When I first wrote about him in early 2010, painter Jonathan Koch had recently started posting his small paintings online, at the time listing his name as J. Bernard Koch. Shortly after that he seemed to take a hiatus of sorts to work on larger projects, but is now back to posting his small works more often, with a new website address (though the original still works, pointing to the new site).
Koch paints beautifully refined and wonderfully tactile still life subjects, with lost and found edges heightening the sense of depth evoked by his use of chiaroscuro. His carefully controlled palette and subtle manipulation of light carry echoes of the 17th Century Dutch still life masters.
Koch also paints muted, atmospheric landscapes, again with a restrained palette and skillful use of soft edges and suggestion.
