New Exhibition at Kolman & Reeb Gallery, 𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙁𝙏, opens March 8

ALOFT: Paintings by Andrew Wykes - A Kolman & Reeb Gallery Project Space Exhibition, March 8 – May 3, 2025

Artist Reception: Saturday, March 22, 6:00p–8p

Artist Talk: Saturday, April 5, 2p–3:30p

This March, the Kolman & Reeb Gallery will present Aloft, featuring a stunning collection of conceptual paintings by contemporary abstract artist, Andrew Wykes. By combining extreme aerial viewpoints taken by a drone with images from our everyday point of view, Wykes’ paintings manipulate and challenge our understanding of the traditional landscape.

Driven by curiosity to explore alternative perspectives with an innovative approach, Wykes merges radical ideas about perspective, light, and depth to investigate how scale, space, and surface patterns can transform a painting’s structure.

With a passion for construction, Wykes’ embraces the romantic, sometimes "unnerving" experience of working plein air. On location, he works quickly to capture the experience of a place and time, following a simple philosophy: once a color is placed on the canvas, it is complete - no further editing is required. That pace needed to swiftly make this work reflects a need to measure and sketch the light, using both composition and space as essential tools.

Later, in his studio, Wykes uses photos and these quick line sketches to further translate that three-dimensional landscape to create compositions that both maintain abstraction and are deeply rooted in that traditional notion of place.

In his works for Aloft gallery patrons will also see that while some of his chosen hues don’t exist in nature, Wykes uses them to breathe life into the images, allowing extreme and vibrant colors to have meaning and purpose. His process begins by using bold reds and striking greens to sketch skeletal lines that form the foundation of each piece. As layers of true-to-life colors build, traces of these original marks continue to peek through, adding depth, intrigue, and a sense of mystery to the final composition.

"Andrew’s work beautifully captures the many seasons and notable places of both Northfield, Minnesota and Ireland. With these plein air paintings, he's able to summon the feeling of the moment and location. The highly edited mark- making and his bold palette fit well with the gallery's contemporary style." Jodi Reeb, gallery curator and co-partner

Andrew Wykes is a British-born painter whose work explores the balance between intellect and emotion, blending figuration and abstraction. His landscapes, created on-site and in the studio, capture the fluidity of place and self. Influenced by artists like Constable, Hitchens, and Lanyon, he works in oil, acrylic, tempera, and collage to translate three-dimensional landscapes onto canvas. Andrew studied fine art at Richmond upon Thames College, Epsom School of Art and Design, and earned his MFA from American University in Washington, DC. With 40 years of teaching experience across the UK, Belgium, and the US, he is an Emeritus Professor of Painting at Hamline University. His work has been exhibited internationally, including in London and New York.