Quintet

“QUINTET”
A Group Exhibition Featuring:
Daniel Sprick, Anthony Waichulis, Elizabeth Zanzinger,
Scott Fraser & Patrick Kramer

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 2nd, 6-8 pm.
On view through March 30th, 2019.

This spring, Gallery 1261 is proud to announce an exhibition by five master painters, who have together
composed a visual melody, each artist delicately, gracefully and expertly drawing their audience’s attention to the simple wonders in our natural world.

This exhibition is a unique opportunity to share new work by these internationally renowned painters with the Denver community of art patrons. The members of this Quintet have exhibited, been recognized, featured and collected by some of the most prestigious art institutions and collections, including Beijing World Art Museum, National Arts Club, Grand Central Academy in New York, Portrait Society of America and the Smithsonian Institute, to name a few.

Each painter manages to arouse a sense of curiosity and meditative study in the process of showcasing the familiar, yet visually complex everyday objects.

Daniel Sprick practices his craft with marvelous precision creating compositions of diverse subject matter—from still lifes and portraits, to landscapes—all painted in soft, de-saturated pallets. There often seems to be a sense of stopped time, lending the eye to rejoice in unhurried contemplation. His still lifes are reminiscent of Dutch and Flemish painting traditions and the genius of his work is in the orchestration of unlikely, yet beautifully balanced compositions: everyday objects reminding of delicious experiences, contrasted with the menace of skulls and bones, fragrant flowers and mundane tin cans, tangled string and beautifully crumbled wax paper. These harmonious interludes evoke the eye’s curiosity to notice, explore and be present.

Anthony Waichulis delights the observer with his mastery of Trompe-l'œil –an art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions. The
first living master Trompe L'Oeil paiter recognized by The Art Renewal Center, Waichulis paints mementos of past and present lives—painstakingly arranged groupings of vintage photographs and souvenirs in worn keepsake boxes, remnants of a scrumptious meal, the muse lingering by a poet’s typewriter, truffle chocolates enticing the senses. The journey of exploring his compositions invite one to experience one’s own Mona Lisa smile—soft and rejoiced.
Elizabeth Zanzinger’s paintings showcase the traditional painterly skills gained from a disciplined classical training. Her work, however, often celebrates non-traditional subject matter. Through expert painting from life and rhythmic compositions, she imbues routine subjects with a sense of awe and marvel. Using strong drawing technique, skilled brushwork, and luminous color, she has combined approaches from multiple influences to create her own distinctive style of painting. Zanzinger’s work is often rich with detail, and yet her brushwork can be loose and spontaneous, guiding the eye to appreciate the breadth and movement of her subjects.

Scott Fraser inspires a sense of whimsical exploration when viwing his work. He finds muse in his surroundings, his family and art history. Inspired by the Flemish masters during his time abroad in Europe, Fraser has developed a very personal narrative style which found a voice in still life painting. “I am still growing and developing this voice, and am never at a loss for what to paint next, since the possibilities within the genre are endless.” He enjoys experimenting with imagery that is outside the box and is in awe with his children’s honest interpretation and unaffected exploration of the natural world.
A perfectionist by nature, Patrick Kramer has developed a hyper-realistic style that appeals to ones purest senses. Rendering subjects as lifelike as possible, Patrick is often consumed with obsessing over each artwork in pursuit of a state of completion, yet effortlessly not quite complete. Kramer is interested in a variety of imagery and enjoys working in multiple genres. He is compelled to paint subjects he believes have an inherent beauty, in contexts and situations he finds intriguing.
Together, this Quintet promises to appeal to the visitors’ five senses, creating an experience that is uniquely visceral, exploratory and in the moment.