IAIN FAULKNER: ONE-MAN EXHIBITION
MAY 6 - JUNE 6, 2010

Clad in his trademark white shirt and suspenders, Iain Faulkner seems to have acquired an alter ego…one who is a great adventurer, an avid sportsman and definitely a high-stakes risk taker. This new body of work is so dynamic it unfolds like the journal of a man documenting a life of excitement and challenges.

Faulkner has many influences, but certainly his Glaswegian roots are among the most prevalent. Yet in this group of paintings his strongest nod is to the Art Deco movement, celebrating great inventions like the automobile and airplane. Each of the compositions is exquisitely complex. The figures are surrounded with intriguing objects that inform the narrative. Photographs of races gone by tell us this pursuit of speed is a life style, not a passing fancy. A mysterious, black and glossy globe speaks of places yet traveled. So the artist draws us into a nostalgic world where new horizons are scaled everyday and style is part of who you are and what you do. The 'design' he so beautifully employs imparts the suggestion of time and place. But more than a comment on history, these paintings are particularly relevant in paying homage to a spirit and strength very much in need today. This is just one of the many ways in which Faulkner's work succeeds as a contemporary statement painted by a modern artist.

Yet none of that speaks to how superbly these works are painted. The folds of his famous white shirts are complimented by his ever increasing ability to paint the nuance of an expression and subtleties of skin tones. Perhaps this group of paintings as never before has brought together his strengths of composition and technique. There is an ease to his painting, and while the highlights and shadows have traditionally been a tour de force, the blending of mid-tones is now equally flawless.

Iain Faulkner, born in 1973 is a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art. He has exhibited extensively in the United Kingdom and Europe. The Eleanor Ettinger Gallery is very proud to represent his works exclusively in the United States. The artist currently lives in Scotland with his wife and children.