There is something classical about these energetic paintings that hearken back to the period of American modernism just prior to the rise of the New York School painters.  If the influences are not direct there is a least a tangential relationship between these paintings and say, the art of Arthur Dove or Marsden Hartley.  Put another way, Elizabeth Yamin’s work could hang quite comfortably in a show with those painters.  In this show her work is well suited to the main gallery of The Painting Center. An exquisite balance is established between the imagery, the dimensions of the work and the number of paintings in a way that takes command without overwhelming the space.

The paintings vary between a claustrophobic approach to space and punching virtual holes in the picture plane between the forms.  For example, a painting like Grammar of Distance is dense with imagery, color and contrast with a

Elizabeth Yamin, Barge Series #3, 2005, acrylic on paper mounted on canvas, 27 x 22 in

large circular form that provides just enough definition to hold it all together.  Compare this to Barge Series #3 which utilizes the white background where the forms are arranged as though through a sculptor’s eye.  Both paintings include forms with flat planes of color and a measure of congestion which binds them stylistically.  But each maintains a distinct identity.

Elizabeth Yamin, Keep Out, 2007, acylic, vinyl paint & collage on paper, 18.5 x 22 in

These paintings feel playful even as they present a tension between chaos and order and the ramifications of the relationship between the two. While composition in these pieces is tight there is a feeling that by pulling a thread they could explode in your face.  Herein lies the content for this work - this push-pull between the forces of the open and closed space, variety of contrast and a democratic mix of earth tones and brighter hues. Yamin pulls it all together magnificently in an equilibrium between consistency and individuality.

Elizabeth Yamin, Grammar of Distance, 2006, oil on canvas, 35 x 44 in