About the Arts
Grant Drumheller at the George Marshall Store Gallery
By Rose Safran
YORK VILLAGE - "I have a whole collection of palette knives, very expensive, good ones," comments the artist Grant Drumheller, a University of New Hampshire professor who is currently having a one-man exhibit of his recent art at the George Marshall Store Gallery's downstairs dock level."I might use several of them in any one painting," he continues, depending, it seems, on what he needs to do to "shape" or finalize the work.
These knives, he reports, give him immense control as he literally sculpts away thickly applied oil to create various images in some of his newest paintings. These heavily textured small oil paintings with their irregular dried paint blobs of specific forms are made from "left-over" oils, according to Drumheller. He creates these works of art with no preconceived concept, just watching where the thickly applied paint will take him, making creative decisions as he progresses and as the work evolves.
As such, they are among the newest, and perhaps most spontaneous, of Drumheller's fine art, differing from his art viewed over the years.
Not that Drumheller has "let go" of his previous, more carefully arranged paintings of places and objects which we've so enjoyed.
"I had the use of a house in Eastern Point (York)," he commented as I joined him in looking at a painting of a deck with chairs, the ocean beyond. "I loved working there. The setting was beautiful and I hope I am invited back," he also said.
Drumheller has been teaching painting and drawing at UNH for over 20 years, and states that he'll continue to do so until he has to retire.
Meanwhile, this versatile artist also travels and fills his studio with a conglomeration of objects acquired here and there that he uses as props for many of his works of art, which include, in the words of curator Mary Harding, "quirky details."
The same prop can appear in more than one painting - but in a wholly different way. As a result, there's considerable humor and wit as well as contrast in his more formalized works where a large vase might be rather strangely (and comfortably) joined with small animals such as miniature cows set underneath it.
Too, the artist has a sense of depth, inviting the eye to move from a contrived immediate setting to a distant view that may have been inspired by his trips abroad, in particular to Italy.
Upstairs in this same gallery, we see the results of a "Road Trip" which curator Mary Harding took through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts in search of new artists to introduce here. The current exhibit is a mix of works by familiar names - Tom Curry, Arthur DiMambro, Tom Glover, Connie Hayes, Gary Haven Smith, etc., with works from newer names, as well as a mix of various approaches to art and of media.
"Road Trip" and "Grant Drumheller-New Paintings" will remain on view through Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 140 Lindsay Road. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
