I create drawings that move between abstraction and representation, composed of thousands of straight lines. Through shifts in their density, impressions of form and space emerge across the page. From a distance, the drawings may appear familiar, yet on closer inspection, their imagery dissolves into a chaotic array of individual lines.
Although the finished image is static, the accumulation of lines creates a sense of vibration and movement. They also suggest volume and atmosphere without relying on hard edges to separate one form from another. Each mark remains visible as a record of the drawing’s construction, preserving traces of my physical presence, attention, and time.
Through this process, I seek to evoke transience and the instability of what appears solid. I am drawn to the contradiction between the apparent solidity of the visible world and the understanding that matter is dynamic, particulate, and continually changing. This sense of instability extends to the boundaries we construct between ourselves, nature, and the spaces we inhabit.
Me and RYB, 2024, 96 x 48 in. Private collection. Photo: Cristina Barbedo
Douglas Gilbert is an American artist based in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. His practice centers on mark-making in graphite and charcoal on paper. The work draws inspiration from nature and from ideas in quantum physics, particularly the structures, patterns, and forces that underlie what we see. Rather than describing form through conventional contour or tonal modeling, Gilbert constructs his images through thousands of visible straight lines, allowing form and space to emerge through their accumulation and intersection. His drawings move freely between figurative and abstract language, transforming observed subjects into something less fixed and more ambiguous. Through this movement between recognition and abstraction, Gilbert creates space for contemplation and connection.
Gilbert earned a B.F.A. in painting and a B.A. in Art History from Cornell University. Before returning his focus to his studio practice, he spent much of his professional career in graphic and web design.
BORN in New York, NY, in 1967
LIVE and WORK in the Berkshire County, MA.
EDUCATION
2026 New York Academy of Art Figure Drawing Workshop with Jesse Stern.
2016 New York Academy of Art Portraiture Workshop with Manu Saluja.
2014 New York Academy of Art Guided Studio: Drawing and Painting Workshop with Maggie Rose.
1985-1990 B.F.A., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
B.A. in Art History, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026 Nature Interrupted | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
2025 Spring 2025 Solo Exhibition | Southern Vermont Arts Center | Manchester, VT
2024 Gradient | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
2024 Into spring | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Prelude | Southern Vermont Arts Center | Manchester, VT
2025 Open Members’ Exhibition | Southern Vermont Arts Center | Manchester, VT
2025 Biennial 2 | juried art show | New Hampshire Art Association | Portsmouth, NH
2025 Black and White and What Lies Between | juried art show | New Marlborough Meeting House | New Marlborough, MA
2025 Art as Memoir | juried art show | Spencertown Academy Arts Center | Spencertown, NY
2025 Art in the Berkshires Juried Art Show | Eastover Contemporary Arts Space | Lenox, MA
2025 Art Now in North Adams | juried art space | Mixed Media Space | North Adams, MA
2025 Ode to Spring, Celebrating Nature’s Renewal | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
2025 New Works | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
2024 Seeing Landscape | LAPINcontemporary | North Adams, MA
2024 Drawn to Precision: In Monochrome | juried art show | Spencertown Academy | Spencertown, NY
2023 Homes, Hamlets & Villages | juried art show, awarded 2nd Place | Spencertown Academy | Spencertown, NY
2023 Impress | Becket Arts Center | Becket, MA
2022 7th Annual Members’ Show | Spencertown Academy | Spencertown, NY
2013 UCLA | Broad Art Center | Los Angeles, CA
2009 Garner World | Garner Art Center | West Haverstraw, NY
GRANTS & AWARDS
2023 Homes, Hamlets & Villages | juried art show, awarded 2nd Place | Spencertown Academy | Spencertown, NY
2023 Mass Cultural Council | Grant | North Adams, MA