Photo by Guillaume Bigot
Drew Gaines is a painter who strives to be a chronicler of everyday life and everyday people. His art is an extension of his studies in photojournalism in which he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas. This subject taught him the importance of observation and to create an engaging scene that tells a story or hints at the modern human condition. Some of Drew’s paintings use subtle symbolism to connect a local subject to larger human issues. His work is a representation of the small slice of America which he occupies and he hopes it speaks truth to its diverse, ever-changing, conflicted and beautiful nature. He often works in plein-air (painting outside on location), which allows him to immerse himself in a subject.
Drew currently lives in a small cabin near Cloudcroft, New Mexico with his wife, their two dogs and cat. It’s a rustic lifestyle. They heat their home with a wood stove, use an outhouse and collect rain water for household chores. He paints every day in a once derelict old cabin he converted to his studio. Their way of life brings them closer to nature and to the people in their community.