Michael C. Spafford

Epic Works

April 5 - May 30, 2018)

Opening Reception: “First Thursday,” April 5, 6-8pm
Artist talk: “Saturday After”, April 7 at noon

Greg Kucera Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in an unprecedented three gallery exhibition of work by revered Seattle artist Michael Spafford. Paintings and works on paper, from various periods of his career, will be exhibited at Greg Kucera Gallery and Woodside/Braseth Gallery, and prints at Davidson Galleries.  

Greg Kucera Gallery will devote the entire first floor of its space to the exhibition. Exploring the images and stories of Greco-Roman and Mexican mythology, Spafford abstracts the figures in the various narratives creating a body of work both emotionally and physically expressive. Themes of heroic struggle and violent creation and metamorphosis are investigated repeatedly in multiple paintings. Myths of Hercules engaged in the twelve labors, the minotaur’s battle with Theseus, and Perseus’ slaying of Medusa are all presented in energetic brushstrokes and bold shapes and colors. Other works show Icarus falling through space in a gracefully curving set of panels and Bellerophon’s fall from Pegasus in a dramatic telling of the story.

A beautiful major monograph will be published to accompany the exhibition.

Designed by Marquand/Lucia publishing, the nearly 90-page hardbound book presents many of the large-scale paintings and print series included in the exhibition, a masterful essay by noted curator Bruce Guenther and descriptions of the myths which form the thematic basis of Spafford’s work.

Selected works from the exhibition