David Gross

David Gross' interest in oil painting developed at a very early age. he planned to be a painter from the very beginning and has always worked directly from nature. In the painter's own words, " my life's work is a journey. I paint to explore color, space and composition. It is a search, an exploration."

The American Heritage Dictionary defines autumn as a time of maturity. This adjective perfectly describes the career of master painter David Gross. At the pinnacle of his lifework, his highly sought after paintings of bright iris gardens, dreamy European pastorals and bold color field landscapes have brought this regional artist international acclaim. This premiere collection of paintings, based on studies of the Kansas prairie, regional gardens and places of provincial splendor along Interstate 35 is alive with warmth, texture, sumptuous color and simplicity.

David's early life was spent on a farm in Southeast Missouri, where an interest in oil painting developed at a young age. Working directly from nature, his paintings radiate a vitality and eloquence. "My work is a journey," Gross explains, " I paint to explore color, space and composition. It is a search, an exploration. The Flint Hills of Kansas is an ideal setting to pull ideas for subject matter. The atmosphere, terrain, and light quality there is extremely unique, subtly abstract in form. The Tall grass Prairie is the symbol of our Kansas heritage; it has a timeless quality I find endlessly exciting to paint. Only 2% of the nation's native prairie remains, most of which is in Kansas. It is no wonder that it has become the target of fascination for artists all over the world."

After more than forty years of artistic experience, David Gross approached each new canvas as a pristine world in which to place his mark. Just as a writer faces a blank page, an artist faces a blank canvas, and according to Gross, "There is nothing more terrifying or exciting than this blank space." ,  With a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, an MFA from Indiana University, and subsequent studies at the Skowhegan School of Painting in Maine, David prefers to paint straightforward subjects-landscapes, still life studies, floral landscapes---in a visually simplified manner, striving for clarity and exquisite color. "I've traveled throughout the United States painting nature, striving for simple clarity and exquisite color." Strongly influenced by the Fauve movement of the turn of the century; Gross journeys into the world of abstract expressionism creating in his works a balance between the organic reality of the "place" and "non-representation" by juxtaposition of geometric shapes, layers of texture and bold color.

David Gross has gained National and International exposure through the exhibition and sale of original paintings, showing in one-man and group exhibitions, receiving awards and honors. His work has been sold in galleries in the U.S. and throughout

Europe by International Graphiks, Frankfort, Germany.

BFA; Kansas City Art Institute, Painting and Printmaking
1968
MFA; Indian University at Bloomington Painting 1970
Scholarship Alumni; Skowhegan School of Painting 1969
Studies with: Wilbur Neiwald, Ben Shawn, Philip Pearlstein,
William Bailey, and Jacob Lawrence.