Continuing his exploration of visual Americana, Geoffrey Gersten presents Matchmaker—a solo show of new work at Altamira Fine Art's location in Jackson, Wyoming. The gallery notes that the paintings elevate everyday ephemera, like matchbooks, vintage comics and puzzles, into striking, large-scale compositions that feel both playful and reverent.
“What makes this body of work especially resonant is how it connects to the broader narrative of the New West, pulling from mid-century commercial art and Western advertising, while recontextualizing it through a contemporary, almost cinematic lens,” says Altamira owner Jason Williams.
Frontier Days, oil on linen, 48 x 48 in.
In around 18 paintings, Gersten turns his focus to depictions of matchbooks, as in Cocktail Hour, inspired by a rare matchbook in the artist’s collection. “These ones are not easy to find,” says Gersten. “There’s a little figure lounging in a cocktail glass, looking demure and sociable but, it’s printed on these tiny little matches. So, in order to show the beautiful macro detail, I had to photograph it up close and then try my best to replicate what I found there.”
Other highlights include Frontier Days, showing a collection of matchbooks in one scene. “I love the Western matchbooks!” Gersten exclaims. “I have painted several clusters or arrangements of them in the last year and I wanted to come through with a very pleasing new one. Frontier Days was especially outstanding from many references that I captured of different Western matchbooks that I’m always collecting. When I find some very good, new Western ones, I always have to see if I can get a new arrangement with them, and this was definitely the best one among my new finds of old objects.”
Cocktail Hour, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 in.
Gersten considers his most important technique to be traditional oil painting. More recently, the artist has implemented impasto edges to decorate and illuminate, as well as torn papers and other details. “It’s so nice to see how much more solid the overall three-dimensional effect is,” Gersten adds.
Overall, Gersten hopes collectors can view these new paintings—on display June 2 through 16—and experience a surprisingly poignant “jolt of joy” as they take in the little printed ads, faces and figures of another era. —
Altamira Fine Art 172 Center Street • Jackson, WY 83001 (307) 739-4700 • www.altamiraart.com
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