Painting is not a monolith; it is a medium that can be used in countless ways, which is one of the reasons it has stood the test of time. It moves across genre, from abstraction to realism to expressionism; and across subject matter, from figurative to landscape to the inner workings of our psyche. Paint transforms. It can be mixed with other mediums, used on two-dimensional and three-dimensional surfaces, and, when rendered in a certain way, can create a window into a world beyond our imagination. There is a reason artists return to painting again and again—the possibilities are truly endless.

In “Fresh Paint,” 30 contemporary artists delve into the medium of painting in its broadest sense. Each piece is strikingly different than the next, revealing to us the nuanced and complex ways painting can change depending on who is holding the brush. Sometimes by bringing together similar artworks (in this case, similar in media only), their differences are pulled forth, drawn out in ways that are unique to each artist. In the exhibition, you’ll find non-representational works that highlight the medium through impasto brushwork, color-field paintings that show off paint’s saturated hues, rich landscapes that display the artists’ skills in painting, and so much more!

Words by Christina Nafziger

About Our Guest Curator

Margaret Winslow, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum.

Margaret Winslow currently resides and works in Wilmington, Delaware. She holds the dual roles of Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum. Previously, she curated for the Neuberger Museum of Art and The Delaware Contemporary and assisted with exhibitions for the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Her recent exhibitions at the Delaware Art Museum include Afro-American Images 1971: The Vision of Percy Ricks, Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot, a 2018 commission by Hank Willis Thomas; Truth & Vision: 21st Century Realism; Dream Streets: Art in Wilmington 1970–1990; and Retro-Active: Performance Art from 1964–1987.

In addition to her curatorial roles, Margaret has served as an evaluator for the Headlands Center for the Arts, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Delaware, and a radio host for Art Watch on WCHE 1520 AM. She has given public presentations at venues such as the Beijing American Center in China, the College Art Association, and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums.

Margaret holds a BA in Art History from the University of Mary Washington and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art, Theory, and Criticism from SUNY Purchase College.

Honar Ali
Valentine Aprile
Duga Bobanovic-sikirica
Renée  Bouchard
Jen Brown
Maria Brzozowska
Jessica Cook
Francine Davis
Sophia Day
Enrico Donaruma
Stuart Fineman
Julia Hacker
Rebecca Harrell
Elizabeth Heller
HezronH
Emma Hill
Colleen Hoffenbacker
Wiley Holton
Devan Horton
Nitin Kakkar
Shawn Marshall
Kelly Mccallum
Lauren Packard
Marcia Reed
Sarupa Sidaarth
Jennifer Small
Amanda Smith
Lawre Stone
John Westmark
Dganit Zauberman

Explore artists featured in this exhibition