Curtis Fields

Biography Video

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During his sixty years as an artist, Curtis Fields has created an exceptional body of work. This exhibition features a select group of paintings from varying points in his career. The works are refreshing depictions of Field’s joyful reflections on the wonders of landscape and architecture encountered in México, Spain, France and California.

The work is clearly a celebration of nature - scenes of beaches, gardens, farms and hilly landscapes abound. His chosen scenic subjects are one of the superb strengths in his works, capturing the perfect light of day or the contrasting shadows from architecture and expansive trees. Field’s passion for color is evidenced by vivid tangerine sunsets, mustard fields, and brilliant tropical settings. A skillful mingling of colors is demonstrated by rich green trees juxtaposed with vibrant flowers and luminescent beaches. The architectural components in his works are often presented as details, with nature serving as the primary emphasis. His paintings also reveal a fascination with shapes and design. Layering of colors and shapes present an almost collage-like appearance with insightful depth and dimension.

A New England native, Fields pursued an intensive education entering Yale art school in 1939. Yale’s focus allowed Fields to demonstrate his skill as a realist painter. However, beyond school, his works took on a more expressionistic turn. After a brief period in the Navy, he attended the Art Students League and studied with the Czechoslovakian abstract painter Vaclov Vytlacil. Among his other teachers at the Art Students League, were Will Barnett and Cameron Booth. Following the Arts Students League, Fields went on to attend art courses at Cooper Union and the New School for Social Research in New York.

Beyond New York, Fields had the opportunity to live and work in France and Montreal, but eventually found his way to California where he lives today. His experiences in a variety of rich environments no doubt have contributed to the sense of freshness and excitement in all his works. These travels have fostered his vast career, exhibiting in Canada, England, France, Germany, Latin America, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the U.S.