Show Preview | Pat Gabriel

Houston, TX
William Reaves Fine Art, March 6-28

Pat Gabriel, Cinnabar Threads I (Terlingua), oil, 8 x 15.

This story was featured in the March 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art March 2015 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

From hot-pink skies to dry, dusty terrain, Pat Gabriel captures it all in his sublime landscape works that spotlight the Lone Star State. This month William Reaves Fine Art presents 25 new works by the Fort Worth-based oil painter. The gallery hosts a Meet the Artist event on March 7 from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by a reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. “We take great pride in showing Pat’s work,” says gallery owner William Reaves. “We believe that he truly is among the finest artists working in our state today.”

In Plain Sight, the painter’s first solo show at the gallery, displays the artist’s keen eye for capturing a sense of place, whether it’s a bustling city street or a lonely ghost town. For example, in CINNABAR THREADS I (TERLINGUA), Gabriel paints a picture of a once-thriving mining town near the Rio Grande, a place where mercury was extracted from cinnabar. The artist portrays the scrubby land and the remnants of a bygone era, the pockmarked earth. In scenes that capture the environment closer to an urban area, he often features the collision of the manmade—warehouses, sky-scrapers, cars, and restaurants—with natural wonders.

Gabriel says he is particularly drawn to studying the heavens. “Often I find myself on the side of the road, staring out my car window, and seeing it all as pure paint on canvas,” he says. “I’m drawn to the distinct lighting effects created by storms or at dusk, a transformative light that portrays the ordinary as extraordinary.”

Urban or rural, the artist’s depictions often display a nuanced interplay of light, color, and atmosphere. Gabriel prefers to begin a painting with small “idea sketches,” working on many ideas at once. His own photographs also serve as reference material; the edited images help create a final composition.  Gabriel’s greatest aspirations are for viewers to experience the same feelings he had when creating a painting and for them to appreciate the wonderment of simple, everyday scenes that are “in plain sight.” —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
713.521.7500
 www.reavesart.com

Featured in the March 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art March 2015 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!