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Archive for September, 2009

At the End of the Road

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged on September 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

DSC_0042_01 smallIt’s the time of the year when the leaves are turning and dropping to the ground, leaving the bones of the tree exposed.  The deep green of summer is fading and being replaced by a stark grayness which changes the mood of every view.

I was thinking about that when I was nearing the end of this piece, one I’m tentatively calling At the End of the Road.  I had everything in place  except for the trees that I knew I wanted, to balance the weight of the composition.  I could easily imagine my typical red tree in place.  It would fit and the piece would have a certain brightness of tone, a dark optimism.

But placing only the bones of the trees changes everything for me.   It changes the mood of the piece as the starkness of the trees contrasts against the vivd colors in the sky, tempering it’s cheeriness with a grim reminder of time passing.  A sort of memento mori, letting us know that our time is fleeting.  This is reinforced by the relative emptiness of the landscape and the open mailbox in front of the windowless house, which is exaggerated in its proportions in a way that makes it seem less sturdy, less likely to stand the test of time.  There is a sense of abandonment of place, of desolation.

For me,  I think this piece, as much of my work is for me, is about the perception of memory.  How we see what is behind us, in what light the past remains in our minds.  It also acts as a reminder that the past cannot be reinhabited, no matter how we view it.  I’m not saying that this the reason that my houses seldom have windows or doors but that would be an interesting psychological viewpoint of that fact.  Perhaps the houses represent the past but have no doors or windows through which to enter.

I don’t know.

But I do know that this new piece, a 12″ tall by 24″ wide canvas, has a lot of things to ponder in very simple composition.  And I like that.

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Hong Kong Blues

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged , , , , , on September 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Hoagy CarmichaelIt’s Saturday morning and I just had a thought about Hoagy Carmichael, the great composer of some of the most recorded songs of the last century.   Classics like Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, Am I Blue, Up a Lazy River and on and on.  He also appeared in a number of films in parts that allowed him to showcase his piano playing and song skills, most memorably in as the bar-owner uncle to the Harold Russell character in the great The Best Years of Our Lives .

My favorite was from the Humphrey Bogart/ Lauren Bacall classic  To Have and Have Not where he was the piano player in the island dive.  He does a version of his Hong Kong Blues which has a real funky sound, very reminiscent of something Tom Waits might do forty or fifty years later.  I couldn’t find that version but I found a later one from the Rosemary Clooney Show in the 50’s that’s still pretty good.

For  my money he was a pretty cool customer.  I may not have agreed with all of his views ( he once got into a fistfight with Bogart over Bogart’s pinko leanings) but how can you not like a gut who write songs with titles like I’m a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin’ Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues ?

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Peaceable Kingdom

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences on September 18, 2009| 6 Comments »

edward_hicks_-_peaceable_kingdomI was walking back up my driveway the other day after picking up my newspaper when I rounded a corner and there, about 60 feet away, was a really good-sized bobcat between the studio and me.  I had never seen one in the wild ( or even my yard) before and had been under the impression that they were only slightly larger than a large housecat.  This was much larger than that , perhaps the size of a 7 or 8 month old golden retriever.  He saw me but didn’t panic, instead altering his course and loping  impressively in that big cat way across the yard and into the pine thicket.

Edward HicksOver the course of the day, as I reflected on all the many animals we’ve observed over our years here, I was reminded of the most famous work of the 19th century Quaker folk painter Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom.  It’s a painting that most of us are familiar with, one that has been reproduced numerous times in it’s many different incarnations, as Hicks painted 61 different versions of the piece.  In it he allegorically paints many creatures of the forest and jungle together in harmony, along with early American settlers standing side by side with Native Americans.  Children often are among the wild animals.

edward -hicksHicks’ repetitive use of his composition allowed him to examine different aspects and elements of each subsequent version, making each piece unique.  It’s something I have done often and something over which I’ve felt a kinship with Hicks for some time.  I also found similarities in the calmness we both try to portray as well in the way he fashions his landscapes, with very flowing, organic lines.  I’ve often thought that if I had painted in the time of Edward Hicks my work might very well resemble his.

