Common Ground brings together eight painters whose practices approach the landscape from markedly different perspectives, yet arrive at unexpected points of connection. Co curated by William Bardin, Owner and Director of Bardin Gallery, and artist Peter Drake, the exhibition explores how contemporary landscape painting continues to evolve while remaining rooted in a shared fascination with place, memory, atmosphere, and perception.Rather than presenting a unified vision of the landscape, Common Ground embraces its many possibilities. The exhibition pairs artists whose works reveal both striking similarities and compelling contrasts. Through these relationships, viewers are invited to consider how different artistic languages can speak to one another across differences in technique, subject matter, scale, and intention.

Four artists were selected by Peter Drake: Peter Drake, John Volk, Lisa Lebofsky, and John Jacobsmeyer. Four artists were selected by William Bardin from Bardin Gallery’s roster: Adam Ball, Rebecca Shewmaker, Kendall Stallings, and Carolin Wehrmann. Together, these artists represent a wide spectrum of contemporary landscape painting, ranging from intimate observations of the natural world to psychological, symbolic, and materially driven interpretations of place.

The exhibition does not seek to define what a landscape should be. Instead, it proposes the landscape as a meeting ground where differing artistic voices can coexist, challenge one another, and enrich our understanding of the genre. Some works are rooted in direct observation, while others emerge from memory, imagination, or abstraction. Each pairing reveals new conversations about color, light, surface, composition, and the emotional resonance of the environments we inhabit.

Presented at DFN Projects in New York, Common Ground celebrates dialogue across artistic communities. By bringing together artists from Bardin Gallery alongside painters personally selected by Peter Drake, the exhibition becomes more than a survey of contemporary landscape painting. It is an exploration of the relationships that exist between artists, between traditions and innovation, and between different ways of seeing the world. Ultimately, Common Ground reminds us that meaningful connections often emerge not from sameness, but from the productive tension between different perspectives.