the sound piece.

The festival has grown quite a bit in both reputation and popularity. Friday the festival was featured in the New York Times.