Clare Woods’ lush, oil on aluminum painting of arranged flowers and potted plants at Stephen Friedman Gallery in Tribeca convey a wildness at odds with their domesticated subject matter. Mixing paints directly with her brush and employing just a handful of colors, Woods’ streamlined process involves applying the medium to the metal surface itself, the smooth sheet offering little resistance. Starting early, donning noise-canceling headphones and working alone in the studio, she doesn’t stop until she’s finished a painting. The resulting immediacy and energy of the process enlivens her traditional subjects, resulting in surprising freshness and visual pleasure. (On view in Tribeca through April 12th).
