Icing-Inspired Paintings

I immediately fell in love with the beautifully executed thickly-painted canvases by Los Angeles-based artist Allison Schulnik. A Cal Arts graduate in Experimental Animation, Schulnik has surpassed painters such as Leon Kossof and Frank Auerbach in her generous use of paint with colors blended flawlessly together.

Up close, her paintings are enticing, irresistible and, as Stephen Maine points out, reminiscent of cupcake icing. Stepping back further, however, the subject matter itself is nothing to be ignored. Schulnik creates a strange and dramatic world in which the characters are somewhat familiar yet eerily all her own. The viewer will at once become strangely attached to these characters, which are not quite human yet not quite animal. 

This entire sensibility is further understood in viewing the artist’s ceramic sculptures and fascinating Claymation video, which are nothing less than remarkable. Schulnik’s work has been shown in Los Angeles at Mark Moore Gallery. She has recently however, been participating in shows all over the world, including Germany, Italy, Austria, and Dubai. Her first solo show in New York was this past September at Mike Weiss Gallery, earning her a much-deserved review in Art in America.