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Those familiar with Paul Balmer’s buzzing cityscapes will be quick to note the comparative serenity of his newest work, inspired by far-flung travels to Provence, Tuscany, Australia, and South Africa. Enamored with the landscapes he encountered, Balmer painted them on site – In the tradition of late 19th Century Barbizon School painters like Dupré, Rousseau, or Daubigny, he sought to translate the spirit, rather than the pure physical reality of these places to canvas. Demonstrating an immense emotional range, these bucolic vistas illustrate an alternative world – the atmosphere here is soft, the mood meditative, the compositions beautifully subtle.

The placidity of these scenes is nicely offset, however, by the artist’s intensive process. Painting in thick layers of oil, Balmer waits for the surface to dry and carefully sands it, allowing flecks of earlier color to show through. It is an incredibly inventive and effective technique: In these heavily-worked canvases, we see areas of intricate detail created by simple means, but which nevertheless add to these works a stunning sense of depth and tactility. As Balmer notes, his intention is to “break up any regularity of line and shape,” to “give the paintings an element of controlled randomness.” The results are exquisite and always surprising. In keeping with the relaxed, inviting attitude of these locales, the artist adds that “few pieces end up as initially planned, but rather follow their own paths.”

Indeed, Balmer’s landscapes deftly toe the line between controlled representation and spontaneous abstraction. The artist says his aim is to make these works “as abstract as possible without losing the essence of the scene” – and, in fact, this sense of essence is precisely what makes these paintings so striking. Balmer is able to distill whole seasons – the mood of the surrounding land and even, one might guess, his own state of mind – into just a few swathes of saturated chroma. In Balmer’s words, “the colors cascade into the distance,” creating a space of remarkable depth. It is an expertly executed technique. We are pulled irresistibly toward these scenes, into these places where it is still possible to find silence and contemplation.

Exhibitions: 2007 - Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena Napa; Campton Gallery NY; Etienne & Van de Doel Netherlands 2006 - Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco CA. 2005 Campton Gallery, New York NY. 2004 - New York Contemporary, Greenwich; Arden Gallery, Boston MA; Brighams Gallery, Nantucket MA; Campton Gallery, New York NY. 2003 - Arden Gallery, Boston, MA; Brighams Gallery, Nantucket MA; Trajan Gallery, Carmel CA; Art Chicago, Chicago, IL. 2002 - Trajan Gallery, Carmel CA; Campton Gallery, New York NY; Arden Gallery, Boston, MA. 2001 - Bond Street Gallery, Florida; Campton Gallery, New York NY; Art Miami Art Fair; Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco CA; Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte NC. 2000 - Trajan Gallery, Carmel CA; Campton Gallery, New York NY; Arden Gallery/Boston MA. 1999 Art Miami Art Fair Miami FL; Charles hewitt Gallery / Sydney Australia; The Artist Gallery/Hunters Hill Australia; Arden Gallery/Boston MA. 1998 - Mclauchlen Gallery, South Hampton NY; Arden Gallery, Boston MA; Lydon Gallery, Chicago IL. 1997 - Albemarie Gallery/London UK, Arden Gallery/Boston MA. 1996 Everard Read Gallery, South Africa; Arden Gallery/Boston MA.

Lecturer: Fine Art: 1996 Art Cent er Europe, Montreux Switzerland

Education: BFA - Drawing School/Sydney Australia; Graphic Design Sydney Institute of TechnologyBalmer