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Archive for May, 2013

Hypnos

Posted in Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , , , on May 17, 2013| 10 Comments »

GC Myers Hypnos 2013 smIn my last entry here, I wrote about talking to a couple of  art classes at a local high school.  I took a number of unframed paintings, something I normally don’t do because I really prefer that my work is always shown in a finished state with frames and mats, if the piece is on paper and  going under glass.  I’m a big believer that the work should be shown in its best possible setting in a way  that there is no distraction away from the focus of the work itself.  But I wanted these kids to be able to see the work in a more basic state, closer to their own work and experience.  The same way I see it in the studio.

There was one piece that was partially done, the composition completed in red oxide as was  the sky, a swirl  of many colors around an eye-like sun (or is it a moon?)  One of the things I wanted to do with this piece was to pass it around the class and allow the kids to get a better sense of the tactile nature of it.  I wanted them to be able to run their hands over it, to let the texture of the surface register on their hands.  This gives you a different sense of the work, no longer feeling like a distant scene but more like an object to hold.  Just looking at art from a different perspective sometimes changes our perceptions of it.

That painting, a 20″ by 24″ canvas,  is shown at the top in a more complete state, now titled Hypnos.  The focus of the piece is definitely, for me,  in the spiral colors of the sky.  It reminds me of  one of those  pinwheels that cliche hypnotists might use on a crummy TV show.  But it doesn’t have that goofy factor and indeed has  the effect of pulling in your attention in a mesmerizing manner.

This piece has changed quite a bit in the day since it went under the hands of those kids.  Mainly, the colors have deepened and transformed from the flat hues of the initial layers to ones that give it added depth and form  above the texture of the surface.   I think there’s a nice harmony here, a quietness in the abstraction of the forms that plays well to the title.  But the texture of the whole surface is the attraction for me.

I think I’m going to finish this up   and  go run my hands over it right now…

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A Day in School/ Goals

Posted in Influences, tagged , , on May 15, 2013| 4 Comments »

Speaking to Debb VanDelinder's class-- GC MyersI spent several hours yesterday at a local school, Southside High School in Elmira,  speaking to a couple of Drawing and Painting classes, trying to give them an idea of what it is like to be a professional artist.  I was there at the invitation of their instructor, Debb VanDelinder, who is a highly accomplished artist  in addition to her work as an arts educator.   I am not sure if the kids in her classes realize how talented she is and how fortunate they are to have her instruction and advice.   I will have a posting on her work in the near future but you can see her wonderful work at her site, debbvandelinder.com.

I’ve given a number of talks over the years, many of which I have described here.   Speaking to captive high school classes is always a little more daunting than speaking before a group of adults who have made a choice to attend.   There are always a number of kids who are not thrilled to have to sit and listen to an old guy talk at them for eighty minutes and most of the kids who are interested  are hesitant to speak or ask questions.  But both classes yesterday were pretty attentive and when questions were asked, they were insightful, based on keen observations.   I left very impressed with both classes.

My main purpose in speaking with them was to show them that someone with a background very much like their own could follow their dreams, overcome obstacles and attain a degree of success by following their passion.   I tried to really impress on them the need to practice excellence in everything that they attempt, that  by giving a committed effort at every step of their working life, even at that first menial job,  they are setting the groundwork for success at that thing that they ultimately want to accomplish.   Success is usually based on small steps forward and requires consistent effort and commitment, even when the end goal seems nowhere in sight.   Every effort is a rehearsal for  excellence.

I pointed out the many crappy jobs that I held in my own journey but I don’t know that I impressed enough on them that I have had many failures in my life and that  they are to be expected but that there is always some lesson to be learned.  If they recognize that lesson they will move past the failure and move closer to that thing that really seek.  I wish that I had spent more time on that as well as on plain and simple goal setting.

Setting a goal puts you on a  course, if only a vague one. This was personally brought home for me when  I was looking at some old journals that I had kept in high school when I was about these kids’ ages.  I thought I had went through my adult life stumbling blindly until I fell into the good fortune of my life as an artist.  It sure felt that way.  But reading in my journal I came across an entry that laid out a couple of things that I hoped for in my later  life.  At that point I wanted to be living happily with Cheri ( my high school love and longtime wife) in a cabin in the woods and to be an artist of some sort.  It seemed like a small goal to ask for when I had written that over 36 years before.  I had  long forgotten ever writing it, that’s for sure.  I didn’t realize until I came across this that I had somehow lived that dream , that I had subconsciously set a course that would somehow lead me to my goals.

