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Archive for July, 2013

This Perfect World

Posted in Opinion, Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on July 16, 2013| 6 Comments »

GC Myers- This Perfect World smThis is a new painting that is part of my annual show at the West End Gallery opening next Friday, July 26.  This 24″ by 30″ canvas is titled This Perfect World.  It’s a painting that has taken a while to come around and has turned into one of my favorites, probably because of the way it has evolved.

This is one of those pieces that started quickly, back in January or February,  then came to a standstill, losing all momentum.  I would pick it up every few days and look at it but I could see nothing.  The surface seemed flat and dull and nothing made me want to even attempt to push ahead.  Finally, a couple of weeks back, I decided it was time to move on this painting.  It would rise or fall but it would no longer linger in the shadows of the studio.

I quickly heightened the colors of the landscape in the foreground and suddenly the whole thing jumped to life.  Everything in the composition contrasted off of this small change dramatically, taking away the dullness and building depth.  Even though I have seen this on numerous occasions, it still shocks me when this transformation occurs so quickly.  It creates that sense of excitement that I am looking for myself in all of my work, that feeling that has me anxious to push forward so that I can see the ending.  Like an impatient reader who goes to the end of a book to see how it all turns out.

And soon it was done.  So quickly it came, a final touch here and the transformation from lifeless surface to a vibrant entity is complete.  I wish I could know exactly  where this transformation occurs, at what point in my process does it jump to life.  But that remains a mystery to me.  Perhaps as it should.

Looking at it afterwards, there is a sense of fullness and rightness in the piece.  That is where the title comes in to play.  The natural world is a perfect thing.  By that I mean that there is no room for indecision or regret over every mistake.  Everything simply is.

Each moment is the only possible result of all circumstances that have taken place before that moment.  Each moment perfectly fits the setting that has been created for it. Perfect.

Now, though I invoke the word here, I am not looking for it in my representations of  this natural perfection.  I  think the imperfections in a piece  display the human element in the natural world.  And this painting is a good example of it.  There are visible edges in the sky where the pigment set before I lifted it from the surface.  There are bits of bristle from my brush (and maybe a little hair from my head ?)  in the paint.  There are tiny dark spatters of paint here and there.  All of these flaws, as some may call them, are perfect to me.  When I take in the painting as a whole, I don’t see imperfections.  I see the rightness of the piece, its perfection in the moment.  Those human indicators simply give it depth for me, let me know that I was in that moment.

And that is as perfect as it can be for me…

 

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Every Time We say Goodbye

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, tagged , , , on July 15, 2013| 3 Comments »

Chet BakerMaybe it’s the morning here.  Dark and somber sky with an unyielding flatness in its gray.  Very quiet morning as though nothing really wants to stir and begin this sultry summer week.  A fans hums, trying to move a little cooler air through the studio and I am sitting with my coffee.  Chet Baker‘s Every Time We Say Goodbye is  playing above it all, accentuating the gray mood with its deeply spaced tones.  I’m not the biggest jazz guy but there I do like what I like and for certain moods, like this morning’s, nothing fills the bill like Chet Baker.

I think it’s one of those instances of pure expression, where the art and the individual meld.  It’s not put on, not contrived.  It’s real and felt deeply, his own truth– all that you can ask from any artist.  I think we all aspire to a true expression of ourselves, to create something that we can say genuinely represents who we really were during our time here.

I know that has been a driving force for me.  Sometimes, it seems close to telling my truth and sometimes it feels just a bit shaded or slanted away from reality.  Maybe it’s a case of hoping that the motivation, the goal,  becomes the reality.

I don’t know.  Maybe, that’s just a bit too much thinking for any Monday morning, especially a sleepy gray July one.  Here’s Chet.

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Mirrors and Windows

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , on July 14, 2013| 7 Comments »

GC Myers-Mirrors and Windows

Maturity is that time when the mirrors in our mind turn to windows and instead of seeing the reflection of ourselves we see others.

–Anonymous

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This is a new piece for my West End Gallery show, Islander, that opens on July 26th.  I am calling this  painting, a 12″ by 36″ canvas, Mirrors and Windows.

It didn’t start with this title or the quote cited above in mind but as it progressed the lakes and sun/moon (your choice, although I am personally seeing a sun here) began to remind me of mirrors and the blocks of the  field reminded me of windows.  The terrain took on a pop or cartoon-like quality as though I were looking at a wavy  building  with curving windows and mirrors attached to its side.  The vibrant colors really accentuated this feeling.

