Geary Contemporary is pleased to present Seven Summers, a solo exhibition of recent oil and watercolor paintings by Reeve Schley, on view December 14, 2017 – January 27, 2018. This is Schley’s first exhibition with the gallery.
Schley is well known for his ephemeral, plein air oil and watercolor paintings, which capture moments of serenity in nature, amongst friends. Picnics and sunbathers are common themes, as are beach and riverside landscapes. Schley begins with observations about the fundamental elements of a subject, allowing those to evolve and meld with his own imagined imagery. Working with a limited palette, Schley allows colors to flow and accumulate, offering a somewhat fragmented explanation of what he sees. He focuses attention on the subject(s) that initially drew him into the painting, whether that is how horizontal lines intersect the vertical, the manner in which shapes and forms come together to build a composition, or the particulars of clothing or stance. He weeds out extraneous information to get to the heart of what he sees, leaving space for viewers to fill with their own experience.
