- Jeff Newman -
Jeff Newman is an artist based in the United States whose work has been exhibited in New York galleries and pop-up shows. His artistic philosophy blends intellectual analysis with emotional interpretation, and he has acquired a mastery of technical skills through dedicated practice and study.
Newman's paintings fuse cubism, surrealism, and impressionism with a personalized sensibility and academic techniques. His expert use of light, dimension, and hue sparks an emotional response, resulting in a captivating and engaging visual experience.
Artist Statement
All my creative ideas and problem solving incorporate past experiences, memories, and a broad formal education spanning math, physics, chemistry, and biology. From thrill seeker and drug experimenter to rich person and poor, from husband and parent to divorcee with a partner, I’m a man who has lived. All of it plays a notable role in my art.
My muses are unusual: sometimes strange ideas that only make sense to me until I figure out how to express them visually, because words often fail, leaving me frustrated. I am not a poet. I’m an autodidactic painter, who manipulates chemical signals from the retina to the brain into memories and emotions on canvas. Continually pushing against accepted theory, I’m drawn to breaking the rules and discovering new territory for my art to travel.
Biography
Under the watchful eye of his grandmother - who herself was a painter and interior decorator - Jeff received his earliest art education. As he grew older, he continued to hone his skills by studying academic drawing and painting under renowned artists like Iliya Mirochnik and Slava Korolenkov. Later on, he also attended the Bridgeview School of Fine Arts in Queens, New York to further develop his craft.
Jeff's artistic inclinations trace back to his childhood, where he found inspiration in his grandmother's eclectic art library filled with works by Russian academic artists, impressionists, post-impressionists, expressionists, cubists, and abstractionists. As a young teenager, he visited his uncle Jim's art gallery Dilexi during a family trip to San Francisco where he was introduced to the avant-garde sensibilities of contemporary art movements and artists. He was particularly taken with the people and what he saw and experienced in that gallery. From then on, Jeff spent his time doodling op-art and creating abstract and surreal dioramas from found objects and materials.
After retiring and living between New York City and California, Jeff dedicated himself to creating art and has since exhibited his works in various galleries and pop-up shows in some of the city's most vibrant art districts, including SOHO, the East Village, the Bowery, and Chelsea. Inspired by a fusion of intellectual curiosity and emotional expression, Jeff has developed a unique artistic philosophy that combines both through his command of technical skills acquired through years of practice and study.
Jeff's creative spirit and boundless curiosity drive him to constantly experiment with different techniques and styles in order to elicit intellectual and emotional responses from viewers. He draws inspiration from a diverse array of artistic movements, including cubism, surrealism, impressionism, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and academic painting. While he enjoys creating abstract and modern works, Jeff also loves painting traditional impressionistic landscapes and drawing from life at the Art Students League in New York City.
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Solo Exhibition, Gallery Omata, Online
Solo Exhibition, Taravarna Art Gallery, Online
Featured Artist, Fusion Arts, Online
Holiday Group Show, Painting Dacia Gallery New York
2020
Dacia Gallery New York, Fall Group show, Painting
2015
Dacia Gallery New York, Romania Residency Group Show, Painting
Dacia Gallery New York, Summer Group Show, Sculpture
Awards
2023
Merit Award, Portrait Exhibition, Upward Gallery, Online
Special Merit Artist, Figurative Art Exhibition - May 2023, Light Space Time Gallery, Online
Certificate Award, Water Painting April 2023, Global Painting Conclave
Merit Prize Award, 7th Open International Juried Art Competition, Taravarna Art Gallery, Online
Merit Award, International Colors Art Contest, Grey Cube Gallery, International, Online
Finalist, 7th Annual Colors, Fusion Arts, online group exhibition, USA/International, Online