I found myself looking at this piece quite often in the studio, trying to ascertain what it was that was pulling me in.  As I looked, I began to be more aware of the road running through which signified to me our life’s journey.  We spend our lives looking in mirrors and out windows, living in reflections of ourselves and the outer world.

There must be some perfect balance in this.  Somewhere.  Somehow.  And maybe that is what the quote at the top here infers, that we reach a point where we know who and what we are and turn away from mirrors and begin to look for windows in which we can expand our vision of the outer world and gain greater wisdom.

Perhaps this message is too much to ask from a painting that at first speaks with the look of a comic book.  I guess you should judge a book by the cover…

 

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T. Enami

Posted in Favorite Things, Photography, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2013| 2 Comments »

BOATS UNDER SAIL---Image of japanese Junks ca 1898 T. EnamiThis is an image of two junks that was taken in the late 1890’s by the great Japanese photographer T. Enami .  It was produced in the period as hand tinted  slide to be viewed in the popular stereopticons of the time.  The image was forwarded as a black and white photo to the National Geographic  magazine in the the 1920’s along with other photos of Japan from Enami.  They didn’t use the photo at the time, instead opting for the more traditional images of Japanese farmers and Geishas in a story on the island nation.  However, in the 1980’s the magazine took another look at the image and it really struck a chord with them.  The artistic beauty of the image was evident to them and they ultimately named this image as one of the best photos from their holdings of over 100 years.  It was used on the covers of one of their books and a catalog for a show of their best photography.

T. Enami - Japanese Boys in a Lively Quarrel stereopticon slide 1905I was immediately taken with this photo when I saw it.  It’s just such a beautiful composition and the harmony of the color and atmosphere make it sing.  I decide I should look at some other images from this T. Enami who was born Enami Nobukuni in Tokyo ( actually Edo at the time) in 1859 and died in 1929.  There were many images of Japan from the time, all beautifully captured with a sublime eye.  Some were surprising such as this 1905  image of 3 boys scuffling, an image that was sold in a series of slides by Sears.

But for me his images of  Mt. Fuji were the highlights.  They captured the dramatic presence that the mountain holds and are just incredible compositions, powerful and serene.  There are several of my favorites below.  T. Enami is probably not as well known here as his work deserves.  There is a site,  T-Enami.org, devoted to his work that is worth a look if only to take in more of his wonderful work.

T. Enami Mt Fuji and the Boatmen of Kashibara ca 1900 T. Enami- Mt. Fuji's Summit T. Enami- FOUR_MEN_ON_A_BRIDGE_AT_TAGONOURA_in_OLD_JAPAN.224130134_std T. Enami MOUNT_FUJI_SEEN_FROM_THE_MARSHES_OF_KASHIWABARA. ca 1892

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Michael Mattice Live at the Principle

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, tagged , , on July 10, 2013| 1 Comment »

Michael Mattice bw 2013I just wanted to remind any readers in or near the DC area  that there is a free show in support of his new CD , Comin’ Home, from singer/songwriter Michael Mattice tomorrow night, Thursday July 11th, at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria.  It is a great chance to catch a rising talent in a really intimate setting and I urge you to come on out if you can make it.  If not, pick up a copy of his CD — you won’t be disappointed.  It is gaining steam and has been sitting at the top of the Hot New Releases on Amazon for some time now.

His acoustic  guitar work on it is impeccable, creating rich, complex  textures for his songs.  I was expecting that, having watched his guitar prowess  through his years at Berklee.    The guy can outright play.  But it’s the songwriting that caught me off guard.  I wasn’t expecting such a cohesive set of songs with choruses that I find myself singing along to and melodies and rhythms  that hang with you long after you stop listening.

This is a strong and consistent effort that excites me from a creative standpoint.  There’s a real purity in Mike’s work here, a genuine and confident voice that has evolved  as he has voraciously absorbed everything around him.  It’s what you want to see in any artist but it’s  a rare thing to find.

This is a wonderful CD but , moreover, it is portending a future- it is not a culmination.  It is a giant first step in what I see as  a creative arc that stretches high and far, a truly impressive debut that sets a really high baseline for his future work.  A baseline that I have no doubt he will exceed time and time again.

So, if you can, see Michael Mattice at the Principle Gallery Thursday.  The event starts at 6 PM and Mike is expected to begin around 7.

Check out his site for more info and to preview the CD.

