On the occasion of his exhibition Grass and Trees at Richard Gray Gallery, Alex Katz discusses the inspiration behind his recent nature-based landscape paintings. "Light is what holds my paintings together," the artist says, "When I finally get the light right, it gets into the unconscious."

Grass and Trees debuts a body of large-scale landscapes centered around the subject matter of three distinct motifs – grasses, roads and trees. The works, heavily gestural in style, draw upon the scenic views surrounding his studio in Maine. While the ‘Road’ and ‘Trees’ paintings reference his well-known graphic style, Katz offers a more immersive sense of space in his almost-panoramic ‘Grass’ compositions.

Alex Katz: Grass and Trees is on view at Richard Gray Gallery's Gray Warehouse in Chicago from April 12 - June 2, 2018.

Video © Richard Gray Gallery. A Zapote Productions film. All images courtesy the artist and Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago.