Arts Galleries

Alex Eisenzopf Joins Lucy Clark Gallery

Artist Alex Eisenzopf is the newest member of the Lucy Clark Gallery. Gallery owner Lucy Clark first saw Eisenzopf’s work at Brevard’s plein air event. “Alex’s work is at once structural and soft,” says Clark. “With hues of black, gray and white, Alex is able to create pieces imbued with movement and contrast which can be very difficult to achieve.”

Marshall. Alex Eisenzopf, artist.

The artist says his work is inspired by “ideas—romanticism, humanism, nobility, the majesty of our world and the animals in it, even we humans.” He works both en plein air and from reference photos. “In either case, I start with small sketches to establish the elements and dynamics of the composition,” he says. “The composition is nearly everything; the rest is a distant second.”

After sketching and blocking out his painting, Eisenzopf says there is often a dark night of the soul. “Part two is where all that falls apart,” he says. “The painting goes off the rails and is heading for the ravine. Grinding through this stage is both a leap of faith and trusting to experience.” Finally, he reaches the final stage, in which he reconstructs and fleshes out his composition before facing the challenge of knowing when to stop. “Overworking a picture is deadly, literally,” he says. “Your painting will look dead. Some mediums are more forgiving than others, but in general I think it’s better to stop too early than too late.”

Eisenzopf studied art and philosophy at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute and Vassar College. After leaving his last job, he started pursuing his art full-time. “I went to art school and worked in the art-related business for many years, but that was all commercial and in a very real sense, bought and paid for,” he says. “You don’t get to set your own agenda and you usually don’t get the last word either. So getting picked up by Lucy Clark Gallery was a milestone. It’s hard to overstate its importance.”

The Lucy Clark Gallery & Studio is located at 51 West Main Street in Brevard. To learn more, visit LucyClarkGallery.com or call 828.884.5151.

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