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Endymion

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , on July 9, 2013| 1 Comment »

GC Myers- Endymion This is a new painting that is part of my upcoming exhibit, Islander,  at the West End Gallery which opens on July 26th. It is a 20″ by 24″ canvas titled Endymion,  somewhat based on the mythic character of that name.  There are many conflicting myths as far as Endymion is concerned but the basic myth is that he was a mortal, some having either a king or a shepherd,   who was in  love with the Moon, who because of his beauty returned his love.  Some myths have Endymion in an endless state of sleep as either punishment or reward from Zeus, some with his eyes wide open as he slept but all maintain the love between him and the Moon.

The Romantic poet  John Keats wrote a poem titled Endymion that tells his version of the myth.  It begins with the well known line: A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.  My favorite line, and one that I think speaks to this painting, comes later in that first stanza: Some shape of beauty moves away the pall  from our dark spirits.

Whatever the myth behind the poem or the title of this painting, there is a sleepy hypnotic quality to this piece and there is a real sense of attraction and longing between the Red Tree and the Moon here.  I see the Moon as the unattainable ethereal and the Red Roofed houses and farms as being the temporal reality with the Red Tree hovering somewhere in between, part of the Earth yet longing for the sky.

Well, at least that’s how I see it…

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The Chapel Oak

Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, tagged , , , on July 8, 2013| 5 Comments »

chapel-oak-allouvilleMaybe it comes from painting so many trees but I find myself with a number of books about trees.  One of my favorites is a set from Thomas Pankenham containing Remarkable Trees of the World and Meetings with Remarkable Trees, containing  pictures and descriptions of some truly beautiful and astounding  ancient trees from around the globe.  There are some magnificent specimens that choosing a favorite would be impossible.  But one that always makes me stop as I leaf through is the Chapel Oak in Normandy, France.

Legend has its age as being 1000 or 1200 years although scientists estimate it at about 800 years.  It began its career of note in the the 17th century when lightning struck the already old and grand oak, sending a bolt down through its center that smoldered and burned until it had hollowed out a large cavity within the tree.  The village priest determined that there was some divine intent in the lightning strike to this tree and built a chapel in the hollow of the tree along with a small room above it suited  for a hermit.

chapel-oak-allouville-bellefossePerhaps the priest’s belief in the tree was deserved because, though badly wounded by the lightning and inner fire, the tree still leafed and maintained year after year until the present day.  Of course, it has been lovingly nursed and reinforced through the ages.  It has cables and straps and two steel supports that give it the look of a creature on two crutches.  The large section of the trunk damaged by the lightning lost its bark ages ago and the tree’s caretakers covered the exposed wood with shingles and a spire roof, giving the look of a fairy tale castle.  The inner chapel and the room above it have been renovated in recent years, refitted with paneling and mirrors to create more  light with the dark hollow.

Chapel oak interiorOf course, it is a place of great interest to tourists and pilgrims alike.  I am always torn when I look at the pictures of this tree.  Part of me is simply fascinated with the image and the way its caretakers have prolonged its existence.  There seems to be a grand reverence in this.  But another part of me wonders if the tree should be allowed to simply succumb in dignity to its natural ending without the assistance from humans.  I suppose it comes down to how one views all trees and this particular tree.  Perhaps, it’s continued life is proof that it desires to endure.

Whatever the case, it remains after enduring the many pages of history that have turned around it.  Interesting…

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Presentation

Posted in Early Paintings, Painting, Technique/History, tagged , , on July 7, 2013| 2 Comments »

GC Myers- With All Possibility smThis is a painting of mine from a number of  years back, a 16″ by 20″ canvas titled With All Possibility.  For the past several years it has hung in a back room of my studio but has remained a favorite of mine.  It’s part of a group of paintings of mine that is often referred to as the Dark Work which refers to the dark ground on which they’re painted and deep and dark  primary colors of the surface.  This work started in the months after 9/11 as we struggled as a nation to find footing.  This work was my emotional response at the time.  The work never gained the favor of my more typical work but I have always believed that it has something real in it, something that expresses a base emotion with genuine truth.

That’s why I probably give this work a go in the studio  every so often, painting new pieces to see if I still see something in this style.  This particular painting was part of  such a revisit back in 2007.  I thought at the time that this was a strong piece of work and, having had it around for a few years now, still believe so.  But it never raised any interest in its limited visits to a couple of galleries so I tried to figure out if  there was  fault in it.

