Cliff Cavin: Light
A Retrospective of Impressionistic Landscapes of New Mexico & Texas J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne TX
May 9, 2015-June 1, 2015
“I love big paintings and then you go into the painting and see something that we’re trying to show you. Something draws you to it. That’s a planned thing by the artist...that’s what we try to do.”
-Cliff Cavin
Designed by Katherine Shevchenko Edited by Gabriel Diego Delgado, Marla Cavin Writing Contributions by: Gabriel Diego Delgado, Betty Houston, Katherine Shevchenko All prices are current and are subject to change. Please contact the gallery directly for current availability and pricing of artworks. All artworks are copyrighted and may not be used without the artist’s express permission. Copyright May, 2015 All artwork photography courtesy of J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art.
“Light” Spotlight exhibition of Cliff Cavin In selecting the paintings for Cliff Cavin’s “Light” exhibition, I wanted to highlight a broad body of work; from his earlier artworks to the more mature impressionistic collections. I understood Cavin’s intent was to always address the atmospheric light of the various topographies, including his first love - New Mexico, while addressing the various terrains of his home state of Texas. With that said, I chose to curate the exhibition, “Light” to contain painting selections spanning over 20 years. I knew I had to adequately represent his favorite locations from the stark contrasting shadows across the desert plains to the rolling hill county to endless Chamisa. I strove to make it feel like we were standing there next to Cliff as he immersed himself in nature’s warm embrace. I wanted an exhibition that would reflect an overall signature aesthetic of this San Antonio painter, and spotlight why he might be one of the best underrated landscape artists of this generation. -Gabriel Diego Delgado Gallery Director, J.R. Mooney Galleries, Boerne, TX
Light Cliff Cavin Curated by: Gabriel Diego Delgado
List of Plates: Shadows, oil, 16” x 16” $1,650 End of the Day, oil, 12” x 24” $1,750 September Sunlight, oil, 14” x 18” $1,750 Ghost Ranch Glow, oil, 16” x 16” $1,400 Red Rock Country, oil, 18” x 36” $3,850 Nambe Light, oil, 18” x 36” $3,850 Morning Light, oil, 12” x 24” $1,850 High Light, oil, 12” x 24” $1,750 Red Rock Glow, oil, 12” x 24” $1,680 Peaceful Pasture, oil, 30” x 24” $3,950 Spring Blooms, oil, 40” x 40” $9,695
S
hadows embody Cliff Cavin’s ability to paint the landscape of New Mexico in a robust interpretation that is expressed through vibrant brush work and a saturated color palette. The bluish shadows cast by the shrubs are a vibrating complement against the chartreuse shrubs. Painterly imprints lead the eye, weaving in and out of the vegetation, guiding the eye throughout the painting. The rocky desert ground is rendered in subtle blue tones, emphasizing the coolness of the shadows that are cast on the curving paths. Where the light is strongest, the tops of the shrubs are illuminated in lime green highlights and in golden tones of yellows. The distant hyacinthine mountains are in chromatic unity with the rest of the composition, dominating majestically in the background. One of the intriguing facets of this painting is the aliveness seen in the brush strokes, creating motion throughout the paths, implying a sense of life that is omnipresent throughout this vista.
