BoxoFFICE is proud to inaugurate its activities with Handful of Sky, the first NY solo exhibition for John Luckett, painter and sculptor.

The works in this exhibition reflect both the range and depth of Luckett’s practice. His work is clearly influenced by Expressionist and Abstract Expressionist traditions, and he is also inspired by untrained artists evincing an essential truth in their approach. The works draw individually on the artist’s emotional state at a point in time. Working with a variety of media, there is a push-pull; a layering of color, texture and materials, that eventually rests. All the works could be considered sculptural in this sense.

The works are colorful, bold and non-representational in form, with titles that are evocative of a particular resonance the artist is invoking. From the viewer’s perspective, the work relies heavily on an immediate impact rather than on a closer inspection of technique or finesse of materials,

Handful of Sky shows the influence of the High Desert on Luckett. His signature colors are somewhat subdued, reflecting the soft tones of the desert palette. Materials such as tar and beeswax are used in works such as the visitor, alongside more traditional varnishes and resins. Nature inspires and is integrated – there are seeds and pods in tidepool and swarm as well as mustard roots in isis.

There is a direct quality – a simple honesty of form and materials that is reflective of the environmental extremes and the quietness of the desert experience. At the same time, the playful and graphically assured aspects of Luckett’s work are represented by works such as tugboats and perhaps we meet in which he wields his favorite material, the oilstick.

Together, the works in Handful of Sky create a fable-like atmosphere, grounded in simple honesty and tinged with a hint of gravity.

For more information on the artist, click here.