Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
May 8-29
Tim Solliday, Fall Poplars, oil, 36 x 48.
It’s always an exciting occasion when a prominent painter known for creating one-of-a-kind, time-intensive work is ready to present a new collection. That’s the case when Tim Solliday’s exhibition, titled Fall Poplars, opens at Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles this month. It is the California artist’s third show with the gallery.
Solliday spent years making a name for himself as a plein-air painter, but it’s in the complex western scenes exhibited here that his mature style—influenced by an eclectic mix of sources—finds full expression. Evidence of the California Impressionist and Colorist traditions learned from his teacher, Theodore Lukits, shines through, as does a William Morris-era attention to craftsmanship and design. His genuine reverence for the people and stories of the West is not unlike Paul Gauguin’s compassionate portrayal of the native community of Tahiti; if comparisons to great artists of the past are unavoidable, Solliday’s shared narrative strengths with the Golden Age of Illustration artists is also hard to overlook.
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- Tim Solliday, Looking East, pastel, 5 x 4.
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- Tim Solliday, Night Pool, pastel, 7 x 7.
FALL POPLARS, the 36-by-48 inch centerpiece of the show, showcases Solliday’s diverse range of talents, particularly exceptional design and storytelling. “I greatly enjoy painting American Indians in panoramic views of nature, among the poplar trees and boulders of New Mexico and Colorado,” the artist says of the piece. “I love the way the light filters through the trees and creates these wonderful abstract shapes behind and in front of the figures. I pay a lot of attention to the decorative elements of a painting, but I also want the design to speak to the emotional side of these individuals’ stories.”
In that spirit, Solliday avoids the battle and confrontation scenes made famous in western films and art, preferring instead to paint these Native Americans engaged in everyday activities and pastimes. The poetic way in which Solliday weaves together their facial expressions, patterned clothing, simple interactions, and light-filled natural surroundings honors their intrinsically peaceful connection to the earth and one another.
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- Tim Solliday, Trading, pastel, 9 x 11.
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- Tim Solliday, Saguaro Pathway, oil, 13 x 21.
Solliday’s unique interpretations first caught the attention of Beau Alexander, director of Maxwell Alexander Gallery, some 15 years ago. Representing Solliday for the last eight years, Alexander has since come to also appreciate the artist’s uncommon creative process. “Tim has this wonderfully methodical, traditional technique that always starts with several drawings and pastel color studies from life,” Alexander says. “He applies oil to the surface in an interesting way, with unique mark-making that mimics his lyrical pastel lines. It’s interesting to compare the two and see the harmonious similarities.”
Among the eight works on display are four of these pastel studies, giving viewers a chance to see these nuances of line and color up close. In many ways Solliday’s pastel studies are similar to his plein-air sketches, in that they are also used to work out composition and color choices for finished studio pieces. The studies are both finished works of art in their own right and records of the artist’s creative decision-making. –Allison Malafronte
contact information
213.275.1060
www.maxwellalexandergallery.com
This story appeared in the May 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.