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Afterwords

Posted in Favorite Things, tagged , , , , on September 14, 2014| 2 Comments »

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Braun

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Braun

It was a really nice time in Alexandria yesterday, doing my annual Gallery Talk at the Principle Gallery, an event we started doing in conjunction with the King Street Arts Festival twelve years ago.   Got to spend some time with Jessica, Pam and Clint at the gallery which is always a treat.  The actual talk, despite my normal pre-talk trepidations, went really well.  At least that’s what people tell me– I never trust my own judgement on those things.  But it was a full house with many familiar faces mixed with many new, a great group that made my job fairly easy, allowing me to be myself and be open and forthcoming.  Of course, in the aftermath, I  realized that I had missed several points and questions of my own  that I had wanted to address but that’s okay as the voids were filled with their questions.

Sometimes, these questions from the audience are the best part for me and probably for them, as well.  It is often the moist revealing part of the talk.  After talking about how my fifth-grade art teacher had been a big influence on my work, especially the Archaeology series,  a question came forward asking what advice I would now give to my fifth-grade self.  My response was that I would tell myself to believe that I had a voice that was unique, that I had something to say to the world.  I went on to talk about what finding this voice in art has meant to me, about how it empowered me and made me feel as though I had a role, a purpose in this world.

There’s more I could have added but that will have to wait until the next time.

The talk ended with the drawing for the painting and for several other gifts.  That is always a lot of fun for me and for the audience.  Well, at least the ones who win.  I tried to tell them how much this giving meant to me, how I was actually the one who was walking away with more than I came with.  That is absolutely true and for that I thank every one of those folks who chose to spend part of their Saturday with me at the Principle.  The inspiration you provide is worth more than I can ever give in return.

And, of course, to Michele and the crew at the Principle, so many thanks for everything they have given me through the years– friendship, encouragement and a place to let my voice speak freely.  It is more than appreciated.  So, for some  music, as is the norm on a Sunday morning here, I am sending out La Vie En Rose from Madeleine Peyroux.

Have a great Sunday…

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In the Adirondacks

Posted in Biographical, Favorite Things, tagged , , , , , , on September 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

View Arts Center-Old Forge, NY

View Arts Center-Old Forge, NY

We spent the last few days up in the lower part of the Adirondacks, around Old Forge.  Being just a day or so past Labor Day, most of the tourists were gone  and the region was beautifully quiet.  It sometimes felt as though we had the place to ourselves.  One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the View Arts Center, formerly the Old Forge Arts Center.  It was my first time visiting the View Arts Center.  What a gorgeous facility!  It is a 28,000 square feet gem with four galleries, a spectacular performance center and several large classroom and studio spaces, including a ceramics center that has an artist in residence.  Exhibitions Manager Cory Card gave me a tour and I was so impressed with every aspect of the place.  Just a beautiful arts center, one that would be the pride of any place fortunate enough to have it.

View Arts Center- Adirondack National 2014 Will Bullas PaintingI had first heard of the Arts Center because of its fame for hosting the  annual Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors, a prestigious juried exhibit of some of the finest examples of watercolor and other water based media painting from around the country.  This year’s edition was hanging and definitely did not disappoint. Just a spectacular show with something for every taste, including some from artists who had inspired me early in my career, before I had ever dreamed of a career as an artist.  For instance, Dean Mitchell, a watercolor master whose work rally drew me to painting early on,  had a prize winning entry in the show.  The painting used in the image above on the right is excerpted from one of my favorites from this show, Geek from California artist Will Bullas.

The show hangs until October 5 so if you have a chance , I highly recommend that you head up to the Adirondacks for some wonderful scenery and some great art at a first rate arts facility.

Another highlight was heading out to North Lake, a little known mountain lake that is well off the beaten path with only a handful of seasonal cabins around it.  I wanted to visit this place because it had once been one of the locations for my great-grandfather’s logging camps in the late 1800’s.  He built one of the original dams and sluiceways there that create the North Lake Reservoir which forms the headwaters of the Black River.  Standing on the newer dam that  stands in that location made me feel a bit closer to this ancestor, to look across that pristine mountain lake and possibly feel the same sense of awe at the natural beauty that he once felt in that same spot.  I was glad to finally see that spot.

