* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Nick Gebhart attended Pratt Institue and received a BFA from Rhode Island College.
Nick describes his work by saying, “I have always been interested in observing what I see and converting it into a two dimensional representation. Through painting I try to push the technical possibilities in creating a sense of reality. By using photographs as a reference, I find a common battle between modifying what I see, and creating an aesthetically pleasing image that works in the realm of a painting. My main objective in every painting is to grab the viewer’s attention immediately. I do this with contrast in value and an obscure point of view of my subject matter. Using people as my subject matter, I try to portray a certain feeling that relates to the composition. The people in my paintings are the focal point and the idea behind each concept. The viewer is invited into the figures’ personal space; an invitation that seems uncomfortable, unknown, or unwelcome. Because of the immediate attraction to the painting, the viewer has a chance to get caught in the moment. Human interaction is just as important in my paintings as it is in real life. I am putting these figures in natural environment, allowing the viewer to relate to the person and easily create their own suggested dialogue.”
He continues, “With the actual painting process I am always working in layers. The physical layers of paint are in different texture varieties in order to enhance the certain physicality of the painting. Technically my paintings are about depth, light, contrast and color. The contrast in value defines the light source and creates the form. The forms are suggested with color to create a type of depth. The color relationship and color field is something I am always striving to push and enhance.”
