Something Deeper

November 3, 2020

Still life oil paintings — Jeffrey T. Larson, "Blue Plums," Oil on linen, 16h x 20w in

On view at Collins Galleries in Orleans, Massachusetts is “Larson & Seaton: Something Deeper,” presenting the works of Jeffrey T. Larson and Paul Raymond Seaton, through November 13, 2020.

From the gallery:

Jeffrey T. Larson
b. 1962 in Two Harbors, Minnesota; currently lives in Maple, Wisconsin

Jeffrey T. Larson is a classically trained artist renowned for his ability to adeptly capture the simple, yet oft-neglected and beautiful, pleasures of contemporary life onto canvas. At the young age of 17, Jeffery T. Larson had the resolve and dedication to receive admission into the renowned Atelier Lack, Richard Lack’s traditional and Boston School-influenced atelier in Minneapolis, MN. After completing his four-year education at Atelier Lack, Larson continued his academic training through museum study in the U.S. and Europe. His strong repertoire allowed for a wonderful duality to evolve in his work: authoritatively rendered, composed and current still-life paintings created in the studio and, conversely, luminous, painterly and almost Impressionist landscape and figure paintings created en plein air. The common threads between the two styles are Larson’s exacting usage of natural light, dedication to working solely from direct observation, ability to capture the quiet beauty in even the most mundane subject matter and, of course, the necessary restraint to leave his pieces open and fresh.

Larson is represented by galleries in Massachusetts, South Carolina and California. He has work in a number of important private and corporate collections and continues to receive honors for his artistic achievements year after year. In 2016 Larson co-founded the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Arts in Duluth MN with his son, Brock Larson. He also teaches at The Atelier in Minneapolis, MN and gives lectures on traditional painting techniques all over the United States.

Paul Raymond Seaton
b. 1953 in Birmingham, England; currently resides in Uckfield, East Sussex, England

Paul Raymond Seaton is renowned in the United Kingdom and abroad for his beautifully composed arrangements of English garden roses and old fashioned flowers. After receiving a baccalaureate degree in Mathematics from Exeter University, Seaton furthered his studies at Nottingham University with a special focus on obtaining a teacher’s degree. Shortly after enrollment he found himself compelled to leave the university in pursuit of a totally different vocation, that of an artist. Resolute in his decision he moved to the culturally rich city of London where he studied music and painting. Primarily a self taught artist, Seaton tirelessly examined the works of the Old Masters at the Tate Gallery and surrounding museums while immersing himself in the contemporary culture of the neighboring galleries. It was during this time that he began to draw more extensively and to paint the still life. In his words, “Still life painting became a means to an end – namely, to teach myself to paint.”

Inspired by the literary compositions of the Pre-Raphaelites, in particular, John Everett Millais, Arthur Hughes, and Maddox Brown, Seaton connects with their use of color, finish, and detail however he eschews the brotherhood’s devotion of the figure to that of the still life. Seaton’s archaizing floral compositions remind the viewer of the gifted French painter, Henri Fantin Latour, however the bounty that Seaton describes carries with it the modernist’s sensibility of light and atmosphere. Seaton’s oils exude an ethereal beauty, each flower a complex web of marks resulting in a sophisticated unity of tone, color and form.

Paul Raymond Seaton is currently represented by galleries in the UK, United States, and Australia. He has had solo exhibitions in London, Amsterdam and New York City. He has participated in group exhibits at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, the Mall Galleries and the Royal Academy in London. His work hangs in many esteemed private and corporate collections around the world.