InSight Gallery | April 5-26, 2024 | Fredericksburg, TX

Brush with Nature

InSight Gallery presents new wildlife scenes from Brian Grimm.

Brian Grimm studied commercial art in college and later worked as a graphic designer. As technology began to take over the profession he spent more time in fine art painting. He explains, “I was fortunate to have traditional school training where everything was done by hand. Of specialty in my commercial art days was sign painting, hand lettering and graphic design. Overall, there are fundamentals in design, drawing, and the use of the brush along with the business knowledge that has carried over into my fine art career.”

Blessed with Good Rain, oil, 32 x 44 in.

In his teen years he met renowned wildlife artist Ken Carlson who became his mentor. “When I first saw Ken’s work, it just clicked that wildlife in their natural habitat was what I wanted to paint and that I could do it in a painterly way," he says. "His emphasis on studying animals from life proved invaluable in finding my direction and voice through experience in the field. It was here that I discovered plein air painting and how much I learned in gathering reference and knowledge for my studio painting.”

Smooth Operator, oil, 20 x 20 in.

In Grimm’s paintings Blessed With Good Rain and Break of Morning, the cattle and the quail blend into their habitat but are subtly distinct from it. “I put in just enough drawing finesse, contrast and edgework,” he says, “to make sure the animal is seen but is part of the landscape as a whole and in harmony as one.” Light plays an important role in his work. “Nature’s light creates many moods depending on the time of day and weather conditions,” he says. “I focus on the temperature of light and color, its direction, and how it falls which describes the land and animals. These two paintings represent different lighting aspects as to the time of day and the play of elements such as trees, bushes, etc. That light either is uninterrupted and direct or dappled.”

Break of Morning, oil, 28 x 28 in.

Adele Welles, sales director at InSight Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas, remarks, “Brian Grimm’s paintings offer a faithful portrayal of nature; his confident artistic style blended with strong brushwork and meticulous detail convey an unmatched respect for his animal subjects.”