Jeff Bailey Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings by John Dilg and drawings by Pete Schulte.

The intimate scale of Dilg’s and Schulte’s works is in contrast to the vast pictorial space they suggest. Each artist uses subtle gradations of color and tone with sharp lines to create both tension and calm.

The view in Dilg’s landscapes is usually from above, like that of a bird. Lakes, waterfalls and gorges recede into space, surrounded by mountains, hills and evergreens. A full moon almost always hovers overhead, and paddlers in a canoe may be passing through. Other paintings depict a bird or cat, seen up close. These views bring us closer to the vastness of the natural world, and to those that inhabit it.

Schulte’s abstract drawings utilize variants of circular, square and triangular forms. Hovering on misty and smoky grounds, they evoke presence and void, image and object. Some are reminiscent of architectural details or molecular systems, while others look like abstract film stills.

There is a mediated quality to Dilg’s and Schulte’s works, possessing both a sense of place and stillness of time. It is within this mysterious realm that the eye and intellect are free to roam.

Pete Schulte received his BFA and MFA from The University of Iowa in 1997 and 2008, respectively. He has had solo exhibitions Whitespace Gallery, Atlanta; The Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Luise Ross Gallery, New York and Beta Pictoris Gallery, Birmingham. His work was recently included in the group exhibition, Simplest Means, at the gallery’s former New York City location. He has been an artist-in-residence at The Atlantic Center For The Arts, Bemis Center For Contemporary Art, and Threewalls. He lives and works in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.