For his third solo exhibition at the gallery, Under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass, American artist Jeff McMillan (b. 1968) presents recent oil paintings on linen alongside a series of watercolours on found paper.
Under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass is derived from the final line of a poem by American writer Wendell Berry, who describes himself as a ‘farmer of sorts and an artist of sorts’.
Exterior view of Jeff McMillan's studio | photo: Stephen White & Co., London
McMillan hangs his monochrome oil paintings on an exterior studio wall overlooking his vegetable garden, where they remain for several years exposed to weather and pollution, and become subject to the daily lives of snails, birds, and even urban foxes. Nature in all its messy unpredictability is as much the creator of the work as the artist himself. McMillan has spoken of waiting years for each painting to evolve until they become ‘ripe’ or ready to be exhibited, a recognition of the symbiosis of culture and nature.
What’s more, the paintings are images of passing time. McMillan’s work raises the question: What happens when we just let things be?
In contrast to these durational paintings, the artist will for the first time show works from an ongoing series of watercolour paintings on found paper made while travelling, in hotel rooms, friend’s houses, or on holiday, since 2015. Collectively titled Topos, each work literally takes its form from a found object in a specific place, comprising a sort of memory/travel journal.
Jeff McMillan, Topos (Tuscany 2 / With Rain), 2019, watercolour on found paper, 34 x 29,5 cm | courtesy of the artist and Kristof De Clercq gallery | photo: Stephen White & Co., London
McMillan’s work is held in private and public collections in Europe and the United States including TATE (London), the Whitworth Art Gallery (Manchester), San Antonio Museum of Art (Texas) and Museum Voorlinden (the Netherlands).
Watch this video where Jeff McMillan talks about his new solo show 'Under the pavement the soil is dreaming of grass' at Kristof De Clercq gallery.
Watch this video where Jeff McMillan talks about his painterly practice.
