spring is in the air with petals in full bloom so no better time to open 3 new solo exhibitions for ben grasso, page jones davis and anke schofield. three diverse artists who have found their style and voice over years spent in the studio. ben grasso is a painter’s painter; a painter other artists admire for their abilities to manipulate paint on the canvas. his brushstrokes are fluid and precise. ben creates an abundance of energy on the canvas causing his paintings to almost explode before your eyes. instead of pushing the viewer away they suck you into the commotion and hold you there. his paintings addictively capture your senses by bringing you into their beautiful realm.
south carolina artist page jones davis washes her canvases in a myriad of colors ranging across the spectrum. her color combinations are bold and subtle at the same time. each color blending seamlessly into the next. this past winter page attended an intense 6 week painting/drawing workshop at the penland school of craft in the north carolina mountains. her time at penland was spent focusing on her paintings on paper and canvas which are seen in the current exhibition. her abstraction has become more layered and black outlines have been used to frame her color washes creating a portal into her paintings.
anke schofield has always had a passion for photography. her goal is to transform photographs through painting by using collage, oil paint, acrylic paint, wax, and sometimes even tar to form her layered surreal compositions. subjects range from animals, figures, flora and birds to name a few always juxtaposed with other elements. anke’s paintings are staged arrangements choreographed for maximum effect. a grizzly bear sitting on top of a ceramic stool or a deer with magnolias resting on it’s antlers. there is a definitely sense of whimsicalness in anke’s work making you want to linger a while amongst her imaginary scenes.
ben grasso paints fabricated disasters and the destruction of archetypal houses flying through the air. these large scale theatrical paintings almost reach a form of abstraction. the action sequences that he depicts of exploding elements are created with oils on paper. in his paintings he captures movement and energy, zooming in on the origins of detonation and chaos.
grasso was born in cleveland, oh in 1979. he earned his mfa in painting from hunter cuny new york, and bfa in painting from the cleveland institute of art. he has also participated in many group exhibitions nationally and internationally. in 2002 ben was awarded the joseph mcCullough painting scholarship award for excellence in painting and then the helen greene perry scholarship a year later. he completed the fountainhead residency, miami in 2009 and then was a 2010 fellow in painting from the new york foundation for the arts. most recently he was awarded the pollock krasner foundation grant. grasso has had experience as a visiting lecturer at universities, galleries and museums; such as the cleveland institute of art, the johns hopkins university in bologna, italy, and parsons the new school for design, ny, among others.
detail of ford
page jones davis was born in atlanta and now resides in inman, south carolina. she received her ma from the savannah college of art and design. her work was included in a group exhibition entitled siblings at the spartanburg museum of art. page’s abstract paintings are awash in color blending into each other seamlessly across the canvas. the results are calming and peaceful.
page jones davis in her south carolina studio
page jones davis in her studio at penland school of craft this past winter
“the infinite color combinations in nature and in the material world alike are etched into my mind. that bright green patch of moss i saw on my walk that stood out so boldly against the dead winter leaves had such strength and grace. that wacky color combination in a gorgeous fabric was unapologetically loud. the nature of color and its complexities is the fuel for my work. the story that ensues as color becomes form is my fire.”
works on paper on studio floor
born in Ithaca, new york in 1972, anke schofield developed a passion for photography at an early age, thanks to her father's influence. by the time she was in 8th grade, she was already apprenticing as a professional photographer assistant. during high school, she continued her apprenticeship with various artists in the new york area. she later earned a bachelor's degree in fine art from the savannah college of art and design on a scholarship.
for the past 20 years, anke has been working as a professional fine art painter. her work is inspired by photography, but she takes it beyond mere representation, creating a harmonious blend of textures and composition.
piqueing the imagination, anke schofield's imagery of animate and inanimate objects integrated in unexpected ways is a sophisticated combination of photography, collage, oil paint, acrylic paint, wax, and sometimes even tar. the surreal juxtaposition of images is reinforced by the eclectic use of media. anke finishes her works with a smooth, shiny veneer of epoxy resins, creating the dreamlike “trance” by further separating image from reality and distancing the viewer from the textural physicality of the imagery.
all available work by each artist can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.