CRIS WORLEY FINE ARTS

Wild America
JOHNNY DEFEO

Oct 19 – Nov 30, 2024

Cris Worley Fine Arts is delighted to announce our second solo exhibition featuring the latest works of Johnny DeFeo. The exhibition, titled Wild America, will open to the public on October 19, and run through November 30, 2024. This artist will give brief remarks at 5:45pm.

Johnny DeFeo’s new exhibition, Wild America, is aptly named for his infatuation with the last remaining unspoiled landscapes of the United States. The core of DeFeo’s painting practice is working in plein air, painting in the outdoors amidst the beauty of America’s most pristine landscapes. Following in the footsteps of artists such as Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, and Albert Bierstadt, DeFeo delights in documenting American public lands through his paintings and expands upon the work of such artists with commentary on the negative effects of human intervention.

Most recently, DeFeo has been bringing his plein air painting practice indoors, setting up his easel to paint taxidermy collections in unexpected places such as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and Cabela’s Outfitters. An extension of his interiors series, DeFeo is subtly introducing symbols into his work that act as disruptors to the utopic residential spaces he creates. For DeFeo, these scenes of taxidermy collections nod to the strained relationship between humankind and wild animals. Once full of life, these majestic creatures have become trophies- inert, powerless, and decorative. With both the interiors and taxidermy paintings, the artist points to humankind’s struggle with a desire to control and dominate the natural world, even while we also hold a deep love and respect for it.

Together, the works in Wild America ask viewers to confront our relationship to the great outdoors. Be it wild and revelatory, or protective and reverent, DeFeo encourages us to feel deeply and celebrate passionately.

Cris Worley Fine Arts
1845 Levee St. #110, Dallas, TX 75207.
214.745.1415,
Gallery Hours are
Tuesday – Saturday from 11am – 5pm and by appointment.
www.crisworley.com