Scott Fraser: Earthly Delights

Jenkins Johnson Gallery unveils new paintings in its third solo exhibition by one of America’s leading realist still life painters, Scott Fraser. Earthly Delights reveals the artist’s recent investigations into objects in various states of stillness, suspension and animation. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 1, from 5:30-8:00 pm and will feature a signing for his book “Scott Fraser: Selected Works.”

On his gravitation toward the still life genre, Fraser states, “the infinite variety of shapes, colors and textures allows for endless compositional and narrative possibilities.” Earthly Delights explores these infinite possibilities and their implications. Writer William Kherbek points to the modern relationship with reality—given technological advancements and new methods of entertainment—that Fraser engages with: “his work moves most robustly into contemporary discourses when he uses his realism as a device for presenting or revealing questions about where appearances do and can lead a viewer… Fraser’s works turn the viewer’s gaze inward and pose the profound, encompassing question: what is it about reality that makes it seem so real?” Fraser’s works ask this question through wit and humor, as seen in Monkey Inferno IV, as well as through quiet intensity, such as in Time Travel. He acknowledges the changing dynamics of visual art in the era of face-swap apps and virtual reality, all the while, paying homage to the Dutch masters that inspired and informed his still life approach. In Fraser’s own words, “experimenting with cause and effect and sleight of hand allows me to put my own unique stamp on the subject matter.”

Fraser’s work is in museums throughout the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; the De Young Museum, CA; the Denver Art Museum; the Philbrook Museum of Art, OK; the Arnot Art Museum, NY; Kansas City Art Institute; and the Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, IN. Scott Fraser lives and works in Longmont, Colorado.