Nick Schleicher: BAJA BLAST

Nick Schleicher presents BAJA BLAST, an exhibition of new paintings that trace the vulnerability of healing through uncertainty. Ultra-vibrant shaped canvases merge and conjoin, undulating across walls and dancing through space. Wobbly edges and rhythmic movement reject the clinical austerity of minimalism in favor of an unabashed, imperfect humanness. The dynamic surfaces, layered with paint, embrace the sense of fun arising from a life filled with love.

The distinctive color palette of BAJA BLAST (teals, limes, pinks, tangerines, jewel-toned purples, etc.) celebrates the months leading up to Schleicher’s wedding and honeymoon in Baja Sur. It is also the continuation of CLOUD WAVE, Schleicher’s first international solo exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, where he emphasized color as a distillation of time. Like an eyedropper, each painting encapsulates a particular tonal range, preserving scared and ephemeral moments to be revisited.

Schleicher’s practice has evolved, using the painting process as fertile ground for self-discovery. BAJA BLAST champions love as a catalyst for maturation and how our ever-present voids morph with connection. First emerging as subconscious markers of grief, the shaped canvases functioned as physical embodiments of spaces held. Tombstones and wobbly circles formed portals manifest from loss, from which we might find a connection in blankness. BAJA BLAST incorporates new forms; many doubled - even tripled. These new works hold the memory of what was lost - they have not forgotten their old shapes - but in coming together, they unabashedly celebrate the life that now springs from their vibrant depths.

Co-written by Nick Schleicher and Marina May Schleicher

Sam Meléndez: misuri

Sam Meléndez combines his love for all things vintage and bright colors from his home, Puerto Rico, in his work. Evidence of his process is an integral component of his paintings, creating an authentic personal narrative alongside the subject he depicts. For this reason, the grit that charcoal marks leave behind and the notes he makes while sketching the pieces are important to the final compositions. "I love the combination of the raw, black and white of the charcoal and bare canvas contrasted with the super bright colors I work with." Sam's piece "Autumn" was featured in St. Louis Magazine as one of 6 works by St. Louis artists that Design STL's edit team would like to display at home. Sam currently lives and works in St. Louis.

Summer Group Show

Houska is excited to present its upcoming Summer Group Show! Stay tuned for more information and featured artists.

Janie Stamm

Janie Stamm was born and raised on the edge of the Everglades in Broward County, Florida. She is a craft-based artist currently residing on the western banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her work focuses on preserving Florida’s environmental and Queer history in the face of climate change. She uses a craft-based practice to tell these stories.

Mark Travers

Mark Travers graduated with a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis with a concentration in Multi-Media and Sculpture, and an MFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York with a focus on Painting. After graduation and a brief stint working in public affairs, Travers spent the next 30 years in the advertising agency business. In 1987, he formed the brand-marketing company, MediaCross, grew the business to 35 professionals, and provided advertising, public relations and marketing services to the Federal Government, the states of Missouri, California and Tennessee, and numerous large and small businesses. He sold MediaCross in 2010. Since then, he has rekindled his career as an artist. He has shown his work in New York, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, Kansas City, and other locations. Travers is represented by Houska Gallery in St. Louis and Gebert Contemporary in Scottsdale, AZ.