Paul Pascarella Opens NEW MOON WEST at David Richard Gallery Today

David Richard Gallery will present recent gestural abstract paintings by New Mexico-based New York artist Paul Pascarella. The exhibition, "New Moon West", will be presented tonight, February 28 - April 12, 2014, with an opening reception on Friday, February 28, 5:00-7:00 PM and a private in-gallery dinner and reception with Paul Pascarella on Saturday, March 22, 6:00-9:00 PM as a fundraiser to benefit www.ArtMattersSantaFe.org (call to purchase tickets) all at the gallery located on 544 South Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, phone 505-983-9555 in the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District.

The recent paintings by Paul Pascarella in "New Moon West" are inspired by the dynamic energy and powerful forces observed in nature-the rising sun, gusting winds, crashing waves and swirling storms. Pascarella captures this energy with his very physical and active process of painting on a very large scale. Most of the paintings in this exhibition are triptychs on panel in either the vertical or horizontal orientation. However, a new series of smaller single panels will also be presented. Pascarella combines paint with collage of printed papers, drawings and found objects to create his purely abstract paintings-intuitive and almost automatic in their execution. However, figuration emerges, not only as hints from the collaged elements, but more from his strong gestures and vigorous movement of paint across the surfaces that create a natural pulse and rhythm.

Paul Pascarella's journey toward the Rockies is key to his artistic evolution. He began in New York, graduating from Parsons School of Design and exhibiting his work at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts and Nikon Gallery. Freelancing as a graphic designer in New York and later in Aspen-where he had his first solo show in 1974-he eventually moved to Los Angeles and worked in print media and feature films. His graphic work is in the contemporary collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Using pulverized media such as pigments, charcoal and pastels, he painted creatures from the mythology and nature of the American West. As a result of these works he was introduced to the Native American Lakota rituals, which became the catalyst that led Pascarella to leave Los Angeles and concentrate exclusively on his art. The landscape of northern New Mexico, where he has lived since the 1980s, further influenced his subject matter. Pascarella's work has been exhibited in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Aspen, Santa Fe, and Taos. His work is in private and public collections including the Harwood Museum in Taos, the Hammond Museum in New York, and the Headley Whitney Museum in Lexington, Kentucky.

David Richard Gallery specializes in post-war abstract art including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field, geometric and hard-edge painting, Op Art, Pop Art, Minimalism, Feminism and Conceptualism in a variety of media. Featuring both historic and contemporary artwork, the gallery represents many established artists who were part of important art historical movements and tendencies that occurred during the 1950s through the 1980s on both the east and west coasts. The gallery also represents artist estates, emerging artists and offers secondary market works.