But I paint in the 21st century, not the 19th.  And I have been influenced by everything, artistic, cultural and otherwise, that has occurred over those two hundred years.  I can only hope that two hundred years in the future someone takes a moment in their busy lives to consider my work, as I do now with Hicks.

For me, I’ll go back to my own little peaceable kingdom.  Who knows what I might see next?

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Trance

Posted in Early Paintings, Painting, Technique/History, tagged on September 17, 2009| 2 Comments »

GC Myers Trance 2002

I came across this piece from 2002 yesterday while looking through some old files.  It’s titled Trance and is a 20″ by 24″ canvas.  It sold very quickly back then so as a result didn’t live with me for a long time.  So when I come across it as I did it’s almost like seeing it for the first time.  Eventually the feelings that the piece initially triggered when I was painting it are recalled.

It’s a very simple composition, so the feeling and depth of the painting are dependent on being carried by color and strength of line.  The imagery, though simple, is strong with all detail pared away leaving the viewer to focus deeper into the scene.  Though there is subtlety in the color it’s not delicate which goes back to what I’ve said before about preferring bold lines and colors, that a strong, confident stroke is always preferable to fussy or wishy-washy, of which this piece is neither.

In other words, I like this piece’s strength and simplicity.

No Way HomeI’m currently in the midst of preparing a group of new work for later this autumn for the galleries that represent my work.  It’s a different atmosphere and pace than prepping for a solo show.  There is less direction and more opportunity to examine new avenues, new concepts.  I’ve been primarily working in the obsessionist style I’ve spoken of before, a style that I’ve shown in recent posts.  The painting shown here, Trance, is an early example of the style although the newer work is more dependent on layers of brushstrokes in the sky to achieve the color and depth I’m seeking, giving it a much different look.  You can see the difference in this new painting that I recently posted.

I have some other new ideas that I’ve been rolling around in my head for some time about which I will hopefully have something to post at a later date.  But for now it’s back to the easel…

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The Rise of Incivility

Posted in Current Events, Opinion, Quote, tagged , , , , on September 16, 2009| 2 Comments »

Is there a gas leak  in here?
What the hell is going on lately?
You’ve got Joe Wilson screaming at President Obama.  Serena Williams melts down at the US Open, swearing at and threatening a line judge.   Kanye West jumps the stage at some MTV awards show taking the microphone from the surprised winner and berates the crowd because Beyonce didn’t win.  On Saturday,  thousands  ( not millions, not even hundreds of thousands) marched on Washington, still quivering with anger and screaming that they want their country back and that Muslims were taking over Washington.  Bury Obamacare With Kennedy signs were distributed through the crowd.  Classy.
Last night I flipped on the Yankees game and there on the screen was a writhing mass of players, flailing away at one another.  Base brawl.  This ugly edginess that has been so apparent of late had even reached into the very thing I was hoping would be a refuge from all this craziness.
Why this anger, why now?  I wish I had answers.  There has definitely been a coarsening of society, a loss of the niceties and manners that once defined civil society,  something that has been pointed out a lot lately.   Maybe it’s that people feel they have lost their voice and that the only way to be heard is to scream.  Maybe it’s just the fact that with all media being omnipresent, every word, every act is recorded.  There is no timeout, no stepping back from the glare of  the spotlights to stop and think about the effect of one’s actions.  Every action causes a reaction and suddenly, while one is still dealing with the initial action, there is the reaction to be faced.  And the reaction to that reaction.  And so on and so forth until the universe folds into itself and there is nothing but a great void.

angrymanIs there a gas leak in here?

What the hell is going on lately?

