Mary Martin Gallery & ML GALLERY

Don Quade
Mixed Media on Panel, Board or Canvas

Don and Grace Quade

Statement:
The relationship between opposite and competing elements found in nature and every day life are a great source of inspiration in the creation of my paintings. Every painting tells a story of people, places, experiences and the mystery and wonder of living. Sections within a single painting contain images and planes of color that are simultaneously independent and co-dependent. This coexistence of smaller compositions within a larger painting is symbolic of the interconnectivity shared between all living and inanimate objects.
Using the garden as metaphor, my current work focuses on the transitional and transformative phases of life cycles, specifically exploring the issues of chaos vs. order and creation vs. destruction. Utilizing both representational and abstractive techniques, through my paintings I view the importance of the garden as a fundamental pivot where nature and culture convene and transform one another.
When I begin painting, a layer of gesso is applied generously and randomly, creating a foundation in which spontaneously applied textures and scoring becomes important in the overall surface of the finished painting. Paint is then thinly layered on in sections and often masked and painted over several times until the right amount of history is both revealed and hidden from view. This intuitive technique of painting, masking and then re-painting until I am satisfied is equal parts creation and destruction. My goal is to find an aesthetically pleasing middle ground between the conflicting and driving forces found in every day life, specifically the simple and complex. I like to think that juxtaposing these images creates a sense of 'friendly friction' that draws the viewer in for closer examination.

Biography:
Don Quade grew up in El Paso, Texas and is strongly influenced by the vast open space and clarity of light and hues found in the southwestern desert. He holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from Colorado State University, and has worked as a Graphic Designer before shifting his concentration to painting and mixed media collage. He has continued his studies of painting and collage through the Taos Institute of Arts, The Arts Students League of Denver and Anderson Ranch. Don spends much of his time in his studio working on his mixed media abstract paintings, collages and a series of small metal sculptural houses that he’s been developing over the years. He and his wife live in Denver with their son. His work is in numerous private and corporate collections across the United States.