Roy Lerner's 'Passport' Exhibition at Bego Ezair Showcases Vibrant Abstractions

Roy Lerner's solo exhibition 'Passport' was presented at Bego Ezair gallery from June 1 to June 30, 2011, located at 905 Madison Avenue in New York City. The show featured richly colored abstract paintings characterized by vigorous whorls and wavy rivulets, created with shiny, iridescent paints, gel, and glitter applied using palette knives. Lerner's technique involves moving between horizontal and vertical positions for the canvas, allowing intuitive compositional choices rather than pre-determined plans. His process contrasts with Jackson Pollock's methods, as Lerner works on stretched canvases to avoid cracking thick paint mixtures, sometimes remounting paintings via marouflage for different orientations. Notable works include 'Lady Luck' (2010), which can be hung horizontally or vertically with blue-and-white strokes, and 'Little Red Riding Hood' (2006), a vertical piece with red arcs and green shell shapes. 'Intertwine' (2011) offers a tranquil pattern of pale blue sweeps with orange and green highlights, while 'Pathway to the Shoals' (2011) features a nautical theme with a band of bare canvas and multicolored paints evoking historical maps. The exhibition displayed some unevenness due to Lerner's experimental approach, including pieces with black or bare canvas areas.