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Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category

Seeking Warmth

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on January 14, 2015| 9 Comments »

GC Myers Heat of the Dance 2015-13° F overnight here.  So this morning I decide I need to show something to counter that frigid temperature.  Something with a little warmth.

That being said, here’s a new piece, a 12″ by 36″ canvas that shows a lot of heat here in the studio.  It has great saturation in the warm reds and yellows and even the purple at the bottom has a warmer quality. This is one of those pieces where the image flattens a bit when being photographed and doesn’t show the complete depth in the colors so I hope this quality comes off well on your screens.

To look at this painting then shift my gaze to the iced world outside my windows is a study in contrasts.  While I like the snow and cold as a rule, the temperatures today make this piece even more attractive to me this morning.

I am still up in the air as to what to call this painting. It is tentatively titled Heat of the Dance but that is just off the cuff and I am not sure that I am completely sold on it.  The curves and rhythms of the two tree entwined tree trunks suggest an embracing dance and the heat is definitely there but there seems to be something beyond this obvious title.  Maybe about a search for something with the path that leads towards a beckoning sun?  Perhaps with the two trees are seeking some sort of emotional warmth as well?

Maybe it should be simply Seeking Warmth.

I’ll have to just keep looking at it and try to figure this out.  On a morning like this, that is not a chore at all.

Oh, and if you have any suggestions for a title, feel free to let me know.

 

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Majesty

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on January 8, 2015| 4 Comments »

GC Myers Majesty smAfter a short break, I am finally finding a rhythm in the studio, the first of the new year.  It brought me this new piece, a 24″ by 24″ painting on linen that I am calling Majesty, settling on that because some form of that word came up whenever I would try to determine what the painting was saying to me.

At first I thought of Mountain King.  Then King’s Road.  Then Mountain Majesty, especially once the color of the mountains began to come about.  It reminded me of the verse from America the Beautiful—  O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!

It just seemed to fit.

For me, the strength of this piece is in its simplicity and lack of detail and in the purple bands of the mountains’ profiles and the manner in which they bisect  the warm colors of the sky and plains.  I see it as being almost abstract in the way it shows itself while still maintaining a representative feel, which is what I want for my work.

For the first step into the new year, it feels good.  Hopefully, a precursor of a good year ahead.

We shall see…

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The Past Floats In

Posted in Favorite Things, Influences, Motivation, Painting, Technique/History, tagged , , on December 23, 2014| 2 Comments »

GC Myers Glory Run 2006It’s the time of the year when I take a slight pause and try to ascertain what the past year has brought and where the next year might head.  I often find myself going back through my files, looking at images of long gone but well remembered paintings from the past.  There are a lot of thoughts that come and go during this process.  I will see work that bring back strong memories of the emotions that brought it out from within and some that leaves me wondering where it came from, it seems so different than the work around it in the files.

Then there is work that seemed to be a constant in my body of work that suddenly stopped coming out at a certain point.  Boat paintings, for example.  They were a minor staple in my work through the mid-2000’s but around 2009 they suddenly stopped completely, save for a few ferry paintings.  I really have no explanation for the stoppage.  It just didn’t seem to need to come out over the last several years.

GC Myers Night Glides In 2006There is probably some psychological reasoning to be found but it doesn’t matter to me at this point.  Just seeing the work and realizing that they were a part of the body of work and may someday emerge again in some way is enough.  Seeing these pieces with some time past makes me look at them with a questioning eye.  Some are real anomalies that stand out among a crowd of colorful images.  For example, the piece shown here on the left, Night Glides In, is a definite one-of-a-kind with its serene blue tones and placid feel set against a lone craft, vaguely Viking in style, that is headed inland.  It could be the return of a warrior or fisherman or traveler or it could be something more ominous and threatening.

That possibility always comes to my mind when I see this image even though I personally tend to see it in more congenial and positive terms.  More homecoming than home invasion…

GC MyersTime and Tide 2006Another painting from about the same time that also draws my attention whenever I am skimming through is this piece, Time and Tide.  I always have to zoom in to take in the texture.  The texture in my pieces seem to shift and change over the years and the texture in this piece is different than that in subsequent years.  Maybe it was an alteration in the way I prepped my surface or a change in material but it gives this piece a distinct signature in that texture and in the perspective of the incoming ship within the picture.

Looking at these boat pieces brings back influences and thoughts that have faded a bit in time, making them seem rejuvenated with the passage of years and the gaining of new experiences in that time.  I can see a boat or two floating back into my work in the new year.

We shall see…

GC Myers Beyond Chaos 2008

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A Changed Sovereign Solitude

Posted in Painting, Quote, Work In Progress, tagged , , , , on December 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished.

–Daniel Gilbert

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GC Myers- Sovereign Solitude smThe statement at the top from Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert is one that I have found very true for myself and many of those I know, although sometimes we tend to see folks captured at certain steps in their changing lives through our memories of single moments.  His words also has a certain truth for some of my work, as well.