You’ve got Joe Wilson screaming at President Obama. Serena Williams melts down at the US Open, swearing at and threatening a line judge. Kanye West jumps the stage at some MTV awards show taking the microphone from the surprised winner and berates the crowd because Beyonce didn’t win. On Saturday, thousands ( not millions, not even hundreds of thousands) marched on Washington, still quivering with anger and screaming that they want their country back and that Muslims were taking over Washington. Bury Obamacare With Kennedy signs were distributed through the crowd. Classy.

Last night I flipped on the Yankees game and there on the screen was a writhing mass of players, flailing away at one another. Base brawl. This ugly edginess that has been so apparent of late had even reached into the very thing I was hoping would be a refuge from all this craziness.

beckWhy this anger, why now? I wish I had answers. There has definitely been a coarsening of society, a loss of the niceties and manners that once defined civil society, something that has been pointed out a lot lately. Maybe it’s that people feel they have lost their voice and that the only way to be heard is to scream. Maybe it’s just the fact that with all media being omnipresent, every word, every act is recorded. There is no timeout, no stepping back from the glare of the spotlights to stop and think about the effect of one’s actions. Every action causes a reaction and suddenly, while one is still dealing with the initial action, there is the reaction to be faced. And the reaction to that reaction. And so on and so forth until the universe folds into itself and there is nothing but a great void.

Okay, that’s the worst that could happen.  But the fact remains, we are a nation spoiling for a fight at the moment.  Can we simmer down without boiling over?  I don’t know.  Hope so, but the idea of thoughtful, civil discussion on any matter seems like a pipedream at the moment.  Especially given the invective and prodding from guys like Beck and Limbaugh whose very livelihoods depend on this anger and division being kept alive.  I just hope we can all take a breath and  find common ground to stand on.  Let’s just  hope our better angels haven’t flown the coop…

Just remember the words of Voltaire:

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

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People Who Died

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged , , on September 15, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Jim Carroll Catholic BoyIt was announced this past Sunday that author/musician Jim Carroll had died at the age of 60 from a heart attack.  He is probably best known for the critically acclaimed memoir of his youth, The Basketball Diaries, which was later made into a film featuring Leonardo DeCaprio in a portrayal of a young Carroll.

Carroll’s life as a youth was memorable.  He was a star on the basketball courts of New York, earning national attention.  He was also recognized as a budding talent as a writer and poet.  This guy had a lot going for him.  But at the same time he was well on the road to a heroin addiction and a stint as a street hustler, prostituting himself to feed his habit.  That’s a lifetime of highs and lows by the time he hit his twenties.

I first became aware of him in 1980 or 81 when his Catholic Boy album came out.  It was real NY stuff, out of the same vein that produced Lou Reed and Patti Smith.  I liked the album a lot.  It was one of those albums that you sometimes stumble across that you know will never find a huge audience but somehow speaks to you in a very personal way.  I was never surprised that he never achieved the same type of popularity musically after that first album came out.  Just on eof those rare moments of expression.

I was just thinking about him last week as I had been listening to his best known song,  People Who Died, a song that has an infective driving sound and vivid imagery. I guess he could’ve added a verse for himself.  Here it is.  RIP Jim Carroll…

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Rockwell Kent

Posted in Biographical, Favorite Things, Influences, tagged , , , , on September 14, 2009| 1 Comment »

rockwell kentI’ve always had a special affinity for the work of Rockwell Kent, the American illustrator of the last century.  Maybe it’s because my local art museum, the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, had a couple of his paintings that had seen over the years.  Maybe it’s the fact that he headlined a show featuring the art of American illustration that hung at Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY back in the mid 90’s.