© Katherine Shevchenko, Art Consultant, J.R. Mooney Gallery, Boerne
Shadows, oil, 16” x 16” $1,650
End of the Day, oil, 12” x 24” $1,750
September Sunlight, oil, 14” x 18” $1,750
C
liff Cavin’s painting entitled “Ghost Ranch Glow” is composed of cool hues and deep saturated tones. The painting is layer upon layer of shadowy plains beginning with lofty greenery and numerous dynamic horizontal plateaus. The mostly horizontal landscape is punctuated by vertical rock formations catching the light of day. The sophisticated area tends to be arid, consequently the choice and harmony of color is somewhat greyed, but refreshing and inviting. The sky is secondary but contributes to the glow and contrast between light and dark elements making this painting memorable. © Betty Houston, Art Consultant, J.R. Mooney Gallery, Boerne
Ghost Ranch Glow, oil 16” x 16” $1,400
Red Rock Country oil 18” x 36” $3,850
Nambe Light oil 18” x 36” $3,850
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orning Light is a stunning example of Cavin’s approach to landscape painting that captures the evidence of light and its various effects on the features of the environment. As the sun strikes the New Mexican desert mercilessly, there is an immense stillness, a proclamation of the grandeur of the scale of this endless scenery. The cast shadows stretch out across the sun scorched terrain in the nascence of the day. The red earthen tones are pushed forward against the pale blue sky, a backdrop to the drama of shadows intermingling with the glowing orange red rock formations. The extremes between the light and darks contrast to a high degree visually, prompting Cavin to document what he sees through the language of painting, preserving the memory inspired by the view as he stood before it in that moment in time. © Katherine Shevchenko, Art Consultant J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne, TX
Morning Light oil 12” x 24” $1,850
High Light oil 12” x 24” $1,750
Red Rock Glow oil 12” x 24” $1,680
Peaceful Pasture oil 30” x 24” $3,950
Spring Blooms, oil, 40” x 40” $9,695
Phot
Cliff Cavin was born in San Antonio, Texas and has been painting for over thirty years. He has studied under such notable artists as Warren Hunter, George Hughey, William Reese and Wilson Hurley. His paintings have won numerous awards and are collected both nationally and internationally in private and corporate collections. He has exhibited here and abroad and has participated in several cultural art exchanges, auctions and benefits for charitable organizations. Although equally talented in both oils and watercolors, Cliff ’s primary focus is on oil painting, particularly the landscape. The immediacy and directness of his work emphasize the strength and grandeur of nature while his use of color defines the gentleness and beauty he finds in the natural world. These qualities, coupled with his keen observation, create a clarity and sensitivity in his work that truly express the emotional qualities of his environment.
Cliff Cavin at the Briscoe Museum Night of The Artists Photograph Source: http://www.fineartconnoisseur.com/
Exhibitions Texas Trails Galleries - San Antonio, Texas: Exhibitions - October, 1983 May, 1992 October, 1985 May, 1993 April, 1986 May, 1994 May, 1990 June, 1995 June, 1991
Alamo Kiwanis Club Western Art Show: Exhibition - February of 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, Texas: Exhibition - October, 2006
Odyssey Gallery, San Antonio, Texas: Exhibitions - 1984 and 1989
American Plains Artists, Lubbock Texas: Museum Exhibition - August, 1995
Art, Incorporated, San Antonio, Texas: Solo Exhibition - December,2003
Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila, Mexico:Museum Exhibition - June 1995
Nuevo Santander Gallery, McAllen, Texas: Solo Exhibition - November, 2004 KLRN TV Annual Art Auction, San Antonio, Texas: Exhibition - September, 1994 September, 1995 Alamo Kiwanis Club Western Art Show: Exhibition February of 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 David Robinson Foundation, San Antonio, Texas: Exhibition - 1997 San Antonio Art League: Exhibition - 1988 Make A Wish Foundation, San Antonio, Texas: Exhibition March, 2002
Harlingen Public Library, Harlingen, Texas: Museum Exhibition - May, 2002 Oil Painters of America, San Antonio, Texas National Exhibition - May, 1995 International Museum of Contemporary Masters of Fine Art Salon International: Competition/ Exhibition: May, 2002 March, 2006 National Western Art Foundation Night of Artists: Museum Exhibition - February, 2005 March, 2006 March, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 Russell Museum Invitational Sale and Benefit & March; 2010, 2011 Dallas Heritage Village Museum Art Show 2012
An Interview with Cliff Cavin After years of painting nights and running the family business, artist Cliff Cavin has not been relaxing in his retirement, with a roster of prestigious shows on the horizon, he states, “Since I’ve retired, well...I thought I had more time, seems like I’m more busier [sic] now than I was when I had a full time job. But, I do have more time to paint...I spend a lot of time at the easel now, so I’m trying to improve.” Fresh from a successful near sell out showing at the Night of the Artists benefit at the Briscoe Western Art Museum; he is busily painting away each day, getting up early every morning and hitting the studio to fulfill his exhibition obligations: a solo show at the JR Mooney Gallery in May and a four man group exhibition at the Nave Museum in Victoria, TX slated for January 2016, which will include well known artists: Robert Harrison, Eric Harrison, and Noe Perez. Taking a break, Cavin arrived at the J.R. Mooney Gallery to discuss