by Dr. Barbara Aust-Wegemund, Art Historian

R. Wayne Reynolds creates his dazzling surreal-poetic abstractions as if they were filtered through of the translucent lights of Renoir and the shapes of Picasso. Those looking for something exciting yet meditative should not miss the recent series of R. Wayne Reynolds at Nina Torres Fine Art Miami. The artist who received his BFA in painting from The Maryland Institute, College of Art is delighted to be selected for the show in Miami titled, “Exposure International”. The 8,000 square foot gallery space across the street of Margaret Pace Park is located at 1800 North Bayshore Drive in a high-rise building adorned with fountains and with breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach and the Port of Miami.

So what is it? What makes Reynolds’ work so unique and extraordinary at this Miami show? No doubt, it is his hybrid language where Modernism meets the Contemporary through inner and outer journeys and vibrant visions become reality. To learn more about the artist’s intention he explains, “I consider my work to be "maps" of my mind, intended to serve as a guide for the viewer to navigate through a visual territory that I have made public and consider worth sharing. As with other map makers throughout history, I am driven by the love of discovery, combined with an unquenchable thirst for new frontiers.”

Born 1953 in Virginia, Reynolds founded a Baltimore based company devoted to the 500 year old craft of gilding. Influenced by his professional career as a gold leaf conservator, he has been involved in the art market, museums, and both private and public collections of old and contemporary masters. In 1998 Reynolds sold his company to Sotheby's and moved to New York. Reflecting upon his rich cultural heritage, he finally returned to creating his own artworks.

Feeling tension, but also harmony and inner freedom during the creative process, Reynolds explains the aesthetic concept of his work, “In this series of paintings I offer my visual description of the universal energy that holds our world together. It draws me in, spins me around, and on a good day, allows me temporary access to the private internal space where my creativity lives. It simultaneously drains me, and frees me of my self. I experience a connection to the cosmos, causing me to feel more like a whole beach and less like a single grain of sand. I strive to paint what I am feeling at that moment in time, without concern for what came before or what will be next.”

Among his exhibitions, his works were showcased at Red Dot Miami (2014), Lowy Showroom, NYC (2013), Parallax International Art Fair, NYC (2013), International Contemporary Furniture Fair at Jacobvitts Convention Center, NYC (2011), Rabbithole Gallery NYC (2010). R. Wayne Reynolds currently lives and works in New York City.

Reynolds’ paintings at Nina Torres Fine Art transcribe moments of self-transformation into a philosophical tale. The emphasis on the cycle of life is represented by a process of decomposition and reconstruction. But Reynolds also recreates a creative chaos in order to expose the ephemeral nature of human existence. In this sense R. Wayne Reynolds rebirth of his independent artist’s life and his creative process resembles a journey through some unknown metaphysical reality. Bon Voyage to the magic maps of mind in Miami!

Location
Nina Torres Fine Art
1800 North Bayshore Drive
CP1 Miami, FL. 33132
Phone: 305.395.3599
info@ninatorresfineart.com
www.ninatorresfineart.com

Exhibition
International Exposure Miami
March, 20-28, 2015

Operation Hours
Monday – Friday: 11 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 12 - 5pm

About the Artist
R. Wayne Reynolds
rwartworks@gmail.com
www.rwart.com

www.linkedin.com/in/rwaynereynolds

About the Author
Dr. Barbara Aust-Wegemund
info@arthistoryconsulting.de
www.arthistoryconsulting.de

Dr. Barbara Aust-Wegemund, born in Zurich/ Switzerland, is an Art Historian and Managing Director at Art History Consulting (AHC). She studied Art History at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (Germany), University for Foreigners Perugia (Italy) and London Guildhall University (UK). The art historian and art critic has written widely on modern and contemporary art. Her essays have been featured in monographs, exhibition catalogues, e-zines, journals and the online editorial department of Goethe Institute Inter Nationes.