Just a nice getaway to the lakes and streams of the mountains that makes me want to head back again soon…

North Lake, NY -View from the dam

North Lake, NY -View from the dam

 

 

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September Song

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , on September 2, 2014| 3 Comments »

GC Myers- Septemebr SongIt’s hard to believe that September is upon us already.  September always has a contemplative feel, a pause after the hustle and bustle of the summer months before making the transformation into the cooler, grayer months.  The leaves begin to turn.  The days get shorter. The air takes on a cool hardness that is a keen reminder of the coming coldness of the winter.

One of my favorite songs is the classic tune from Kurt Weill, September Song.  It’s been recorded by literally hundreds of artists through the years from many genres, from Jimmy Durante to James Brown to Lou Reed.  Willie Nelson does a rendition that is very delicate, maintaining the tenuous nature of the tune.  Just a lovely version.  I’ve included it at the bottom.

The image here is a new piece, a 6″ by 10″ painting on paper that I am calling September Song.  It is part of a group that will be accompanying me for the trip to the Principle Gallery on September 13th, when I will be giving a gallery talk there.  More info on that later. This painting has a wistful feel, as though the tiny figure is pausing on the path to reflect on where he has been, what he has seen and done.  The sun above and the churning rays of light emanating from it represent the inevitability of time, of change.   I wasn’t sure what to title this painting but when I realized that we were into September, the tune immediately came to mind and the narrative of the scene filled out for me.

Now, I am going to give a listen to Willie as he sings September Song:

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Meglio Stasera

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Fran Jeffries Meglio Stasera The Pink PantherWe got in last night just before 9 PM and I saw that the movie The Pink Panther had come on TCM at 8 PM.  That meant that we were just in time for the song Meglio Stasera which appears in the film about an hour in.  There are scenes from some movies that I always try to see even if I can’t watch the whole film, scenes that capture some deep emotion in the film or at least make me smile every time.  This is one of those.  Another is Dick Shawn as the hipster LSD in The Producers when he sings Love Power.

The funny thing about this scene is that it does nothing for the movies story line, doesn’t move the story ahead in any direction.  It is simply a musical interlude meant to entertain.  And it does that very well, at least for me.

Meglio Stasera, which translates as It Had Better Be Tonight, was written by Henry Mancini who wrote all of the music for the soundtrack including, of course, the hugely famous Pink Panther theme.  The alluring Fran Jeffries performs the song in a European ski chalet setting with a cast of early 60’s euro-jet set types dancing along as the song progresses.  I always watch for the end when she is joined by a lady in a golden boots, a shimmery jumpsuit and a stacked hairdo that makes her look like she could be David Bowie’s or at least Ziggy Stardust‘s mother.

Anyway, I thought this would be a good pick for some Sunday music.  Hope you enjoy.  Have a great Sunday!

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Another Homer in Cooperstown

Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2014| 2 Comments »

 

Winslow Homer- Watching the Breakers

Winslow Homer- Watching the Breakers

When you say homer in Cooperstown, you would normally think of the Baseball Hall of Fame located there.  But until August 24th, the Fenimore Art Museum has an exhibit of paintings from American master Winslow Homer from the Arkell Museum collection.

We took a quick jaunt out to Cooperstown yesterday to see this exhibit and were pleased with the scope of the show which showed fine examples from all the phases of his career.  It had some of his illustration paintings from the Civil War, seascapes in oil and watercolor and his  light filled tropical watercolors.  It really gave you an idea of how talented he was across mediums and how well he controlled the  light in his work.

My personal favorite was  On the Beach, featured below.  It was panned critically in its time, generally for all the things that make it feel vibrant in a contemporary sense– primarily its almost abstract composition of bands of color.

Japanese Prints at the Fenimore

Japanese Prints at the Fenimore

However, for as much as we liked the Homer show, it was group of Japanese woodblock prints that really caught our eyes.  It hung in the same space that held my 2012 show and it transformed the space completely.  Inspired by the local but widely renowned Glimmerglass Opera‘s production of Madame Butterfly, this group of prints,  some from Hiroshige and Hokusai, shows Japan as it made the transition into modernity at in the latter half of the 19th century.   It’s enlightening and elegant at once.

There is also a fine group of historically based paintings of New York state from painter L.F, Tantillo.  They are extraordinarily detailed and luminous in the way they are painted.  A really unexpected delight as you head down to see the Thaw Collection, the museum’s famous collection of American Indian art masterpieces.

So, if you are in central NY any time soon, I really urge you to take a side trip to Cooperstown.  There’s baseball and great art in one lovely lakeside village.  What more could you ask?

