On Milwaukee's Water Street, Dean Jensen Gallery remains a landmark in the city's art community. His recent exhibit, “26 Days in the Desert: New Paintings by David Neic” reflects a commission given to Neic so he could paint his observations concerning the night sky in the desert for an entire cycle, accomplished in the New Mexico. At the gallery, Jensen himself speaks a bit about the work and painter David Neic.
Q: Could you please speak to these new paintings by David Neic?
A: David was commissioned by an organization in Montainair, New Mexico, called The Land/An Art Site, which is a group of 25 to 35 cultural organizations. There is an epicenter in New Mexico, for land based art, and also an installation about 40 years old titled Lightening Fields. It actually is composed of lightening rods, and lightening does hit there when it storms. Land art, even that produced by the Hopi Indians, is very important in New Mexico.
Q: How does Neic paint these nocturnal scenes?
A: It's challenging to paint in the barren countryside, with only coyotes around. He paints from sunset to sunrise, and a uses a flashlight when he needs to, even for mixing colors. These paintings by David are basically Plein Air paintings similar to Pissaro, done at night, but then they may be finished later in the studio.
Q: Has David always painted at night?
A: He does some urban scenes but I favor his nocturnal paintings. Three years ago he did Nocturnal North Woods paintings that I showed at the gallery. His parents have a cottage in Crivitz, Wisconsin, and he goes up there and paints the Northern woods when it snows. So there's more light, to see, reflected off the snow. Seems tortuous to me. The temperature is 10 to 15 degrees and his breath would crystallize on the wood panels and his paintings. These new paintings sort of remind me of the desert saints, who lived in rags and starved, that used to inhabit New Mexico...when they thought they hallucinated and saw God.
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Q: Neic lives in Milwaukee, right?
A: David earned his BFA in Painting from UW-Milwaukee in the ‘80's. He was a student of Laurence Rathsack, a highly regarded professor, an amazing man. David studied with him and consequently consecrated his life to his art. The British artist David Nash has become a real devotee of Neic, and owns about 35 of his paintings, while also influencing his work. David works part time and then paints, he sacrifices a lot for his art. I see him as a bit heroic.
