This note accompanies “Figures, Flowers, and Fruit,” a solo exhibition of recent paintings by David Baird at SFFA Main Street Gallery. On view April 2 - April 26, 2025.
During the early years of my education, I was always on the lookout for contemporary figurative work and like many painters of my generation, I discovered most of it through the internet. As unremarkable as it may sound, I first found Philip Geiger’s work through a YouTube video. I was immediately struck by his painterly approach and command of values, both of which felt incredibly sophisticated and sensitive.
But perhaps equally appealing is his fearlessness in subject matter. He paints anywhere. And he doesn’t rely on dramatic scenes or curated compositions; instead, he paints what’s around him—homes, interiors, people in ordinary settings—and elevates them through light, color, and atmosphere. This is a quality I’ve often struggled to realize in my own work: the idea that beauty doesn’t need to be staged, it just needs to be seen.
The first time I actually got to meet Philip in person was last June in 2024. We talked about painting and he offered many words of encouragement. As someone I admired for so long, hearing him speak positively about my work gave me a sense of validation for which I’ll always be grateful.
Philip’s dedication to painting the seen world informs a lifetime of work. Both his own work and any painter’s who will take the time to appreciate it. The revisions recurring in the build up of paint will stand as a testament to his own search for what’s beautiful—which is not just what’s out there in the world, but what’s discovered in its translation into paint. The sophisticated interplay of color and value, mixed masterfully one note to another, may to some extent fool the eye, but never denies itself as paint. Preserved in those layers of oil and pigment is not just a reminder to see the world around us—but to celebrate the medium—which is enough to sustain any artist for a lifetime.