Paul Jacobsen

Nocturne

2009

In his first solo exhibition with David B. Smith Gallery, Leon Benn floods the main gallery with large-scale paintings bounding with vibrant colors and hallucinatory observations of ...

In Lion in the Kitchen, his second solo exhibition with the gallery, Benn reflected on the textures and potential narratives of domestic space. After spending a season indoors with h...

In his first solo exhibition with David B. Smith Gallery, Leon Benn floods the main gallery with large-scale paintings bounding with vibrant colors and hallucinatory observations of ...

Inspired by scenes from iconic American landscapes, ranging from arid deserts to lush forests, Jacobsen delves into humanity’s connection to nature and the technology that often mediates that experience. Embedded in the works is the recognition of nature’s immense power in contrast to its quickening fragility. Increasingly, under threat from the continuing rollback of regulations and protections in favor of exploitation for commercial gain, the double-edged sword of technology and the legacy of Westward expansion continue into the present day. For Jacobsen, American parks act as a foil to European colonization and resource extraction. While the creation of National Parks may be one of America’s greatest innovations, in preserving these beautiful and once wild places, they are in practice reduced to roadside attractions. Jacobsen states, “By elevating these picturesque landscapes we also diminish our own place in them. No longer are we participants in the divine dance but instead menacing spectators observing from stadium...

After decades spent proximal to Colorado’s mountainous Continental Divide, Stinson’s recent move to Des Moines, Iowa has offered insight into the Midwest’s major geographical divide: the Mississippi River. Depictions of contemporary Americana have maintained their place as the center of focus, with Stinson’s iconic retro gas stations and sweeping landscapes at the forefront. Newly incorporated into Stinson’s visual vocabulary are lush deciduous scenes of the Midwest, where the impact of weather and resultant socioeconomic tensions visibly mark the landscape. Engrossed in contemporary Western scenes, much of Stinson’s imagery has historically drawn from road trips across the United States. Along dusty, vacant roads the romance of the West is adeptly met by markers of civilization including bridges, wind...

Jason Middlebrook has long been interested in man’s complex and often adversarial relationship with nature. The straight lines and precise angles in his paintings might be found in math, architecture, and industry more readily than in grassy meadows or dense forests. But relying solely on this sort of metonymy is limiting. A more nuanced read reveals some of Middlebrook’s geometric patterns are also inspired by nature. Crystals and geodes...

A professor of painting at Southern Methodist University since 1984, Barnaby Fitzgerald spent his childhood in Italy where he earned a printmaking degree in Urbino. He received a BFA...

Hatzi uses the linen canvas to create incredible underwater effects, showing vibrant reflections of light glistening through the water and on human skin, he...

Hatzi uses the linen canvas to create incredible underwater effects, showing vibrant reflections of light glistening through the water and on human skin, he...

Hatzi uses the linen canvas to create incredible underwater effects, showing vibrant reflections of light glistening through the water and on human skin, he...

Hatzi uses the linen canvas to create incredible underwater effects, showing vibrant reflections of light glistening through the water and on human skin, he...

Hatzi uses the linen canvas to create incredible underwater effects, showing vibrant reflections of light glistening through the water and on human skin, he...