Nevin Tomlinson looked spiffy in fitted jeans and a brown sportcoat, an outfit that Ryan Fenchel deemed “business casual.” I finally had a chance to talk to Nevin about his paintings. I asked him, first, about the transition in his work from abstraction to text. He explained, “There is such a limited audience for abstract painting these days. I wanted to create something that more people can engage in. Also, abstract painting is so much about irony, and I need to get away from that. But if you look at my paintings, a lot of the stuff that was in my abstract work is still there.”

Maybe it’s true – that text somehow engages people more. A lot of people who come into the gallery comment, “I really like Shit Box.” Maybe it’s the rainbow coming out of it. I mused, “At the end of the rainbow, there’s a box of shit.” But Britton countered, “No, no. You see, the shit is at the beginning.”

By the way, can anyone take a stab at what 40000 means?  It’s a secret.  Britton won’t tell unless you guess right.  Only two people besides himself know.  I Google it and the thing that comes up the most is a video game called Warhammer… Britton assured me that it’s not what it stands for!  A special prize for anyone who can take a guess…

Nevin Tomlinson, Box

At the opening of the show last two weekends ago, Mark Powell could be found sipping a shot of Tequila (Cuervo, 1800–the good stuff) through the crowds. Having moved to Mexico city in pursuit of a certain Latina, Mark seems to have settled into his new home quite comfortably. In fact, Mexico City has fueled his work. Low publication costs have also allowed him to print 1500 copies of a sexy little coffee table book, “V.I.P.”, which is currently on sale at Gallery 40000 for $30. Apparently they’re selling like hotcakes. At the opening, Mark enticed visitors to purchase the book:

“I look at you, and I pick a page to sign, ” he said. If you told him it’s not for you, then he would have asked, “Who is it for? Is she a good friend?” And so on. I would have been charmed into purchasing one if, well, I weren’t so poor.

Nevin, the other artist, was the tall guy in the room. Incidentally, he was also sporting a burgundy shirt (like Mark). Those who were familiar with Nevin’s work were eager to see his new stuff. The “Box” series is apparently unlike anything he’d every painted before. Said Britton, owner of Gallery 40000 and Nevin’s good friend, “Nevin just woke one night and said, ‘I can’t make another abstract painting ever again…’ had this dream of a box, this mundane item, and decided to go with it.” Or something to that effect. The paintings all portray a box of some sort, accompanied with text like “Fuck Box,” “Post-Coital Box,” or “Like sometimes I feel too much I don’t want to feel at all.” Or a rainbow coming out of a “Shit Box.”