Heavyweights
Impasto-themed show
An upcoming exhibition at Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, looks at the art of the impasto, a technique in which paint is applied to a surface in visibly thick layers, often exaggerating the aesthetic of the brushstroke or palette knife. Paintings often appear highly textured, with portions of pigment emerging from the canvas itself, creating a quasi-three-dimensional vibe. Titled The Great Impasto, the exhibition runs from April 3 to 26 and includes artists Jeff Cochran, Ulrich Gleiter, Martha Goetz, Brad Teare and Jerry Jordan.
Teare began his career doing woodcut illustrations for clients in New York City, eventually experimenting with color woodcuts and plein air painting. “I evolved a painterly style of woodcut printing while simultaneously falling in love with the landscape,” says the artist. “My technique is different from Van Gogh’s. I don’t use outlining of shapes… but I do apply each stroke in a kaleidoscope of vibrating color, using contrasting hues to get the maximum visual punch. I also use lots of thick, opulent paint. Those are the lessons I learned from the masterful paintings of Vincent van Gogh,” he says.
Driven toward the culture, history and romanticism of Taos, New Mexico, Jordan paints his impasto landscapes. “I paint Taos primarily, and it’s an interpretation I’ve developed from admiring the Taos founders,” he says. One of his pieces in the show, When Autumn Comes, features towering purple mountains behind a modest village. “This is a typical picture of Taos. I’m driven to capture what it looks like, smells like. That first impression has stayed with me for over 50 years. Having fallen in love with the Taos founders, I found myself not really knowing how to interpret Taos without knowing how they interpreted it,” says Jordan.
Goetz’s neon scenes immediately attract the eye with their electrifying hues of lime greens, taxicab yellows and vivid crimsons. “Every day
I hope to express [my] ideas more effectively through bold use of color and surface and by refining the evolving technique to include rhythmic pattern,” says Goetz.
“In New Mexico we are blessed with some beautiful sunlight and gorgeous mountains,” says Cochran. He explains his process of setting up a painting, “I decided to step up my plein air game by building a contraption that uses the side of my van as an easel, and I built a shade structure that unfolds from the side the roof. This allows me to do larger paintings on location and not get cooked in the summer sun.”
An opening reception for The Great Impasto is being held on Friday, April 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.