Western Exhibitions is a Chicago gallery focused on emerging and established contemporary artists. The gallery works with a range of artists, helping them to achieve their artistic and professional goals.

Gentleman Crawler, 2012, acrylic, gouache and ink on panel 16” x 20." Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Show Me All of Your Piercings and I’ll Tell You All of My Dreams, 2012, acrylic, gouache, graphite and ink on panel 36” x 36." Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Western Exhibitions opened at their new location, 845 W Washington Blvd., 2nd floor, on September 7, 2012.

In his third solo show with the gallery, Chicago based artist Geoffrey Todd Smith presents an exhibition of incredibly intricate paintings, Looker.

The exhibition features a group of vivid, intensely patterned abstract paintings in arrangements of vibrant colors and shapes. The seemingly simple structures are composed of geometric shapes – circles, ellipse and dots – in a tight and colorful grid. Looker references both “the viewer’s participation and the attractiveness of each painting.”

Geoffrey Todd Smith, installation view. Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Geoffrey Todd Smith, installation view. Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

In addition to his use of gouache and ink on panel and his signature use of gel pen, Smith experiments with surfaces and paints, adding texture, dimensionality and glossy enamel. Within Smith’s “colorful, fetishistic surfaces lurks a devotion to the challenges of abstract beauty and its ability to confound expectation and provoke desire.”

Fantasy Trance, 2012, enamel, gouache and ink on panel 24"x 18." Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Dressing Bethany, 2012, enamel, acrylic, gouache and ink on panel 48"x 36." Courtesy of Western Exhibitions.

Smith’s work is also currently featured in the group show Afterimage at the DePaul Art Museum, on view through November 18, 2012.

Looker is on view through October 20, 2012. For more information, visit westernexhibitions.com.

Emmaline Niendorf is a Content Manager for Otherwise Incorporated.