Artists converge in uptown Palm Springs

A new show at the Stephen Archdeacon Gallery in Palm Springs aims to satisfy a curiosity that has been on the minds of two artists for nearly two years:

What do you get when you combine the talents and technical abilities of a veteran artist whose works are included in collections across the U.S. and a former fashion designer whose innovative paintings during the past six years have made fans of critics and art enthusiasts alike?

A series of abstract paintings on clayboard appropriately titled “The Collaboration.”

The uptown gallery will host a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, for the public to see the joint-effort of artists Joe Novak of Rancho Mirage and Huck Lewis-Bennett of Palm Springs.

For 21 months starting in March 2010, Novak and Lewis-Bennett worked together on 20 abstract pieces. Their process consisted of one of them starting a painting and the other finishing it. But the artworks weren’t complete until both agreed they were.

“It’s a hybrid sort of thing,” Novak said about the series. “For people who know our work, they might be able to recognize my hand or recognize his. And for others, probably not at all.”

One of Novak’s contributions to the series was saturated color, which he often uses in his own work.

“I tend to like dark painting,” Lewis-Bennett said.

“The Collaboration” was the first time both artists worked with another artist. Novak described their partnership as a fun challenge he’s enjoyed.

“The reason I did it with Huck is the kind of painting he does and the kind of painting I do — our process has a lot of similarities,” he said. “We both paint in a fluid way. There’s a certain compatibility.”

Novak also suggested they “have a go at it and see what happens” because he likes Lewis-Bennett’s work.

“He’s a good artist,” Novak said. “If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t be doing this with him.”

Stephen Archdeacon Gallery is at 865 N. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. Info: www.stephenarchdeacongallery.com