Observations in oil | paintings by Frederick Fochtman

This exhibition closed April 1, 2023
Great Gallery, 2nd Floor

This exhibition features oil paintings created by Columbus-based painter, instructor, and art restorer Frederick Fochtman. Both intimate and atmospheric, his landscape, still life, figurative, and interior paintings reveal his deep and abiding interest in both the world around him and the technical aspects of his art form. Preferring the title “painter” or “mechanic,” to “artist,” Fochtman’s creative process involves experimentation, a bit of risk-taking, and close and careful observation of his environment.

Many of the painter’s works are relatively small, some are comparable in size to a piece of paper. This is the result of the painter’s use of sight-size measuring, a technique that involves rendering a subject at the same size as it appears from the artist’s vantage point. Often painting outdoors, en plein air, Fochtman finds inspiration in the landscapes and cityscapes of Ohio, Vermont, and the Eastern Seaboard. He painstakingly captures fleeting moments in time like a snowy morning, a light-filled morning sky, or a faded bloom. In one of the exhibition’s largest series of landscape paintings called “Eleven Dusks,” the painter depicts the same coastline on eleven consecutive evenings. The result is an exploration of the variations in atmospheric effects, light, and weather conditions.

Fochtman exhibits throughout the Midwest, and his work can be found in private collections and museums including the Zanesville Museum of Art. He is represented by The Sharon Weiss Gallery, Columbus, Ohio. If interested in purchasing work from this exhibition, please see the Visitor Service Desk for gallery contact information.