  One of the paintings that went to my current Kada Gallery show was the painting shown above, Sovereign Solitude.  It’s a painting that has been with me for a couple of years now, one that somehow hasn’t yet found a home.  It was a piece that really resonated for me and I found myself surprised when it came back from showing in a couple of galleries.  It was in my studio for some time and I began to try to look at it with the imagined eyes of someone else.   For me, it was complete but looking longer at it, I discovered that I was only seeing it as complete.  I was filling in its blank areas with the knowledge of what needed to be done.  Without actually doing those things.

So I went back into it.  The clouds had been dark masses of red  and they changed to have more lightness in them.  The white side of the structure became much whiter and the tree, which had been barren, gained some light foliage along with a few falling leaves.  The mass of color that was the sky was darkened at the upper and outer edges.  Finishing, it still held that same satisfying sensation for me but now seemed to be complete, to not hold the blanks spaces that I saw as being filled in my mind.

I guess you can’t be afraid to change.

Here’s what I wrote about this piece a few years back.  I think it still applies after the change.  Maybe more so.

The word sovereignty often comes to mind often when I scan through the body of my work. The idea of the individual standing apart, self-reliant and strong, is an appealing notion to me, as it is to many others. This sovereign individual is still part of this world yet self-contained, it alone being responsible for its actions and reactions. It has made its choice and it has chosen solitude.

This is a scary concept for some, a life where we must take responsibility for our actions and decisions, where we relish our time alone in solitude. It is a freedom which we profess to desire but are often hesitant in pursuing. It may not be a freedom which suits everybody but for those who seek this sovereignty of self, there is no greater reward than living by your own decisions and beliefs. We may not seem significant in the greater world but we have the power to rule our own lives.

And that should always be remembered.

This painting is a good example of this thought.  It has a warmth and calmness in it that I myself find appealing. It is like taking a deep breath then slowly releasing it, allowing the effects of this action to be felt fully. The pulse slows and breathing levels off.

Solitude found.

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Delicate Balance

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , on December 1, 2014| 4 Comments »

GC Myers- Delicate Balance smMy solo exhibit, Into the Common Ground, opens at the Kada Gallery in Erie this Friday, December 5th.  While much of my work centers on the unique voice of the individual, the theme of this show is about finding those common bonds and experiences that we share with others.

Actually, I’ve always thought that my work succeeds when it communicates as a mix of those two things– individual expression of a common theme or emotion.  Art for me is communication, about reaching out and finding validation in my own humanity through contact with others.  I  feel that art should be expansive, not exclusive or reserved for wealthy insiders.  While art is often an inward search, it should always be reaching out to engage the world.

And maybe that is what I see here in this new painting, Delicate Balance.  Creating work that reaches out and finds common ground is a sometimes delicate balance.  It comes down to identifying what is really at the base of what you are or hope to be as a human and pushing aside those negative feelings– envy, greed and hate among many other negatives– that cloud your judgement.

Its not always an easy thing to accomplish.  That bridge across to others can be sometime wobbly.  But when it does happen, that simple crossing seems like the 8th wonder of the world. A miracle.

 

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Refuge of the Heart

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , on November 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers-Refuge of the Heart smMy solo show, Into the Common Ground, has been delivered and is now at the Kada Gallery in advance of its opening next Friday, December 5th.  This painting, Refuge of the Heart, a 10″ by 30″ canvas, is one of the last pieces to be completed for this show and has the same sort of warmth in its color that runs through the entire show, a warmth that permeates the scene with a feeling of confidence and security.

And that is the feeling that I think we all desire for ourselves and our own hearts.  We want to be safe and sure in our lives, to be needed and vital to other lives.

And there is something in this piece that holds that feeling for me.  It could be the color.  Or maybe it’s the light over the horizon or the rolling field rows or some other aspect that I can’t quite put my finger on.

Maybe its the shape of the small island on which the Red Tree grows that looks like a semi-submerged heart.  It was seeing this shape that triggered the title, after all.

It could be any number of things but whatever the case, it is a piece that feels like a perfect place in which to let my own heart dwell.

 

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Memento Vivere

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , on November 19, 2014| 4 Comments »

GC myers- Memento MoriAccording to its Wikipedia entry, Memento mori (Latin ‘remember (that you have) to die’ ), or also memento mortis, “remember death”, is the Latin medieval designation of the theory and practice of the reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.

I was originally going to use the term for the title of this new painting, a 16″ by 20″ canvas.  It has that sort of feel, from the Red Tree’s skull-like shaped crown  ( the skull is the classic symbol of a memento mori) to the darkly clad figure in the field looking downward.  It surely could be a reflection on our own mortality and the transient nature of earthly pursuits.

But I instead opted to use the flipside of this term, memento vivere which means remember to live.  I see the Red Tree here acting as a vibrant symbol of life, of glorying in the moment despite the constant specter of our inevitable mortality.

Actually, it just occurred to me that there is a yin/yang thing working here with the Red Tree and the figure acting as opposing forces.  I hadn’t noticed this before but it appears even in their physical relationship in the composition.  The Red Tree is the light, the imperative to celebrate life and the lone figure is the dark, the admonition to remember the ephemeral nature of our existence.