Sometimes this is the case in some paintings, where I will have strong feelings over a piece that just doesn’t click with anyone.  I may be seeing something that is not visible in the surface of the work– an inspiration or even my own memory of the painting  process– which affects my judgement of the piece.  After some time, I will begin to see this and begin to see that my judgement of it was tainted, that I was not seeing the painting as it really was and, as a result, was missing real flaws in it.  Flaws that deprived it of the life that I thought I was seeing  when in fact I was only sensing my memory of the creation of it.  A big difference.

But looking at this piece, I still felt there was something real, something strong.  The forms, the colors, the textures– it all seemed to work in a rhythm of simple harmony with focus and depth.  Everything I look for in my work.  What was wrong?

It didn’t take long to figure it out.  It was my presentation of the work.  The frame.  At the time of this piece, I tried a very short-lived experiment with some gold-leafed frames, wide flat mouldings with a more classic  style.  I was trying to have the frame add weight to my work and it was a huge mistake.  It was not in any kind of sync with my work and it even went against my own personal rule which always has the edges of my work, on paper or on canvas, exposed.  I have only had a few pieces over the many years where the edges are covered and even those few still nag at me.

But here was this piece in this frame that would be more suitable for a more traditional pastoral scene in oil, its edges trapped under the gold-leafed rim.  It was all wrong.  How could I have not seen this long ago?

I unframed it and I immediately felt so much better, like a weight was lifted off my chest.  Liberated from the golden bindings of that frame, the painting seemed as strong and as vibrant as I had  thought .  I had been trying to present it as something that it was not and in the process had shaded its reality from the viewer.  It now sits without a frame and, if it ever leaves the studio, will have a proper presentation– edges exposed and ready to fly free.

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“Islander”

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on July 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

GC Myers Post Card 350 small

My annual show at the West End Gallery opens in three weeks, on July 26th.  This year’s show is titled Islander.  Below is a short statement that I wrote for this show:

 

I am an islander. 

But I don’t live on an island. Never have and probably never will. 

No, my island is a metaphorical place, one that exists in the creative ether of my mind. An island that is completely apart from and immune to the outer world that exists across the deep surrounding waters. Self-sustaining and self-ruled, a blank slate on which I can create my own reality. 

It’s a place free from the ire and pettiness of others. Free of strife and injustice. and filled with the quiet of solitude. Filled with color, warmth and emotion. 

An island of creation and peace. 

But there is a paradox in being an islander. While trying to remain separate, it becomes abundantly clear that we can never really exist as totally independent from the outer world. Actually, to the islander those bonds to the outside world become even more apparent and important. The isolation only serves to heighten our recognition of our inclusion and connection to the world. You begin to recognize them as lifelines, bringing those things to the island that you cannot create in yourself. 

Try as one might, one can never live in isolation from their own humanity. I think the best you can do is to create an island that you can visit periodically to revitalize yourself. And that’s what I believe I see in the work for this show– paintings that take me away for a short while from the outer world and place me on that peaceful island. 

For that short time, I am truly an islander.

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No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne

Meditation XVII, 1624

 

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All Gone to Look For America

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Opinion, Video, tagged , , , , on July 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

Fourth of July Parade of ScoutsAnother Fourth of July.

Parades.  Picnics. Fireworks. Red, white and blue.  That’s the shorthand version of this day.  The actual meaning of this day is much harder to capture, probably more so for Americans than for those from other countries who view us from a distance.  I think we sometimes lose sight of the idea and ideal of America in our day to day struggle to maintain our own lives.  But even that struggle is symptomatic of the basis of our nation, reminding us that anything worth preserving requires work and maintenance.

For me,  America is not a static ideal, a credo written in granite that will always be there.  It is vaporous and ever changing, like a dense fog.  But it is an inviting fog, one that is warm on the skin and invites you in with hazy promises of possibility.  And maybe all America is– possibility.

Maybe it is the sheer potential of a better and safer life, the possibility of remaking one’s self, that defines our ideal America.  We are at our best when we are open and inviting,  offering our possibility and empathy to all .  We are a long way from our ideal when we close our doors and try to capture the vapor  that is  America all for ourselves.  It is not ours to hold– we are simply caretakers of an ideal, one that brought most of our ancestors here.

Maybe this doesn’t make any sense.  Since it is such a hazy ideal, we all see it in different ways.  This is just how I see it.

Here’s a video of the song America from Simon and Garfunkel, as performed by David Bowie during the Concert For New York City in the aftermath of 9/11.  This is not a flag waving , chest thumping anthem but it speaks as much to the ideal of  the American ideal in that simple chorus — all gone to look for America— as the very best Sousa march.

Have a great Fourth!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcRsyl9-5mg

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