2col irrigation…

Ward Davenny, “Irrigation and Green,” 2007, digital inkjet photograph, edition of 10, 34½ by 51¼ inches, courtesy of the artist and Mary Ryan Gallery.

Photo sent e-m 8-16

FOR 9/7

WARD DAVENNY AT MARY RYAN w/1 cut

avv/gs set 9/13 #708919

NEW YORK CITY — “Ward Davenny: Big Weather, New Photographs and Drawings,” will be on view September 8–October 13 at Mary Ryan Gallery. An opening reception will be September 8, 6 to 8 pm.

The exhibition of new photographs and drawings by Ward Davenny features Davenny’s ominous landscapes, or skyscapes, derived from the time he spends each summer filming and photographing storms in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Davenny depicts the unconquerable landscape. “Storms are just such a vehicle for overwhelming me with an awareness of light, air and the presence of threat. Their drama is real yet totally otherworldly — ephemeral almost. I always wanted to work with clouds and sky but I think needed to push it as far as possible,” says Davenny.

The exhibition features nine digitally altered photographs, all 40 by 50 inches, and three large-scale charcoal drawings. Using a computer, Davenny adjusts color, alters focus, eliminates features and sometimes blends photos together. He manipulates the images so that they appear soft and almost hallucinatory.

In contrast to the hyperreality and overdefined focus in much contemporary photography, Davenny is more interested in “the particles, the swarm of insects that have no finite start or end.” The focus is on movement, luminescence and shifting ambiguity. The influence of intaglio printmaking is evident in Davenny’s work, as the dissolve of light and edge recalls that of a mezzotint or aquatint.

Photographs have always served as reference material for Davenny’s paintings and drawings, in addition to being works of art in their own right. Because his subject matter is in constant flux, Davenny photographs quickly and instinctively — sometimes capturing nearly 700 images — to arrive at a dozen or so that convey what he is looking for. In preparation for his drawings, he studies his video footage to examine the way storms move.

Mary Ryan Gallery is at 527 West 26th Street. For information, 212-397-0669 or www.maryryangallery.com.