Gary Curtis: Classic Dutch Still-Life Paintings

By Heike Hellmann-Brown

Award-winning watercolor artist Gary Curtis has been featured in American Artist magazine and on the cover of Artist Magazine. His work is reminiscent of the great painters of the "Dutch Golden Age," such as Johannes Vermeer, Pieter Claesz, and Willem Claeszoon Heda.

During the 17th century, Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. Non-secular art, fostered by wealthy merchants, showcased popular pictorial subjects, among them still-lifes in subdued colors. Everyday items like food, silver cutlery and flowers, arranged on tablecloths with intricate patterns and subtle folds, displayed the artists' skills in painting textures and surfaces in great detail and with realistic light effects.

"I always had an interest in art history," says Curtis, explaining the thematic and stylistic direction of his work. "My earliest training included the works of Rembrandt, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Later, I discovered the landscapes of Winslow Homer and masters like John Singer Sargent. Yet, a piece of Vermeer displayed at the National Gallery had the most tremendous influence on me."

Originally from Long Beach, Calif., Curtis aimed to be a college professor, but later wound up in corporate management. When he moved to Atlanta in 1980, Curtis began to pursue art full-time. He focused on portraiture, but commissions inhibited him from what he really wanted to express with his art. He switched subjects and medium, painting wildlife, landscapes and architecture in watercolor, and sold pieces at juried art shows across the Southeast. "The immediate feedback encouraged me," Curtis says. "The average person spends little time in an art gallery and even less in a museum. Juried shows reach a greater public and educate visitors. These interactions provoke new ideas for presentation, fresh approaches to do work."

During this time, Curtis felt there was a missing piece in the art market. "Although the trend is toward contemporary pieces, there will always be a fundamental need and acceptance for traditional art," he says.

While Curtis liked the composition and almost 3-D effect of Dutch still-lifes, his scenes of everyday life are painted in transparent watercolors instead of oils, thus blending the old and the new and giving still-lifes a new interpretation and a modern look.

Apart from incorporating common household items, Curtis creates arrangements of heirlooms, books, musical instruments, sports memorabilia and even the trophy collection of a Kentucky Derby winner. Transparent glass and mirror-like reflective silver vessels are his favorite subjects. "The sparkle of cut crystal and distortion of objects seen through it fascinates me. Likewise, I am intrigued by the way a silver bowl reflects its surroundings in a very abstract manner."

Gary Curtis' upcoming shows include Art in the Park in Marietta, The Atlanta Arts Festival in Piedmont Park, and the Roswell Arts Festival. He also shares his expertise in workshops and encourages aspiring artists: "You never really know how good you can be, until you devote your whole life to it!"

GaryCurtisWatercolors.com