JJ MURPHY GALLERY is excited to present “Continuum,” a solo exhibition of recent paintings by David Hornung. The show, his second at the gallery, opens Wednesday, November 19, from 6 to 8 PM. It runs from November 20 to December 20, 2025. Gallery hours are Thursday–Saturday, 12–6 PM.

Several years ago, David Hornung switched from making representational works to exploring an improvisational mode of geometric abstraction. Since then, his paintings have continued to evolve. Art critic David Ebony has suggested that, for the artist, “each composition is a fresh experiment.” Hornung does not use preparatory sketches but instead will begin a painting “with quickly painted shapes, lines, or a configuration.” From there, it becomes a process of addition and subtraction involving “layering, blotting, scraping, and sanding” before a painting eventually gets resolved over time. Like Thomas Nozkowski, Hornung becomes skeptical if a work comes together too easily; he wants it to surprise him.

The paintings shift between graphic, architectonic forms, as exemplified by Tangent (2024) and Stadium (2025), and more nuanced fields of small shapes, color gradations, and fragmentation, such as we find in his most recent work, Sarabande (2025). In the newer works, the solidity of the forms appears to dissolve and break apart. In some cases, the line work emphasizes shapes as in Celestial Navigation (2025).

Thomas Nozkowski always claimed that his abstractions were based on observations from the real world. He noted, “One of the reasons that I do this is to find extraordinary formal devices—colors, shapes, compositions—which I would not have discovered with a strictly formal way of painting.” In contrast, Hornung works more formally, although he uses certain recurring geometric shapes. Occasionally they become recognizable. Celestial Navigation suggests a night sky, but there is the form of a human head. It is almost as if Hornung is admitting that it’s nearly impossible to get rid of human referents entirely, like the stars in constellations in which we see distinct patterns like the Big Dipper.

Sometimes the shapes build up to create a complex solidity. Tangent, for instance, has volumetric dimension, whereas Sarabande, despite the smaller shapes, is far more atmospheric, with the larger mass creating a delicate balance on the pedestal, almost as if it is about to tip over. For his new show, Hornung has created a number of collages as well as paintings. As Hornung explains, “The work included in this exhibition reflects the two parallel streams of my studio practice—oil painting and mixed media work that combines drawing with painted paper collage. I think of them as separate activities, painting being ‘plastic’ and collage being ‘constructed.’”

David Hornung has had numerous solo exhibitions, including the gallery’s inaugural exhibition in February 2024. Recent solo shows in 2025 include Elena Zang Gallery, Woodstock, NY, and Cynthia Winings Gallery, ME. He has written for ARTnews as well as the classic textbook Color: A Workshop for Artists and Designers, now in its third edition and translated into six languages: French, Spanish, Polish, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. Hornung received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught painting at Indiana University, Parsons, Pratt, Skidmore College, Brooklyn College, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Adelphi University. The artist currently lives and works in Woodstock, New York.