Just having an idea of where you’d like to eventually end up allows your mind to set the wheels in motion.

My hope is that all of these kids set their own goals and somehow attain them.  They don’t have to be huge.  They just have to give them a sense of happiness and  accomplishment.  If only one of these kids gets anything out of the words I spoke that helps them move closer to their own private dreams, then yesterday was a good day.

Thanks, Debb, for allowing me to speak with your kids.  And to the kids, thank you for your attention and questions.  I’m rooting for you.  Work hard and be happy.

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Ascendant

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on May 13, 2013| 8 Comments »

GC Myers 2013 AscendantThis is a 24″ by 24″ canvas  that I finished yesterday.  I am still going back and forth on the  title between Ascendant and Ascent of Man.  Obviously, you could tell without seeing it that it has something to do with a hill, mountain or mound, which comes as no surprise for those of you who know my work.  Using a form of the word ascend denotes a climb of some sort,  either in actuality or metaphorically.  Both initially come  to  mind for me when I look at this piece.

Maybe it’s the way the hill rises from amid the verdant forest and river that brings the title Ascent of Man to mind.  While not necessarily in direct reference to  Charles Darwin‘s work, I definitely see a symbol  of an evolutionary nature in the way the path moves upward through a series of switchbacks, several houses perched on its edge as it rises denoting man  as he evolves  from the earth and water.  The golden sky breaking over the edge of the treeline adds a richness, a sense of fertility, that adds flavor to this whole stew.

The  Red Tree at the peak of the hill symbolizes the present, the now that is the culmination of all that has come before.  Evolution, ancestry, history– whatever you choose to call it– has brought each of us to our own personal peaks.  We are all the sum of all that has led each of us to the present moment.

I really enjoyed painting this piece.  That’s not to say that I don’t find enjoyment of some sort in every painting.  Just the sheer thrill of seeing something form before my eyes and under my hand is always enjoyable.  No, it’s a different type of enjoyment that I’m talking about here.  It felt complete even before it was completely laid out in the initial stage of composition as I worked on the underpainting.  It felt right and balanced from the start which allowed an excitement to grow, an anticipation of how the painting would form and change with each subsequent layer of paint.

It’s that excitement that I have talked about before when I describe what motivates me in the studio.   I have often said when asked about this that the most important thing for me is finding that thing that excites me in the work, that thing that makes me feel the piece is beyond me.  That is usually the sign for me that the work is going to excite others and that’s what I felt here.

But, as always, we will have to see about that…

 

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Mother’s Day

Posted in Influences, Music, Video, tagged , , on May 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
-Abraham Lincoln

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My Mom passed away back  in 1995.  It’s hard to believe that it has been so many years now.   A day doesn’t go by that the thought of her doesn’t enter my mind in some way.  A memory of her movement, her voice, her good and bad points– they are all set off by suddenly noticing how deeply they are all ingrained in myself.  When I am walking, I see my mother walking.  When I am angry, I see her anger.  When I am sitting alone, I see her sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of tea and her everpresent  cigarette, wordless and still.

It’s always hard on Mother’s Day, as it probably is for most whose mothers have long passed.  For me , it is often a day filled with regrets for words, both said and unsaid, and actions.  Regrets for not speaking more words of love and appreciation.  Regrets for speaking words as a selfish child that may have unknowingly hurt her.  But, like most days, these regrets fade away and are replaced with only the memory of her– a simple yet complex woman for which I owe that I am or hope to be, as Uncle Abe said.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Here’s Sundown from Gordon Lightfoot.  Mom really  liked this song and Lightfoot’s voice in general.  She also loved  Eddy Arnold‘s voice but that will have to wait until another Mother’s Day..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8rR7E6NfY4

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Peter Oloya

Posted in Influences, tagged , , , , , on May 9, 2013| 1 Comment »

Rwenzori Founders, UgandaWhen a couple of my paintings headed off to Uganda with Ambassador Scott DeLisi to hang at the US Embassy in Kampala, I began to follow the news that the Ambassador would forward from that African nation.  The stories he posts portray a country that is moving forward with an optimistic attitude.  There are stories of young entrepreneurs, scholars and artists that give reason for this attitude.  A recent post spoke of  the Rwenzori Art Centre Sculpture Gallery, nestled in the foothills of the  Rwenzori Mountains, the fabled Mountains of the Moon in northern Uganda.

The rural Rwenzori Art Centre is home to Rwenzori Founders, a world -class foundry that casts bronzes,  which opened several years ago.  The whole project was supported by the UK charity, the Rwenzori Sculpture Foundation, which is the brainchild of the owner of Pangolin Editions, the largest artist foundry in Europe which was started by a Ugandan, Rungwe Kingdom.  The facility’s design has won awards for its environmental sensitivity.

