THE SILAS-KENYON GALLERY

DOUG PADGETT

Doug Padgett is a painter who lives and works in New York and Provincetown. With origins reminiscent of early painters of the American West like Albert Beardstat, Padgett explores the landscape in offbeat ways; ways which are also uniquely American.

Whether abstracted, psychadelic images of water or large impressionist renderings of the planet Mars, Padgett paints an essential view of volume and possibility. Strongly indicated, the horizon is never actually seen. The images seem endless, like some perfect journey. The paint itself is a funny combination of sexy brushwork, trippy colors, and a restraint located so perfectly that traditional "looking" collapses and our reaction rushes to complete the art.

In a time where the influence of photography is strongly felt, Padgett makes an interesting choice. These paintings are not just self conscious, tricky renderings of photographic images, amplified into super-realities. Rather, the vivid colors and careful technique seem to extract what is essential from some hidden place.

This is painting from the inside-out; painting which becomes necessary the moment we see it. Padgett may paint directly to the subconscious, but seeing the work is equivalent to being awake in a dream, knowing a secret, or having a wish fullfilled.

For more information or an interview with the artist please contact Michael Carroll at (508) 487.4800