November 17, 2006 by Catherine Fox

Wendy White's abstract paintings at Solomon Projects are mean streets incarnate.

She spells that out in her artist statement: "I am influenced by the intersection of the natural and man-made, the polluted landscape of the future, space junk, buried hazardous material, and urban sprawl as eyesore." Her words aren't really necessary, though. The toxic urban vibe is implicit in works like "Pitch," communicated through the palette, the gesture, the energy, even its shape.

The synthetic colors in Wendy White's 'Pitch' suggest a landscape of a man-made kind.

The large rectangular canvas subliminally suggests "landscape," but the hard colors jumping out against the black ground and the synthetic glow, suggesting neon and streetlights, make it clear we're looking at a landscape of a man-made kind.

White attacks the canvas with slashing strokes and graffitilike markings that embody New York toughness and nocturnal energy, the kind that doesn't go softly into the night.