(1955-2025)

Masterful Plein Air Paintings

We were greatly saddend to hear of Gary's death in May, 2025, ending a rich and productive thirty-five year personal and gallery relationship. Our exhibition In Memoriam (opened November, 2025) honored his unstopable passion for painting, one that could not be suppressed even when physical illness constrained him in his later years. As unstopable was his push to grow as a painter. Available for purchase in the gallery's holdings are works from the early 1980's, when Gary was developing his craft, through to paintings finished in the spring of 2025, when he was exploring new expressive techniques and an expanded color palette. We want to thank Laurie Clark and Deb Cotrone for their help organizing Gary's estate and gathering work for his ongoing gallery presence. Gary made an indelible impact on so many artists in the area. He will be missed.

Gary began showing at the gallery in 1998 and was featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions here since then. An acknowledged plein air master, Fifer was well known for his beautifully crafted plein air paintings. His was a literal approach to painting on location - grounded in the French Impressionists' ideal of quickly capturing the moment in a single sitting. Yet, Gary traced his artistic roots to the American Impressionists who painted in New York and Connecticut during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was a long-time protege of Arthur Maynard (Ridgewood Art Institute/Academy, NJ) who had, in turn, studied under Frank V. Dumond who was, himself, taught by Willard Metcalf. Dumond was an instructor at the Art Students League of New York (ASLNY) and the Ridgewood Art Institute, in New Jersey. Fifer also studied with Frank Mason at the ASLNY and, later, at the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts in New York.

Fifer moved his locus of work from the Hudson Valley to central Vermont in 2005. He is one of a handful of painters expert in Maynard's use and understanding of the prismatic palette, which enables a seasoned painter to "fix" the infinite number of possible combinations of light, weather, time of day and atmosphere to a work in timely fashion while painting on location. Fifer, however, was not a literal painter with respect to his subjects. He saw his role as one of simplifying - finding and portraying the essence of a scene: To make a painting true to the basic structure and mood of the subject while simultaneously imbuing it with an inner harmony of movement and timelessness of character.

While the contemporary plein air movement has recently become a huge commercialized "fad" in this country, Gary kept clear of the hype and the formulaic - choosing to refine his grounding in keen observation and expert handling of paint. Through his historical connection to painting Gary created a distinct personal and spiritual style to his work.

The gallery continues to be his sole representative in the United States.

(WE ARE IN PROCESS OF UPDATING THE PHOTO GALLERY BELOW.)

Work currntly available through the gallery is shown in the first group below (and viewed above). Please click on an image to display a larger version above. Larger photos are available by contacting the gallery.

Nearly all work shown below is SOLD and presented as a sample archive of Gary's painting since joining the gallery. Unmarked work may still be available.

Gary has taken Best of Show awards from the Rye Arts Center; the Kent Art Association, Kent, Connecticut; and the Ridgewood Art Institute. He taught studio and en plein air workshops at the Garrison Art Center in Garrison, New York and the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT. He has lectured and demonstrated on location at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.