Elizabeth Johnson: ...Have you felt your identity as an artist shift in relation to nature since Resilience?

Douglas Martenson: Yes. And as a person too. We get so much of our identity from how others perceive us, engage with us. This parallels the way I perceive the meadow: it exists already but when I represent it, it then becomes known through me as an artist. I am always seeing something more, going deeper, finding ways to relate this uncommon subject to a broader audience. I love the idea of a chance encounter, inviting the viewer into a moment that is already changing. Nothing stays the same. Currently, everything in the world is in transition, each day brings new events to deal with. These paintings are speaking of the complexity of what it takes to render light and make marks necessary to create lifelike images.

Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present The Meadow, Encounter, a new solo exhibition by Douglas Martenson. Working from a meadow that he returns to over time, Martenson paints a landscape that is never fixed. It shifts, evolves, and regenerates with light, weather, and season. Working across oil, watercolor, and graphite, Martenson paints from sustained observation. Each image carries the feeling of a chance encounter, as though stumbled upon rather than composed. Wide fields give way to closer moments, where what might otherwise be passed over begins to take hold as the subject.

For Martenson, the meadow is not only a subject but an ongoing site of inquiry. Returning to the same location over time allows him to represent increasingly complex observations, shaped by a deepening familiarity with the land...

“I would like to give the impression of a passing glance; in other paintings, I am encouraging a longer reflection. Working within traditions while challenging the viewer, I hope to lure spectators into an extended reflection and contemplation.

"Is art about the materials that you use or is it how you use your materials to say something that will speak for your time and hopefully become a universal statement?…In many of my recent works, I have taken a closer look at the plants, wildflowers, and weed clusters throughout the field, looking more deeply at something that you often overlook. All together, my work evokes a much larger idea, that being the nature of our existence. And above all, the Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine topography serve as the most important foil, allowing me to highlight and express these concerns.” - Douglas Martenson

Click the image to learn more about Martenson & view their landscape paintings -->

Jeffrey Reed: Of Time, Light and Change

Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Of Time, Light and Change, a solo exhibition of new paintings by artist Jeffrey Reed. Attuned to the interplay of atmosphere, space, and light, Reed continues his practice of capturing the beauty of familiar landscapes through meticulous observation and thoughtful exploration. For over twenty-five years, Jeffrey Reed has returned to County Mayo, Ireland, painting and teaching at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, his newest works thoughtfully capturing the subtle beauty and shifting atmosphere of Ireland’s coastal landscape.

Life, Still – Group Exhibition, Curated by Douglas Martenson

At first glance, Life, Still suggests the classical still life—carefully composed objects held in quiet contemplation. Yet, the title holds deeper layers of meaning, much like the paintings in this exhibition. It speaks to the act of pausing in stillness, engaging with the everyday, and reflecting on the persistence of life itself. Stillness does not mean stagnation; rather, it is a moment of attention, an embrace of presence, and a connection to what endures.

Click the image to read more

“To me, a field is always shifting, evolving, changing. It is a complex ecosystem. I try to make sense of it, search for patterns to bring out objects, frame them with space that surrounds them. It becomes a meditative state that is romantic at its core. I am searching for the relationship between humans and their always-changing environment.”

-Douglas Martenson

In Resilience, Douglas Martenson delivers a captivating new body of landscape paintings that, while exuding beauty, challenge viewers to contemplate the fragility of our sensitive ecosystems.