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Naomi Chung

Greenhouse Garden

January 2023

Selected Works Thumbnails
Against Tall Reeds  26.5" x 29.5"  Oil On Canvas

Against Tall Reeds

29.5" x 26.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Angel Trumpet  44" x 59.5"  Oil On Canvas

Angel Trumpet

44" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

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Anthurium  30" x 35.25"  Oil On Canvas

Anthurium 

35.25" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

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Apples II  12" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Apples II

12" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

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Canna And Verbena  44" x 59.5"  Oil On Canvas

Canna And Verbena (SOLD)

44" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Devil Trumpet  26.25" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Devil Trumpet

26.25" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

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Fanfare  35" x 30"  Oil On Canvas

Fanfare

35" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

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Green And Gold  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Green And Gold

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Hovering Philos  30" x 26.5"  Oil On Canvas

Hovering Philos

30" x 26.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Okame  22.5" x 18"  Oil On Canvas

Okame 

22.5" x 18"

Oil On Canvas

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Pale Yellow Orchid  25" x 21"  Oil On Canvas

Pale Yellow Orchid

25" x 21"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Sitting Riverside  18.25" x 20.5"  Oil On Canvas

Sitting Riverside

18.25" x 20.5"

Oil On Canvas

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Staghorn Fern  44" x 48"  Oil On Canvas

Staghorn Fern

44" x 48"

Oil On Canvas

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Yellow Water Iris  25" x 27.75"  Oil On Canvas

Yellow Water Iris 

25" x 27.75"

Oil On Canvas

 

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Against Tall Reeds  26.5" x 29.5"  Oil On Canvas

Against Tall Reeds

29.5" x 26.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

Angel Trumpet  44" x 59.5"  Oil On Canvas

Angel Trumpet

44" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Anthurium  30" x 35.25"  Oil On Canvas

Anthurium 

35.25" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

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Apples II  12" x 12"  Oil On Canvas

Apples II

12" x 12"

Oil On Canvas

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Canna And Verbena  44" x 59.5"  Oil On Canvas

Canna And Verbena (SOLD)

44" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

Devil Trumpet  26.25" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Devil Trumpet

26.25" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

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Fanfare  35" x 30"  Oil On Canvas

Fanfare

35" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

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Green And Gold  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Green And Gold

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

 

Hovering Philos  30" x 26.5"  Oil On Canvas

Hovering Philos

30" x 26.5"

Oil On Canvas

 

Okame  22.5" x 18"  Oil On Canvas

Okame 

22.5" x 18"

Oil On Canvas

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Pale Yellow Orchid  25" x 21"  Oil On Canvas

Pale Yellow Orchid

25" x 21"

Oil On Canvas

 

Sitting Riverside  18.25" x 20.5"  Oil On Canvas

Sitting Riverside

18.25" x 20.5"

Oil On Canvas

Staghorn Fern  44" x 48"  Oil On Canvas

Staghorn Fern

44" x 48"

Oil On Canvas

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Yellow Water Iris  25" x 27.75"  Oil On Canvas

Yellow Water Iris 

25" x 27.75"

Oil On Canvas

 

“Lately, I’ve been zooming in a little and looking at the complexity of plant life. These compositions take time to navigate. These unusual scenes might make you second-guess what the main feature really is: are you not able to see the forest for the trees?”

- Naomi Chung

Naomi Chung - Greenhouse Garden - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Devil Trumpet, 26.25" x 36", Oil On Canvas

Throughout her career, Naomi Chung has found a way to investigate the concept of “flower paintings”, stretching this class of imagery beyond what is familiar and expected. In her latest exhibition, Greenhouse Garden, Chung delivers 12 new paintings of flowers in expanded, at times colossal, scale. Each image reflects remnants of a photographic source, while their color, pattern and shape deliver a surprising abstract experience that speaks to a variety of historical painting conventions and contemporary experimentations.

Chung’s paintings are beautiful, vibrant and lush with each touch of oil to canvas feeling intentional and considered. Flat shapes of color are broadly applied to define forms and textures. Reminiscent of the way watercolors are constructed, large swaths of white canvas remain untouched, representing glowing light within the picture. At the neat meetings of neighboring shapes, Chung’s blocks of color feel stitched together. The even quality of these edges retains the lifelike details of their origin, while also lending an abstract quality to the image. The contradictory result is a painting that is both of photographic representation and formal abstraction.

Perspective is as visible a force within Chung’s work as her treatment of color. Views are taken from varying positions around her plant life subjects, some from above and others from below. In many scenes, the sight angle is deep within the foliage, a viewpoint more appropriate for a butterfly or an inquisitive cat than a human’s gaze. The settings include the indoors, outdoors, and at times remain undefined, yet each space is close and closed in, encouraging even deeper investigation into the tangled vegetation.

Naomi Chung - Greenhouse Garden - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Apples II, 12" x 12", Oil On Canvas

Naomi Chung earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA where she was awarded the prestigious Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowship and the Charles Addams Memorial Prize.  Chung’s works have been in numerous exhibitions including the Carnegie Institute in Washington, DC,1251 Avenue of the Americas in New York City, and are part of permanent collections including Honeywell, Merck, McDonald's Corporation, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals and University Medical Center of Princeton.

In addition to her studio practice, Chung teaches Painting, Drawing, and Design courses at Virginia Commonwealth University, Montgomery College, and the McLean Project for the Arts. Her show Aglow was recently reviewed by Mark Jenkins in the Washington Post. She has been represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia, PA for more than twenty years.

Naomi Chung - Greenhouse Garden - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Anthurium, 30" x 35.25", Oil On Canvas