Paul Balmer
Paul Balmer’s latest paintings dive further into the realm of abstraction, expanding the boundaries of his interest in the intersections between the natural world and human-made environments. Grids and geometric forms nod at the structure of a city, while swoops of celestial colors and representations of moon phases, ice crackles, and other organic shapes point toward a fascination with nature’s patterns and processes. Punctuated by bold gestures —a splash of bright yellow, a thick outline, a ribbon of contrasting color—along with intricate areas of improvised scratchwork, the paintings share a vibrant energy that is layered and almost musical.
Biography
Paul Balmer continues his deep exploration of cityscapes while venturing into still-life and abstraction. He trains his eye on San Francisco as well as his longtime subject of New York, capturing iconic skyscrapers and their surrounding cast of supporting structures with improvisational linework, vivid and moody colors, and raw, beautiful surfaces. Nature and leisure often filter into his skylines, the water visible in the distance, full of floating-triangle sailboats: calmness and complexity interwoven.
The same words characterize his monumental, vibrant still-lifes: while the scenes are breezy and serene, their balance of pattern, color, and form is intricate and sophisticated. In fact, though Balmer’s paintings are full of action, their tone is often tranquil. Though their surfaces are “scratched, scraped, and sanded,” he notes that they refer to a “happy, simple way of life.”
Like Cézanne and Pierre Bonnard, two of his important influences, Balmer prioritizes color, light, and perspective. The style he has invented draws on influences ranging from tribal art to impressionism to expressionist masters like Kandinsky and Paul Klee, pulling an essence of feeling from each tradition. “My paintings are not meant to be an exact depiction, but rather an ‘impression’ of a place,” he has said. “I hope the viewer can get a ‘feeling’ or a visceral sense…perhaps even a subconscious connection to that scene.”
Setting out from his South African origins, Balmer studied fine art in Sydney, Australia, and has described his 1999 move to New York as a turning point. He has received praise in Vanity Fair and ARTNews, among others; exhibited at galleries and art fairs in the U.S. and internationally; and placed his work in numerous private collections.
Born
1965 South Africa
Education
BFA, Meadowbank College, Sydney, Australia.
Graphic Design, Randwick College, Sydney, Australia.
Collectors
Paul's work is included in many private and public collections including Delta Airlines, Marriott Hotels Boston, The Queen Mary 2, The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital and Suffolk University.
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2022 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, Napa, Montecito
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
Art Market Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2021 Caldwell Snyder Gallery,San Francisco, Napa, Montecito, CA
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
2020 Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2019 LA Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA
2017 Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2016 Calm & Complex, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Arden Gallery Solo Exhibition, Boston, MA.
Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2015 Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Pan Amsterdam Fair, Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
2014 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Art South Hampton, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Water Mill, NY.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
2013 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Whitewave Gallery, Seoul, Korea.
2012 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
2011 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2010 Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
2009 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Etienne & Van den Doel, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
2008 Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
2007 Etienne & Van den Doel, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
2006 Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco, CA.
2005 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2004 New York Contemporary, Greenwich, NY.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Brighams Gallery, Nantucket, MA.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2003 Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Trajan Gallery, Carmel, CA.
Brighams Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2002 Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Art Miami Art Fair, Miami, FL.
2001 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC.
2000 Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Press
PRESS
Selected Artworks
Born
1965 South Africa
Education
BFA, Meadowbank College, Sydney, Australia.
Graphic Design, Randwick College, Sydney, Australia.
Collectors
Paul's work is included in many private and public collections including Delta Airlines, Marriott Hotels Boston, The Queen Mary 2, The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Yale New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital and Suffolk University.
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2022 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, Napa, Montecito
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
Art Market Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2021 Caldwell Snyder Gallery,San Francisco, Napa, Montecito, CA
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
2020 Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
Kobalt Gallery, Provincetown, MA
2019 LA Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA
2017 Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2016 Calm & Complex, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Arden Gallery Solo Exhibition, Boston, MA.
Context NY, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, New York, NY.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art Market SF, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2015 Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Pan Amsterdam Fair, Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk Netherlands
2014 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Miami Context, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Art Silicon Valley, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Mateo, CA.
Art South Hampton, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Water Mill, NY.
Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
2013 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Whitewave Gallery, Seoul, Korea.
2012 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
2011 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, St. Helena, CA.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2010 Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
2009 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Etienne & Van den Doel, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
2008 Red Dot Art Fair, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Miami, FL.
2007 Etienne & Van den Doel, Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
2006 Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco, CA.
2005 Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2004 New York Contemporary, Greenwich, NY.
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Brighams Gallery, Nantucket, MA.
Campton Gallery, New York, NY.
2003 Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Trajan Gallery, Carmel, CA.
Brighams Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2002 Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Art Miami Art Fair, Miami, FL.
2001 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC.
2000 Campton Gallery, New York, NY
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA.
Paul Balmer continues his deep exploration of cityscapes while venturing into still-life and abstraction. He trains his eye on San Francisco as well as his longtime subject of New York, capturing iconic skyscrapers and their surrounding cast of supporting structures with improvisational linework, vivid and moody colors, and raw, beautiful surfaces. Nature and leisure often filter into his skylines, the water visible in the distance, full of floating-triangle sailboats: calmness and complexity interwoven.
The same words characterize his monumental, vibrant still-lifes: while the scenes are breezy and serene, their balance of pattern, color, and form is intricate and sophisticated. In fact, though Balmer’s paintings are full of action, their tone is often tranquil. Though their surfaces are “scratched, scraped, and sanded,” he notes that they refer to a “happy, simple way of life.”
Like Cézanne and Pierre Bonnard, two of his important influences, Balmer prioritizes color, light, and perspective. The style he has invented draws on influences ranging from tribal art to impressionism to expressionist masters like Kandinsky and Paul Klee, pulling an essence of feeling from each tradition. “My paintings are not meant to be an exact depiction, but rather an ‘impression’ of a place,” he has said. “I hope the viewer can get a ‘feeling’ or a visceral sense…perhaps even a subconscious connection to that scene.”
Setting out from his South African origins, Balmer studied fine art in Sydney, Australia, and has described his 1999 move to New York as a turning point. He has received praise in Vanity Fair and ARTNews, among others; exhibited at galleries and art fairs in the U.S. and internationally; and placed his work in numerous private collections.
Biography
Press
Paul Balmer’s latest paintings dive further into the realm of abstraction, expanding the boundaries of his interest in the intersections between the natural world and human-made environments. Grids and geometric forms nod at the structure of a city, while swoops of celestial colors and representations of moon phases, ice crackles, and other organic shapes point toward a fascination with nature’s patterns and processes. Punctuated by bold gestures —a splash of bright yellow, a thick outline, a ribbon of contrasting color—along with intricate areas of improvised scratchwork, the paintings share a vibrant energy that is layered and almost musical.
Paul Balmer
Like the cityscapes themselves, Paul Balmer’s paintings buzz with the constant, irrepressible force of life.
Paul Balmer’s latest paintings dive further into the realm of abstraction, expanding the boundaries of his interest in the intersections between the natural world and human-made environments. Grids and geometric forms nod at the structure of a city, while swoops of celestial colors and representations of moon phases, ice crackles, and other organic shapes point toward a fascination with nature’s patterns and processes. Punctuated by bold gestures —a splash of bright yellow, a thick outline, a ribbon of contrasting color—along with intricate areas of improvised scratchwork, the paintings share a vibrant energy that is layered and almost musical.