Along the Way West: Michael Drury at Santa Barbara Fine Art
By Grace Miles, UCSB x Lum Arts Writing Intern
In the glass front display of Santa Barbara Fine Art, canvases of vibrant color draw the eye from the bustle of State Street. These are the landscape works of Michael Drury, a Santa Barbara artist who has been painting en-plein-air for nearly fifty years. Along the Way West is Drury’s first solo show in Santa Barbara in over three years, featuring paintings wrought from the arid deserts and towering mountains of the Western Great Basin to the beautiful, volatile coast of California.
Rendered in rich oils, Drury’s landscapes are united and defined by juxtapositions. As a plein-air artist, he “seeks significant form” where shadow and light, sea and sky, and mountains and meadows can highlight the dynamic contrasts that abound in natural landscapes. Starting north in Oregon, on the scrubby desert floor of “Winter Afternoon, Alvord Desert,” a bank of dark storm clouds pushes across blue sky, poised to break at any moment.
Michael Drury, Peace in November, oil on canvas.
Heading down into Nevada, gradients of lavender sky and hazy fields cradle the mountain range that divides “Peace in November,” a glimpse of rural serenity where the soft colors blur into placid silence. Further south at California’s Point Conception, the active, changeable nature of this rocky coastal landscape is demonstrated by how often Drury returns to paint it.
“Approaching Cold Front” depicts a fleeting moment of stillness before the oncoming storm, as “Winter Afternoon” and “Looking South” offer two views of sheer cliffs capped with gauzy grass and speckled with orange wildflowers, the sunlit sea rippling in waves below. By repeatedly painting the same location across different seasons, times of day, and weather patterns, Drury strives to gain a more intimate understanding of the landscapes that compel him to put a brush to canvas.
Michael Drury, Approaching Cold Front, oil on canvas.
And while his paintings are testament enough to a deep appreciation for nature, Drury also works within Santa Barbara’s Oak Group to preserve natural landscapes under threat. The artists in this group utilize their skills as landscape painters to bring attention to endangered landscapes, eventually selling these paintings and donating the revenue to environmental organizations.
The walls of Santa Barbara Fine Art are covered with the landscapes of Oak Group painters, a chorus of styles and scenes brought together by shared purpose. Gentle yet striking, peaceful yet powerful, the paintings of Along the Way West are a fitting induction into a space that actively demonstrates a care and sensitivity for the natural environment that extends beyond the framed canvas.
Along the Way West was scheduled for exhibition through Summer 2020, yet the unpredictability of Covid-19 restrictions has continued the exhibition through the fall months. Santa Barbara Fine Art is currently open to receive visitors; however, a virtual exhibition can also be accessed online at the gallery’s website.
COVER ART: Michael Drury, Winter Afternoon at Pt. Conception, oil on canvas.
