Watershed Gallery will open a new exhibition of individual and collaborative works by painters David Dunlop and Max Dunlop, with an artist’s reception on Saturday, January 31st at 6:30 pm. The exhibit will explore the constantly evolving relationships of artists to their artwork, and parents to their children.
“David and Max’s individual artistic predilections are evident when comparing their painting styles,” says Jennifer Mathy, director of the gallery. “Max’s more monochromatic imagery and gritty, expressionistic brush strokes are in contrast to his father David’s use of attractive color harmonies and polished, smooth blended surfaces.
“But it is their influence on each other’s work that is most captivating, both indirectly and directly – through their painting collaborations. For some time, each artist has been starting their own painting, then at a mutually agreed upon point, they switch paintings. One begins where the other ends. The results are astounding, a collaboration between differing sensibilities, between generations.”
David Dunlop, renowned Wilton, Connecticut artist and host of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Landscapes Through Time, has been described as a “modern-day old master.” A long-time faculty member of the Silvermine School, David’s luminous works draw from both Renaissance techniques and contemporary science.
“Artwork is never ‘done,’” David explains, “The American landscape painter, George Inness, would famously sneak into collectors’ homes to steal away his paintings in order to make changes – changes he felt urgently necessary.
Artist, musician and street magician Max Dunlop is embroiled in a constant search for visually profound moments. Inspired by the motion, grit and grandeur of his home city of New York, Max applies paint with energy and passion and considers the process of creating a painting more important than the end result. Max, along with his wife Natalie Keiffer, will be taking a break from their year-long sabbatical to attend the opening reception. The journey, that began in November, has so far taken them through the mountains of Patagonia and will lead them through Europe and Southeast Asia.
David and Max Dunlop will give an artist’s talk at the gallery on Sunday, February 1 at 2pm. The artists will discuss their collaborative work, and the influence the father and son relationship has on their creative processes.
Watershed Gallery represents emerging and mid-career artists in a range of media, from painting, printmaking, to photography and sculpture. The gallery focuses on local and global artists, producing abstract and loosely representational art. Shows highlight art and artists who bring a fresh perspective and create an emotional connection for the viewer.
Members of the general public are invited to attend the opening reception of Father & Son at Watershed Gallery, 23 Governor Street in Ridgefield. For more information, please visit watershedgallery.com or contact the gallery at 203.438.4387.