Keynote-- GC Myers 2010
Well, this year’s opening for my show at the Principle Gallery is over and it actually went very well. Great crowd with many familiar faces and many new ones as well. It was a lovely evening and I left feeling that it was, by all accounts, a very successful show.
Two of the new faces I saw at the show belonged to the charming twin daugthters of Erin and Noah Ristau. Ever and Grey are 7 or so months old and came out to their first opening with their parents who made this a pitstop as they moved their home from Richmond to Ohio for a new position for dad Noah. The lovely girls seemed pretty at home and I was honored to meet them for the first time. I’m sure they and their parents will prosper in Ohio.
Actually, Grey and Ever were not the only children at the show. There was Henry, fresh (and tired) from a swimming lesson, accompanied by his parents, Stephanie and Tom. I first met Henry at a gallery talk there when he was just under a year old. He sat placidly through the whole time of the talk, taking in the paintings and never fussing once. I always think of him as the calmest child I know but I’m sure his parents beg to differ.
Then there was the shy Lexy who hid behind her mom, who asked if I had advice for her aspiring artist daughter. Lexy likes to draw. The best I could tell her was to be bold, make strong marks on the paper. Show people who you are. And there was Kai, the young son of Leslie, who hails from my home area. Kai is a big eyed waif who aked if I remembered teaching him how to draw Snoopy at last year’s opening. I told him I most certainly did then told him about the lesson from my 5th grade art teacher who had us fill sheets of paper with little drawn objects, making a trash heap. This lesson had led to the Archaeology series for me and I hope Kai gets something from it as well.
I answered what seemed like an unending barrage of questions until my throat was dry and sore. Afterwards we went with a group from the gallery and their friends (and my old friend Al) to see the band The Reserves (who used a painting of mine for the cover of their first CD) play a set at a local club. Dave and the other members of the band had stopped in for a while at the opening and I didn’t have an opportunity to say hello so it was good to catch up a bit. They have a new CD that is garnering really positve reviews and they sounded great that night.
But soon, I just ran out of steam and the night was done for me. All in all, a good night.
I wish to thank everyone who came out to the show this year. It is this support and interest for my work that makes it possible and I am ever appreciative. Also, special thanks to Michele, Ali and Clint at the gallery for making this show possible and providing such a comfortable and relaxing environment for the work. Their partnership in showing my work for these past 13 years has played a vital part in any growth I may have had as an artist and for that alone, putting aside the friendship they have always extended, I will always be indebted.
Thanks, everyone…
Redtree Times 