we are thrilled to present three outstanding solo exhibitions to round out this year’s exhibition calendar for jeremy holmes, scott troxel and ben grasso. making it even more exciting two of the artists are debut shows jeremy holmes and scott troxel. both artists work with wood and we have admired their sculptures for a long time. we strategically scheduled their exhibitions to be shown alongside the work of ben grasso who is known for his oil paintings of exploding houses. the three shows combined focus on the manipulation of wood as a material and a subject matter. our 30th anniversary is on the horizon and we are committed to the gallery’s original mission statement to exhibit artists in the south who have not been shown before. the excitement of introducing collectors to artists and their work never gets old. lots more excitement to come in 2027!
jeremy holmes is a wood sculptor and artist creating out of his studio in ithaca, ny. he seeks to expand perceptions of the form and function of wood by showcasing its moldable and dynamic qualities. jeremy is interested in creating a connection with the viewer, allowing them a pathway into the winding spontaneity and improvisation of his creative process. he uses untraditional bending methods combined with fine woodworking techniques to transform solid hardwood into fluid forms. the process is ever evolving and random, with each piece revealing itself throughout the process. explorations of color and finish accentuate the wood grain and tone, further showcasing the depth and richness of the material.
some of jeremy’s earliest influences come from building forts in the woods and working alongside his father in his cabinet shop in cooperstown, ny. he went on to study sculpture at suny new paltz where his artistic worldview widened through explorations of scale, conceptual art, and materiality. studying in the hudson valley and the proximity to new york city deepened his connection to the wider art world. post college he continued to develop large site-specific wood installations, curious about how the work could be seen in a more experiential and immersive way. with continuous long ribbons of wood, he brought a traditional material into a new light.
outside of his studio practice, jeremy loves being a father and spending time on their rural property stewarding a land trust forest, swimming in the pond, and hiking with his family.
jeremy holmes
scott troxel draws on the aesthetics of bygone technology and the forward-looking designs of the atomic age and mid-century modernism to make dynamic, retro-futurist wooden sculptures that evoke nostalgia for the past as much as they look to the future.
in his latest body of work termed “small pops” (2023-2026), troxel focuses on smaller, chunky, minimalist inspired work that taps into his mid century modern sensibility. the small pops series uses 2” deep solid wood combined with bold color palettes, wood grain and sometimes-surface textures. troxel states “i developed the small pops series as a reaction against the very large commission pieces that i do for my public space projects. these large pieces normally take weeks or months to complete and involve a lot of fabrication. for me the small pops offer a type of artistic instant gratification, as i can produce several in a week, due to the size. i can also tweak and play with them, as they are much more nimble to produce.”
the common denominator for these pieces are both the retro infused color palette and the mid century influence evident in the compositions. troxel states “i strive to produce work that feels very clean and modern yet has a strong retro futurists nod to the past. i named them “small pops" because they are small in size, but they are clunky off the wall and feel much bigger than they are due to pallets, shapes, and way they command the space.”
scott has exhibited his work at numerous fairs and exhibitions across the country including the other art fair new york, texas contemporary, SCOPE miami, SOFA chicago, LA art fair, seatlle art fair, the affordable art fair austin, aqua miami, 4C art fair and art wynwood. his works are held in corporate, hotel and private collections across the united states, canada, europe, asia and south america and can be seen in iconic buildings like the hotel del coronado and the shard london. his work has been commissioned by georgia power, live! casino, the palms singapore, capitol one, northrup grumman, price waterhouse cooper and the four seasons vail.
scott was industrial designer and product developer, graphic artist and brand manager prior to transitioning to a full time artist in his early 40’s. his background in commercial products, graphics, design and aesthetics mirror similar artists like andy warhol who honed their artistic skills through real world applications prior to the shift into fine arts. he currently works in his studio and wood shop and studio by the ocean in southern coastal new jersey, near the philadelphia area, where he was raised.
scott troxel
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.
ben grasso’s studio
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.