Winslow Homer- On the bEach

Winslow Homer- On the bEach

L.F. Tantillo- Manhattan Sunset

L.F. Tantillo- Manhattan Sunset

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Grazing in the Grass

Posted in Biographical, Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , on July 13, 2014| 4 Comments »

GC Myers- Solitary Song smThere are certain songs that immediately take you back to specific moments when you hear them, songs that are imprinted in you as a sort of timestamp.  Whenever I hear Grazing in the Grass I am instantly sent back to the summers of my youth.  Impressions of bright yellow sunlight seen through closed eyelids, dried  and brown cut grass on bare feet and the endless search for something to fill your summer days.  We lived relatively isolated in the country and it was a time without instant connection to the outer world– no computers, video games, DVDs, around the clock satellite television or even FM radio– so there was always a pervading sense of boredom.

But, in retrospect,  this boredom was a gift and a wonderful thing.  It made me create my own entertainment and trained me to bide my time within myself.   It gave me time to experiment and explore, to read and to look at the world around me.  It seems that I am eternally busy now and I find myself  missing  that boredom, of wondering what to do next. Or not.

I think boredom has gotten a bad rap with so many parents feeling that they need to fill each moment of their child’s life, depriving  the kids of developing self-reliance and  a certain creative ability.  I know that for me boredom seemed like a curse when I was a kid but was sorely missed once it was gone.

And that all comes to me with this song.  And it can be either version, the original Hugh Masekala instrumental #1 hit from 1968 or the Friends of Distinction‘s vocal hit from the following year, which I  personally prefer, if only for the chance to sing along with the chorus that ends with Can you dig it, Baby?!  I’ve included both versions below for comparison.

So enjoy your Sunday.  I hope you find a little time to be bored.

 

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Matisse

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences, Quote, tagged , , , on July 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

matisse_icarusI am after an art of equilibrium and purity, an art that neither unsettles nor confuses.  I would like people who are weary, stressed and broken to find peace and tranquility as they look at my pictures.

-Henri Matisse

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I list Henri Matisse, the French painter who was at the forefront of modern painting at the beginning of the 20th century, as a favorite and an influence.  It’s an odd pick because it is based not simply on the impact of his imagery.  In reality, some of his work does nothing for me and brings little reaction.  But there are pieces that do and when you couple these with his words on his art, his life’s ever evolving body of work  and the fearlessness with which he approached his art- well, then there is an overall impact that is huge.

I find myself nodding in agreement often when I read his words, like the quote at the top here, which sums up what I have been trying to say about my own work for some time.   His words shed a lot of light on his work for me, allow me to better see how he was seeing his own work which makes me appreciate it all the more as it changed over the course of his long career.  Born in 1869, Matisse began painting in the early 1890’s and worked at his art until his death in 1954.

Matisse Blue Nude cut ou 2tI use the term worked at this art because Matisse was not only a painter.  As health problems hindered him, he turned to other forms of expression such as cutting forms out of paper.  The image at the top, Jazz, and Blue Nude, shown here on the left, are two of his best known examples of the cut outs, both considered masterpieces of modern art.  This ability to express himself fully through his art despite hardships is really inspiring as is the fearless way in which he approached his painting.

It is bold and sure, with human curves throughout.  More about harmonizing color and simplifying form than capturing reality.  It makes me want to pick up a loaded brush and just paint freely and easily.  Let loose.

There’s a lot more to say about Matisse.  It took me a while to see why he was so influential to so many artists but now that I can fully see the scope of his work, I now better understand and take his influence and inspiration with me.

Matisse-The-Dessert-Harmony-in-Red-Henri-1908-fast Matisse- La_danse_ 1st Version MOMA

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Vive Le Tour!

Posted in Favorite Things, tagged on July 5, 2014| 1 Comment »

Tour de FranceToday marks the beginning of one of my favorite sporting events, the fabled Tour de France.  It’s three weeks of the most grueling biking imaginable covering over 2200 miles with multiple climbs through the French Alps and  Pyrenees that would seem difficult in a car let alone on a bicycle .  It is a contest that is a mix of  sheer power, endurance and strategy.

After watching for a number of years, I am convinced that these are among the most highly conditioned athletes in the world.  Day after day, they climb on their bikes and ride over an average of a hundred miles per day at the highest pace imaginable, not to mention the practice/warm-up rides they put in before many stages when they more or less ride the entire course.  How their bodies continue to respond is a marvel to me.

