Description
In "Is Heaven Any Sweeter" San Francisco painter Paul Mullins debuts a series of new drawings and paintings that suggest a portrait of rural contentment and tranquility. Mullins continues to challenge the stereotypes of his mountain roots by elevating seemingly simple vignettes of what he terms “sad dog” portraits, fish, and fishermen. Ranging from small delicately drawn works on paper to energetic, large-scale canvases, Mullins’ second solo show at Heather Marx Gallery offers a window into an idyllic place in which all is right with this world. Mullins’ ease in combining sentiments and techniques of western wildlife art traditions into a contemporary context offers a witty dialogue of high and low culture, and gives a voice to the perceived simplicity of an idealized country lifestyle. There is a stunning sincerity in Mullins’ new body of work, which claims a fierce sense of pride in his Appalachian past, yet remains tenderly tweaked by his ever present tragic-comic punch.
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