Gig Depio — Projects

There’s something shifting, not just in Vegas, but in the wider art world too. Painting is having a moment again, and it’s not about the polished or the precious. It’s about being in the middle of it, in the mess, in the movement. Wet on Wet, our latest exhibition at Available Space Art Projects (ASAP), leaned fully into that energy.

The show was about the act of painting as a process, a chase, a kind of visual feeling-out of what’s just around the corner. There's a tease to it, catching that idea before it hardens into something too fixed, too known. The works invited viewers into that space between becoming and being, where gestures are still wet, thoughts still raw.

The lineup brought together a crew of artists each with their own distinct voice and painterly approach: Gig Depio, Darren Johnson, Alexa Tapia, Phil King, and Jon Ashcraft.

Gig Depio, based here in Las Vegas, has been a cornerstone of the Nevada art scene for over a decade. A recipient of the 2016 and 2023 Nevada Arts Council Fellowship Grant in Painting, Depio’s murals and paintings reflect both personal and cultural narratives with bold color and dense layering. His work continues to shape public art throughout the city and beyond.

Darren Johnson works at the intersection of curating and creating. As manager of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District’s art galleries, he’s constantly immersed in visual culture. His own paintings, which have shown nationally, from the Toledo Museum of Art to the Marjorie Barrick Museum, play with form, mood, and memory.

Alexa Tapia brings a tender observational quality to her work, recording the light and form of everyday life in Las Vegas. A Filipina Puerto Rican artist and UNLV alum, she works across oil paint, pastel, and collage, often with the Scrambled Eggs artist collective. Her work feels personal and grounded, like catching a glimpse of something soft and fleeting.

Phil King is originally from the UK and a graduate of Goldsmiths College, London. After stints in London and California, he now paints out of Lourdes, France, in an atelier nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees. Mountains have become his recurring subject, which he describes as “a good model for painting paintings”, a poetic idea that echoes through his layered, sometimes enigmatic works.

Jon Ashcraft, hailing from Dallas, explores intuitive mark-making and the darker edges of the psyche. With a BFA from UT Arlington and an MFA from Ohio University, his abstracted figures and atmospheric works feel like inner landscapes, searching, moody, and deeply expressive.

Together, these artists created a show that was eclectic and full of painterly tension. From goopy abstractions to intimate portraits to emotionally heavy scenes from daily life, Wet on Wet was a reminder that painting isn’t just alive, it’s restless, evolving, and wide open.

There was a strong sense of play in this exhibition, not just in the literal brushwork, but in the spirit of the show. It was about sharing that early energy, that sketch-stage spark that those “in the know” get to witness before it becomes canon. And honestly? That’s one of the things that makes the Vegas art scene so exciting right now.

Thanks to everyone who showed up, supported, and helped bring this show to life. Stay tuned for what’s next!