One of the best parts of my job is getting to see the careers of artists that we have worked with take off. Artists such as James Siena, Amy Cutler and Matthew Day Jackson were all featured in New American Paintings long before they reached the international spotlight. This month is not only an extraordinary month for the medium of painting at galleries around the country, it is a particularly strong month for New American Paintings’ alumni. No fewer than twenty artists featured in past, or upcoming editions, have their work on view in February. Two of my favorites, Summer Wheat and Benjamin Degen, will be featured in the soon to be released 2012 Northeast Edition (#98).

I want to bring special attention to the work of Sarah McEneaney, who was first featured in the mid-1990s. Based in Philadelphia, Sarah is a profoundly gifted artist, and, in my opinion, simply one of the best painters working today. Her painstakingly crafted egg tempera paintings have always had a startling immediacy. Of the many micro-trends that are noticeable in current painting practice, a certain predilection for “faux-naïve” representation is high among them. Sarah was entrenched in this pictorial language long before it washed over the art world. Unlike many younger artists, her creative direction is not a conceptual gambit; rather, it is born out of an internal necessity. - Steven Zevitas, Editor/Publisher

Summer Wheat | Onlooker, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches

NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS ARTISTS ON VIEW

Summer Wheat (NAP #98) - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 3 – March 17, 2012
Samson Projects

Katherine Taylor (NAP #58, 70)
January 26 – March 10, 2012
Marcia Wood Gallery

Katherine Taylor | Encroachment, oil on linen, 48 x 66 inches

Craig Drennen (NAP #70, 88, 94)
January 14 – March 3, 2012
Saltworks

David X. Levine (NAP #56)
January 19 – February 25, 2012
Steven Zevitas Gallery

David X. Levine | Drawing Installation

Brian Zink (NAP #26, 44, 98) - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 6 – February 7, 2012
Howard Yezerski Gallery

Molly Zuckerman-Hartung (NAP #95)
February 3 – March 17, 2012
Corbett vs. Dempsey

Molly Zuckerman-Hartung | Necessary Convolutions, oil, enamel, spray paint and plexiglas on cut canvas, 36 x 32 inches

Joshua Abelow (NAP #44)  - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 29 – March 3, 2012
Devening Projects

Joshua Abelow | Self-Portrait (FKK), oil on burlap on canvas, 18 x 14 inches

Wayne White (NAP #49)
January 13 - February 18, 2012
Packer Schopf Gallery

Jeff Aeling (NAP #17)
January 6 – February 18, 2012
William Havu Gallery

James Gobel (NAP #73, 91)
February 11 – March 10, 2012
Steve Turner Contemporary

Robert Buck (NAP #98)
January 12 – February 18, 2012
CRG Gallery

Robert Buck, By Any Other Name (sailboats, “The Water is Rising Pleas.”, anchor…), mixed media on pigment primed canvas, 52 x 91 x 1 1 ½ inches

Tim Bavington (NAP #42)
Feodor Voronov (NAP #97)
January 7 – February 18, 2012
Mark Moore Gallery

Feodor Voronov | Fiat, acrylic, marker and ball-point pen on canvas, 25 x 34 inches

Vera Iliatova (NAP #86)
February 11 – March 3, 2012
David Castillo

Benjamin Degen (NAP #98)  - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 12 – February 13, 2012
American Contemporary

Benjamin Degen, Moon Watch, watercolor, graphite and charcoal on paper, 24 x 16 inches

Abstract Gambol (featuring Erick Johnson, NAP #32)
February 2 – March 3, 2012
Heskin Contemporary

Sarah McEneaney (NAP #8) - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 28 – March 10, 2012
Tibor de Nagy Gallery

Sarah McEneaney | Trixie’s Landing, egg tempera on wood, 12 x 11 ¼ inches

Liz Markus (NAP #74)
February/March 2012
Zieher Smith

Group Exhibition (featuring Liam Everett, NAP #25)  - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 5 – February 25, 2012
Altman Siegel

Sarah Walker (NAP #26 , 62) - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 2 – March 10, 2012
Gregory Lind Gallery

Sarah Walker | The Cloud, acrylic on panel, 20 x 22 inches

Danica Phelps (NAP #50)
January 11 – February 12, 2012
Brennan & Griffin

Hannah Barret (NAP #50, 68, 74)
January 15 – February 19, 2012
Stephan Stoyanov

OTHER NOTEABLE SHOWS

CHICAGO:

Andre Butzer
January 27 – March 17, 2012
Rhona Hoffman Gallery

Antonia Gurkovska
February 3 – March 24, 2012
Kavi Gupta

Joanne Greenbaum - PUBLISHER'S PICK
Michelle Grabner
January 20  - February 25, 2012
Shane Campbell Gallery

DALLAS/HOUSTON:

John Randall Nelson
Steven Miller
January 7 – February 10, 2012
Conduit Gallery

Neva Mikulicz
January 12 – February 11, 2012
Anya Tisch Gallery

Kent Dorn - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 13 – February 18, 2012
Bryan Miller Gallery

Kent Dorn | Dead End (Water’s Edge), watercolor, graphite, wax, oil on canvas, 45 x 69 inches

