“When you let go—get rid of the rendering idea—it’s just pure color, shapes, form,” says Gregory Frank Harris. “It is not an arroyo; it is not a tree; it’s not a mountain; it’s not a cloud. And yet, that’s what they are when you get back,” he says of his large-scale landscape paintings. “It’s line and mass and color.” 
Rio Rosado, oil on linen, 54 x 48"
While the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based artist still paints real places and recognizable subjects, his latest show at Acosta-Strong Fine Art dives deep into a style he calls “New Mexico modern.” The landscapes Harris has painted over the past few years are bold and saturated with a fauvist sensibility that sets it apart from the artist’s early work.
“The paint is the star, not the subject,” he says, citing influences from Walt Gonske to Richard Diebenkorn. “People like that just really go for it,” he says. Juicy, impasto brushwork and an interest in “what paint can do” carry Harris’ new landscapes farther from the classical figurative paintings he’s also known for, a few of which will be in the show as well. 
Shadows and Sunlight, Abiquiu, oil on linen, 30 x 36"“All these years, I’ve never understood sticking to any one style or concept,” he says, pointing to Gerhard Richter and Pablo Picasso as artists who operate from a place of pure creativity. “Maybe I’m impatient by nature and bored easily.”
The multi-hyphenate artist also draws inspiration from his time as a working musician, referencing recording artists who evolved over the span of their careers. “They weren’t stuck in one mode year after year after year. They kept moving. They kept going forward. They weren’t stagnant,” he adds. “I relate so much to that.”
“We just love his work. He has such a breadth and a technical ability to capture landscapes and portraits,” says longtime collector and fellow Acosta-Strong artist Jack Dunn. “He can paint anything. He can paint a very tight landscape, and he has evolved over time to a much looser style that we find very appealing,” says Dunn, who has built a n extensive collection of Harris’ work with his wife Nita. 
Arroyo Colores, oil on panel, 30 x 30"When painting in the field together, Dunn praises Harris’ unique point of view. “It’s quite interesting to see his take on what he’s looking at versus what I’m looking at,” says Dunn. “He’s a wonderful colorist and he has the ability to paint very atmospheric skies.”
For Harris, preparing for a new show can be a bit of an “emotional roller coaster,” he shares. “I’m always experimenting with ideas and with paint, hence the title. Up until now, it’s been literally, many multiple journeys.” —
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