David Seiler
I operate in the space between painting and photograph -- object and print. These works of horses represent a new starting point in the continuum of my process. In each work, collage functions both to break the image down into component parts and to create a cohesive whole. At the heart of my process is the desire to see things differently; to build an image literally in order to come to an understanding of the visceral nature of form.
Sparking thoughts of blood stock and lineage are the anachronistic mixed media portraits of horses by David Seiler. Bringing to mind the great English sporting paintings of George Stubbs and Benjamin Marshall, or even the romantic moodiness of Delacroix, Seiler’s photographs show a fascination for the energy, force and personality behind the animal. His stark contrast between light horse and dark background is reminiscent of Stubbs’ own horse portraits, devoid of landscape or any human presence.
Landscapes
The landscape as a mark of orientation, both literal and figurative, is deeply embedded in me. Each encounter creates a shift in my perspective. The Isle of Skye scenes presented here are additions to a loose collection of images that I refer to as “travel pictures.” Ostensibly taken as visual documents of various trips and adventures, these pictures are the place where I seek in my process to move beyond mere documentation toward something more akin to the distillation of form. I operate in the space between painting and photograph -- object and print. At the heart of my process is the desire to see things differently; to build an image literally to come to an understanding of the visceral nature of form.
Nature
Horses
Resume
EDUCATION:
1998 M. L. S., University at Albany, S.U.N.Y.
1993 M.F.A., University of California, Davis.
1990 B.A., University of Northern Iowa.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2017 Summer Exhibit, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY.
2016 Photography, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY.
2014 SHIFT—Five Decades of Contemporary California Painting, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA.
2013 Upstate Artists, Laffer Gallery, Schuylerville, NY.
2012 Photography: New Work, Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY.
2011 Peter Liepke, Ida Weygandt & David Seiler, Carrie Haddad Photographs, Hudson, NY.
2010 Portraits, Carrie Haddad Photographs, Hudson, NY.
Group Show, Hammertown, Rhinebeck, NY.
2009 SaratogaArtsFest, Saratoga Springs, NY.
31st Annual Photography Regional, Opalka Gallery, The Sage Colleges, Albany, NY. (exhibition catalog)
Equus, Carrie Haddad Photographs, Hudson, NY.
2008 Horses, Amrose Sable Gallery, Albany, NY.
2007 Lumber, Upstate Artists Guild, Albany, NY.
2002 Traveling Light: Satisfying Our Wanderlust, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA.
1999 Alternate Forms of Photography, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1998 Allegories, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1997 Faculty Exhibition, College of St. Rose, Albany, NY.
New Acquisitions, Kamerick Art Gallery, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.
1996 Solo Show, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Painted and Constructed: Holly Roberts, Todd Murphy, David Seiler, Atrium
Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.
Photonominal ‘96, The Forum Gallery, Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, NY. (exhibition catalog)
1995 Faculty Exhibition, Kamerick Art Gallery, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.
Group Show, The Ballard Institute, Brooklyn, NY.
Lifelines, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA.
Photropolis ‘95, B Street Pier Gallery, San Diego, CA.
Photowork ‘95, Barrett House Galleries, Poughkeepsie, NY. (Juried by Susan
Kismaric, Curator of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, NY.)
Nelson Artfriends Benefit Exhibition, Basement Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA.
1994 Iowa Artists 1994, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA. (Juried by Richard Armstrong, Curator of Contemporary Art, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA.)
Faculty Show, Kamerick Art Gallery, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.
Introductions ‘94, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Art Show VI, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, IA.
Group Show, Dirk Meyer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM.
Group Show, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL.
1993 Group Show, Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
An American Renaissance, Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA.
Group Show, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Group Show, Lowe Gallery, Santa Monica, CA.
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Nelson Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA.
The Surface of the Sign, California State University, Chico, CA. (exhibition catalog)
Solo Show, Judith Weintraub Gallery, Sacramento, CA.
1992 The Class of 1993: Graduate Students in Art Studio, Memorial Union Art Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA.
Alumni Show, Maucker Union, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.
1991 2 Person Show, New Works Gallery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2 Person Show, Studio 27, Boston, MA.
Magic Silver Show, Kamerick Art Gallery, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar
Falls, IA. (Juried by Robert Fichter.)
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA.
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA.
University of California, Davis, CA.
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.