Midwest Americana | Nick Gadbois

Contemporary painter Nick Gadbois’ landscape work examines the offbeat, quirky, and playful side of the American spirit. He paints scenes from real life that appear surreal, amplifying the drama with a bold, saturated palette.  Through his chosen subjects in this series, what he calls ‘American oddities’, Gadbois celebrates a uniquely American creative inventiveness and a Heartland to which he is deeply attracted. 

About the Artist:

NICK GADBOIS

The son of a commercial illustrator, Nick Gadbois was introduced to surrealism and pop art as a teen. In the late 1980s he began painting and exhibiting at galleries in Los Angeles. He received an undergraduate degree in art from Portland State University in 2004 and his graduate degree from Vermont College in 2008. His paintings have been exhibited in San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Taos and Kansas City. Gadbois takes a bold approach to the use of color. He uses fluorescent acrylic underpainting to push the color saturation and heighten the drama in a scene. Along with thousands of other Americans from the counter culture in the 1960s, Gadbois came to see colors not previously known. He uses an amplified color palette to address memory, climate change, the nuclear era, alternate reality and artificial life. The artist currently lives and works in Kansas City, Missouri.

Building & Gallery Hours:

Gallery free and open to the public.

Monday- Friday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.