Tuesday Treats: Harry Hancock: Tabula Rasa

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the always intriguing, Harry Hancock. Last summer, Harry took a road trip around the USA in search of unsettled places. He came back with an entire show's worth of oil paintings on paper, which he graciously spoke to me about (as you will see from the video above.) The show is titled Tabula Rasa and will be at one of the best galleries in New York City, the Clic Gallery, opening May 17th at 6:00p.m.

Death Valley

 
It has been such a treat to see Harry's work progress over the few years I have known him. If you remember the post I did on him back in November right before Art Basel in Miami,  Harry had just completed an amazing painting based on the Biblical character, Samson. He also had let me post a few of the paintings from the summer of 2011, but this visit was a more comprehensive preview of his newest works!

Mt. Rushmore

As a kid growing up in the San Fernando Valley, every summer, my father packed my brother and I into a car and forced us to go on long camping trips and road trips through the Western United States. Sometimes we would bring our cousins, but mainly I remember the three of us hiking some crazy waterfall in Yosemite or taking pictures of Mount Rushmore from the side of the road while also learning about the Crazy Horse monument that seems it will never be completed. I have fond memories of getting car sick along a red road in Utah and the fear I felt the first time I saw a buffalo in the middle of the road at Yellowstone.  I remember the excitement of sleeping under the same skies as bears in Mammoth and I remember contemplating the idea of "God" when seeing the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon

These new works of Harry are not only inspired and breath-taking, not only nostalgic and romantic, but also unsettling in the same way the raw United States is. There is something haunting and alluring about his Death Valley painting, majestic yet vulnerable about his Mount Rushmore, or my favorite which was the very zen Grand Canyon.

These paintings bring the kind of solitude and quiet that comes from places "unsettled," a quiet so many of us could use in our noise and technologically saturated lives. But rather than read about these paintings, just go see them. My iPhone pictures and videos do not do them justice. I promise this show will be good for you.

Check out Harry's website here and follow him on twitter
@harryhancock

Harry, thank you for this very special treat! Can't wait to see the show!