PrintPainter David Griffin
EnlargeDavid griffin has one of those slow and easy Texas drawls that lures you in with its texture and timbre. Yet, he chuckles, “I let my paintbrush do the talking. The paintbrush has gotten me in far less trouble than my words.”
Griffin’s paintings are as inviting as his twang, giving the viewer a glimpse into the private, ordinary moments of cowboy life. His favorite subjects are the land and the characters introduced to him by his grandfather, L.M. “Rip” Griffin. Abandoned by his parents in 1908, an 11-year-old Rip wandered onto the Matador Ranch in North Texas, where he did not hesitate to earn his keep alongside full-grown ranch hands. Later, Rip taught his grandson how to ride and, even more importantly, about how living the life you love often requires a great deal of sacrifice. “He gave up so much to [be able to] do what he got to do,” Griffin says.
Despite the artist’s awareness of the hardships of ranch life, his paintings offer intimate images of cowboys surrounded by content cattle and calm horses. “I hope I communicate a reality with a measure of pleasure for the viewer, allowing the story to be started by the painting and finished by the viewer’s own thoughts and words,” he says. “The success or failure of the painting depends entirely on the viewer.”
The realistic renderings are often underscored by his masterful composition. In Crisscrossed, Griffin conveys the mutual affinity of cowboys and land by literally weaving the two together with repeated Xs. The scrub brush knits its way up the hill to where the horses stand, continuing a pattern that culminates with the cowboys’ crisscrossed arms. This simple scene of a ranch hand rolling a cigarette conveys much more about the land and the men and women who work on it than Griffin can put into words. He humbly shrugs, “My paintbrush gets to the point faster.”
Galleries
• David Griffin Studio, Dallas, www.davidgriffinstudio.com, 214.502.7360.
• Texas Art Gallery, Dallas, 800.960.4781, www.txartgallery.com.
Shows
• Whistle Pik Galleries, November 15, 2010, to January 15, 2011; reception December 4, 2010; Fredericksburg, Texas, 800.999.0820, www.whistlepik.com.
• Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, January 4 – 24, 2011; reception January 5, 2011; Denver, www.nationalwestern.com.
• American Miniatures, Settlers West Gallery, February 1, 2011; Tucson, Arizona, 520.299.2607, www.settlerswest.com.
Issue: September 2010
