For the "Stuart Davis Group" James Hyde has selected one of American art's most cherished icons for this collaborative investigation. Taking his camera to the Metropolitan Museum, Hyde took high quality close-ups of Davis paintings which he had blown up and digitally printed onto vinyl supports. He then added his own painterly "riffs" using sign painters enamel, and rollers. The resulting compositions re-contextualize both classic modernism and conceptual abstract painting.

James Kalm is back in Soho at the Deitch Project for what might be the last exhibition in this location. As a longtime fan, it's a pleasure to bring viewers a bit of what is, to this point, the most ambitious painting show from this influential young artist. Combining odd scenes depicting a strange tropical vacation resort or ribbon strewn and pixilated versions of near abstract figures, these paintings are a mélange of techniques with a rich and sensitive palette, and intriguing textual headings. De Balincourt has been included in several noteworthy recent exhibitions including shows at PS1 and the Saatchi Gallery.

James Kalm parks his bike, and slogs through a late winter blizzard to partake in the opening of this double show featuring two of contemporary paintings most exciting practitioners. Joe Bradley employs the trappings of high formalism, Minimalism and an austere vision leavened with a unique whimsy and humor, while we are presented with a chance to view some of the massive paintings that brought Chris Martin's work to the public's attention in the late eighties. The contrasting of these two sensibilities provides us a chance to witness the wide spectrum of today's painting practice.

Scott Richter is an artist who has been pushing the limits and ideas of paint and painting for decades. After investigating the process of painting and mingling with elements of sculpture, this show displays a returning to the classic rectangle hung on a wall. Richter's canvases are luscious, physical and nuanced, with an undeniable presence that is satisfyingly memorable. Includes an interview with Scott Richter.

James Kalm brings viewers along for a trip down memory lane. 1969 was a seminal year marking the end of the age of Aquarius and the depth of the quagmire in Vietnam. The art world was in revolt politically and aesthetically. Changes were coming fast and furiously. In hind sight many of these “radical” positions have become accepted and represent the current establishment. Still, this run-through allows us to appreciate the first dawnings of this new horizon of creative energy. Organized by Neville Wakefield, P.S. 1 Senior Curatorial Advisor; Michelle Elligott, MoMA Archivist; and Eva Respini, MoMA Associate Curator of Photography.

James Kalm begins a new year with a visit to the studio of Julian Jackson. As a longtime presence on the New York scene, particularly in Brooklyn, Jackson has spent considerable effort promoting and advocating on behalf of other artists and the local community. He along with wife, Rene Lynch, have carved out a unique place with their Metaphor Gallery in the Smith-lantic district in Downtown Brooklyn. In addition to his commitment to art advocacy Jackson continues to practice a highly evolved mode of atmospheric abstraction. Relating to the “Color-field” painters of the mid sixties Jackson extendes the investigation of subtle shifts of value, tone and the concomitant emotional responses evoked by this employment of pure color.

James Kalm sneaks into the Gagosian Gallery on the “down-low” to take a brisk tour of this recent group of paintings “Horizontal Tracking Shots” by Mike Kelley. Kelley uses the theatrical device of the “set” or “backdrop” as a coloristic ground on which to place his eccentric imagist paintings. These large planes of uninflected designer colors place the applied paintings into a context with high formalism, creating a complex dialog between the abstract and the eccentric.

James Kalm slips in and records a brief walk-through of this exhibition by Gerhard Richter before he is bounced from the gallery. Richter is undoubtedly one of the most highly regarded painters of his generation and the current Godfather of the German Conceptual painting tradition. This show features works created since 2005 and debuts a series of large near monochromatic light gray paintings that represent an approach to Minimalism that further complicates the artists duel approach to his subjects. A room filling multi-panel piece “Sinbad” uses a technique of poured paint on the back of clear plastic panels and delivers a decorative impact that much previous work avoided.

James Kalm treks into Marlborough Chelsea for the second one-man show by the eccentric abstract painter Steven Charles. Three days earlier, your reporter biked to West Harlem for an impromptu studio visit and interview with the artist. Charles discusses his recent investigations of figurative subject matter and accumulative sculpture.

Well known curator Bob Nickas has spent several months visiting studios in L.A., New York, London, Paris and Berlin and he’s selected a group of works that exemplify his version of where abstract painting is today. "Cave Painting" is the second in a three part series of exhibitions presented in conjunction with the publication of his new book Painting Abstraction by Phaidion Press. Presented in the unusual space of the basement of 511 West 25th Street, this show will no doubt be controversial, and should give the painting pundits many topics of debate. Includes an interview with Gresham’s Ghost Director Ajay Kurian.