Jean Gumpper | Reaching Out
EXHIBITION: NOVEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2024
OPENING: FIRST THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 6-8 pm
Jean Gumpper, Early Autumn. Woodcut
Davidson Galleries is pleased to present Reaching Out, an exhibition of new woodcuts from Contemporary artist, Jean Gumpper, created from 2020 to 2024. Gumpper focuses on the edges of water and land, the lakes, rivers, marshes and ponds where we witness renewal, harmony, and growth. She captures glimmers, arcs, and reaching tendrils seeking light, moving upwards and reaching outwards toward each other.
I hope to capture the sense of being in the landscape, hearing the sounds, feeling the air.
-Jean Gumpper
Gumpper’s work is thoughtful and introspective, conveying calm and contemplation. She cuts windows into dense, rich environments to focus on ripples on water and light on leaves. She brings us into the landscape to reveal small motions and tiny details. The new works featured in this exhibition consider the ecosystem, the movement and interaction of elements, and the resilience of the natural world. Gumpper places us in the environment as witnesses to the beauty who are close enough to be touched by the shifting grasses.
The beauty in Gumpper’s works is apparent and immediate: brilliant golds sit atop deep blue gradients; soft pinks, grays, and purples blend in the water. But the perspective is not looking down from a stunning hillside or looking up from beneath a striking waterfall. Gumpper places us right in the middle of the environment. The branches reach toward us not from a distance but from inches away. We are members of this natural world, beneficiaries of its resilience and vitality, and protectors of its essential balance.
Please join us for the opening reception at 85 Yesler Way, on Thursday November 7th from 6 - 8pm or online at davidsongalleries.com.
View all works by Jean Gumpper here.
Jean Gumpper (American, b. 1955) was born in 1955 in Hawaii and grew up in Michigan before settling in Colorado. She received a BFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and an MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Gumpper is a Senior Lecturer and Artist in Residence at Colorado College. She has lectured and taught workshops at institutions internationally, including Anderson Center in Colorado, Art Print Residence in Spain, and the Goldwell Museum in Nevada, among others. Her primary inspiration comes from her own experiences walking, hiking, and looking in nature. Gumpper is known for her woodcuts of leaves, water, and trees with rich color, light and shadow. Her works create complex, meditative spaces that draw from the natural beauty of the environment and woodcut technique.