So for the next three weeks I am thrilled to have the Tour to watch with my breakfast– a great sporting event along with some of the most spectacular scenery to be found.  Vive le Tour!The pack of riders cycle in the Alps during the ninth stage of the 94th Tour de France

 

 

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Hassam’s Flags

Posted in Favorite Things, tagged , on July 3, 2014| 1 Comment »

Childe Hassam Flag PaintingI am a big fan of the flag paintings of Childe Hassam, the American Impressionist painter who lived from 1859 until 1935.  His flag series was perhaps the most popular work in his long career and started in 1916 as America sat waiting to enter the war that was taking place in  Europe, which  I wrote about in a blogpost from 2010.  In that article I wrote:

However, when I think of paintings of flags I always think of the work of Childe Hassam.  He started this series of paintings in 1916 as the buildup to our entry in World War I was reaching a crescendo.  In many cities around the country there were Preparedness Parades that displayed  the general population’s escalating enthusiasm for entering the fray.  The most famous of these was in San Francisco where, at one such parade in July of that year,  a bomb was exploded by radicals of the time that killed 10 bystanders and injured many more.  However, Hassam was in NYC and the displays on the avenues of multitudes of flags among the canyons of the growing city inspired him to produce a number of powerful paintings, not bombs.

Childe Hassam Fourth of July 1916I think these paintings say a lot about America, especially at that time.  The cityscape shows an expansion of urban growth brought on by the influx of an immigrant population and a prospering, industrialized economy.  The flags represent a unifying bond that ties together all these diverse groups, a simple symbol that speaks easily to the wants and desires of the population.  Their dream of America.  Perhaps it also covered up many of the injustices and inequalities rampant then.  And now.

But I tend to think of it in the better light, as a call to our better nature and to a society of choice and opportunity.  An image of possibility and hope.   And Hassam’s paintings do that for me in a beautiful, graceful manner.  The flag in its best light…

So, as we prepare for this year’s Fourth of July, I think of these paintings and the symbolism that they hold for myself and hope that we find a return to being that nation of possibility and hope, a society of choice and opportunity.  Have a great Fourth!

Childe Hassam The_Avenue_in_the_Rain- 1917 Childe Hassam-Flags_on_the_Waldorf- Amon_Carter_Museum Childe_Hassam-Avenue_of_the_Allies-1917

 

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Feeling Good Again

Posted in Biographical, Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , on June 29, 2014| 3 Comments »

GC Myers-Tree Waltz smIt’s the last Sunday of June and I sit in my studio early this morning surrounded by new work in varied states of completion that is headed to the West End Gallery for my show there at the end of July.  There are paintings on easels and on chairs, some propped against the walls, on ledges above the fireplace as well as leaning against the hearth– everywhere I turn they’re facing me.

I take a moment and just sit back and take them all in, just letting them meld together as a collective group.  For a moment, there’s a disconcerting feeling like looking at mirror that is shattered but still in place, a hundred different angles of myself staring back at me.  But there is a quick adjustment, like my eyes coming into focus, and they’re no longer images of myself.  Oh, I’m in there and I am part of what they are but they are more like a group of friends surrounding me, each with their own life but still maintaining a close relationship with me.  I know them well, know their secrets, know what they mean to me.  And they know me, hold my secrets and share a past with me.

In that moment, there’s a feeling like I am in a room full of friends and it is warmly reassuring.  I’m not sure I can do justice with my description here.   It makes me think of a favorite song of mine, Feeling Good Again, from Robert Earl Keen.  Whenever I hear this song I am reminded of  time in my youth spent with my father.

On many Saturdays we ended up at the horse track and before heading out would stop at a beer joint in town.  It would only be about 9 or 10 in the morning but the place would be busy with  some guys drinking their morning coffee and some their first of many beers.  When we walked in, there would be shouted greetings from around the bar.  Everyone knew each other and there was a terrific sense of friendship and camaraderie in their banter.  Looking back, I can  see how that place was a safe haven for a lot of tough lives and how those friendships, though maybe not deep, were reassuring, something on which to hang.  Feeling good again.

So when I hear this song, I am transformed again to that thirteen year old kid drinking a coke while my old man joked around with his buddies and looked over the Racing Form with his cup of coffee.  Have a great Sunday.

 

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