It’s that time again! On November 26 Maxwell Alexander Gallery will host its online Black Friday sale for the ninth year in a row. This show is unique, in that pieces are offered online only, with a live website shop set up to accept sales starting at 9 a.m. pacific time on November 26, but only for 24 hours. Collectors are encouraged to be prepared and be quick to the draw, as last year saw 100 pieces sold in the first 15 minutes of the show.
“Once it becomes live,” says gallery owner Beau Alexander, “it is a first-come, first-served sale. Essentially, whoever checks out and pays first will be the owner of any particular piece of artwork. There are no presales and the preview is only released on our website 30 minutes before the show becomes live.”
David Grossmann, Sunset Mesa, oil on linen panel, 7 x 12”
Additionally, all pieces are based on an affordable pricing rate of $2,500 or less. Collectors can expect Western beauties like Sunset Mesa by David Grossmann from Western Colorado. The oil painting shows a minimal view of a mesa that fills the scene and employs expert lighting. The landscape of the area inspires his paintings, with mountains, forests, rivers and deserts all within a short distance from his home.
Eric Merrell, Flood Plain, oil, 9 x 12”
“[Sunset Mesa] is the view looking across the valley where I live,” Grossmann explains.
“I never tire of watching the shifting colors of light on the mountains and in the sky throughout the day, especially at sunrise and sunset when the light is so dramatic and changeable. When I do a painting like this outdoors, I have to work very quickly to capture the moment before everything fades. If you look closely, you can see some of that spontaneity guiding the brushstrokes.”
The initial inspirations for his paintings often come from specific places but the end result is more about Grossmann’s emotional reactions than about the particulars of a scene. “I like to think of my paintings like poems where a few condensed words can conjure a depth of emotion,” he furthers.
John Moyers, Indigo and Bayeta, oil, 12 x 10”
Another noteworthy piece is by California artist Dennis Ziemienski, titled Impassable, that shows a man with his horse set against a shadowed stretch of mountains. “I was inspired on a road trip when the sun rose on the eastern slopes of the High Sierras and illuminated an impassible palisade. Adding a traveler pausing to consider adjusting his route seemed to be a fine combination. This was done later by posing a model and his horse.”
Ziemienski combines several elements that make his work special and distinctive, with composition being his most important factor in creating a “strong and readable piece,” he says. “This technique was mastered during my career as an illustrator where I would frequently select a prominent subject and make the other elements in the composition subordinate.”
Dennis Ziemienski, Impassable, oil on mounted linen, 10 x 12”
Another California artist, John Moyers, also has a distinctive style as seen in his show piece Indigo and Bayeta, with a Native American man set against a layered background of sky, mountain and brush. “I find that sometimes the simplest compositions are my most successful,” says Moyers. “I think there is always the temptation to overload a piece with too much detail and too many shapes…I am always trying new compositions and new color schemes without straying too far from nature itself. I am constantly trying new ways to paint, new ideas, some of which the public never sees. I think an artist should always experiment.”
Mick Doellinger, Bison Skull, bronze, open edition, 5¾ x 5¾"
Thomas Blackshear II, Taking Aim, gouache, 6½ x 10”
Eric Merrell, from Pasadena, California, has a goal to create interesting images, like in his piece Flood Plain, a landscape that was sketched on location and finished in his studio. “I hope, through the depiction of space, color and design, people will see a different Western landscape than is typically portrayed,” Merrell says. “A quiet, contemplative landscape. Rather than mythologize the West, I prefer to paint its reality, its geology, its mystery.”
Merrell believes that shape and color are two of the biggest tools available to an artist, “and are two ways that can immediately show our individuality. “How we arrange shapes on a canvas, how sophisticated our color is. These two elements can communicate a lot. One of the hardest things as an artist, years on, is to continue to be an individual and make individual work.”
Jeremy Mann, The Sea (Plein Air) No. 19, oil on panel, 6 x 8”
The Black Friday sale most definitely does not shy away from artists who strive to be individuals in their work, which is exactly why it’s important to not miss out on this exclusive collection of artwork. Make sure to hop on the shop website first thing on November 26, as the show will only run for 24 hours. —
Upcoming Show
Up to 125 works
November 26, 2021
Maxwell Alexander Gallery
406 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015,
(213) 275-1060, www.maxwellalexandergallery.com/shop
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