John Sonsini
January 13 – February 25, 2012
Inman Gallery

Sandi Seltzer Bryant
January 14 – February 11, 2012
McMurtrey Gallery

Michael Kennaugh
January 28 – March 3, 2012
Moody Gallery

DENVER:

Apocalypse? How!
December 8 – January 21, 2012
Plus Gallery

KANSAS CITY:

Robert Shimomura
January – March
Byron Cohen Gallery

LOS ANGELES:

“Il Regalo” - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 29 – March 10, 2012
Overduin and Kite

Ellsworth Kelly - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 20 – April 7, 2012
Matthew Marks Gallery

Ellsworth Kelly,  Green Relief with Blue, oil on canvas, two panels, 70 x 67 x 2 5/8 inches

David Amico
Through February 28, 2012
Ace Gallery

Jeff Gambill
January 7 – February 18, 2012
Sam Lee Gallery

Jonas Lipps
January 14 – March 3, 2012
Thomas Solomon Gallery

Ryan Sluggett
January 21 – February 25, 2012
Richard Telles Fine Art

Adam Ross
January 7 – February 18, 2012
Angles Gallery

Rosson Crow
February 25 – March 31, 2012
Honor Fraser

Ingrid Calame
January 7 – February 11, 2012
Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects

John Schlue
January 7 – February 11, 2012
Western Project

Charlie Roberts
January 7 – February 18, 2012
Richard Heller Gallery

MIAMI:

Fernando Mastrangelo
November 29 – February 29, 2012
Charest Weinberg

Michael Vasquez
February
Fredric Snitzer Gallery

NEW YORK:

Anonymous Tantra Paintings
January 7 – February 12, 2012
Feature Inc

Jason Fox
January 12 – February 25, 2012
Peter Blum

Amy Wilson
February 10 – March 24, 2012
Bravin Lee Programs

Amy Wilson | Our world is small and crowded, watercolor and pencil on paper, 4 x 6 inches

Jennifer Poon
January 5 – February 11, 2012
Claire Oliver

Guenther Foerg
January 19 – February 18, 2012
Greene Naftali

Zak Prekop - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 18 – March 15, 2012
Harris Lieberman

Zak Prekop

Chris Martin - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 26 – March 3, 2012
Mitchell Innes & Nash

Chris Martin | 1,2,3…, mixed media on canvas, 77 x 68 inches

Gordon Moore
December 8 – February 11, 2012
Betty Cunningham Gallery

Bill Jensen
January 12 – February 18, 2012
Cheim & Reid

Louise Belcourt
February 17 – March 17, 2012
Jeff Bailey Gallery

Richard Kalina
January 19 – February 25, 2012
Lennon, Weinberg, Inc.

Anne Appleby
February 9 – March 10, 2012
Danese

Udomsak Krisanamis - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 14 – February 25, 2012
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise

Melissa Gordon
January 7 – February 11, 2012
Marianne Boesky Gallery

Terry Winters - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 4 – April 14, 2012
Matthew Marks Gallery

Terry Winters

Ridley Howard - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 19 – February 25, 2012
Leo Koenig Inc.

Ridley Howard, Nudes, oil on linen, 24 x 30 inches

Interiors - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 14 – February 11, 2012
Andrew Kreps Gallery

Thomas Eggerer/ R.H. Quaytman
January 12 – February 11, 2012
Friedrich Petzel Gallery

Natasza Niedziolka
January 19 – February 25, 2012
Horton Gallery

Don Doe
February 2 – March 3, 2012
Morgan Lehman Gallery

Nick Mauss - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 13 – February 18, 2012
303 Gallery

Magnus Plessen
February 15 – March 15, 2012
Gladstone Gallery

Hugh Scott-Douglas - PUBLISHER'S PICK
January 14 – February 18, 2012
Clifton Benevento

Hugh Scott-Douglas, A Place in the Sun, Installation

Thomas Scheibitz
January 12 – February 18, 2012
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

Sergej Jensen
January 20 – February 25, 2012
Anton Kern Gallery

PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON D.C.:

Federico Herrera
January – February, 2012
Bridgette  Mayer Gallery

Joan Nelson
December 15 – February 18, 2012
Fleisher Ollman Gallery

Construct
February 2012
Gallery Joe

Ian Whitmore
February 4 – March 10, 2012
G Fine Art

SAN FRANCISCO:

Alisha Kerlin
February 11 – March 3, 2012
Guerrero Gallery

Alisha Kerlin

Andrew Masullo - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 1 – February 25, 2012
Gallery Paule Anglim

Richard Tuttle - PUBLISHER'S PICK
February 2 – March 9, 2012
Anthony Meier Fine Arts

Josephine Taylor
January 7 – February 11, 2012
Catherine Clark Gallery

Dana Hart-Stone
January 5 – February 25, 2012
Brian Gross Fine Art

Danny Keith
January 6 – February 18, 2012
Ratio 3

Lucy Pullen
January 12 – February 11, 2012
Romer Young Gallery

Stephen Giannetti
Through February 25, 2012
Marx & Zavattero

Hayal Pozanti
February 10 – March 17, 2012
Silverman

SANTA FE:

Oli Sihvonen
February 10 – March 1, 2012
James Kelly Contemporary