In Arboraceous, Terry Gardner presents a body of work centered on trees, approached through a range of ideas and painting methods. The exhibition includes both more representational works and more abstract compositions, reflecting Gardner’s continued exploration of a single subject through different visual and emotional registers.

Gardner’s paintings draw from direct experience in nature as well as inward reflection. References to the overstory, understory, and his “Fractality” series point to his interest in both the visible ecosystems of the natural world and the internal landscapes those experiences can evoke. Across the exhibition, trees become the central subject through which he investigates spontaneity, atmosphere, and personal response.

Known for an expressive tonalist approach, Gardner uses paint to create works that invite contemplation through layered brushwork, muted color, and ethereal mood. Arboraceous brings these concerns together in an exhibition focused on the natural world, and on the varied ways a single subject can be seen, felt, and interpreted.

Exhibition Details

• 📅 May 30 – June 20, 2026
• 🎉 Opening Reception: May 30, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
• 📍 Location: Gallery 1261, 1261 Delaware St, Denver, CO 80204

Artist Statement

“Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree - he wants to be nothing except what he is.” Herman Hesse

Arboraceous is all things trees. It is about the tree and me. It is about what’s inside me. The work I will be sharing demonstrates a range of thinking and approaches on primarily one subject. Trees. My journey of painting trees, the overstory, the understory, the “Fractality” series, are expressions of spontaneity, exploring the ecosystems I experience outward, and the ecosystems I feel inward.

— Terry Gardner

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