his thirty five year career in the arts amidst a backdrop of his colorful and vibrant landscape paintings. After a brief stint in the commercial art field, Cavin was persuaded by a friend to join him in the pursuit of fine art painting. “He convinced me that’s where it was at. And I agreed. At the time we worked commercial art, but we went ahead and began to do fine art, began to paint pretty pictures-of landscapes, figurative work, western…” Despite his financial and critical success with his landscapes, Cavin expresses desire to branch out and create works in other genres and be well rounded, “...Right now I do a lot of landscapes...and I want to do other things. I don’t want to do just landscapes; I want to be known as a painter.” Landscape is the subject matter that Cavin has focused on using the language of light, color, atmosphere, and depth as a vehicle to guide the viewer into his spectacular panoramas. Cavin uses photographs and slides of his travels to recreate the places he has been in his paintings, in order to recapture a certain feeling. Cavin’s landscapes recall the memory of his presence observing the terrain before him, embodied through his brushstroke technique; raw, loose and fluid, never ceasing up in depicting what he wants the viewer to take notice and pay attention to. Light is one of Cavin’s primary tools for drawing the viewer into his paintings. The use of this element was the primary curatorial theme that JR Mooney Gallery Director, Gabriel Delgado applied towards selecting his paintings for the upcoming show entitled “Light”. The paintings chosen possess dramatic qualities that enunciate the interplay of light and shadow in the composition. Delgado explains, “I wanted to highlight a broad body of work; from his earlier artworks to the more mature impressionistic collections. I understood Cavin’s intent was to always address the atmospheric light of the various topographies, including his first love, New Mexico, while addressing the various terrains of his home state of Texas.”
Gazing up at the painting entitled, Ghost Ranch I mention how I love the way he captures the glow on the rock formations, which are a common site in that area of New Mexico. The Ghost Ranch is Cavin’s favorite place to paint and it has long been a spiritual and creative retreat for many artists, notably Georgia O’Keefe. This striking scenery draws Cavin again and again to recreate in his signature brush strokes its features that are singular and most poignant. Having first visited New Mexico in late 1988, Cavin was immediately struck by the wild beauty of the terrain. Reminiscing, with a faraway gaze in his eyes Cavin recalls, “Everything was changing, blues are bluer, yellows are yellower and orange-er... purples... Good night! It’s just fabulous...I see why people are drawn to New Mexico. It’s because of the higher altitude. You can see a longer distance and the colors are more vivid in that area.” Cavin was also pleasantly surprised when his canvases of New Mexico precipitated a doubling in sales. He now strives to return every year as an artistic pilgrimage. The Hill Country is without a doubt in Cavin’s eyes, “the prettiest part of Texas to paint” and remains close to his heart, inspiring him on his travels around the state with camera in tow to capture the phenomenal wildflower display this spring. “I went south to do the flowers this year, the stuff I’m painting now is south, Poteet and Floresville, down in that area.” Even though partial to bluebonnets, Cavin enjoys painting the intense golden oranges and yellows that come after the bluebonnets have gone. “We get a different group of flowers coming in...We’re getting into the Indian Blanket, Indian Paint...and there it’s like, Whoa! totally different color range.” What sets his landscapes apart, is that Cavin puts you in his point of view, as if you are in the forefront of the composition, right there standing beside him, leading your view towards the subject that has captured his attention, all with conscientious intent, “I love big paintings and then you go into the painting and see something that we’re trying to show you. Something draws you to it. That’s a planned thing by the artist...that’s what we try to do.” Cavin’s style has evolved from smooth and thin to looser and more textural strokes achieved by painting straight from the tube without any mediums. I remarked that his paintings evoke an impressionistic aesthetic, he expressed his preference to not adhere to categorization, “It’s not that you try to develop a style. It just automatically comes. And people say, ‘what’s your style?’ You paint long enough, it’ll come out. You don’t have to worry about a style. It’ll actually come and it came.” What does Cavin foresee on the horizon? It is essentially the simplicity of doing what he loves- “I’m not necessarily trying to leave a legacy or anything. I just want to be a painter and I enjoy it and I love it...I hope other people enjoy the art when they see something they like because all the things I paint is some place I’ve been or been there before, stood in front of those places that I’ve painted. I’ll probably paint until I die, so that’s my plan.” ---katherine shevchenko, art consultant, j.r. mooney Gallery, Boerne
reprinted with permission from explore magazine
“I’m not necessarily trying to leave a legacy or anything. I just want to be a painter and I enjoy it and I love it...I hope other people enjoy the art when they see something they like because all the things I paint is some place I’ve been or been there before, stood in front of those places that I’ve painted. I’ll probably paint until I die, so that’s my plan.”
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