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Abend Gallery is pleased to present Rhythms of Place, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Michael Magrin. Working in the open landscape of the American West, Magrin turns to the sky as both subject and structure, an ever-changing field of form, light, and atmosphere. The movement of clouds, the weight of a horizon, the subtle shift of temperature at dusk: these are the fleeting moments the work seeks to hold.

The exhibition pairs small studies with larger paintings. For Magrin the studies are not preliminary in the casual sense but acts of decision-making, where composition is simplified, shapes are clarified, and relationships are established. The larger works carry those decisions forward, holding onto the initial clarity while allowing for a deeper resolution. Influenced by the classical tradition, he builds each painting as an arrangement of shape, value, and color first, letting representation follow.

While the subject is often expansive, the intent is quiet. These are paintings less interested in spectacle than in stillness, in the kind of experience that unfolds slowly and without insistence. They are an attempt to hold something fleeting in a more permanent form, not to replicate nature but to create an equivalent experience: something measured, something lasting. Rhythms of Place is on view August 22, 2026 – September 12, 2026.

Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, August 22, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Michael Magrin will be in attendance.

These paintings begin with observation, but they are not about description. They are about distillation.

Working in the open landscape of the American West, I am drawn to the sky as both subject and structure, an ever-changing field of form, light, and atmosphere. The movement of clouds, the weight of a horizon, the subtle shift of temperature at dusk, these moments offer endless variation, yet they ask for restraint in their translation.

The small studies included in this exhibition are essential to the process. They are not preliminary in the casual sense, but acts of decision-making, where composition is simplified, shapes are clarified, and relationships are established. The larger works extend those decisions, holding onto the initial clarity while allowing for a deeper resolution.

While the subject is often expansive, the intent is quiet. I am less interested in spectacle than in stillness, in the kind of experience that unfolds slowly, without insistence. Influenced by the classical tradition, I approach each painting as an arrangement of shape, value, and color first, allowing representation to follow.

These works are an attempt to hold something fleeting in a more permanent form, not to replicate nature, but to create an equivalent experience. Something measured. Something lasting. -Michael Magrin

Michael Magrin (b. 1978) is a Colorado-based oil painter known for his dynamic skies and his contemporary take on the Western landscape. He moved from New York to Colorado in 2001 and has since devoted himself to capturing the elements that define the West, with a particular emphasis on the sky.

Inspired by the relentless pursuit of beauty in master painters such as Maynard Dixon, E. Martin Hennings, and Ernest L. Blumenschein, Magrin approaches his work as a dialogue between past and present, carrying their legacy forward with a contemporary vision that blends traditional technique with modern sensibility. He is interested in how we experience the landscape both visually and emotionally, and his paintings balance nostalgia with tranquility, emotional resonance with visual purity. Favoring bold shapes and a square format, he explores the language of the landscape through color, composition, and value, reflecting his belief in art's power to convey complex emotion and narrative beyond mere detail.

Magrin studied biomedical illustration at Iowa State University and earned a master's in secondary science education from the University of Rochester in New York, and in 2019 he completed the Jay Moore Mentorship. His recent exhibitions include the Coors Western Art Show and Sale in Denver, the Colorado Governor's Art Show at the Loveland Art Museum, and "The Heavens Declare" at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas, and his work was featured in Southwest Art magazine in 2022.