As fascinating as this all is, it is the story of one of the artists there,  Peter Oloya , that really interests me.  He hails from northern Uganda, an area that has been ravaged in the past by rebel armies.  At the age of 11, Peter was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army and forced into action as a child soldier.  It was kill or be killed.  After a year and eight months, Peter escaped after being wounded during a battle.

Peter Oloya - HeadHe made his way to Kampala and lived on the streets, earning money by using his talent at carving curios  to pay for his school and university fees where he pursued an education in art and sculpture.  His work served him as a form of therapy to move past the horrors he had witnessed  and soon his obvious talent garnered much notice.  He has won  numerous commissions for his sculptures in recent years, such as Crane (shown at the bottom of this post) which was given to Queen Elizabeth as a gift from the Ugandan people, and his work is in great demand.  Wanting to share his good fortune, he has set up a charity to help other boy soldiers and abducted girls to heal themselves through drawing and sculpture.

It’s a great story of the redemptive and healing power of art.  It is also evidence that the urge to create will always overcome obstacles of all sorts.  Too many of us, myself included, all too often find excuses for not doing something.  I don’t have the right tools. I don’t have enough time or the time is just not right.  I am too distracted by other things.  Excuses of all sorts.  But Peter used whatever he had at hand to release what was trapped within him to make way for better things.

The next time I start whining about anything, all I have to do is think of Peter Oloya and I will shut up and be grateful for the safety and security of my own life.

Peter Oloya-Crowned Crane

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Commuter

Posted in Current Events, Neat Stuff, tagged , on May 7, 2013| 5 Comments »

Moscow Wild Dogs - The Sun UKOver the years I have been fortunate to observe many wild animals from the windows of my studio.  I am always amazed at the  intelligence and resourcefulness as well as the sense of community and family that they so often display.  Their ability to adapt to situations is remarkable, something which many humans  fail to do when faced with any sort of change.  I suppose that’s why I was not surprised when I read an account of the wild dogs of Moscow and how they have adapted to a changing world.

It seems there is a large group of these dogs which works during the day in the city center where scavenging for food is easier from tourists, office workers and city dwellers who frequent the street vendors there.  These dogs have even developed a method where they approach an unsuspecting street  diner from the rear and bark very loudly, often making the startled person drop their food.  With children, they change their tact, using a softer approach where they will rest their heads on the child’s knees and look dolefully at them as they eat.  It often yields a few tidbits.

At the end of the day these dogs move to the subway and head out to the suburbs, where it is safer for them at night than in the city center.  They board the appropriate trains, dashing through the doors at the last second, and know how long it takes to reach their destination.  They ride in the less crowded cars at the front and rear of the train and often  fall asleep, having  to be awakened by the barks of their companions to let them know that it is time to get off the train.

If you’ve had a pet, especially one that was extremely bright, then this probably doesn’t come as any sort of surprise.  I wish I could find one that would write my blog and do my taxes.

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Part of the Pattern

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on May 6, 2013| 2 Comments »

GC Myers- Part of the Pattern

There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns.  Patterns hidden by patterns. Patterns within patterns.  If you watch close, history does nothing but repeat itself. What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognized. What we call random is just patterns we can’t decipher.  What we can’t understand we call nonsense. What we can’t read we call gibberish.

–Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor

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I tend to agree with the snippet above from Chuck Palahniuk’s book.

Everything is built upon pattern.  Who we are and how we behave.  History.  Science.  Music and art.  It is all dictated by patterns.

Most of us don’t dwell too long on identifying patterns in the world around us and some of us will even refuse to acknowledge the predominance of pattern in the world, believing everything is random and chaotic.  I suppose that in itself is part of a pattern, a larger one that is so encompassing that we can’t see it from our vantage point within it.

 Just speculating there, of course.

I know that I am always looking for pattern, even when I’m not really looking.  I call it pattern, rhythm, flow, sense of rightness and other terms,  without knowing why I am drawn to this concept.  It just attracts me in that it is so much part of everything that there must surely be significance.

All of this flowed forward with this new painting, a 4″ by 17″ piece on paper that I’m calling Part of the Pattern.  It’s based on a theme I’ve used several times recently of pools rising through  a tall vertical picture plane like ladder rungs.  This particular piece was so much more stylized in its forms that it really became more about pattern than subject.  I see it both as a landscape and as some sort of underlying pattern that makes up the landscape.  A sort of DNA-like structure on which the world is built.  Whatever it is, it holds my eye and makes me keep searching for something in it.

