Gallery

Guests at St. Supéry are welcome to browse the second-floor gallery that oversees each step of our winemaking process. Creative exhibits inside the gallery give guests an overview of Napa Valley geography as well as details about St. Supéry's "smell-a-vision" exhibit is famous - a must-see when visiting us. Monthly art exhibits grace the gallery walls, and on weekends, the Divine Wine Room is open for guests to taste St. Supéry's top estate wines.

CURRENT EXHIBIT:

April 1 - July 15, 2010

Don Scott Macdonald

My paintings are composed from an accumulation of observations and dreams. Rather than recreating details of a static landscape on canvas, I attempt to distill its essence, believing that simplicity is elegant and powerful. Many in this series juxtapose the peaceful, quiet mystery of nature with the rush of sensation we experience in such environments. I feel an affinity with the metaphysical content in paintings by Bierstadt, Frankenthaler and Rothko. Like them, I aim to create spaciousness that extends beyond the limits of the canvas. Overall, I hope my paintings convey something about who we are and what we feel — a balance of mystery and beauty, darkness and hope.

Artistic Process: The larger paintings take several weeks to complete. I’m using a classic oil technique of layering-on numerous thin glazes, allowing each to dry before the next is applied. The technique is time-consuming, but creates depth and glow. The surface preparation alone is painstaking, consisting of several layers of resin or gesso, each sanded by hand to achieve a smooth, eggshell surface. The visual inspiration for many of my images begins from time spent in nature, as well as motorcycling, hanggliding and fly fishing. In the studio, I'll sketch and note the essence of those experiences. The sketches are developed and then given life on canvas. I’m continually exploring how little representation is needed to capture an experience.