Downshift

For August, the Gallery Annex is exhibiting Josh Rush's most recent collection of work, Downshift. Those familiar with Josh Rush and his work know that he communicates images of Indianapolis through his paintings while traveling everywhere on his bicycle.

Josh Rush continues to explore Indianapolis in person and in his work, recreating stills of familiar locations from a new perspective. Through his impressionist en plein air paintings, Rush highlights the beauty that can be found in our city. Rush also continues to focus on found location in his work, which is the idea of letting where he paints find him rather than finding a place to paint. 

The title Downshift comes from leaving one shift as a teacher at the Indy Arts Center in Broad Ripple and then going to another shift as an artist at the Harrison Center. Commuting between the two locations, snaking through alleys down Capitol on his commute, and riding on the now-open Fall Creek Trail, Rush has met with the subjects of his paintings. His subjects in this series have become less urban, focusing on nature on these commutes. 

Since Rush has been teaching more, these subjects have become more prevalent for him and more convenient to paint. Rush, through this process, has shown interest in the Rocky Ripple Flood Wall Project; curious about the ideas of wildlife displacement, flooding, and gentrification involved with the flood wall, he has been painting the area to capture the beauty, sharing it with his audience to build awareness about the problems that this area faces. 

In Downshift, his work mixes both vibrant and desaturated colors, this mix of colors highlights the changing of seasons that can be seen in the paintings in the show. Muted values and complimentary colors inform value space and form and make scenes feel more uplifting. Rush's use of differing colors and minimal line weight around the forms he makes also creates a dreamy feeling in his landscapes. Just like a dream invites relaxation and slowing down, Josh Rush invites viewers of his work to downshift and shift their attention to the environment in which they live. 
The show can be viewed anytime in the Gallery Annex through August during Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The works can additionally be viewed and purchased on our online gallery.