“Field Trip”
Melanie Delgado and Yoko Izu
April 5 - 27, 2025
Opening reception
Saturday, April 5, 2025 4-7PM
For Immediate Release:
Buster Levi Gallery is delighted to announce Field Trip, a two-person exhibition featuring Melanie Delgado and Yoko Izu, curated by artist Jenne Currie. Delgado presents her painterly style works on canvas with colors recognized in memory, while searching for the truth through the marks. Izu, known for her attention to detail using gold in a variety of ways, Japanese papers and strong yet thoughtful bold marks of paint, delivers moments of pause and grace.
Melanie Delgado, Crosstown Traffic Stop, oil on canvas, 48x36
Delgado starts fast with quick lines and lots of marks as if it must come out right away. She’s learned to pay closer attention to what’s happening underneath the surface. Layers of paint accumulate after weeks, sometimes months, of painting. Once she slows down to see what’s happening is when she realizes there’s more to it. Bringing marks back to the surface is reflective of her investigating her past.
Izu’s mixed-media approach starts with acrylic paint on heavyweight paper or canvas, often paired with a technique loosely inspired by monotype printing to create additional textures and patterns. Tapping into her childhood fondness for paper crafts, she also incorporates specialty papers (predominantly washi) for layers and depth, and gold as signature marks.
Delgado’s fearless style contrasts sharply with Izu’s patient, delicate touch- yet both create powerful abstract works and share a love of marks. Their seemingly opposite styles truly reflect the dynamic connections of line, paint application and a yearning for an authentic expression. These abstract paintings are playful yet serious. Both artists found a way to lay down compositions that draw you in and certainly keep you coming back for more!
Born 1977 in Morristown New Jersey, Melanie Delgado is an abstract painter living in upstate New York. Colors feel familiar, intuitive and automatic. Some softness to her work, but generally bold, sharp & scraped. Titling each painting is very personal to Melanie, the connections and memory play a significant role.
Yoko Izu, As the Crow Sighs, Acrylic on Canvas, 30x24
Yoko Izu is a Japanese American abstract artist and lifelong creative. Born in Woodstock, NY, she spent 20+ years across NYC, Japan, and South Africa before returning to the upstate area in 2021. Mostly self-taught, she rediscovered her love for painting the following year and has since continued exploring ways to merge her American upbringing with her Japanese roots through the use of different materials and techniques.
Opening reception Saturday, April 5, 2025 4-7PM