DAVID GRO S SMANN
June 8 – 19, 2021 Jackson Hole Artist Reception | June 10 | 5:30-7:30pm
DAVID GRO S SMANN Passages
Jackson Hole | Scottsdale | AltamiraArt.com
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Evening Onlooker Oil on linen panel | 34 x 20 inches Enquire
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DAVID GROSSMANN Passages/Connections This show gathers paintings from the past two-plus years. As I look at these paintings together, I relive moments on that journey and am reminded of how the changes in the world around me have shaped me and my work along the way. The idea of passages became central, of moving from one thing to the next but also knowing there is not a clear edge between those transitions (in life or in my work). Progression Seeing paintings I started two or more years ago along with pieces I started more recently helps me piece together how different ideas have intertwined and gone in various directions. Spectrum A couple of pieces in this show are purely abstract, while others are much more grounded in reality. Most are somewhere in between, combining elements of both (and really, isn’t all art abstract?). There is also a large range of sizes from 8-by-10-inches all the way up to 70-by-60.
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Process Ultimately, this show gives a glimpse into how I think through my process as an artist. My ideas often begin with small studies completed outdoors, several of which will appear at Altamira. Back in my studio, I gather ideas from these studies, and combine/build on them to find themes for my larger paintings. Simultaneously, I delve into my memories and imagination. My ongoing interest in design and abstraction, in mood and simplicity feel as though they are emerging more clearly this time around. I embrace the idea of “slow art,” of letting each painting develop at its own rate and form its own voice, even if it takes two years for that to happen.
Contemplation More than ever, I am making space for contemplation in my work—an overarching theme for me right now as I strive to be more contemplative, to examine deeper motivations in my work and life. So much of my thinking about this show and about my work has been shaped by the pandemic; as I gradually emerge from my quarantine mindset, I’m trying to re-enter life at a slower pace instead of defaulting to the same views and hectic schedule of before. This time has allowed me to deaccelerate in ways that could be really meaningful or could be wasted. As I resume parts of my life that have been on hold, I’m trying to hang on to a quieter mindset and a renewed focus on recognizing and protecting what is beautiful and fragile around me, whether in nature or culture. Hopefully these paintings will offer an opportunity for viewers to enter that space of contemplation as well.
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Forest Gaze Oil on linen panel | 48 x 60 inches Enquire
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Forest Dusk Patterns Oil on linen panel | 30 x 50 inches Enquire
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Autumn Morning with Changing Trees Oil on linen panel | 30 x 50 inches Enquire
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View to the South with Coming Rain Oil on linen panel | 7 x 12 inches Enquire Across the Late Winter Creek Oil on linen panel | 12 x 7 inches Enquire
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Moon Rising South of the Mesa Oil on linen panel | 20 x 34 inches Enquire
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Spring Apple Tree Oil on linen panel | 30 x 40 inches Enquire
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In the Brambles Oil on linen panel | 30 x 40 inches Enquire
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Afternoon Clouds from Antelope Flats Oil on linen panel | 8 x 10 inches Enquire
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Afternoon Hills from Antelope Flats Oil on linen panel | 8 x 10 inches Enquire
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Winter Forest Wanderers Oil on linen panel | 50 x 30 inches Enquire
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Passages Oil on linen panel | 30 x 50 inches Enquire
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Inward II Oil on linen panel | 30 x 40 inches Enquire
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Early Morning with the Tetons Oil on linen panel | 8 x 10 inches Enquire Evening in the Tetons Oil on linen panel | 10 x 8 inches Enquire
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Autumn Confetti Oil on linen panel | 30 x 40 inches Enquire
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Night with Full Moon Oil on linen panel | 18 x 24 inches Enquire
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Inward Oil on linen panel | 10 x 24 inches Enquire September Morning Near Jackson Hole Oil on linen panel | 10 x 8 inches Enquire
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Silence of a Winter Forest Oil on linen panel | 40 x 30 inches Enquire
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Winter Birds Oil on linen panel | 20 x 34 inches Enquire
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Winter Flow Oil on linen panel | 40 x 60 inches Enquire
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172 Center Street | Jackson Hole Wyoming AltamiraArt.com | 307-739-4700
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