And with most things, treading the middle path between two opposing forces is the healthy way to go.  And maybe that is the message here– that we must remember our own mortality in order to live each day as fully as we can.

This painting, Memento Vivere,is part of Into the Common Ground, my solo show at the Kada Gallery which opens December 5, 2014.

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Out of Line

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.
― Ray Bradbury

Zen and the Art of Writing

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GC Myers- Out of Line smI am in the final stages of preparing work for my show, Into the Common Ground, that opens December 5th at the Kada Gallery in Erie.  Final touches on the last few paintings. Framing. Packing.  Details, details, details.

  It is  both my favorite time and least favorite time in the studio.  Favorite because if things go as normal, the work peaks right about this time and the show’s personality and feel really shows through.  I can now see the work as a group hanging in my mind and witnessing it as it comes together is a wonderful feeling that repels the ever present self-doubts that creep in from time to time– still.

It is my least favorite because of the all important detail work that takes place.  This week will be filled with last brush strokes, the smell of varnish and stain in the air and the dust from freshly sanded frames coating my clothing.  It’s not that I mind doing this work–it’s exhilarating to see a piece sometimes transform when it is framed.  It’s just that mind is moving ahead of my body.  I am already seeing in my mind new work inspired by the flurry of the last work from this show but can’t act on it as my body is busy on the details of the show.  There’s a weird tension between the relief of being done with a group of work and wanting to keep going that puts me a bit on edge during this time.

The piece above is one of the later pieces from this group.  It’s a 12″ by 36″ painting on canvas that I call Out of Line.  It is obviously, or so I think, that this is a piece that deals with our singularity as individuals.

For many of us, stepping out of line or expressing our individuality is an uncomfortable thing.  We don’t have the comfort and protection of the crowd to hide our flaws, our quirks.  But for some, it is just a matter of being.  They accept and even celebrate their own flaws and quirks because they make them who they are.  And that is as it should be.

Or so I think.

I don’t think I need to go any further on this painting– it speaks very well for itself, thank you.

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Science and The Starry Night

Posted in Neat Stuff, Painting, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 13, 2014| 3 Comments »

Van Gogh The Starry Night 1889 MOMAThe Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most beloved paintings of all time, stirring all sorts of emotions from a wide spectrum of the population as it presents a paradox of serenity and turbulence in the night sky of Provence.  It has been analyzed to death by art critics, psychologists, theologians and every art history student since it was painted in 1889, each striving to explain the meaning that they pull from it.

And maybe they’re all right.

But recently there has been a different analysis of this work.  It has to do with fluid dynamics and the problem of finding a mathematical equation for turbulence– the sort of turbulence you might see in an eddy in a stream or that which is depicted in the swirling light and color of Van Gogh’s painting.  Russian mathematician Andrei Kolmogorov (1903-1987) came closest to solving this problem in the early 1950’s yet it remains one of the great unsolved problems of physics.

Back in 2004, the Hubble telescope picked up images of eddies of gas and dust around a distant star and scientists were reminded of Van Gogh’s painting.  Scientists from a number of countries collaborated on an analysis of the luminance in his painting and discovered that the structure of his painting was very much patterned like Kolmogorov’s equations for turbulence.

I am not going to say much more.  There is a wonderful short film below from TED-Ed and Natalya St. Clair that much better explains this. But before you watch, I wanted to add one more thing which is the supposed inspiration for Van Gogh’s sky.

Drawing of M51 Whirlpool Galaxy Lord Rosse 19th CenturyThere was a drawing that was well known in Europe in the latter part of the 19th century that was done by William Parsons, also known as Lord Rosse, who had built a large telescope on his Irish castle in the 1840’s.  Called Leviathan, it was the largest telescope in the world until 1918.  With it, Lord Rosse was able to observe the great swirls of the near universe, turning them into drawings which circulated throughout Europe.  This one shown on the left is of  the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, and is believed to have been the spark for Van Gogh’s sky.

Anyway, watch this great short on the analysis of Van Gogh’s great painting.  Or perhaps you would rather just be content with our own interpretation of the work and what it does for you personally.  Either way is good.

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Listening to the Muse

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , on November 7, 2014| 6 Comments »

Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you.

–Saint Bartholomew

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GC Myers- Listening to the MuseThis is an 18″ by 18″ canvas that is headed to the Kada Gallery in Erie in a few weeks for my show, Into the Common Ground, that opens there on December 5th.  I call this painting Listening to the Muse, very much in line with the quote from St. Bartholomew from back in the 1st century AD.  It was true then and still is, twenty centuries later.

I see this piece as being about the value of silent listening, of finding a quietness of mind and spirit that allows one to observe the world as it moves  along.  I think  the muse dwells in those deep recesses of quiet, timelessly waiting to reveal its secrets if only we can calm the chaos and sound surrounding us long enough to hear.

This is one of those pieces where I could write for hours and not add a bit to what the painting itself reveals with a glimpse.  That being said, I will shut up and listen. Hopefully, the muse will appear.

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