Continuing through October 29, 2026

Liam Everett presents an exhibition of small, mid-scale, and large works in ink, oil, sand, and wood ash on linen. The artist has poetically suggested the works are just “thin nets to catch the light,” indicative of his ambivalent relationship to the canvas. The title, “Passenger,” relates to Everett’s questioning the nature of consciousness, i.e. “who is the passenger” residing in our mortal coil? Everett’s early studies were in philosophy and theater, and his work retains aspects of those disciplines. With roots in both the physical and the metaphysical, he positions the paintings between earth and sky, reason and instinct.

On the one hand, we have the work itself. Without context it is, by turns, attractive and repellent, a seductive side glimpse here, a dull, unresponsive moment there. At over six feet tall, “Untitled (pareidolia)” (all works 2026) draws us in with its large scale and striking palette — a blazing hot pink in the upper third of the canvas, fading into neutral hues that gradually settle into a predominantly dark grey area towards toward the bottom. Other areas bear ghostlike, geometric markings, lines and arcs that reflect the removal of objects once strewn across the surface. The right and left sides of the canvas glow with intense yellow blotches mottled with red, green, and black areas. Liberal use of sand, both as a tool and a medium, leaves gritty, abrasive textures and marks, while random bits of torn cloth adhere along with other bits of studio detritus. A regular diamond pattern is a recurring device, with a sheet of industrial material serving as a stencil.

Everett’s work extends the conversation about the nature of art and what might be considered an art practice. In the 20th century, Western artists tapped into Eastern philosophies such as Zen Buddhism as well as counter-culture philosophies and alternative lifestyles that resulted in conceptually driven, performance-based art forms widely meant to bridge the gap between art and life.

Everett likewise views his artistic output as an offshoot of his personal life, in particular stressing it as an extension of the work he does in the garden on his large rural property in Sonoma County. Unstretched canvases, strewn about the floor of his studio, begin their journey as the recipients of random objects — buckets, sticks, sand — parked haphazardly on them. When stuck, Everett departs for the garden, where repetitive, manual tasks like moving piles of mulch enable him to get out of his head and shift into a receptive and active state. He also suggests a parallel to the “volunteer” plants in the garden, hardy specimens that thrive upon neglect. His best work is arguably that in which he has had the least conscious involvement, simply acting as a conduit for forces of nature and the universe as manifested on the canvas.

“Untitled (even if the sea is asleep)” is a bit reminiscent of J.M.W. Turner, with turbulent passages of paint/sand/ink/wood ash that suggest a landscape/seascape, a sunset, or a blazing fire on the horizon. A glowing area near the center of the canvas feels redemptive, while below, reddish browns and blacks with textural encrustations project an oppositional vibration that leads to a darker energy. Long tracks, as if something had been dragged across the canvas, and extrusions and exfoliating layers create the sensation of rifts in the picture plane. In Everett’s experimental approach to the canvas and his choice of unusual materials and process, we can recall the abstract paintings of Sigmar Polke, who employed materials such as potatoes, snail slime, and meteor dust, with the chemical reactions at play interjecting a note of randomness.

In the vertically formatted “Untitled (after the sands)” warm hues ranging from pink and apricot through dark alizarin are overlaid with a scrim of violet that covers most of the canvas. The violet shifts from a light, transparent hue to a deep, opaque, highly patterned, textured overlay. The use here of simultaneous contrast causes these areas to shimmer and creates the illusion of depth, as if they are popping away from the canvas.

The artist has stated his concerns are with light, not so much to study illumination, but rather as “an offshoot of consciousness.” Everett often leaves works out in the sun, whether to introduce photodegradation or to allow an infusion of energy. It is certainly effective in what has to be the crown jewel of the exhibition, “Untitled (the cardinal).” At 79 by 53 inches it is larger than human scale, with a resoundingly vibrant yellow that feels like more color intensity than the eye can process. A strong vertical band, crossed by a partial horizontal band mid-way, reinforces this spiritual impression as it constructs a cross, while curving lines, stippled with brushy marks, suggest ribbons or wings and hints at an ascension.

Posing timeless questions — about vision, about matter, about the role of the artist in society and by extension man’s place in the universe — Everett has placed himself within the lineage of experimental artist-visionaries and thinkers. As for the resulting food for thought, the work, ranging from eye-candy to more bitter fruit, offers a visual experience that stands on its own merits.