FIGURE/GROUND Opening Reception 2026

South Florida painter Colby DeGraaf creates figurative works using Gestalt principles and deconstructed compositions with vivid layers.

Colby DeGraaf (b. 1974, St. Petersburg, FL) is a studio painter that creates compositions focused on contemporary interpretations and representations of the figure. He currently maintains a studio in South Florida and exhibits work in commercial and public galleries throughout the United States. “My work aims to bring connections to a range of evanescent moments by employing the human form in literal and figurative constructs.” DeGraaf states that his studio practice is centered around Gestault principles of perception, specifically figure-ground relationships. Compositions are initially built up to show straight forward representations of figures and forms then his work goes through a deconstruction process to achieve a push or pull between proximities in the picture plane.