Gabriel Lipper

Paintings have always been a visual extension of who I am. As a child and a young man, many of the subjects of my paintings were drawn from observations of the world around me. I was growing into myself and learning how to see. I painted reflections of my travels, I painted friends and muses.  As an observer my surroundings were recorded and translated through my visual lens into paint. 

I felt disconnected from the lives and themes of my subjects and this process began to evolve into something more introspective.  I was searching for my place in a world and my paintings reflected the cultures and people that I so zealously wanted to call my own.  My work took on a theatrical narrative quality. Visual stories of how the world appeared to me, and in turn, how I appeared to the world became my fixation.  I assumed the role of casting director for these singular vignettes.  Like Woody Allen, I often experimented with casting myself as both the hero and the stooge.  The stories were composed fictions that in many ways I believed to be real. I reached beyond what I knew in order to try to understand why and how the world functions.  My conclusion was that the world was truly dysfunctional.  Again, my art was merely a reflection. 

Over the last several years, my work has become more personal and immediate. I'm beginning to leave the emphatic narratives behind and replace them with open-ended compositions.   This is an inquiry into my personal aesthetic.   What is beautiful to me? What makes me feel alive?  What do I dislike? What do I love? My new paintings are simply visual recording of this question-and-answer game.   Painting is an inquiry into who I am. My work is a reflection of the decisions I make. You can see my process of painting through the marks and textures I leave visible and the pieces that I have scraped away. My art is a direct response to the richness of the moment that I am living in.  I have nowhere to go and no one to become.  

Gabriel Lipper

Paintings have always been a visual extension of who I am. As a child and a young man, many of the subjects of my paintings were drawn from observations of the world around me. I was growing into myself and learning how to see. I painted reflections of my travels, I painted friends and muses.  As an observer my surroundings were recorded and translated through my visual lens into paint. 

I felt disconnected from the lives and themes of my subjects and this process began to evolve into something more introspective.  I was searching for my place in a world and my paintings reflected the cultures and people that I so zealously wanted to call my own.  My work took on a theatrical narrative quality. Visual stories of how the world appeared to me, and in turn, how I appeared to the world became my fixation.  I assumed the role of casting director for these singular vignettes.  Like Woody Allen, I often experimented with casting myself as both the hero and the stooge.  The stories were composed fictions that in many ways I believed to be real. I reached beyond what I knew in order to try to understand why and how the world functions.  My conclusion was that the world was truly dysfunctional.  Again, my art was merely a reflection. 

Over the last several years, my work has become more personal and immediate. I'm beginning to leave the emphatic narratives behind and replace them with open-ended compositions.   This is an inquiry into my personal aesthetic.   What is beautiful to me? What makes me feel alive?  What do I dislike? What do I love? My new paintings are simply visual recording of this question-and-answer game.   Painting is an inquiry into who I am. My work is a reflection of the decisions I make. You can see my process of painting through the marks and textures I leave visible and the pieces that I have scraped away. My art is a direct response to the richness of the moment that I am living in.  I have nowhere to go and no one to become.  

Exhibitions and awards

Solo Exhibitions:
2017, Hansen Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR
2015, Élan Gallery, Jacksonville, OR
2013, Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR
2012, The Rymer Gallery, Nashville, TN
2009, The Rymer Gallery, Nashville, TN
2006, Élan Gallery, Jacksonville, OR
2002, Grants Pass Museum of Art, OR
2001, Alto Gallery, Ashland, OR


Group Exhibitions and Representation:
2017- Current, Carrie Goller Gallery, Poulsbo, WA
2017- Current, Rebecca Molayem Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2011- Current, Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR
2008- Current, The Rymer Gallery, Nashville, TN
2016, Favell Museum, Klamath Falls, OR
2010, Rogue Gallery, 50 Cakes, Medford, OR
2009, Genre Art Advocacy Center, Caught in the Moment, Portland, OR
2009, The Goldsmith Blocks (Former home of the Portland Art Center) Inside Out, Portland, OR
2007-2008, Bohemia Gallery – Ashland, OR
2003-2006, Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2003-2006, New Masters Gallery, Carmel, CA
1998-2000, Davis & Cline Gallery, Ashland, OR
1996,1201 Club, Portland, OR
1992, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Awards & Grants
2017, The Haines Foundation Visual Arts Grant Recipient
2016, The Haines Foundation Visual Arts Grant Recipient
2012, 10 th Annual International Juried Exhibit Award: Au Naturel
2010, International Artist Magazine Competition Finalist
2009, First Place at the Hillsboro Plein Air Competition
2002, Best in Show, Art In Bloom, Spring Exhibit, Rogue Gallery

Corporate and Public Collections

Last Dollar Studios, Nashville, TN
Bristol Meyers - Squibb
Bear Creek Corporation (Harry and David)
Simon & Schuster
Blackstone Audio Books
Jackson County Administration
Washington Mutual Bank
Evergreen Federal Savings and Loan
Hilton Hotels

Teaching Positions Held
2015-Current, Enclãve Studios, Instructor, painting & drawing
2005-2015, Talent Studios, Instructor, painting & drawing
2004-2005, Ashland Academy of Art, Instructor, painting

Education/Travel Studies
2015, Rome, Tuscany, Munich
2010, Palm Dessert, LA CA, Nashville TN, Calgary Canada, - Equestrian Studies
2008, Panamanian Deep Jungle Study
2008, Sailing the British Virgin Islands
2006, Jordan Valley Rodeo, OR
2005, Coastal Italy
2003, Tuscan Bicycle Adventure Study
2001, Shozo Sato Studio
1999, Harley Brown Studio
1998, European Adventure Study: Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Italy, Greece, & Turkey
1993 – 1995, Bilmes School of Art, Medford/Jacksonville, OR
1992, Japan Study