ORANGE AND RED · TWO x TWO

Brooklyn-based Ridley Howard paints imagined men and women in intimate acts or introspective poses. Howard offsets his delicate portraits with abstract color compositions, seen here in the vivid orange background, pastel yellow bar, and red sphere. His canvases – which vary in scale from small (as in this piece) to enormous – exist without narrative but as timeless color studies. Howard gained his skill as a colorist while mixing color as a studio assistant for Jeff Koons, and is influenced by the work of Alex Katz, Tom Wesselmann, and Ed Ruscha.