Exhibits & Events

Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Pursue, a solo exhibition of new watercolors by Joan Becker. The show features her signature, large-scale botanical paintings and a collection of intimate portraits, each showcasing Becker’s mastery of detail and her ability to evoke both the vitality of nature and the complexity of human character.

Becker’s botanicals are composed without preparatory sketches as she works directly from live plants. Each painting grows organically across the paper, layer by layer, capturing the fleeting beauty of flowers and foliage while creating densely layered compositions. Her approach balances careful observation with an intuitive sense of design, allowing the plants to feel both precise and alive, thriving in an imagined yet naturalistic environment.

This same attentiveness extends to Becker’s portraits, which reflect a dynamic engagement with her human subjects. “There is a special relationship created between the model and the painter,” she notes. “Life stories and ideas are shared, which is a great privilege.” Whether painting a friend, acquaintance, or model, Becker brings each sitter to life through vivid color and thoughtful composition. These portraits carry both a sense of humor and humanity, sensitively developed in moments of connection exchanged in her studio.

Together, the botanicals and portraits in Pursue invite viewers to consider the nuanced relationships between observation, imagination, and connection. Becker describes this pursuit as “the search for meaning,” where the disciplines of painting and life intertwine to create something simultaneously personal and universal.

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