Patrick Wilson: Things I Like

Vielmetter Los Angeles is pleased to announce Patrick Wilson's solo exhibition, _Things I Like_, opening September 5th and on view through October 17th. The suite of new hard-edge abstract paintings builds on Wilson's interest in dissecting and slowing down the perceptual process in works that are meticulously crafted from layers of opaque and translucent acrylic. Vacillating between control and improvisation, Wilson methodically builds up the surfaces of his paintings by pulling dozens of ultra-thin films of pure color across the canvas with impeccable precision, each shape and hue a direct response to the last. After months of daily work in the studio and considerable time simply looking, Wilson titles his paintings through a process of free association as ideas and potential for meaning gather momentum at their own speed. This approach reflects an open-ended range of possibilities, where a triangular conversation develops between artwork, viewer and artist. Wilson's paintings are inherently non-objective. A painting titled _Free Lemons_ sings with overlaid hues of acid yellow, sky blue, gold, and orange marmalade. It has a distinctly West Coast sensibility. Toasted browns and hot pinks sizzle against thin borders of teal and purple in _Szechuan Food_, and _Analog Music_ translates sound into color, geometry, and rhythmic composition. Layer upon layer of carefully masked swaths of paint alternate between supreme flatness and a radiant sense of depth. The dynamic structure of Wilson's paintings allows color to speak with clarity, while mood emerges through the orchestration of chromatic interactions. Wilson's abstractions are informed by a rich reservoir of tones, textures, and methodologies. His work maintains that everything is in a state of transition and that change is constant, particularly in the act of seeing. Wilson is a disciplined painter with a deep conviction in painting's ability to offer respite from a world increasingly characterized by speed, fleeting glances, diminished attention spans, and unconsidered existence. Acknowledging the complexities of contemporary life and the ways in which we absorb and process visual information, Wilson's pristine yet unmistakably handcrafted paintings create a space in which the act of looking unfolds slowly. Within this space, the viewer is invited to re-engage with the pleasures of perception.