Feature Artist of the Month

As many of your know, Wendt Gallery has become known over the past decade for its flair for discovering and developing some of the most unique and talented young painters in representational art

As we move onward through this new decade, we continue to be amazed and thrilled by the discovery of a new shining star in the art world. Seth Garland is such a star.

We are very excited to share with you these new works from the artist's most recent collection, Lapis Lazuli.

Based around the beautiful blue pigment famously used by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel, the pigment was expensive to procure as it was ground from semi-precious stones. The color became synonymous with only the very wealthiest patrons who could afford to have works of art commissioned with this pigment.

The natural stone color is flecked with gold, and it is this mixture of dramatic gold and deep blue paint which color the opulent fabrics, and set the dramatic and rich tone for this series of paintings.

Click here thumbnail below to view Artist Introduction Video

Artist Statement

My work embraces a collection of influences from the Renaissance to fashion photography.

My main aim as an artist is to blur the distinction between my representational goal and the painting as a document of my thought process and decisions. Even though I choose representation to express my ideas, I try not to make the paintings too much about the real world. Instead I like to think they possess a ethereal quality which is why I always include a landscape which intentionally makes placing the context of the sitter ambiguous. Representation and abstraction go hand in hand. In my opinion there is nothing more abstract than a Rembrandt. A cacophony of paint texture, translucent, opaque, syrupy, dry and then you step back and it all makes perfect sense, this is what excites me the most as a painter.

 My methodology stems from two main areas of interest. The first being hidden geometry, where the compositions are laid out to a  strict formula. This underlying structure gives my work a common thread, linking individual pieces like painterly DNA.

 My second methodology is the technology of the paint. It is the emotive qualities of paint and how it can be manipulated to express a  myriad of things which intrigues me. Modern artists have been blessed with recent scientific discoveries into the composition of the paints used by the 'Old Masters'. It is this area of my work which dominates my every waking thought.

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