Curtis Ripley: Recent Paintings

CURTIS RIPLEY

RECENT PAINTINGS

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

CURTIS RIPLEY RECENT PAINTINGS

CURTIS RIPLEY

William Turner Gallery is pleased to present Recent Works by Curtis Ripley. Ripley’s artistic approach embodies the essence of various Abstractionist movements, rejecting figurative representation for an emphasis on spontaneity and gesture to convey emotional expression. Like predecessors before him, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock, Ripley’s process is deeply intertwined with music, allowing rhythmic brushstrokes to translate into bursts of color that dance across the canvas.

The use of black gesso as a base provides a stark contrast against which Ripley’s vibrant colors can truly pop. The visible splatters and drips serve as tangible reminders of the artist’s physical engagement with the canvas, capturing the energy and dynamism of the creative act itself.

Ripley’s paintings are not mere visual compositions; they are multi-sensory experiences that evoke emotions and sensations akin to poetry. His work transcends strict interpretation, inviting viewers to engage with the paintings on a personal level and to find their own meaning within the layers of color and texture.

Through a process of layering the paint, repeatedly wiping out and repainting, Ripley achieves a sense of moody visual jazz, where depth, movement and color create an ever-evolving visual narrative. Each layer of paint contributes to the overall richness of the work, resulting in paintings that are timeless, poetic, and full of life.

Here and Gone 2022, Oil on canvas 60 x 72 inches

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)

2023, Oil on canvas

60 x 72 inches

Late July, 2023, Oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches

Atmospheric River, 2023, Oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches

Atmospheric River (left) & The Abstract Night (right)

The Abstract Night, 2023, Oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches

Mexico City (left) & Free Verse (right)

Mexico City, 2023, Oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches

L.A. Nocturne #6, 2020, Oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches

Free Verse 2024, Oil on canvas 48 x 60 inches

Here We Are, 2023, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Evening Symphony #2

2022, Oil on canvas

48 x 60 inches

The Evening Light, 2022, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

The Overture

2021-2022, Oil on canvas

48 x 60 inches

January Light, 2019-2022, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

A Poem About Night, 2019-2022, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Sonata In Grey, 2024, Oil on canvas, 96 x 77 inches

CURTIS RIPLEY

Curtis Ripley’s paintings play on one’s emotions like a kind of visual jazz, often reading like tone poems and evocative abstract reveries to nature.

Repeatedly layering and removing paint, Ripley composes complex moody atmospheres, within which expressive marks and gestures appear to float lyrically at varying depths of field.

Although the works are abstract, the artist reveals his love of nature, music and poetry, often titling his works as preludes, nocturnes, sonatas and odes.

Throughout a career that began in the late 1970s, Curtis Ripley has exhibited both nationally and internationally, with an extensive and impressive record of solo exhibitions.

Curtis Ripley was born in Lubbock, Texas in 1949 and received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin, at Madison in 1975.

Selected Public Collections

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Galerie Urs Meile Beijing and Lucerne, Beijing, China

Chemical Bank, New York

Prudential Insurance, Newark

Booz, Allen & Hamilton, New York

General Electric, Fairfield CT

Hotel Monaco, San Francisco

Imperial Hotel, Osaka, Japan

MGM Grand, Las Vegas

Southern California Gas Company, Los Angeles

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY

Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles

J.P. Morgan Chase, New York

Federal Reserve Bank, Richmond VA

Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA

HSBC Private Bank, New York

HBO, New York

The Ambassador Hotel, Taipei

Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas

Capital One, Richmond VA

Markel Corporation, Glen Allen, VA

Wells Fargo Private Banking, Beverly Hills

The artist (left) with wife Cindy at William Turner

Mexico City, 2023, Oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches

CURTIS RIPLEY

RECENT PAINTINGS

Here & Gone (left) Cinco De Mayo (right)