It was the first real museum show in which I ever participated and while I never considered my work illustration, gallery director David Kwasigroh saw something in my work and really wanted it to be part of the show.  I was really honored to have my early work hang among some of the giants of illustration such as Kent and Lynd Ward, and felt as though I had taken a big step, even though it was really more symbolic than actual.  I was far from ready at that time to move on but it gave me the impetus to do so.

rockwell kent cover fieldsI also felt a bond with Kent in that he lived part of his life in the Adirondacks, an area that has always hit a chord with me.  A lot of his landscapes are immediately recognizable as being from the center of the Adirondack Mountains.  When I look at his work I get the feeling that he was coming from the same place inside when he created his works that I do when I paint mine.  There’s a sense of familiarity that I can’t explain.

rockwell kent moby dickI’ve also always loved his graphic work, for instance the prints he did for his work illustrating Moby Dick.  I seem to take a lot from black and white work such as engravings and woodcuts.  It’s all about composition and subtlety of tone within the print and I think that is the real bones of painting.  I figure that if I can absorb some of the way a striking picture is put together it will find its way eventually into my own vocabulary of imagery.

There is a lot to absorb and like for me in the work of Rockwell Kent such as his use of mystic imagery in natural settings, trying to add that unseen element in a visual manner.  For me, he has always succeeded.

rockwell kent 2

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No One Home

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged on September 13, 2009| 2 Comments »

No Way Home

Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound.

—-Herman Melville

This is a piece that I’ve been working on for the last few days, a 20″ by 24″ canvas.  I’ve spent quite a bit of time just looking at this painting and have felt both happiness and a bittersweet sadness from it.

Perhaps it is that sense of home that many of us seek, that need for a place of our own in the world.   A repository of memories and hopes where we are secure from the prying eyes of the outside world.

There is a real duality in that image, both happy and sad, because the ideal is always fleeting and ephemeral when found.  But still we feel the need to seek.

I don’t know if that makes any sense to anyone living outside my head but that is what I see in this piece.  That sense of dual purpose is actually is what I hope for all my work, to have a work pull up conflicting emotions.  I think it heightens the emotional impact, gives contrast to the dominant feeling.

For me, this piece works on those terms.

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Thunder Road

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged on September 12, 2009| 1 Comment »

thunder roadThis will be the only time I mention September 11  but I was listening to some music and Thunder Road from Bruce Springsteen came on.  While it’s always been a favorite song of mine, whenever I hear it now I flash back to the weeks and months after 9/11, to a news report covering the life and funeral of one of the victims.  At this particular one they played Thunder Road, the victim’s favorite song.  Since then whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think of that person and his funeral.

While it is basically as anthem of liberation, this acoustic version takes on an elegiac feel.  Just a different sort of liberation…

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The Cremation of Sam McGee

Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , , on September 11, 2009| 2 Comments »

Robert Service Cabin Dawson CitySo today is September 11 and I could mention the event that will forever be linked to that date but I’m going to write instead about poet  Robert Service, who died on this date back in 1958.  Service was called the Bard of the Yukon as he came from the Great White North and much of his work focused on tales of the life of that area, the miners of the Gold Rush and the trappers for instance in a way that reminds one of Rudyard Kipling.  In his life Service achieved a huge degree of success and wealth from his poetry, something that would be remarkable in this day and age when the idea of a best -selling poet and popular culture icon seems ludicrous.  I am always intrigued by artists in any field who are tremendously popular in one era but whose name is, for the most part, lost in the eras that follow.

Much of his verse was more  about story than stringing  words together for rhythm and sound, telling  tales that dealt with the lives and deaths of the hard men of the north.  There was The Shooting of Dan McGrew , The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill and many more with equally colorful titles but perhaps his most famous was The Creamtion of Sam McGee.

I had never really heard of Service or his poem about the end of Sam McGee until this past Christmas Eve when my nephew Jeremy’s good friend and partner, Eliza, gave our family a wonderful recitation of the poem.  She had memorized it for a class recital as a young girl and has carried it with her since.  Now, that’s good baggage.

Anyway, thanks for the gift of Service, Eliza.  On this the day Robert Service died, enjoy an interesting reading by one of my favorites and another Canadian, Hank Snow.

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