Cheryl Pelavin Fine Arts is pleased to present new large scale paintings by Marc Katano. We have worked with Katano for 15 years both as his publisher of monotypes and with exhibitions of his paintings.

Katano has written about his current work: The fundamental basis of my work is the act of inscription itself. Though my compositions are organic in form, they are inspired not by the emulation of nature but by the physicality of human expression, as made manifest in the precise motions of Japanese calligraphy. My visual vocabulary is made up of the simplest, most natural movements of the hand and arm, reflecting the physical activity of mark making. It is a self-referential language in which each line represents nothing more than its own creation and each piece finds meaning in the harmony of its own internal structure.

In our original publications and exhibitions Katano’s signature elliptical strokes formed solid or semi- solid ovoid shapes that could be read as leaves layered in space or flowing with water. One could ascribe a narrative quality to the image. People also sited an Asian influence; Katano is Japanese American and even if viewers were unaware of his heritage they instantly saw the calligraphy of the East in his work.

Katano has always maintained a simple verbal approach to his process and art. He likes to painting continuously and his marks were originally the result of the “c” and “D” movement of his arm directing his hand and brush, but over the last decade and a half his work has steadily progressed along a path of “less-is-more”. In his new works the mark making and color washes describe a void, using tender and subtle washes of color and with the merest suggestion of the original ellipse form, he has opened up a vast and lyrical space of color and mood.

With few marks and color changes the vision ranges from meditative to jagged or jazzy; from glossy and cool to hot and exciting. In all of these pieces elegance is a strong element in the art.