FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Rediscovery of Selden Spaulding
September 6 - October 27, 2007
A quiet peek: Wednesday, September 5, 4-6 pm
Opening reception: Thursday, September 6, 5-8 pm
25 East de la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101
Contact: Patty Look Lewis
tel 805-965-2525
E-mail, patty@looklewisgallery.com
Web site, http://www.pattylooklewis.com
Hours: 12 to 5 Tuesday through Saturday
Selden Spaulding, “Blue 2”, 1964, oil on canvas, 22” x 29”.
Santa Barbara-born painter Selden Spaulding (1922-2005) showed great artistic talent from a young age, distinguishing himself first at the private Laguna Blanca School, where his father was the founding headmaster. In 1943, he graduated from Princeton University with a major in art and archaeology, then went on to serve in France during World War II. He drew inspiration from his time there, and returned in 1950 to live first in Paris and then the south of France, where he produced luminous landscapes that reflected his surroundings. Spaulding moved back to Paris some years later, and his style changed dramatically, from largely representational to completely abstract. By the early '60s, his works were attracting international attention, and he returned to California to live and paint in Santa Barbara, the town of Elk in Mendocino County, and San Francisco. This proved to be the most prolific period of his artistic life, and his painting style again evolved, this time to slightly abstract and richly colored landscapes. Spaulding remains a true icon of the mid-century art world, and his vibrant paintings reside in the permanent collections of many museums.