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The Bambino

Posted in Favorite Things, Photography, tagged , , on May 4, 2013| 4 Comments »

Babe Ruth Syracuse NY Aug 1922I came across this photo yesterday.  It’s one of my all time favorites.  It’s a shot taken in Syracuse in August of 1922 that features Babe Ruth surrounded by a throng of kids.  He stands in the middle of the crowd,  glowing like a sun that is creating a gravity from which no kid can escape.    I think this photo perfectly captures the incredible charisma that Ruth displayed for the American public.

I believe this was taken at Burnet Park where the Babe appeared at a game between two teams in the newly formed Babe Ruth League.  One of the teams was from the  House of Providence orphanage in Syracuse and many of the kids in this photo are no doubt orphans.  They surely felt a keen kinship with Ruth who had been sent to St. Mary’s orphanage in Baltimore  by his parents when he was an out of control child.  He was one of their own.

It was easy to love the Babe when I was a kid.  I read everything I could on him, knew his stories and stats inside out and remember my Grandmother telling me about seeing the Babe play when she and my Grandfather were on their honeymoon in 1921.   I also remember standing in front of his locker at Cooperstown the first time I was there as a child, looking on at his bat and uniform as though I were a true believer  gazing at some ancient religious artifact.  His big hands had actually gripped the thick handle of the bat.  That amazed me because he was more a mythic character than real man at that point– Paul Bunyan dressed in pinstripes.

He really was a character out of myth.  Everything about him was big–  his physical stature, his appetites and excesses, his generosities and his successes and failings.  He won and lost on a grand scale.  In many ways, he was a pure symbol of our country at that time.  Big, brash, loud and naive.  Famous and wealthy but still of the people.  He was a Horatio Alger rags-to-riches hero come to life.  He was America at the time.

I could just go on and on about the Bambino but I think this photo just about sums its up.  His big round head dominates the scene and the kids reflect back to him the unabashed affection that he emitted towards them.  I always think of this photo as a the head of a sunflower with Babe being the very center and the kids being the golden florets that surround it.  The faces of those kids are wonderful as well, like a compilation of Americana pulled from  Norman Rockwell paintings.   I would imagine almost all are long dead since this photo was taken 91 years back but I wonder what became of many of these kids, what sort of lives they led.  How they made it through the coming Depression and World War and where they ended up.  But I can probably imagine that most of them remembered the day that they stood with Babe Ruth until the day they died.

Just a great photo…

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Auction Ends at Noon

Posted in Uncategorized on May 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Sending OutIn my earlier post, I inadvertently listed the closing time of the auction as midnight when in fact it is at NOON today.  Sorry!  So if you are interested, don’t hesitate.

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Auction Ending

Posted in Favorite Things, tagged , , on May 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

REcycled Runway FashionJust wanted to mention that the online portion of the auction to benefit the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes ends today at midnight [ NOON!!].   The auction finishes tomorrow with a live auction at their REcycled Runway Fashion Show, their popular annual event that features garb of all sorts made from found materials.  Shown here on the right  is a gown from last year’s show made from discarded nylon tarps that was quite a hit.  By the way, that’s my niece, Sarah, modelling the gown.  If you would like to bid on the painting of mine or any of the other items in the auction and can’t be at the event, they do have provisions for Absentee Bidding on the site where your bid will be executed by the staff.

GC Myers- Sending OutShown here on the left is the painting that I am offering for this event is titled Sending Out .  It  is 12″ by 16″ and is  painted on linen.  I consider it one of my iconic images, with the blowing Red Tree in a heroic stance.  For me, it’s message is one that is relevant for this event, one of feeling the need to connect with the outer world and having your voice heard.  For many, art is that thing that allows this connection is the primary reason for  my support of our local arts council.

As I wrote in my earlier post about the auction, I feel that our local arts council, the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, serves a vital service in our region, which is primarily a rural area with a dwindling industrial base that has not seen an economic boom in my lifetime.  There are not a lot of opportunities for aspiring artists here and it can seem like an impossible dream at times for many artists.  But the Arts Council offers them a sliver of hope in pursuing their dream.  It educates, it informs and it seeks out opportunity for the artist.  As I wrote earlier, it has served me well in my own career and for that I will be forever grateful.

So, if you would like to help out an organization that is dedicated to helping others find their voice or simply would like to  get an original piece of art at a possible bargain price , please take a look at the online auction.  Thanks!!!

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