MESH

MESH is a solo show by Brooklyn-based artist Tom McFarland, featuring his string paintings and his mesh works. Tom's string paintings diagram the way thoughts interact with ideas and memories. Instead of canvas, the string material is wound around points on the stretcher bars. It crosses the surface of the painting, linking many thousands of points until the “canvas” is created. “Each element is a unique color strand, but exists as a part of the whole,” McFarland explains. “It’s attached and stretched to other strings and the wood behind it. Like inspecting a specimen with a magnifying glass, every detail in the work is visible.”

By contrast, his mesh works approach painting in a different way. Galvanized pipe replaces the stretcher bars and pigment ink on vinyl mesh carries the color. An abundance of flowers flow over the mesh, mixing black and white with color panels. Tom explains, “When I moved to New York, I immediately noticed the deli flowers displayed on nearly every corner. They reminded me of fans in bleachers cheering on the activities on the sidewalk. I photographed hundreds of those stands to include in my work.”

About the Artist 

Tom McFarland is a NYC-based artist who was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in the American Southwest. Currently, Tom is showing Wild Ride at Hot-Bed gallery in Philadelphia. Past shows include: Dimensions, Miami Art Basel; Carlsberg Byens Galleri & Kunstsalon (CGK) Copenhagen, Denmark; and VOLTA Basel, Art Market San Francisco. His work is on permanent display at the Taylor-Barela-Reynolds-Mesilla State Monument (TBRM), Mesilla, NM. He studied at Alma d’arte, a New Mexico high school for the performing arts, The Marie Walsh Sharpe summer art program, and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, with a BFA in Painting.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

675 3rd Ave, 675 3rd Avenue, New York, United States