David Reed Creates Colorful Abstract Landscape Paintings

By Jennifer Wray, writer at Columbus College of Art & Design

From realistic landscape painting in oils or watercolor to a more abstract collage approach using paint and paper, artist David Reed has maintained a media-spanning practice ever since he was a child making portraits with poster paint and construction paper and landscapes with pastels and watercolors. (He later went on to graduate from Columbus College of Art & Design in 1979 with an Fine Arts degree and earned an MFA in Photography from the University of Iowa.) Reed, who is represented by Brandt-Roberts Galleries, will have work on view at the Short North gallery with fellow CCAD alumni Terri Albanese, Christopher Burk, Richard Lillash and Marianne Miller, Sept. 7–29 as part of the citywide series CCAD Grads in the Galleries, which will be hosted in art spaces throughout Columbus through the end of December. We chatted with Reed about his practice, his work on view at Brandt-Roberts and what’s up next.

Jenny: Can you describe the work you will have on view at Brandt-Roberts?
David: I create colorful abstract landscape paintings that reflect my love of drawing and collage.

Jenny: What’s your practice like?
David: I work in oils on canvas and also with mixed media on canvas or board using cut and torn paper, acrylic paint, pencil and oil pastels. I often start from a photo reference or a sketch based on an imaginary landscape.

Jenny: What inspired your work on view in the Brandt-Roberts exhibition?
David: I’ve always been an artist rooted in the landscape painting tradition.

Chestnut Ridge, oil on canvas, 30” x 68”

Jenny: Are there any experiences from your time at CCAD that impact the work you do today?
David: The continual drive to produce fine art images, present in me from the time I was very young, became necessary and habitual as a student pursuing projects and searching for solutions to visual problems. I can see how this drive to pursue a vision was enhanced and encouraged in the CCAD environment.

Jenny: Can you describe your creative process?
David: I feel fortunate to have substantial time to paint and I try to take advantage of that every day. When I’m not working in the studio, I am still mulling over ideas or approaches to solutions to the problems I encounter in my paintings. I always listen to music while painting.

River Trail, oil on canvas, 30 ‘ x 70”

Jenny: What is the best thing about the Columbus art scene right now?
David: I see the Columbus art scene growing and thriving. I feel like I’ve been able to be more connected to that growth in my relationship with Brandt-Roberts Galleries.

Jenny: Any other upcoming shows?
David: I’ve been invited to participate in There’s No Place Like Home, on view Nov. 10-Dec. 29 at Brandt-Roberts Galleries.

See work by David Reed and other CCAD graduates at Brandt-Roberts Galleries and in art spaces around central Ohio through year’s end as part of the series CCAD Grads in the Galleries. Learn more at ccad.edu/140years.