Davis Gallery is pleased to present “Earth, Land, Property.” This five-person exhibit features work by Nicholas Baxter, Julie Davis, David Leonard, Garrett Middaugh, and Jason Webb, and examines the human perspective of land. This show intends to question our place in nature and how we’ve chosen to use our land. Each of the five artists’ work will represent a specific “locale” on the spectrum between natural land and dense metropolis.
Garrett Middaugh’s oil paintings of expansive vistas and intimate portrait-like studies of trees represent our first station; land undisturbed by human development. His paintings observe land that feels reserved only for the most basic elements of nature.
Next, Julie Davis explores the space just outside our town centers. Her plein air paintings imply a delicate harmony between man and nature. In some of her work, fields are plowed or simple homes are seen in the distance. In other paintings, Davis illustrates nature steadily reclaiming old shuttered shacks.
Closer to our cities, Nicholas Baxter depicts forgotten structures that seem to exist in a time after humans. His plein air paintings of bridges, concrete river channels, and old storefronts emphasize our fleeting impact on our Earth.
Similarly, Jason Webb’s “discard pile” paintings directly isolate the mark humanity can make. Mounds of rubbish found around Austin on trash day reveal our excess, just before it is hauled to a place out of our sight.
Our final “locale” is represented by David Leonard’s powerful cityscapes (featured at top). The density of Leonard’s panoramic paintings gives a sense of the extraordinary size of some our country’s largest cities. Oftentimes, natural elements are featured alongside these sweeping metropolises, as if to accent their range.
“Earth, Land, Property” is on view at Davis Gallery (Austin, Texas) through December 1, 2018.
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