Denise Bibro Fine Art is pleased to present the first New York City solo show of abstract painter James Woodruff. On view June 5 through July 5, James Woodruff: New Work features a series of luminous and atmospheric oils. Undulating soft bodies of color seamlessly shift, suggesting a constant state of transition. Woodruff’s seductive surfaces evoke the nebulous, reflective surface of water, and while many of the compositions transcend time and place, others imply a narrative in which colors become the organic components forming the landscape. The palette and application of paint are reminiscent of Rothko, and Woodruff’s works are imbued with a similar sense of Zen-like calmness and mystical spirituality.

Woodruff has an extensive background in both painting and photography, and worked from 1977 to 1980 as the assistant to Irving Penn. His work has been exhibited in New York City at the Manasse-Chelsea DAK Gallery; and at venues in Connecticut including the Bachelier/Cardonsky Gallery in Kent; the John Slade Ely House in New Haven; and The Silo in New Milford. His work was selected on numerous occasions for the Rose Algrant Show, an annual memorial exhibition staged at various alternative locations in Cornwall, CT, in honor of artist Rose Algrant. He holds degrees from the Marist Brothers and Oxford Colleges, both in Johannesburg, South Africa, and studied at the Art Students League in New York City.